Okay, that sounds a bit hyperbolic. However, we have been back in Ajijic, largely in our house, for about 150 days. But who is counting. I'm sure we all have our stories to tell of the effects of physical constraint, anxiety and spending WAY too much time in close quarters with our families. So I'll spare you. Enforced seclusion has resulted in some awareness/habit changes that are probably common to some of you. For instance:
1) It dawned on me that some people choose to voluntarily spend their retirement living as we currently do under the constraints of a lethal pandemic. Rise, eat, do email, play computer games, eat, watch TV, nap, do fitful exercise (maybe), eat, read, watch Netflix, go to bed. Repeat. I regard this as a punishment, not a lifestyle.
2) Now I know why people used to go for Sunday drives. They were bored out of their skulls. Even WITH the plethora of electronic outlets at our disposal we find ourselves in the car driving aimlessly just to get OUT.
3) We are having an increasingly difficult time remembering what day of the week it is, much less the date. This is because every day is largely the same OR we are going into Alzheimer decline. We still have a grip on the month except when it has just changed.
4) I am outraged at least several times a day about...well almost everything. When I saw that Trump had invited front line health professionals to his July 4th soiree on the South Lawn AND THEY WENT I progressed from thinking the whole world was mad to knowing the whole world was mad. This was reinforced when Trump retweeted the crazy doctor who believes there are lizard people, we use alien DNA for drugs and people are having sex with demons in their sleep.
5) Before the virus if you found me in my pajamas at 11AM you would know I was deathly ill. Now, at 11AM, I'm thinking that maybe I should put on some shorts and a tee shirt before lunch...or maybe before dinner.
What About Iceland?
Well, I led with our seclusion insights to give you an idea of how much we want to get our itchy feet on the road again. One afternoon Michael looked up from his tablet and said: "We could go to Iceland. There is no co-vid there and they want tourists." I initially scoffed since it was not very high on my list of destinations but within 30 seconds it went from 36th to 1st place as I contemplated the alternatives (none).
In typical "Deirdre trip mode" I delved into Iceland. Flights were obtainable and relatively cheap. We could stay for three weeks (just in case we somehow hit a two week quarantine). We could rent a car and circle the island. We could ride those adorable Icelandic horses into the wilderness. We could sail the fiords. We could soak in the geothermal pools. We could bask in the sun for 22 or so hours due to their northerly position. We could eat one meal a day because it is so expensive. After my initial indifference I was now fully on board with an intensive Icelandic adventure.
But then even Iceland didn't want us. In fact the entire European Union rejected us along with about 100 other countries. We COULD go to Albania. a number of "stan" countries or a small parts of the Caribbean but you had to jump so many hurdles (tests, quarantines etc.) that we just shrugged, got back into our jammies and stared at our computer screens.
Have Lemons? Make Lemonade
As we became increasingly despondent we contemplated alternatives (not many) to staying within our four very attractive but claustrophobia inducing walls. Well, we could travel WITHIN Mexico. We even love to travel within Mexico. But.....cities are out. Our little slice of paradise is relatively free of co-vid but the cities are teeming nests of microbes. And even if we did go to a city all the museums, historical sites and most restaurants and all bars are closed. The range of possibilities grows ever smaller. And then we hit on it. Haciendas!!!! They fill all the criteria: 1) They are usually in the middle of nowhere surrounded by hundreds of acres of agave fields, corn fields or cattle -- but few people; 2) they have a restaurant on site and if they are going to put you up then they need to feed you; 3) since they are remote few people go there in the middle of the week; 4) they usually have less than 20 rooms. Bingo!
A friend had just spent a couple of days at DeFranca Boutique Hotel which is actually a renovated old hacienda and raved about it. Only 1 and 3/4 hours away, it feels like you are in the wilderness (which you kind of are). It sits on the barranca (canyon) that runs north of Guadalajara. The Barranca de Oblatos is 26 kilometer long (about 17 miles) and averages a depth of 2,000 feet. We booked a couple of nights midweek and stipulated we wanted the room that our friend Steve had which faced directly onto the barranca. We were giddy with delight as we climbed into the car to go on A TRIP! This place was unbelievably beautiful as the photos will show. It was sophisticated yet totally rural and featured three rather feisty geese and one very loud, small burro. The food was very good and the service was excellent. Also the wifi. Which is important because when you go to most haciendas what you are going to do is..... kind of nothing. But relax. So wifi and cable (God forbid we miss an instant of the demise of democracy) are of some importance. The first night there were two other couples there and the second night only one. Nothing went wrong. We didn't get in any trouble. Nothing broke or got lost. A very atypical trip for the Searles. So now we are plotting our next hacienda holiday. We can go about 4-6 weeks before we start to get antsy so probably mid to late August. Hope all of you are keeping your sanity and your health. Take care and let us know how it is going where you are.
Some photos of the hacienda, the agave fields & the panteon (cemetery) at San Cristobal de Barranca.
Photos of the courtyard of the hacienda.
The entrance to the hacienda and the courtyard.
This is the chapel of the hacienda in the background.
The prie-dieu in the chapel of the hacienda.
The view from the altar looks our over the barranca.
Saddles on display from when the hacienda was a "working" hacienda. Note the size of the machete on the saddle on the right.
The bar complete with saddle stools at the bar.
The fountain in the courtyard.
This painting depicts the familial history of the hacienda.
The archangel Michael in the dining room of the hacienda.
The view of the barranca from the pool.
Sunrise over the barranca. Because it had rained the night before, the clouds had settled in the barranca. There are more photos below showing the clouds in the barrance just before sunrise.
This memorial was at a mirador by the barranca. Note the bullet holes in the crucified figure of Jesus.
The view from the mirador of the barranca.
The panteon at San Cristobal de Barranca.
