Personally, I’d rather plunge into Mexican life, speaking bad but improving Spanish, attending bautizas and quinceaneras, reading Juan Rulfo.
At least one person has come here to find—not Mexico—but India. Chicago transplant Brett is consummating her love of the subcontinent by building her little bit of India: Shanti.
Driving out the Doctor Mora Road, I knew I was nearing Shanti when I ran across a cantera Ganesh meditating in front of a nopal.
Shanti is a day spa, an oasis where visitors can seek respite from the social and cultural whirl of San Miguel.
An alcove beside the pool offers games and books.
A shaded rooftop invites meditation or scrabble, your pick. Yoga classes are held two mornings a week. Two rooms contain carved Indian massage tables. A small shop offers Indian fabrics and art.
Water flowing in a small garden provides welcome contrast to the arid semi-desert of the surrounding Bahio.
A
friend invited us to meet with her for a late Sunday lunch at Masala,
Shanti’s Indian restaurant. I was pleasantly surprised to find good,
authentic Indian cuisine in Mexico—aloo korma, channa masala, thali, garlic naan. The day I visited, the banana-cardamom lassie wasn’t available—a minor disappointment. To compensate, I imbibed two mango lassies.
Brett
says “I’m all about India.” Unable to make a life in India, she brought
the feel of India to Mexico: the mountain to Mohammed.
It’s said
that people come to San Miguel to reinvent themselves. The place exudes
an energy that enables some—among them Brett—to turn their dreams into
reality.
Comments:
I can only imagine what Richard is going to do with this. The Bengal Gang?
Beautiful place. It relaxes me just looking at your pictures. San Miguel never ceases to amaze me.