Happy New Year from Ixtapa, Mexico

Hope it's the best one yet for you.

Fly me away.... to Zihuantaneio

I took this photo along the beach in Ixtapa

Main square - Z- town

Surf in Ixtapa. Mexico has some of the best sunsets.

Why couldn't my family be living in Mexico???

Just think - summer in Greece and winter in Mexico. Hint, hint.

It's time to visit family again. I just spent a few days in Vancouver visiting my son and today I fly to Kelowna where my father lives. It's on a lake, so perhaps I can do some sailing there but I think it's a bit cold for this very fair weather sailor... Brrrrr. Skiing perhaps? Brrrr. I don't have any cold weather gear any more. Is that something I should pay attention to? And why doesn't Canada have any islands in the Caribbean???? Can anyone answer me?

Musica

Lunar eclipse in Mexico

We had a lunar eclipse tonight, so I propped the camera on the window sill and took this photo. Magic.

Mas musica

We had an unexpected musical evening in the courtyard of the youth hostel where I was staying.

Guanajuato, Mexico

I took a day trip to Guanajuato with a fellow traveler. 

These tunnels were part of the silver mines in the past. Now they form a network of roads to ease the traffic in the city.

Notice the colourful houses: blue, red, purple, yellow - very bright and lively.

This scene is near the market - shoe shine is a necessary ritual for men and sometimes even women.

A picturesque restaurant near the university.

The theatre

Multiply this view by a thousand - there are images like this every few steps. Great place for an artist.

More images of San Miguel de Allende

Some more images from San Miguel de Allende

Road repairs - watch your step

Courtyard of the library

Students at the library taking a break

Champagne and chocolate

Manuel and his guitar - see video February 17th.

Last night there was an art gallery opening in town at the Aurora Fabrica Art Centre, with music, dancing as well as champagne and chocolate and many interesting art exhibits. I could get a whiplash from all the beautiful and photogenic sights everywhere. Here are a few of my favourite images.

Musica guitara - Michael Bouchard

This is Michael Bouchard, a wonderful guitarist living in San Miguel de Allende.

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

So, where does a sun worshiper go in winter? The answer is, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. And yes, I know it's far away from the beaches, the ocean and the palm trees but now and then other priorities become more important and culture, history and art are important for me right now. As well as the sun and heat.

San Miguel de Allende is an artists' and writers' centre with more art galleries per capita than any other city in Mexico. As well as many cities in Canada and the US, I'm sure. At the end of February a writers' conference with numerous workshops will take place and every day there are concerts, lectures, presentations and meetings somewhere in town. There are about 4,000 English speaking expats here too besides many wannabes and tourists, so I can have a real conversation anytime I want to as well as practice my Spanish .

I did try spending yet another winter in Canada, even signed up for a couple of university courses and joined Toastmasters, but one day when I was suffering incredibly with a major case of SADD, I was reminded of something an Australian sailor once asked after visiting the west coast: "You're free to travel, you have a passport, you can live wherever you want to, right? Why do you live here?" Hmmm.

And I know, many people love the cool weather, the brisk wind, or they ski and enjoy the four seasons. For me, the sun and heat are more important now and so, one day I just said to myself, "What are you doing here?" The next day I found a cheap plane ticket and a day later, packed and headed south. I hear that two storms went through Victoria in the past week: one with 60 knot winds and another with 90 knots. Incredible.