It seems contrary to what we know as typical weather patterns in North America, but May is by far the hottest month in Colonial Mexico. Locals and expats alike flee the cities of Guanajuato and San Miguel during this month when the heat finally arrives, right before the monsoons come to cool things back down. It’s a steamy, sticky time when an oppressive brown haze seems to hang in the valley, trapped by the opposing hills.
I left the Winnie back in mid-March when temps were getting down to the 50’s at night in Guanajuato. I packed accordingly, so I am living out of a backpack filled with wool socks, jeans, long sleeves, and long flowing scarves to keep my neck warm at night. I am reduced to shopping in the used clothing booth at the Sunday Market just to find Men’s khaki shorts that will fit me in this country of petite women half my size.
I complain continuously, much to the dismay of friends and family, that the heat and haze are growing increasingly uncomfortable. My friend Peggy says, “You lived in Atlanta! You should be used to this!” But I remind her that when I lived in Atlanta, “at no time did my daily commute involve climbing 150 stairs in the direct midday sun! When I lived in Atlanta, I went from air conditioned office to air conditioned car to air conditioned stores.” There is one building in all of Centro with air conditioning; The OXXO, similar to our 7-11. Just how much time can I justify, hanging out on the soft drink aisle?
The beige haze overhead is closing in on me. The very thing I love about living in the high desert of Colonial Mexico, low humidity, has temporarily been replaced by a sky looking as if it’s been photographed through a sienna filter, trapping the sweat on my skin like a cheap moisturizer. The fires in the nearby hills don’t help. A local explains these fires are a result of people drinking in the remote hillsides, breaking their glass bottles, the pieces which then act like a magnifying glass to start smoldering fires among the parched scrub brush. Haze and smoke fill the “bowl” of the valley. Even the locals and shopkeepers that I encounter along my commute complain, “Hace mucho calor!”
I wrestle with the decision of whether to stay or go. And if I go, where? This brings me to some soul searching questions. Do I want to continue living as a backpacker, practicing my Spanish while exploring the yet unvisited areas of Latin America? Maybe head into the mountains of Chiapas until the weather cools down, then return to Guanajuato? I’ve made a lot of friends here, but one by one, many are leaving too. Or do I want return to my life as an RV fulltimer, jockeying for summertime reservations in increasingly crowded parks overrun with vacationers? Maybe I want to shift gears altogether and find a way to feed my true desire of being a sailor, called by the lure of the sea? It’s one of the most conflicted feelings I’ve had since retiring. As the Magic 8 Ball would say, the future is “Hazy.”
Are you reading too many boating bloggers these days? I’ll admit to dreaming of a cheap way to do the Great Loop. I’ve LOVED your Mexico posts, especially the architecture.
Maybe head to San Cristóbal or Lake Atitlan? We have stayed in Merida in the summer. That is hot!
It is such a beautiful city. It’s unfortunate that it’s SO HOT. I have loved your time in Mexico, I had no idea that the cities were so lovely.
Your legs must be happy, wherever you are now, to be away from all the stairs! And how is the Spanish coming along???
Sounds like you’ve asked yourself the same question that Larry Kroger (aka Pinto) asked his fellow Delta brothers in 1962. And the Delta’s answer seems just as appropriate for you. Get behind the wheel of your Winnie and hit the road. 🙂
https://youtu.be/FoLqGZmrZR8
Such a delight to the senses it has been receiving gifts from your time in Mexico, Suzanne! The reds, yellows, blues of town structures and curved lines of architecture from cathedral domes (typified with the stunning restaurant view above) have been a siren’s call. The yummies of freshly made meals, beautiful shades of aqua from glistening glasses of margaritas followed by foamy dark brown microbrewed beer have evoked mouth watering desire. The sights, sounds and smells of Mexico seemed to have come alive with every photo in every post! Feelings, as well, have been evoked by your photos, like the joyous occasion of the beautiful wedding above (oh! that dress!)…a sense of happiness following a fleeting moment of sadness for those sweet birds caged on the balcony in your last post. What a wonderful journey the past few months have afforded you–surely, there must be mixed feelings in moving away from it all. Yet, like David LaFlamme’s lyrics remind: “…white bird must fly or she will die.” Onward you go! It’s a Beautiful Day, indeed…