San Juan del Rio

San Juan del Rio (SJR)–My new Mexican home town, which in English translates to “Saint John of the River.”  SJR and its 200,000 residents are situated about 6,000 feet above sea level and about 125 miles northwest of Mexico City.
It is a fine city with a great personality, although many call it too “tranquilo” (calm, boring) for their tastes. But it has everything this gringo needs: a gym, a veggie restaurant, a pool hall, a bar that shows the Detroit Tigers, and a good bus system for weekend excursions. It also has a beautiful central square called “Plaza Indepedencia,” which is shown in the upper left photo. What I like most about it, though, is that it seems very “Mexican” to me. There are very few foreigners, and not many American chain stores/restaurants either, save for the Sam’s Club and McDonald’s. The people have been fantastic, very friendly, and very patient with my horrible Spanish. ¡Viva México!