Lost & Found in San Miguel de Allende Mexico San Miguel de Allende Mexico Announcements & News

If you read guidebooks or travel articles about México, you will read that Mexicans are wonderfully accommodating, friendly, warm, and generous to strangers. You will be given the impression these people are the “Salt of the Earth” and maybe even virtually Saints. You will be told things like, “Mexicans are helpful to a fault” and “they will be so patient with you trying to learn Spanish.” While this might be true, I have, of late, begun to doubt the multitude of clichés that pour forth from all the guidebook and article sources about Mexico.

About 18 months into our expatriation experiment, my wife and I began to wonder what was going on in the heartland of Mexico. The clichés we had read in our pre-expat research were, frankly, beginning to fall apart. The longer we lived here, the more we were beginning to see things that the guidebooks gushed about Mexican’s congeniality weren’t necessarily true. Something wasn’t adding up.

Guanajuato is about as much in the middle of the country as it gets. It is truly the heartland of Mexico. Here life is uber-provincial. The dictionary defines provincial as, “a person of local or restricted interests or outlook; a person lacking urban polish or refinement.” I began hearing this uber-provincial stuff more and more as the years went by. I heard this from not only American, German, and Canadian expatriates but also from Mexicans who grew up in other parts of Mexico and who, for one reason or another, ended up in Guanajuato.

Certain things begin to happen to us that caused us to begin asking questions. After all, we were still very fresh and green expats who didn’t know much. But we began to ask about this or that once things started happening.

I guess it was the first time I was knocked into the street by a Mexican and subsequently hit by a bus that caused me to wonder what was going on. The second time was really what got me to wondering. I was pushed off the sidewalk not once but twice into the path of an oncoming bus and was struck. Not once did anyone stop to see if I was all right. The pushers never bothered to utter one word to me. My wife has also been pushed and shoved off sidewalks. I have a 70-year-old American gringa pal who was pushed into the path of a taxi and was nailed.

One just has to ask what is happening in Guanajuato, Mexico.

I wish I could tell you.

What I began to see long ago was that the Guanajuatenses on the street are practically running to get somewhere but never arrive on time for anything. Although all of Latin American (and Italy) is famous for how they regard time differently than the rest of the world, this has slowly been changing in the more metropolitan areas of Mexico. More and more, Mexicans are beginning to forsake their traditional understanding of what it means to be on time for anything. Not so in Guanajuato. It is just as traditional here as it has been for centuries. Some say the heartland of Mexico is “stuck in the past.”

But, what you have are Guanajuatenses running at the speed of light and, I can assure you, to get nowhere fast. They are absolutely not trying to get somewhere on time. It is a cultural affectation here in Guanajuato. They will never, ever arrive on time for anything. This is a total mystery in and of itself. Why are they running? They never arrive on time for anything so what’s the rush?

So, you may logically ask, why are they running down the sidewalk knocking gringos into the gutter? I wish I could tell you, but I can’t.

I have asked Mexicans because I have the facility in the language to do so. Most of those I have questioned are not from Guanajuato originally. They are here for a job, marriage, or whatever, and have been transplanted from other regions of Mexico.

To my amazement, these Guanajuato transplants have told me that they view the people of Guanajuato as some of the rudest, most ill educated, and most ill reared Mexicans in the country. I have gotten emails from Mexicans and as well as been told in face-to-face interviews that they regard Guanajuatenses Mexicans as anti-social. This is amazing. These are Mexicans from other regions talking about their fellow Mexicans. It very much reminds me of those from the Midwest and western parts of America talking about New York.

Now, I have to take the word of those who tell me this since the only place I’ve ever lived in this country is Guanajuato. But, I am beginning to take their word to heart and believe what they say, hook, line, and sinker. Our experience bears out what our Extra-Guanajuatenses have told us.

Once, I got an email from a Mexican lady in Puerto Vallarta. She had read some of my articles and columns but poo-poo’ed me as a crazy gringo. Then, she and another Mexican girlfriend came traveling through Guanajuato. She said she couldn’t wait to email me and tell me how many times she was shoved off the sidewalk and pushed away from the cashier’s counter in stores.

Just this morning, my wife was in line to buy some very delicious tamales. She placed her order and paid the guy. Before the seller could get out of his mouth, “One moment while I get your food” a Mexican lady, one of our congenial, warm, and kind Guanajuatenses, elbowed my wife out of line and cut in front of her. The seller had to be someone from some other part of Mexico because he noticed what happened and told this woman to get in line.

A month ago, some college student who thought it was appropriate to lay hands on me and shove me a good one shoved me out of the way in a pharmacy! I wish I could tell you that these are all isolated incidents but I would be lying. The guy pushed me as though I was a piece of furniture that was in his way.

The mystery is how Mexicans are supposed to be such kind, generous, and accommodating people to foreigners while in Guanajuato, you are just liable to be pushed into the path of an oncoming bus going at the speed of light. How…how…how is this so?

The other day, we were exiting the post office when we saw one Mexican do something to another Mexican. This kid, in his early twenties, walked by a lady who had set her heavy bolsa (a large shopping bag) on the sidewalk while waiting for a cab. This young man kicked the bolsa into the street. It seemed unintentional. He looked briefly and then walked off. The lady took off after him. While she was trying to corral him, a bus came by and squashed her bolsa and all its contents to smithereens.

My wife once had to catch an elderly lady who was shoved off a 12-inch-high sidewalk by two girls who seemed not to care a wit that they almost killed one of their fellow countrywomen.

Something else that goes on in stores all over the city—another mystery--is something that would get Guanajuatenses killed in America. When you go to meat counter or any place with a counter, Guanajuatenses will shove you out of the way to bark their orders to the hired help, even though the employee was already waiting on you. Don’t miss the picture here. There you are. You’ve just given your order to the butcher for a kilo of hotdogs when some Señora puts her hands on you (or elbows you) and knocks you into the middle of next week so she can be at the front of the line.

This goes on all the time, without fail, day and night—and there’s nothing you can do about it!

NOTHING!

Why they do it I cannot tell you. We have asked and are told that the people of Guanajuato are “malcriados” and “maleducadas” …this means ill-raised and badly-educated.

I think the mystery is how did they earn the warm and inviting reputation that you read in all the guidebooks? They certainly could not have meant the heartland of Mexico, especially not Guanajuato!

Perhaps it’s the other regions about which the guidebooks have been talking.

I do not know!

by Douglas Bower

• Alfredo's: 1520072, Inside Posada San Francisco Hotel. Fine dining, international cuisine, lunch and dinner, 1 - 10pm daily, closed Mondays. 20% discount for cash.



• BBQ Bob's - Salida de Celaya #6, 152-0807.
  (10%) ($100 pesos minimum).



• Berlin - (10%) ($100 pesos minimum, cash)



• Buen Café - Jesus & Cuadrante, 152-5807.
  Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Closed Sundays. (20%) ($100 peso minimum)



• Bugambilia - Hidalgo #42, 152-0127.
  Lunch and dinner. Traditional Mexican dishes. (20%) (no credit cards for discount).



• Café San Francisco, Posada San Francisco - Plaza Principal 2, 152-0072.
  Courtyard and street side dining, full menu, Mexican cuisine including seafood and full bar. (20%.)



• Casa Blanca - Hidalgo #34, 154-6070. Famous for crepes, pizza and international cuisine. (15%) ($100 pesos minimum)



• Casa Montana Hotel Restaurant, Pozos - Jardín Principal, 01 (442) 293-0032 International and national dishes in the midst of a one-time old ghost town in a small luxury hotel. (20%)



• Casa Payo - Zacateros #26. 152-7277.
  Landmark San Miguel Argentinean steak house. (10%)



• Don Quijote - Prolongación de Pila Seca #55, 152-0807. Bar and Grill, famous ribs and burgers, lunch and dinner. Closed Mondays. (20% cash, 10% credit cards)



• El Asador Catlán - Km. 9 Salida a Querétaro, 120-8118 Open 1 until 7pm. Closed Mondays. Renowned traditional Spanish fare. 15% cash, 10% credit card



• El Correo Restaurant - Correo #23, 152-4951 Good traditional Mexican food, full bar, closed Tuesdays. (15% cash, 10% credit card)



• El Puente,Canal 48, 154-8466, open everyday, breakfast, lunch and dinner, 8:30 - 11:30 pm, featuring seafood and molés.(10%)



• Finnegan's Restaurant, two entrances, off Codo or off Zacateros. Full menu, live entertainment, Wednesday through Saturday evenings, with a live Sunday Jazz session from 3-5pm. The menu is a mixed bag including Mexican dishes and some of international fame. (10%)



• El Tomato, Mesones #62, 151-6057, Open, Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. All natural food restaurant, mostly vegetarian dishes and sandwiches, salads fruits and vegetable juices. 10 %, not valid for daily special.



• Hacienda los Laureles: Open 1-11pm, everyday but Tuesdays. Indoor and outdoor seating. Full bar, extensive menu traditional Mexican foods, Sunday buffet. (20%)



• Harry's New Orleans Cafe and Oyster Bar - Hidalgo #12, 152-2645 for dinner reservations. New Orleans Cafe, Fresh sea food, cajun and creole dishes, extensive wine list, open 7 days a week. (10%, Cash only)



• La Fragua - Cuna de Allende #3, 152-1144
  One of the most traditional restaurants in San Miguel, chef Fernando is your host with special recipes, full bar. Closed Mondays. (10%)



• La Boca: Hernandez Macias #88, open everyday except Mondays, tasty sandwiches, pastas, soups and salads, along with other specials. they sport a full bar open 'til midnight weeknights and 1 a.m. (15%)



• L'Escargot, Hernandez Macias #66, 154-9024.
  Authentic French cuisine Lunch and dinner, specialties like Beef Wellington, Oyster Rockefeller and escargot. Closed Mondays. 15% discount.



• La Puertecita - Santa Domingo #75 , 152-5011.
  Rated internationally, as one of the top 100 small luxury hotels in the entire world. (20%) (no discount on buffets)



• La Princesa - Recreo (20%)



• La Toscana, Hernandez Macias #83, 154-9608,
  open daily 1 p.m. until midnight, closed Tuesdays. Full bar and menu: Salads, a variety of pastas with various sauces, beefs, poultry and salmon. Wines from Italy, Spain, France, Argentina and Chile. 15% discount Cash only. $100 peso minimum.



• La Vista, Vista Real Hotel Restaurant: Callejón de Arias #4, 152-3984. Hotel restaurant, International dining room and exquisite view of San Miguel. (20%)



• L'Invito (Instituto Allende) - Ancha de San Antonio #20, 152-7333. Serving authentic recipes from the north of Italy great ambience. (20%) (Instituto Allende)



• Los Famosos De Pozos - Hidalgo #10B, Mineral de Pozos, Guanajuato. 01 442 293 0112, quaint seeting retaurant in the so called ghost town of Pozos offering a full menu and bar while serving traditional Mexican food.



• Manolo's - Corner of Pila Seca and Zacateros 152-7277
  Intimate sports bar, appetizers, full meals, draft beer, Sporting events, satellite direct TV. (15%)



• Market Bistro & Petit Bar - Hernandez Macias #95, 152-3229. Country French cooking. Imported wines. Daily until 11pm, midnight on weekends. (15%, $100 peso minimum at bar)



• Mesón Castellano - Salida a Celaya #57.
  Spanish restaurant featuring paella. (15%)



• Mesón de San José - Mesones #38, 152-3848.
  Located back in a courtyard off Calle Mesones, Homemade soups and fresh salads. (20%) ($100 peso minimum)



• Olé Olé - Loreto #66, 152-0896. The best fajitas en the region, (10%)



• Pueblo Viejo - Umarán #6, 152-4977. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, Traditional Mexican and international dishes. (20%)



• QUANDO foods, vacuum-sealed, frozen, comfort foods easy to prepare while placed in boiling water. Quando sells gourmet type food products that includes, soups, main dishes and deserts. Some of their selections are: Mushroom chicken roll, potato chicken roll, Coq au Vin with risotto, Chinese ribs, Lisbon, French and Valencia pork dishes, Toas chicken, chicken pot pie, meat loaf and much-much more. For club members this is a DELIVERY SERVICE ONLY. The 10% discount offered to members is NOT INCLUDED at retail outlets where they also market Quando products. There is a 30 peso delivery charge. Members can call 152-5153, 152-0038 or 044-415-153-3444 for immediate delivery. Ask for Pam or Cindy.



• Punta Sush Ingo: Hildago #23, 1521619. Combination sushi bar and internet cafe. Open seven days a week. (10%)



• Sierra Nevada - Hospicio #35, 152-0415. San Miguel's prestigious hotel, all three of its charming restaurants are available.
  Also try Sierra Nevada on the park, just below the Chorro, one of San Miguel's most beautiful settings. 15% cash or credit card (all three locations)



• Tapas y Tinis: Umaran #36, Modern bar and restaurant, intimate atmosphere, serving tapas, serves late (10%)



• Ten Ten Pie Restaurant: Corner of Cuadrante and Cuna Allende, Small, clean and resonable prices, local restaurant, open seven days a week, serving breakfast lunch and dinner, serves late (10%) (20% off spirits)



• Tio Lucas: Mesones #103, 1524996, Hallmark San Miguel steakhouse, plus. Open seven days, serves late, nightly entertainment. (10%)



• Villa Rivera Hotel Restaurant, Cuadrante #1, 152-2289. Behind the Parroquia. Inside and outside dining. International menu, wonderful ambience, Breakfast, lunch and dinner. (20%)



• Villa Mirasol; Inside Villa Mirasol Hotel, open for breakfast and lunch in garden setting. (10%)

New restaurants are added frequently, and occasionally restaurants drop out of the program with 60 days notice. Ask for the bi-monthly restaurant club newsletter at authorized outlets for detailed information on restaurants and the current list of participants. All participating restaurants are under contract with the San Miguel Restaurant Club to provide the same fine service as they would to patrons who walk in off the street. Discounts are waived during happy hours, 2X1 specials or other special events in which the restaurant is offering discounts to the public at large.

Notice: Certain Restaurants and Businesses may have restrictions that do not appear on this website. Please contact The Restaurant Club directly for a complete list of participating businesses and restrictions.

I’ve written quite a bit about The Ugly American Syndrome. In my columns, print and online magazines, and in every book I’ve written, I’ve mentioned this topic. I get a lot of mail from readers, either praising and agreeing with me or chiding and condemning me.

As of today, I think I will begin cutting Americans some slack, especially American expats in Mexico, regarding The Ugly American Syndrome. My visit to the bank today convinced me that maybe I’ve been too harsh and need to lighten up a bit. I think my readers (the chiders and condemners) in San Miguel de Allende might breathe a collective sigh of relief over this announcement.

What happened is something that should not have surprised or shocked me. I guess I simply have reached the end of my expat rope—at least today. When I get my quarterly royalty checks from my book publishers, I take them to my Mexican bank and deposit them. Because they are drawn on a foreign account in the States, there is understandably a hold on these checks.

I get that and it doesn’t bother me one bit.

But here is what I’ve been told ever since I began depositing royalty checks into this account:

“There will be a two-week hold on this check.”

At the end of two weeks, the wife and I go off to the ATM to check the balance and the funds are not there. We go back to the bank. The bank officer tells us:

“Oh, there is always a three-week hold on foreign checks.”

We wait another week, go to the ATM, and the funds aren’t there. So, we go again to the bank.

“Oh, there is a 22-day hold on all foreign checks.”

The next day, we go to the ATM and the funds are not there. We go into the bank:

“There must be some mistake. There is always a 25-day hold on all foreign checks.”

We wait three more days and go to the ATM to check things out. There are no funds. We drag ourselves into the bank with the wife trying to talk me out of murdering someone.

“Oh my, my! There is always a 30-day hold on all foreign checks.”

In Mexico, as I have written before, nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, is as it seems. Nothing will work with any degree of logic or reason known to the rest of the world. Here two weeks can mean pretty much any amount of time. In Guanajuato, Mexico, two weeks means many things. It can mean three weeks, twenty-two days, twenty-five days, or thirty days. And let me tell you, each bank employee will tell you something different each time you make a deposit. They will look you straight in the eye and tell you whatever comes to their minds, whether it is the truth or not.

What I do not get is just why no bank employee knows how anything works! This brings me to a conversation with an American expat who has lived in Mexico much longer than I have. She said once that what Mexico needs is a Business Manager. These people need a Business Manager in everything that has to do with anything to show them how things work. This is because in all aspects of life, at least in Guanajuato, no one who does anything that has to do with something knows just how it is suppose to work.

Trying to do banking in Guanajuato is not the only thing that doesn’t work. I would love to tell you that this is so but I would be lying.

Once we tried going to the movies. The theater manager was at a party and was having too good of a time to show up with the keys to the box office to sell tickets. She sent word that someone was welcome to come and get the keys and sell tickets, otherwise we would all have to wait.

Can you begin to imagine what would have happened in America when this movie theater manager finally showed up? She or he would have been lynched by the crowd.

Here is the really bad thing. This sort of “Qué Será, Será, whatever will be, will be…” service is vastly tolerated all over this country. The Mexican nationals, at least from my observation, seem to tolerate a level of service from providers that Americans and Europeans would not tolerate for a second!

Only those who have spent time internationally seem to be perturbed by those of their fellow countrymen who settle for or offer this, “The future’s not ours to see, Qué Será, Será…” service.

Well, the next time I see some American tourist or expat acting out The Ugly American Syndrome, I am going to march up to them, pat them on the back, and tell them, “I feel your pain, Bubba!”

by Douglas Bower

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

• Accounting Services: Juan Manuel Orta,
  044-415-101-1805, free consultation for first-timers



• Aqua Bell, purified water, call 120-3500, 19 liter jugs, home delivered, no deposit charge, 12-pesos, 20% discount



• Art Print, San Francisco 11, upstairs, (quality full-color digital printing, 10% minimum $400 pesos)



• BBQ Bob's, Salida de Celaya #6 organic produce, (10%, 100 peso minimum)



• Beatriz's Vacation Rental Apartments - 10% discount off rentals apartments.



• "Best of San Miguel" published by Joseph Harmes, (10%), order by e-mail:
  escritorsma@cybermatsa.com.mx



• Black & White Shop - "Tonina" - now located Loreto 28A, 20% off



• Camar Printing - 10% off all printing services, minimum $500 pesos.



• Casa del Inquisidor, Aldama No. 1. Members may take 10% off marked goods. Casa del Inquisidor furniture & décor store, furniture, upholstery, rugs and hardware, in addition to Casa del Inquisidor's professional interior design.



• Casa Linda, Luxury Hotel - 15% off for cash, 5% when using credit card.



• Casa Montana Hotel in Pozos - 20%.



• Chelo's Farmacia - 20% drugs, 15% off retail products except those already marked down, $50 pesos minimum.



• Classes un LTD - VIP Club members may take 10% off continuous education classes. For additional info visit their website, www.classesunlimited.com, or call: 152-2483.



• Clinica Izuinapan Pet Care and Spa. Veterinario Dr. Rodrigo Garibay offers 10% off pet needs including spaying, neutering, grooming and SPA services. La Clinica secializes in alternative and preventive medical treatment & Professional Grooming for pets
  Relampago #22 Col. La Lejona 2da. Seccion,
  Cell: 044 415 151 9325.



• Darla's Jewelry, corner of Correo and Recreo, (15%)



• Dryclean USA, Salida A Celaya No.14, 185-8200,
  Dry clean and laundry services, pick up and
  delivery, 15% discount, 100 peso minimum.



• DuPont Paints, 152-39-87, (10%) off
  Two locations Salida de Celaya #26 and, Libramiento a Dolores Hidalgo #46, 044-415-100-6552



• Elite Nails, waxing etc. Zacateros #29 (15%) 100 peso minimum



• ERA Gift Shop, Zacateros #39, (10%)



• Georgia Dering Massage Therapy, 044-415-103-3364 (10%)



• Goldie Designs, Canal #9, (10%)



• Helena Moreno Fine Arts Gallery, Jesus #18, (10% off marked items)



• Hotel Casa Cafe on Hidalgo, (10%) coffee by the kilo, whole bean or ground



• Intercam Casa de Cambio - (premium rate slightly above posted rate when cashing in dollars).



• Joyous Heart represents, Shaklee, Mexico, Zamora Rios #9, Colonia Allende, 152 1213. Deep discounts to VIP Club Members.
  
  
• La Morada Hotel - 20% off rooms and suites (some black out dates apply).



• Lavamagico laundry service (home delivery), Pila Seca #5, 152-0899. (10)%



• Noel Propane Gas, home delivery, (6%) off retail price 154-8383 Special Instructions, must call in for cylinders or tanks beforehand give card # and date of expiration. If encountering truck on the street must call in when in house. laundry service (home delivery), Pila Seca #5, 152-0899. (10)%



• The Leather Shop - Umarán #1, (10%)



• Moyshen Art Gallery Hidalgo #4, (10% off marked art)



• McDonalds Mail Box Service to US (10% discount for year payment)



• Patricia's facial & body treatments, Ladrillera #1, 154-8104. (10%)



• Ren Ellis Leather Goods, Recreo 8A (10%)



• San Miguel Health and Fitness Center - 20% off first month's membership.



• Satellite Mexico TV - Welcome, SATELLITE MEXICO, VIP Club members can take 10% off services, including installation. Contact Chuck for info: satellitemexico@yahoo.com



• 3 Señores - Camping and horseback riding. For reservations call:
  044-415-101-4976. 25% discount of regular rates.



• San Miguel Designs; (www.sanmigueldesigns.com). (15%).



• Satellite Mexico TV (10%) off services, including installation



• Seventh Heaven Boutique - Sollano #13, Various discounts to members.



• Stilo Lamps and Furniture, Casada Aurora, (10% off marked goods)



• Vista Real Hotel and Vista Real Hotel's Restaurant - (20%) Blackout periods apply

Notice: Certain Restaurants and Businesses may have restrictions that do not appear on this website. Please contact The Restaurant Club directly for a complete list of participating businesses and restrictions.

Web site Questions/Corrections, contact web@vipsanmiguel.com and Lou Christine

VIP Questions, contact vipsma@cybermatsa.com.mx for the VIP CLUB