Mexico, where else?

After a whirlwind birthday week, I am back in Mexico. My home away from home. I arrived on Tuesday October 30th early in the morning. The flight was very bumpy, lots of turbulence. Luckily I had some sleeping pills that made me almost anxiety free. Last time I was down here, we stopped in Zacatecas for immigration. This time conveniently there were no stops. Have you ever been through immigration and customs in Mexico? Immigration isn't much different than any other country I have been to, in that the customs officers have little to no affability let alone a sense of humor. They must be very bored. Although I checked my bag (I wanted to bring more than a quart bag of toiletries), it was circling the carousel when I was finished with grumpy pants immigration man. Customs is my favorite part of the process. I guess because it seems so kitch how they decide whether or not they are going to check your bag. After they ask you a bunch of questions about what you are bringing (apparently there is a big business in fashionable clothes down here so many people bring in giant bags full of clothes to sell without claiming it... illegal of course... someone is getting paid) in, you are faced with a thing that looks just like a traffic light with two lights. You push a button. If the green light shines, you are free to pass. On the other hand, if you get a red light, there is a terrible, loud, buzzing sound, just like in a game show when you get an answer wrong. Of course this means you don't pass until they tear through your luggage looking for contraband. They say this process is completely random. I am skeptical. I have only had the red light once since I have been coming to Mexico.
I was greeted by a man holding a sign with my name on it. How is that for special? Well, it comes with a cost of course. A shuttle from the Leon airport to San Miguel de Allende is $28 plus a tip. I guess it is about an hour drive. There was a couple from Arizona who joined me. They were very interesting (both retired teachers from Chicago) and we passed the time chatting and me giving them some suggestions on places to go. I was also able to practice my Spanish a little with the driver. It's like using an atrophied muscle sometimes. I arrived at the front door of my friend's parents by around 9am.
More later...