Yesterday afternoon I went on a walk with Marc and Sue up to the Balcones section of town, high on the ridge overlooking the town and then on to the Botanical Garden and large tract of land known as El Charco Del Ingenio - over 167 acres of nature preserve, which I will be touring next Thursday. We all just wanted to get out and walk, and since I had not been up there before it was a great way to orient myself on the area, get a personal tour and commentary as well as go to see the building lot that they had purchased.
Marc and Sue's lot is an infill in an existing subdivision. It is not on the edge of the canyon, but one street back. Their plans to elevate the structure, making the roof top patio on what would be the 3rd floor, will provide a view over the lower buildings in front of their lot.
The canyon is within the El Charco lands, but the large home seen within it was grandfathered, since it was built before the Reserve lands were assembled. There is a spring fed pool/reservoir up there and you can see the pipe leading down the canyon to the Fabrica Aurora, which was originally a textile mill, powered from the water surging down this pipe.
The homes which are in front of their building lot are not high and will not obstruct their views to the west.
While the owners in Balcones are able to access the El Charco via a special gate, we walked up and around the canyon a bit until we reached the formal entrance to the Botanical gardens and reserve. We went inside to the little cafe and had a drink before heading back.
On the way back, Marc and Sue pointed out the many places that they have rented for a time in the area and provided details about some of the homes which would be only known by a local.
We stopped in at a hotel with beautiful gardens, waterways and paths. It was built into the side of the hill.
There were some very nice fountains and statues. In this fountain there are 2 bronze catfish swimming.
A bronze girl doing her stretches.
The hotel does a very good buffet breakfast and since the hotel is near some friends of Marc and Sue's, I suspect it can be arranged that we go there before I leave. The sound of fast running streams and waterfalls make this a very attractive place for auditory as well as visual senses.
As we carried on down the hill after leaving the hotel there was a castle like casa which apparently was used for parties. This is the tower part of the structure.
The sunset was spectacular last night. Too bad we weren't still up high on the canyon at this point.
We met the Saturday night film group at La Bodega Restaurant and I had a decent steak along with two glasses of wine and an excellent piece of chocolate cake for 350 pesos. Afterwards, we went to Orin's home to watch a movie, as we did last Saturday. The movie, about a garbage man and a supermarket checkout clerk, was Finnish and described as a “completely charming anti-romcom, it's hilariously sad and wonderful.” It lived completely up to the billing and kept us in stitches with its deadpan serious and non stop smoking characters.
Today is the last of my longer daily multi photo blogs. My holiday is half over and I need to spend more time writing. Look for my next blog on Tuesday.
Adios!
Posted with Blogsy
It seems amazing to me how well maintained, well kept and, in the case of outdoor areas, how beautifully landscaped absolutely every place is in San Miguel. I suppose the climate helps, but it seems to me residents must be a bit more inclined to display both personal and civic pride in their surroundings than I am accustomed to encountering.
ReplyDeleteSee you after you have caught up with your writing, Peggy.