Feb. 9, 2005 — We’re leaving Guanajuato this morning, going on to Pozos, an old mining town not far away that is beginning to be restored.

We’ve been here a month, a full and complex month. I won’t miss the graffiti everywhere, the street dogs ( though not as bad here as in some other Mexican places we’ve been to), and the long, steep climb back up to our campground from downtown.

So many sweet memories will go with me:

The people we met, and their friendliness:

• the fellow in our favorite coffee shop, the Conquistador by the Santa Fe tunnel…
• the shy girl in the panaderia (bakery) who was thrilled with her photo…
• the American woman who gave me a great rundown on Guanajuato when we first arrived…
• the Mexican massage therapist who un-knotted my legs after the hills wore them out….
• the campground manager whose rapid Spanish became easier to follow…
• the older German couple who had literally never touched a computer before I helped them get a yahoo account…
• the busy professor who had us over for tea…
• the architect who invited Kelly to address his architecture class at the university…
• the American-Mexican couple who are building a bed and breakfast here…
• the young couple from whom we bought our produce, and their interest in what food cost “over there”…
• the pharmacist whom I’ve blogged about, who went out of her way to be helpful…

I could easily double this list.

Another sweet people memory is something that happened several times, always when I was alone and walking through the busy city streets. I would get into a delicious sense of flow, as all sorts of people walked past me, old and young, male and female, adult and child, Mexican and foreign, and I felt myself part of this amazing river of humanity. I’m sure you can have an experience like this in many places, but I particularly enjoyed it here in Guanajuato, with its narrow sidewalks and the pedestrian nature of much life in this city of winding streets and walking streets.

And there are memories of the city itself, the jardin with the its deep shade and mariachis, the many little plazas and parks, the views from one hill to the next…

Bye for now, Guanajuato!