In Mary Oliver’s poem, The Summer Day, she asks,

Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

Some might interpret this as a call to action, to get busy ticking off that list of “1000 Things You Must See and Do in Mexico in Seven Days”.  But no, to Oliver that line of poetry meant being idle, getting to know a grasshopper, strolling through the fields, enjoying the moment, the now.

And that’s the approach I took to Mexico. I only did what I felt like. I lived in the now. I didn’t  look at those notes much. For me, enjoying the now translated into taking long daily baths and calling the hotel concierge a lot because I could. And saying olà to everyone because my voice had returned and because the people in San Miguel are very friendly. Sadly, that was as far as the conversations could go.

I thought of Oliver frequently on this trip- what would Mary, who lived in New England, do  if she were in Mexico? She’d have a margarita. She’d take a nap. She’d have a taco, maybe some ceviche. She’d lie in the sun by our pretty hotel pool. She would not spend 5 hours in Mexico City’s mammoth National Anthropology Museum, the Louvre of Mexico, if her guide was offering her the 45-minute whistle stop tour. No she would not. She would use those precious hours to wander through the neighboring Chapultepec Park. No wonder Mary won a Pulitzer.

If you’re looking for the Outsider’s Guide to Mexico, one that will leave you feeling well-rested, happy and a little more knowledgeable about Mexico than when you started this blog, read on. This guide’s for you. And for you eager beavers out there, I’ve added a not conclusive and not lengthy list of must-sees at the end.

Where to stay in San Miguel?

Included in those reams of notes that I ignored were suggestions of  cool places to stay, boutique hotels, even an airbnb in a hip neighborhood. But I learned many hotels ago that while I wish I was adoring of that minimalist one chair, one lamp look, I’m a 5-star gal. I want to know that—tsunami, kidnapping, earthquake, nuclear war, vicious seagull invasion, take your pick—our hotel can helicopter us out of that disaster in 0.8 seconds. I like a hotel to know that as smiley as I may be when I check in, I am not an easy guest. I’m not as bad as a White Lotus character, but I can often see their point.  I mean, he did request the newlywed suite.

The centrally located Belmond’s Casa de Sierra Nevada is a very pretty hotel comprised of several restored haciendas with bougainvillea filed courtyards, an inviting pool, Mexican tiles, and big copper bathtubs. Beyond looks, the hotels gets a 5* for service. Read on.

Stretch can sleep through a tornado. I get woken by a drip two rooms away. On day one in the Belmond as we were just dropping off for our daily nonnegotiable nap, a passing mariachi band convinced me that this was not the room for us. I dialed 0 on the hotel phone and was impressed with the quick pick-up. Always a good sign. I explained our dilemma and got us an even nicer room.

Once we left our new room after a refreshing nap, I discovered that San Miguel is a charming, hilly (and I come from SF)) town paved in cobblestone, 7,000 feet elevation. Unless you’re an Olympic athlete, expect to be breathless walking uphill and leave your stilettos at home.

The weather in San Miguel was perfect; warm, windless, blue skied. I was told residents  complain if the temperature climbs above 90 degrees or drops below 70. Prepare to undress and redress throughout the day. Mornings in January require a warm jacket and scarf. By lunchtime you’ll want a sombrero and sunglasses. By 5pm, you’ll be back in that jacket and warm scarf. Great rooftop restaurants like Zibu, La Dona  and Pégaso offer wonderful views, but little heat so dress accordingly.

Apparently, there are tons of expats in San Miguel who like to socialize a lot. So, the key to the social scene is knowing a few. We knew none. So, by day three, I was reading the news aloud at dinner. Instead of making friends, we hired a tour guide. It’s another person breaking up the Stretch and Elena repartee. We could talk about things like how avocado, chili, and tomato were originally Aztec words. I developed a real hatred for Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés over dinner who I hadn’t thought much about since fifth grade history.

It worked out well. I couldn’t hate my husband (who else was I going to talk to for the next week?) so Cortés was the best option available.

Stretch insisted we travel carry-on only, so I chose my outfits with care. Early on in our trip Stretch told me that it was good I had packed two particular outfits because I could leave them behind in Mexico.

They do you no favors. Wear them on the long car rides, or when we see the pyramids and it’s really dusty.”

Should we talk about Cortés again?  On our way from San Miguel to Mexico City we visited  Teotihuacan, some very impressive, very old Mayan pyramids.  I have a fear of heights but am also uber competitive. Even if I must slide down on my bottom, which I did, Stretch was not going to be the only one who scaled this ancient rock. Whoever designed these steps was not thinking of comfort. These steps would never pass muster in a NYC planning meeting. No siree.

Below I can be seen wearing one of my gifts to Mexico. “It did me no favors’…

Next, we went to Mexico City, where we stayed at the Four Seasons, which suited me just fine. The hotel has an expansive courtyard for breakfast and lunch, is very well-located to the hip hoods of Roma Norte and Condesa and the concierge answered the phone just as quickly as at Sierra de Nevada. And Stretch liked the gym.

We loved Mexico City. It’s big and bustling with lots of cool neighborhoods, people watching galore, culturally rich, and full of great restaurants. It’s only an hour time difference from Manhattan but feels a world away. The only thing we didn’t love was the altitude sickness. Stretch was light-headed and I was nauseous for about two days.

We had fully recovered in time to visit the stunning Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes (better with a guide to explain the murals)…

eat a long late lunch (Mexicans eat lunch around 2-3pm) at buzzy Contramar, visit Diego Rivera’s house and see a Ballet Folklorico in the park at sunset.

One of my favorite nights was when we decided to stay home and binge Netflix’s Treason. (The Mary Oliver equivalent of watching a grasshopper) Part of the joy of travel is rebelling, defying expectation, and eating junk food. We discovered just enough of the city to know we want to come back and see everything we missed.

Eager Beaver Guide of Must-Sees:

 San Miguel: I recommend hiring a history guide (so you too can talk  about Cortés at dinner), visiting the art and design hub Fabrica Aurora and getting yourself invited to an expat party. For the intrepid  Meson Hidalgo a two bedroom guesthouse boutique designed by Laura Kirar and set in an ancient old manor is very stylish.

Mexico City:

To stay- if you’re more adventurous than we are:

Hotel Condesa

Casa Olivia- airbnb

We missed all of the below but won’t next time. This was a rough draft trip.

Museo Anahuacelli was designed by Diego Rivera and has a collection of pre-Columbian art. Everyone raves about it.

Secretariat of Public Education- houses many well-preserved large-scale Rivera murals

Casa Luis Barragan- all Barragan sites are apparently amazing, especially the convent

Museo Frida Kahlo- it’s very crowded, but I guess it’s a must-see

A few restaurants to get you started  in Mexico City: Maximo Bistrot,  Lardo and Rosetta 

San Angel Inn– eat lunch or have a drink in the garden across the street from Rivera’s house

Shops: Unfortunately, Stretch is no fun to shop with. He hovers and looks bored.  So, I have zero tips. When we return, I will suggest that he take a half-day bus tour of this amazing city.

January, 2023

The post Holiday Part II- An Outsider’s Guide to Mexico appeared first on Elena Bowes.

“If 55 and over,” the label reads, “do not put directly against the skin.”

I toss caution to the wind and put the heat pad directly onto my 55+ back. If you don’t hear from me in a month, call my super.

Stretch and I like a musician called Miguel, a bit Marvin Gaye mixed with Prince. So, like normal people we buy tickets to go see him perform. My kids react like we are taking a gap year back packing around South America.

Julia, did you know Mommy and Stretch are going to a Miguel concert and their tickets are in the mosh pit so they can dance…

Julia: Hahahahahahaha

OMG

They’re gonna freak out.

Ignore. That’s my new mantra. Not just my kids but the Miguel security guard. Everyone in front of us in the line was flashing their IDs. I didn’t think it was so hilarious that I was too.

M’am, you can put that way,” chuckled the guard.

Clearly, he had not glanced down to see my age-defying, hip ensemble – black leather trousers, Duro black and yellow top and black sneakers (no socks).

I am just not so sure about this ageing thing. It sneaks up on me when I am innocently just going about my business. When did people start calling me M’am?  Or CVS get so mean? “All Levels Yoga” sounds pretty tame, doesn’t it? It is so NOT, all levels or tame. If it were, I wouldn’t have stopped mid-class, mid-pose (along with not-so-bendy Stretch) to assume Resting Buddha pose. Meanwhile, the remainder of the class blissfully contorted themselves into positions that frankly, looked unsafe and a bit show-off-y.

The above is a roundabout way of explaining why I fell in love with Rancho la Puerta (RLP), a health spa in Baja California, Mexico that made me feel remarkably more youthful after just a week. I found my people. First night I went to a talk on how diet can prevent dementia. The next day it was time to get down and dirty with some Zumba Funk. No one laughed at me, which is not to say I didn’t laugh a lot throughout the week.

Manuel, the beloved Puerto Rican fitness instructor, gave it to us straight:

Listen my friends at this age you are never going to have a six pack. Just get over it. Train for function. Train for health. Not ego.

Manuel with my friends Ann and Nancy below.

Touted as a “camp for adults” RLP is anything but fancy. To be honest, I was slightly dreading going. The rooms are basic with no wi-fi, internet, or TV and only the patchiest of cell service.

Around the ranch mobile phone calls and internet are only allowed in certain designated lounges. Alcohol isn’t exactly forbidden, but it might as well be. My friend Nancy, a regular along with her sister Ann and friend Andrea, told me what she really loves are the 7am hikes. I’m a creature comfort gal. None of this was singing comfort to my well-tuned ears.

But I liked the idea of a girls’ trip and exiting New York in February for Tecate, Mexico did sound appealing.

What I re-learned at RLP is how much fun camp is. By forcing people to disconnect, you actually reconnect to yourself and everybody else at the ranch as no one is buried in their devices.  I met lots of interesting people, loved the boulder-filled hikes at dawn on Mt Kuchumaa which borders the 4,000-acre ranch,

and got pleasantly lost on the ranch’s myriad of meandering garden-filled paths. I Hula-Hooped, Trampolined, and  did some sound-healing. Below are Mark and Denise L of Paradise (yes, that is their name), their company The Resonance Code.

I fed a few hens.

I even played Bingo. I almost won the Biggest Loser prize, but narrowly lost that. That takes real talent.  Every night I’d read a few pages of my book (no scanning Instagram option) until I fell into a deep, contented sleep.

Founded in 1940 by Deborah Szekely and her late husband,

RLP’s essence has not changed in 78 years. Mind, body, spirit all get a reboot here. There is so much to do that I wasn’t bored for a nanosecond, and the healthy food tasted too good to be healthy. You can go back for seconds, even thirds.

I try to give you so much to do that you want to come back. I want to offer something for every person, said Barry Shingle, director of guest relations and programming. Whoever you are, you’re going to find something to do.”

Shingle, who moved to the ranch from Seattle with a degree in Journalism 18 years ago, is clearly very fond of Deborah, and hosts weekly Bingo night with comic flair.

While I exercised in the mornings, I spent many an afternoon researching the slew of fab spa offerings. There is always a talk after dinner. My personal favorite is the weekly Q&A with Deborah, who turns 96 in May.

Deborah is a force; she works out five times a week, keeps a treadmill in her bathroom, is actively engaged in the ranch and civic projects in San Diego and watches her diet – no meat, chicken or cheese. Here are a few of her pearls:

Q: What keeps you so healthy?

A: Friends are very important. Loneliness is a pernicious disease. And you have to decide not to be lonely not when you’re 60 or 70, but when you’re 40 or 50. It’s by doing favors. My mother had a thing about friends. “You cannot give with a closed hand’. The act of giving is the act of receiving.

Q: How do you stay so mentally sharp?

A: Curiosity. I’m really interested in a lot of things. I read a lot. I want to know. There’s so much to learn in life, and I never get bored.

Q: What else would you attribute to living so long?

A: I never thought about living so long. I live in the moment. This morning we had hail. I really enjoyed getting out into the hail. It’s sort of like having an ice cream cone… I don’t fret about the past.

Q: What would you like us all to leave with?

A: I’d really like to see all of you being focused on your own community, on your own people, share what you learn here to help others.

April, 2018

The post Getting Older, Staying Younger – From Miguel to Rancho La Puerta appeared first on Elena Bowes.