La Gruta Spa and the Tuesday Market

Yesterday, (sorry, there will be no pictures of this) we hopped in a cab for a 15 minute trip out of San Miguel to La Gruta Spa.  There are several thermal baths in the area and we opted for this.  The complex was very garden-like with several pools of different temperatures (it was 75 yesterday afternoon, btw), culminating with a long tunnel that leads you to 'the grotto' itself--the warmest pool of all, and covered by a stone dome.  Amazingly, my claustrophobia didn't seem to mind. Must have been the soothing waters.  In the grotto, there is a huge cascade of VERY warm water that people stand in line to experience.  It's the sort of thing that we should have at our house.  That's all I'm saying about it.  La Gruta wasn't too crowded, but could accommodate a huge crowd, with large lawns with chaises and tables/chairs, café, restaurant, bars.

The REAL excitement, however, was securing transportation back to SMA.  We opted for a bus.  This meant walking about 1/4 mile down the highway to a place that was 'marked' as a bus-stop.  The marking looked like someone took a bag of cement, mixed it well and dumped it on the side of the road...and dropped some white paint on it.  That, at least, is what we THINK marked the spot.  Eventually, a bus approaches and you wave it down.  Fortunately, this worked.  The driver stopped and brought us back into town for about fifty cents per person.

This morning, Graciela made us another astonishingly good breakfast (fresh fruit, warm tortillas, eggs, guacamole, refried beans and pastries.  I could get VERY used to this sort of life.

After breakfast it was off to the Tinguas del Martes--the weekly market held on Tuesdays.  Imagine a cross between a county fair, farmers' market,  huge flea market and open-air hardware store.  There are THOUSANDS of vendors.  Sprinkled among them are fondas selling gorditas, tortas, tacos and giant fried pork cracklings (yes, we bought the giant pork crackling).

Did I mention the live poultry?

Here's my favorite merchant...selling onions.

 

 

The fruits and vegetables were incredible-looking.  Yes, we took some back to the house.

 

 

After a few hours of sensory overload, we needed sustenance.  Fortunately, it was everywhere.

 

 

With strawberries and giant pork rind in hand, we headed back for a mid-day break.  Here's our street and house.

 

 

 

Last evening, the owners of the house called to make certain that we weren't too cold.  It is in the mid to upper 70s each day and around 50 at night.  This is winter in SMA.  It may also explain the presence of many ex-pats.