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is country would be excellent — it has an array of everything — but it has been rendered “unlivable” with all of its rules and regulations, legal protections, background checks, insurances, and fees, fees, fees. You can’t live free here — you can’t even go to a f’cking doctor here without indenturing yourself to an employer — and for those who have seen the view from the outside it’s difficult to live here at all.
I like the country that I grew up in. It’s still the big show in the world. There are just so many stories here. I travel around the USA salivating about what I could do if I could only work out a way to stay. But I have to rein myself in. I know that I can’t work like I do and stay here too.
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Like most of its central highlands neighbors, San Miguel de Allende sits at a high elevation – over 6,200 feet – on the Central Mexican Plateau, which is a large arid-to-semi-arid plateau that occupies much of northern and central Mexico. It is located on the far eastern side of the state of Guanajuato, about 60 miles from the state’s capital, Guanajuato, and is about 170 miles northwest of Mexico City.
A series of low mountains, the Sierra Central, surround San Miguel and are part of the Sierra Madre Occidental. The San Miguel area also extends over the Sierras Volcanicas and the Cuencas Lacustres del Sur, with most of the territory over the latter. The entire city is located within the national Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt.
The main river in the area is the Laja, which crosses from north to south before emptying into the Lerma River in the city of Salamanca. In addition to the river, there are four principal arroyos – steep-sided gullies cut by running water – that pass by San Miguel: La Canadita, El Atascadero, Las Cachinches and El Obraje. El Obraje receives most of the area’s runoff during the rainy season and feeds the Las Colonias and El Obraje dams. The most important dam in the area is the Ignacio Allende dam, located in the west of the city.
San Miguel also has fresh water, thermal and alkaline springs, many of which are used as ecotourist attractions, such as the El Chorro, Montecillo, El Cortijo, Cieneguita, Atotonilco and Taboada spas. Ecosystems include shrublands, forests of oak, and areas where nopal cactus and/or grass dominate. Nearby Coyote Canyon is a popular hiking and recreation area.
source: https://www.expatsinmexico.com/san-miguel-de-allende-geography/
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Worth a read:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/under-the-spell-of-san-miguel-de-allende-71084706/#OMGgJ5sROWhoxbbv.99
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San Miguel has always offered amazing outdoors. From hiking in the cactus preserve, to horse back riding, to just doing errands on foot on a city thats realistically on a 20 percent grade (There are plenty of streets where the sidewalks are steps) There is an abundance of sunshine, expansive countryside, and like any good desert, hot springs! Every year that I've gone back as a cyclist, I have been able to spin my legs on some form of bicycle. But it wasn’t till this year that I was truly able to get out and fully enjoy the countryside. And while I’m happy to share some pointers to help get you rolling in San Miguel, I do think would apply to places beyond. Our limited vacation time and budget meant we weren’t traveling with our bikes. We had planned for time in Mexico City, and buses for travel within Mexico. Being both budget and multi modal meant renting was the best option for us once we arrive in San Miguel.
La Gruta Spa -- hotsprings 10km outside san miguel
Sanctuary of Atotonilco -- church not far from san miguel
The Sanctuary of Atotonilco (Spanish: Santuario de Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco [atotoˈnilko]) is a church complex and a World Heritage Site, designated along with nearby San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico. The complex was built in the 18th century by Father Luis Felipe Neri de Alfaro, who, according to tradition, was called upon by a vision of Jesus with a crown of thorns on his head and carrying a cross. The main feature of the complex is the rich Mexican Baroque mural work that adorns the main nave and chapels. This was chiefly the work of Antonio Martínez de Pocasangre over a period of thirty years. The mural work has led the complex to be dubbed the "Sistine Chapel of Mexico."[1] The complex remains a place of worship and penance to this day, attracting as many as 5,000 visitors every week.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanctuary_of_Atotonilco
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expensive, but maybe worth it:
http://www.hikingsanmiguel.com/yourguide.html
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https://wikitravel.org/en/San_Miguel_de_Allende
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