The slogan of the Mexican government tourism board is “Mexico: It’s closer than you think.” After our surprisingly short and easy journey from Mobile to San Miguel, I have to agree with them. Our little Contintental commuter jet took off at 6:45 and landed just over an hour later in Houston. We had a one-hour layover, during which Mark exchanged some dollars for pesos, then another short plane ride to the airport at Leon (in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico). Our smiling driver, Xavier, loaded us into his very nice car and off we went on the 100-mile ride through mountains and rocky canyons to San Miguel. Mark bravely sat in the front, where he had an up-close view of the terrifying drop-offs which Xavier effortlessly navigated at a constant 65-70mph, often driving mere inches from the rear bumper of other vehicles we encountered along the way. Being in the back seat, I could look out at the incredibly beautiful valleys and mountainsides that comprise this state, the geographical center of the nation of Mexico. Around 1pm, we entered San Miguel and pulled up on the steep, narrow cobblestone street outside Casa de la Cuesta. Here are a few photos of the casa, and some sights we saw when we went for a walk on our first day in town:

Above is our sitting room, full of Mexican art and artifacts. Below is the bedroom…

…and outside are a private patio and a rooftop cactus garden: