Still on the road.............

The church at Laguna Santa Maria - a bell to call to service is hung in the giant   banyan  tree.  The lake is protected by the actions of a local hotel owner who managed to get all the property owners around the lake on the same page- it is clean and clear water.   Pretty astonishing - we felt we could have been anywhere else in the world than in Mexico.  More photos when my camera gets fixed.  The road down to the lake, which is in a caldera, is for macho types who don't whimper at thousand foot cliffs at the side of the road.  Fires had been set by the locals to clear underbrush so it was smoky and hazy.  A school group was at the hotel grounds, rioting until midnight - we left the next day. Not that we don't love children, but that they distoibed the peace, doncha know?



In Hawaii, this is a Royal Poinciana - in Mexico, Tabuchine.  Beautiful. And made me homesick for that avbsolute curve in the road in Kailua where the turn down towards Lanikai is dressed with the flame trees.  We are at Rancho Acosta in Alamos, where we had been years ago - this is my fourth time here.  It is peaceful, lovely, beautiful pool, and outside the silver town of Alamos.  Many Americans have moved to the town and renovated the historic buildings, some from the 1600s.  Buildings, but from the look of some of the residents, perhaps them, too.  We were beset with flies as the Rancho, while a lovely place to stay, also is a working ranch and the field next door was full of cows.



The buildings are built up above the street - can't walk around looking up as you would trip over the different levels and  get hurt.  This is pretty typical - the doors open into courtyards - great fun to explore.  Walls along the street are interspersed with ancient doors, wonderfully carved or beat up slabs of wood.  There is a sense of  delightful things hidden inside those doors, or simply life lived out of sight.



Alamos has two squares, and instead of proper names, they refer to them as the "other square"....and you don't know which one they refer to.  The more restored part of the town is around this square.