October 31, 2008. Mexico. The Country.

The small towns are charming. Every town has a main square, with a large church at the end, and always a gazebo for the band to entertain the residents, along with beautiful foliage around the outside of the square. Benches are placed around the outside, so the good folks of the town can meet and greet during the day and evening. Very small restaurants abound, with many tables on the sidewalk, so over the lunch hour, everyone seems to be eating outside. Chicken and sausage and beef are cooked on the outside grills, making the whole square smell delicious. The towns seem very appealing, in an old fashioned way.

Today we hired a driver to take us to four little towns, up in the valley between the ocean and the mountains. This is a place where agriculture reigns, and where the good folks who work at the resorts can afford to live comfortably. The most interesting town for me was Valle De Bandares, a very old town, founded about five hundred years ago before the Spaniards arrived. I loved it. The church was almost three hundred years old, and is raising money for restoration. The town square held many sculptures, with fountains representing the corn and the rice and the fruit grown in the Valley. The square has two blocks for the Plaza, so it is well used by the school children and their parents, as the place is very spacious and grand. Our driver lived their, as had his parents and grandparents before him.

We all enjoyed our day, which include many things of value. Our day began at ten and ended at four, so it was a full day, ending up with a flat tire just as we were to leave the restaurant. But no problem. We four went back into the outside restaurant, where the owner served us ice mineral water while we waited for the driver and one of the waiters assisted in changing the tire. Drinks on the house, they said. Next time, Ken and I are going to take a bus up to one of these little towns, so we can poke around a bit, and maybe shop and have lunch. These very old towns are very different to anything we see in North America, but infinately interesting.