How far is San Miguel from San Antonio? Not far at all. The 2006 film Babel, written by Guillermo Arriaga and directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, both supernovas of the Mexican cinema, is an intricate psychological drama starring Gael García Bernal, Brad Pitt, Adriana Barraza and Cate Blanchett, a Japanese cast, plus a number of …
Medical evacuation seems frivolous until it isn't Five years after we moved to San Miguel, around the time we turned 65 and eligible for Medicare, Stew and I bought medical evacuation insurance with a company called SkyMed, based in Scottsdale, Arizona that promised to fly us back to the U.S. in case of a major …
An emergency tested our Medical plans Given the group's demographics, it's not surprising that health care, along with finances, rank high on the list of preoccupations among San Miguel's expats, as they realize they are on the last lap around the racetrack. Some planning is in order. At this stage, eightieth birthdays call for special …
An afternoon of muscles, posing and flaunting Two weeks ago, when Stew and I were looking for the pickleball courts at a municipal athletic center—a first-class facility open to all—we noticed a poster for the Mr. San Miguel 2023 Contest, to be held the following weekend at the center's assembly hall. For some time we …
It's assumed to be a wonderful experience, but many beg to differ. Stew and I love to travel, and have done so quite a lot since we retired at age 57. And so we've zigzagged across Mexico, from Chiapas to Chihuahua, and abroad from Antarctica to Iceland. We've wondered why some people are not only …
Gay pride month celebrated at two vastly different venues "Life is a cabaret, young chum." In Mexico, "gay" has long been part of the vernacular, along with "feedback" and hundreds of other anglicisms. But for some reason "queer" hasn't quite yet crossed the border. Establishments may fly rainbow flags and proclaim their support for LGBTQ …
Over dinner on our last night in Guadalajara, Stew and I talked about the openness and self-assuredness of gay people in Mexico, particularly compared to the nonstop homophobic harassment by conservatives in the U.S. In our 17 years in Mexico we've never sensed a even a whiff of anti-gay discrimination.
She didn't live long but taught us that chickens are not as dumb as everyone thinks Thanks to a few filmmakers and researchers, animal intelligence is getting some respect, beyond the usual dogs and cats that perform cute tricks on YouTube videos, or Jane Goodall's famous chimps that demonstrated how they can use tools, a …
Why does local law enforcement here seem so ineffective? About ten days ago, a close friend I'll call Tom, was carjacked and kidnapped as he returned to his ranch early in the afternoon, on a road near our ranch. During the attack the assailants busted the driver side window, yanked him out and shoved him …
A safari to an African country with teeming wildlife treasures Itinerary: (1) from Johannesburg to Maun in Botswana; (2) Camp at Linyanti River; (3) Camp at Kasanee in Zimbabwe; (4) Victoria Falls; (5) Fly back to Johannesburg. Botswana is boxed in on its northern and western borders by Namibia, on the south and southeast by …
El Rancho Santa Clara 