Intrepid Traveler Dispatch: Guanajuato, Mexico

Sean Bagshaw, a professional photographer from Oregon, tells and shows us in vivid detail his month-long trip in Guanajuato, Mexico, which he is still enjoying with his wife and two sons.

While Dad is out taking breathtaking pics of the old colonial mining town, Mom and the kids are brushing up on their Spanish at a language school.

THE TRIP: Spanish colonial mining town, Guanajuato, Mexico with side trips to San Miguel Allende, Dolores Hidalgo and Mineral de Pozos.

WHO: Me, my wife Jeniffer and my two sons, Aidan (8) and Griffin (6).

WHY: Guanajuato and my town, Ashland, OR, are sister cities.  They do a lot of exchanges of culture, art, students, teachers and city leaders. This is Jennifer’s third trip to Guanajuato to study the Spanish language at Escuela Mexicana.  This year our sons are old enough to take Spanish classes as well.  As a professional landscape, nature and travel photographer I am spending my time exploring the city and some of the surrounding areas with my camera in an effort to capture the visual beauty, architectural artistry, fantastic color and magical light.

WHEN: We are living in Guanajuato for the entire month of January, 2010.

GETTING THERE WAS: A little longer than usual. We take three flights to get to Guanajuato from Ashland, Oregon.  This time our flight from Mexico City to Leon was canceled and we had to wait for the next one. A 12 hour travel day was stretched to 17.  If one were to fly from a place in the US that has direct flights to Leon it would probably only take 4-6 hours.

I WAS REALLY SURPRISED WHEN: It was really cold for the first two weeks.  Guanajuato is almost 7,000 feet above sea level.  That high in the mountains it never gets very hot, but the winter months are usually sunny with day time temps in the 60-70s.  Central Mexico was having an unusual cold snap this year, however.  It was cloudy, rainy and cold for several weeks (30s at night 40-50s during the day) and the locals were freezing.  Conditions were actually warmer back home in Oregon for several days.  The weather has now returned to normal and it is quite comfortable.

I REALIZED THAT I WOULD LOVE IT WHEN: I first visited Guanajuato three years ago. The town is a World Heritage Site and is visually stunning.  It is also home to several theaters, the acclaimed University of Guanajuato, museums, a thriving artist and musician population and some really good food. Guanajuato is the birth place of Diego Rivera and was one of the towns involved in starting the Mexican revolution. As a photographer, the photographic potential is endless.

THE BEST PLACE I STAYED WAS: Casa Isabel, a small hacienda owned by a fellow US photographer.  It is the perfect place for our family of four to live for a month.  Just a 5 minute walk to school and the center of town.

THE COOLEST ATTRACTION WAS: The colorful houses connected by hundreds of small alleys and underground streets that wind all around the city.

IF I HAD TO DO IT AGAIN I WOULD HAVE: Not spent 4 days in bed with flu like symptoms or thrown out my back carrying two 5 gallon water jugs to the house.  I would also come back when the boys are a bit older so they could attend more Spanish classes or perhaps one of the local schools.  I would also schedule in time to attend more theater and music.

THE ONE PIECE OF ADVICE I HAVE ABOUT VISITING Guanajuato IS: Come in shape and be ready to do some hiking.  The best part of Guanajuato for me is exploring the town.  However, the fact that all the streets go up and down steep hillsides and the town is at a high elevation makes getting out to see the sites a great cardio workout.

Check out more of Sean’s work on his website at Outdoor Exposure Photography, LLC. Follow him on Twitter at @SeanBagshaw.