For the next four months I’ll be living in — and posting my WOW Factor blogs from — Guanajuato, the capital city of the state of Guanajuato in Mexico. I arrived here last evening, and I wanted to share my new view with you:
I’m staying at a friend’s lovely home here, while she and her husband spend the summer in Nova Scotia, in exchange for helping her with a solar-cooking book project. The solar oven they’ve designed and plan to manufacture on a greater scale, called a UiTzi, is pictured right. I’m excited by this challenge.
From this terrace I can see the city spread out below — in all its multi-pastel-colored glory. I can hear Mexican music blasting from somewhere nearby, dogs barking, birds chirping, cars’ horns blaring, children laughing. I have an eggplant attempting to slow-cook in the UiTzi right now — my first experiment. If only the sun would come out behind the rainy-season clouds.
While I’m here — learning Spanish, learning how to cook with the sun, expanding my world and my view — my condo in Taos is being rented by a woman in her 70s too who is visiting Taos from Thailand for four months. My newest next-door neighbor in Taos is an 81-year-old woman who has just come back to Taos after living for many years in Bali.
This is the time of life, it seems to me now, when we who are “of a certain age,” no longer in the work force, unencumbered by “stuff,” and free, can fly to other parts of the world, not to simply breeze through in the comfort of a tour bus but actually stay a while.
This is how we learn to love the world, I think: Let new places and new vistas seep in slowly, over time. Learn the language (or give it a try), eat the food, dance to the music. As the old song goes, “We’re only dancing on this earth for a short time.”
Ah, the sun has just broken through the blanket of clouds. My new view is sunny.
find me on facebook
Bonnie – Love hearing about your new adventure. Yes, we “of a certain age” certainly do get to have adventures if we so choose, right? I have come to love that phrase.
Was just in Italy and lived there for two weeks, speaking Italian, shopping, meandering and pretending I was a citizen. Great time.
Hooray for you learning Spanish! I think it’s so good for us to speak a foreign language… keeps our brains really perking away.
Have you seen my blog? Would love to know what you think of it. I’m pretty pleased at this point, only would love to have more readers. http://www.magsreflections.blogspot.com
Blessings your way, and keep those posts coming!
Mag
Thank you, Mag! Yes, I’ll certainly check out your blog. Getting readers is a challenge. Poco a poco, as they say here! — xx
Happy experience, Bonnie! Good for you! xo, Suzy Kane
Thank you, Suzy. Great to hear from you. — xx
Signome..(sp) = excuse me in Greek, a language I’m learning VERY slowly during a brief visit (only 3 weeks). I’m on your page about older folks (not only women!) moving slowly into a new world, taking time to savor a new culture. This time is about learning to travel alone, something new to me…so far, better than good!
Jeannie — How exciting for you! Yes, “better than good”! — xx
Thank you for sharing the pics and what you’re seeing and doing. I am so curious and I’m cheering for you. Keep the info coming! xo Lorraine
Thank YOU, dear L.! I WILL keep the posts coming. (BTW, you appeared in my first MX dreams last night!) — xx
Guess you’ll have to write your WOW blog every time the sun goes behind the clouds if you hope to test that solar-cooking oven.
I love the idea of not just traveling but traveling someplace to live for a few months and get more than a glimpse but a real feel for a place.
Fantastic view from the terrace!
Thanks, Barb dear! Yes, the view is amazing, and I’m sure it’s even more dazzling on a clearer day! — xx
Dear Bonnie…what a wonderful new adventure. I can see and smell and taste your new surroundings. I have been in similar places in Mexico (well, quite a number of years ago) and you bring it all back to me in the most delicious way. New challenges…hurray! Much love/sj
Dear Sara Jean — I’m so glad to hear this! Yes, I just went for my first foray into town — down the steep and narrow steps to the main road, and then UP those steps again. WHAT a workout! — xx
Oh Bonnie, enjoy your time in Mexico. I can almost picture it all from your description, and I can see you sitting on that lovely terrace.
Although I am not and never will be as adventurous as you, my daughter and I are going to Ireland next week, and we are so looking forward to it. We’ve never been, and I hear it’s a beautiful country. Enjoy your time, and all my best to you!
Pam Butler
Thank you, Pam. I hope you and your daughter have a WONDERFUL time in Ireland together. I’m sure you will!
So glad to hear you arrived safely! And love the view from your patio! Miss you already,
Jan
Thanks, Jan. Yes, I’m enjoying that patio view right now as I type this. Now if Gto only had Taos’s clear blue skies, I’d think I was in Heaven…
So glad to follow you on this journey.Judith
Thank you, Judith! Enjoy your new journey, too!
Glad to learn you arrived safely and are happily ensconced in new surroundings ripe for exploring. I’ll miss running into you in Taos over the next few months but look forward to new postings. – Jan M.
Thank you, Jan! Yes, see you in October — with stories to tell, I’m sure!
Dear Bonnie, the view and your description of the area are wonderful! Also loved your earlier thoughts on celebrating with friends. I so agree. I’m getting ready to head out to Colorado to spend a week with my five sisters. Every summer the six of us (ranging from 67-77 glorious years) gather for Sisters’ Week, where we laugh, talk, do puzzles and ‘projects’, go out to lunch, and laugh some more. The neighbors all know we’re there when they hear us playing our recorders on the patio. Sisters, friends, laughter – who could ask for more? Well, maybe a solar cooker would be a fun addition. Enjoy Mexico. Bev
Thanks so much, Bev. And have FUN with your sisters in CO!
Hola Bonnie! (The extent of my Spanish!) I love it that you’re sharing your experiences in MX with all of us…and love it that you had the wherewithal to actually GO! We’re listening (and sharing) with much interest.
Gini Moseley
Thank you, Gini! Will keep you posted!
Bonnie, I am so happy for you! Way to go! How inspiring! Looking forward to reading all about it!
Thank you, Joanna! I LOVE reading your blog, “A Terminal Case of Whimsy” too. You are SO talented!
I totally agree with you about Joanna and her blog!