Misión San Gil Querétaro, Mexico

 Over those 12 years of consulting for Monteblanco in México, we sure have seen a lot of the country.

As such we also ended up at a wonderful hacienda Misión San Gil Querétaro.

Pieter, Agustín and me on March 7, 2002 at breakfast in Misión San Gil Querétaro, after our 2 nights here in room 108.

We'd been already for 10 days in México, at different locations.

We had flown in on Sunday, February 24, from Altanta/USA non-stop to Monterrey/Mexico in the northern part.

On February 26, right after breakfast on our way to one of their mushroom farms, I was with Juan Carlos Fuentes (the ex bull fighter!) in his car, ahead of Pieter and Agustín's car.

We were almost crushed to the concrete edge by a wide load truck... Juan Carlos immediately braked as a super-fast reflex! The smoke went off his car's tires, Pieter said, as he was driving with Agustín behind us. 

Tires almost bald from braking. If he hadn't been such a well-trained, fast acting person, I could never have recounted this.

Upon our arrival here on the 5th of March, without Agustín, both of us had a good meal in the beautiful restaurant and I also bought the Spanish language magazine ' VANIDADES' with the new Dutch Queen Máxima (Su Alteza Real = Her Royal Highness) on the cover and more photos with good reporting about their royal wedding inside.

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This is where we sat for breakfast in top photo, hotel Misión San Gil Querétaro click and click through for viewing more photos.

We only used our video camera for capturing the white and colored peacocks in the garden at that time.

Even one we saw flutter onto the roof.

This was called Restaurant Bar Los Arcos (The Arches) at hotel Misión San Gil Querétaro, where we both had dinner...

A very bad screenshot from our video... but clearly showing those Arches.

Another bad screenshot from our video from the outside of Restaurant Bar Los Arcos 

Hotel Misión San Gil Querétaro seems to have changed 'color'...

Interesting is that Hotel Misión San Gil is actually only 7 km away from Hacienda Galindo where we've stayed several times before!

This photo shows clearly how the Spaniards at that time used the water available for irrigating the fields.

A rather fertile region.

On March 9, we departed from the Camino Real hotel to the airport with a taxi, for our flight to Cancun to have 3 days of vacation AFTER our consulting job. As per Pieter's request. I'd asked him if he wanted those 3 days before or afterwards.

A lot of things went wrong this trip...

At the Camino Hotel, my clothes (that I kept separate for Cancun!) got stolen from the drawer in our room. Usually we never took expensive clothes but this was meant to wear on vacation after work in Cancun. 

It was a very sad experience and with our insurance we have a US $ 1,000.00 deductible and Camino Real was not very willing to cover the loss.

We got an offer for a special rate during 40 nights...

That would not yield much, as we only were there at the hotel a few nights, alternated with hotels at all other locations in different states.

SAD and of course, due to one 'rotten apple' a good name can get tainted, but we were the victim of it all.

I trashed all the paperwork, because those were only negative reminders of something terrible and bad that happened to us.

We know that losing things is not the end of the world but it hurts when you're not a rich person and have built up a nice wardrobe over more than ten years, after quitting the job in Indonesia (living there I mean!).

More and more we stayed home for getting dressed from our closet, rather than from the suitcase. 

So for that reason, we took nice things to the Hyatt Regency in Cancun via the Camino Real...

😞

Oh, and Cancun at the Hyatt Regency was not a good thing...

Haha, after work for finally being able to RELAX, as was Pieter's idea.

BUT it was SPRING BREAK...!!!

So noisy and so crowded, we could not believe our ears and yes above all, the enormous consumption of alcohol at the pool.

Not a happy trip in all, aside from the pleasant work together with the staff from Monteblanco and nice stays at all hotels!

Maybe once in all those years; still not bad.

But I did not want to hide this fact...

Related links:

Hotel Mision San Gil en San Juan del Río | short 1:18 min video showing this elegant hacienda

Working Alongside a Retired Portuguese Style Bull Fighter... in Mexico | his super-fast reflex saved his and my live!

Mansión Galindo in San Juan del Río, Querétaro in México | where we stayed before and only 7 km away

Historic Town of Guanajuato, Mexico and Adjacent Mines

One more historic Mexican gem...

Pieter and I, with Jorge to the right, stand here overlooking the historic 16th century town of Guanajuato a UNESCO World Heritage Site and founded by the Spanish in the 16th century.

To the left of the railing you still can see the baroque style Basílica Colegiata de Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato... (Collegiate Basilica of Our Lady of Guanajuato, Mexico).

We had arrived here on Saturday evening, coming by car from Guadalajara and were staying at Hotel Hacienda Misión.

After checking in, we went downstairs to listen to this group playing and then walked into the historic center of Guanajuato.

Late dinner outside on a patio together with Jorge and Agustín, just a light meal of cheese and later some ham with melon and a glass of wine.

By midnight we were in our room...

Mexico's Top 10 UNESCO - Sites in Mexico

Agave Landscape and Ancient Industrial Facilities of Tequila

Jorge did come from this branch!

Yes, we have driven past these huge BLUE AGAVE fields and it IS since 2006 on the World Heritage list of UNESCO!

Agave 'pineapple'

Did you know it takes 10 years for growing the agave 'pineapple' for fermenting and distilling it?

Click on these links and then on link behind saved from.

At least both of us had no idea it took THAT long and that they have been doing this for 2,000 years...

On Sunday, we first explore the beautiful gardens of Hacienda Misión with e.g. Jardín de las Pergolas

My favorite Jacaranda tree was blooming...

Pieter and I below the Jacaranda blossoms...

Everywhere in Mexico you find those bearing walls due to the earthquake danger.

Long stone stairs and lovely vines on both sides...

Ancient walls... This very old Hacienda Misión also had once a silver mine on its premises.

We toured the Hacienda inside and also its chapel and here is an outdoor statue.

By car we went from our Hacienda Hotel to the El Pípila statue on top of the mountain!

Then we walked around in the old center of Guanajuato...

Looking down onto the historic district of Guanajuato with to the right the steeples of the Basílica of Our Lady of Guanajuato, Mexico.

Agustín, Pieter and Jorge overlooking the historic district.

Well, they actually turned towards El Pípila for the photo...

El Pipila Statue Guanajuato click to read more

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It was Palm Sunday, so went to Mass at 13:00 o'clock and we later entered another large Church for listening to the organ, at the end of their Mass.

Again we have witnessed a touching thing going on last night when we walked there. The cast iron gates around the Churches were closed but outside, rolled inside blankets and like sardines next to each other, were the vendors of the woven Palm Sunday crosses.

In order to obtain a good spot for offering them to the Church going crowd for sale on Palm Sunday, they slept there during the night. Just imagine — on the pavement!

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We walked and visited the home of Diego Rivera (museum) painter and muralist 1886-1957.

On a patio we enjoyed a very spicy meal and we walked some more. 

Next we visited an old silver mine from 1650 with a shaft of 525 meters deep (1,722 feet). Still in production!

That's where I got gifted a piece of dark grey silver oxide with yellow pyrite in it.

Shown here is the front.

This is the back side and it measures about 1.5 inch wide or 3.8 cm.

Also bought silver earrings with malachite at the mine. 

Malachite is opaque emerald green copper ore.

Those silver malachite earrings were very tricky to photograph.

Top is done outside, in the palm of my hand and then on my leather diaries inside.

Also an elephant in white stone with Cubic Zirconia eyes...

Yes, they also did mine gemstones!

The silver oxide and this white stone elephant, reside in my authentic antique letterpress drawer, in our bedroom.

Scroll down here for seeing it: {My OPA - GRANDDADDY}

Related link:

Historic Town of Guanojuato and its Mines  🇲🇽Mexico | Informative video about Guanajuato as the most beautiful examples of baroque architecture in Central and South America 30:37 min

{Our Irish Blarney Castle Sweaters + Short Hair} | previous post where I show the silver malachite earrings

Guanajuato's Silver Mining History [Mine Tours and Mexico's Independence] | Video 8:33 min

Historic Town of Guanajuato and Adjacent Mines (UNESCO/NHK) | Video 2:54 min

Mexico City Restaurante Danubio a Basque Seafood restaurant

In-between a hectic schedule of work there always were those special moments...

A very happy dinner with our hosts Agustín and Carmen.

This was at the special Restaurante Danubio in Mexico City established in 1936 when two chefs of Basque origin emigrated to Mexico. 

Specialty is Seafood.

On the wall are framed messages, written on a napkin from important characters that have eaten at Restaurante Danubio. 

Important figures from Mexico and the world have eaten and enjoyed a meal such as artists, politicians, painters, athletes, writers and journalists. 

Always enjoyable with such great mushroom friends!

Like in Italy, using olive oil and vinegar with the salad.

Another pleasant dinner on a Thursday evening on March 26, 1998 and from there we went to a Cuban bar, which was very nice but it was getting late.

It was almost 1:45 o'clock when we turned down the light in our room at the Camino Real Hotel, Mexico City and next morning we did rise at 7:30 o'clock.

Related link:

Our 1st Time Consulting in Mexico with stay at Camino Real Hotel Mexico City | previous post about hotel where we stayed numerous times over the years...