CLOWNS AND LECTURES

A power outage this morning left us with no electricity or water. The city is changing some pipes. Fortunately the power came back sometime in the afternoon, when we were out.

We left the house and walked to the bus stop around 1 pm.  A couple dressed as clowns was waiting for the bus and, as soon as it got there, they climbed on behind us.  Then, they proceeded to start talking out loud, making jokes, and teasing each other.  The young woman was holding a baby in a sack.  No one was laughing at their jokes; the passengers looked rather resigned to the annoying voices.  David looked at me and said "do you want to get off?"  We waited for the next bus but it was so crowded, we opted for a taxi to go to El Centro.
  
Two lectures today: one on birding, the other on the anthropology of travel.  The first one was informative and gave us the opportunity to find where and when are the birding field trips. There is one tomorrow at 9 a.m. David will be in attendance.  The second lecture proved better as the speaker went on.  His English pronunciation made it difficult to understand him sometimes; his information however offered food for thought.  What is a tourist? What is a traveler? When is too many tourists too many? San Miguel de Allende is a UNESCO Heritage Site but the government hasn't taken measures to preserve, sustain, while allowing people to visit.  

The first lecture took place at the Biblioteca - the hub of San Miguel.  That's where you go if you need something, if you want to meet someone, if you need information.  I like to sit in the open patio and read while groups of people study Spanish or English, children do their homework, others check out books.  There is a small theater as well and a conference room.  

The second lecture was held at Bellas Artes - a colonial building with many rooms around a big open patio on two levels.  Pictures to follow.  

My writing continues although I made some drastic changes today.