WALKING DOWNTOWN
Walking with the new group in the morning from our rented mansion on the hill to the center square of San Miguel de Allende we passed one beautiful shop after another and spent time in several of them. Martha had scouted this route before so could guide us to the shops with the most beautiful things.
All over San Miguel de Allende there are shops which sell beautiful handmade things cheaply. But I learned over many trips to India that being lured by what is cheap, even though quite beautiful, can load you down with things you finally aren’t that pleased with. The most beautiful things are in expensive shops, both in India and Mexico. These shops often sell things you won’t be able to find other places on your own. In a sense, they have done your shopping for you and charge you an extra finder’s fee for the most beautiful things. And that is usually well worth the higher cost. Usually these expensive shops have fixed prices so trying to bargain seems a little insulting. You find what you like the most and pay the price you are asked and when you get home you forget how much you paid and enjoy what you have bought.
These were the kinds of shops that we stopped at on the way to town. The other problem with buying on a trip abroad is that you can only fit so much stuff in. So the size of what you buy matters, particularly if, like me, you are trying to fit everything into your carryon luggage which was already full on your trip here. So you are reduced to small objects or to textiles that are easy to fold flat.
After we arrived downtown we ate in a rooftop restaurant with delicious food and drinks.
BILLYBABA’S WANDERING 