A Well Deserved Rest

Not everyone that travels into Mexico has their baggage searched at customs, but we do. Every time.


Disembarking from the crowded plane we shuffle along with the tired mass of mostly Mexican travelers. I'm happy to be off the plane feeling the ground under my feet. It's good to stretch my cramped legs and to breath air that hasn't been breathed before. Immigration stamps our passports and we wheel our baggage to a nearby X-ray machine and hoist it up to be conveyed. It rolls out the other side. Now we play the odds. Before us is a machine that will determine if our bags are to be opened for a thorough and lengthy search or if we simply walk out of the airport to enjoy the freedom of our visitation rights. Press a button and a translucent panel lights up, green light means we can exit immediately but red, not so fast gringo. It's hard to believe that the chances are 50/50. In all the years we've traveled together its always been that we've gotten the red light. This can be problematic because I'm usually packing some strange items in my bag, equipment and ingredients that I use for beer brewing. The inspectors in the past have had to call in supervisors to consult with when discovering some of my more questionable items. This can seriously impact the length of extra time you wait before being released.
Fortunately, the inspector this time was so preoccupied with another travelers box of fake gold bracelets that he performed only a cursory inspection without even noticing the pound of vacuum sealed hops and another couple pounds of malt wedged under my shorts.

Finally leaving the airport we took the shuttle from Leon to San Miguel. The ride, which takes a little over an hour crosses through some pretty dry and desolate county but it's exhilarating and goes by fast when your driver is recklessly swerving in and out of lanes at high speeds and passing slow moving trucks on blind curves.


After arriving in San Miguel and checking into the Antigua Capilla Bed and Breakfast we slept for awhile, walked into town for lunch and then back to the B&B for more sleep. We've stayed at the Antigua Capilla before and were once again impressed with the comfort and beauty of the place. The sun was getting near to setting and I thought it would be interesting to video the sights from the roof top. In my mind, the idea was pretty creative but the final production lacks the brilliance of my imagination. Also, I couldn't find any Mexican music for the background so I substituted what I think is African. Still, it gives a good idea of what it's like to go up and enjoy a beer, relax and plan the next days activities.





 

There are a lot of good pictures of Antigua Capilla at their website, go here to see more.

Mark-