Pascal and the alebrijes

Intrepid travellers, Gary and Lorraine, are back on the road in search of inspiring and uncrowded travel experiences. This time we find them in the colonial-era city of San Miguel de Allende in Mexico's central highlands. 

 Ok, San Miguel de Allende has been discovered.  Three hours' drive from Mexico City, it's home to about 10,000 North American expats, and a popular destination (and sought-after wedding venue) for upscale Mexicans.  Today the city is experiencing global trendification that can best be summarized by noting that it now has its own Bulgari outlet.

Nevertheless, quirkiness and charm still exist, and it's still possible to have an experience that's neither crowded nor kitsch.  I am speaking, of course, of Pascal's Incredible Musical Walking Tour of Undiscovered San Miguel (my title, not his). Pascal (or Pasquale, for the locals) is not a native, but he's one of those people that just becomes a local wherever he pitches up.  Swiss by birth, he's quadralingual (at least), and has lived all over the world, including,for the last three years, San Miguel.

For five fascinating hours, Pascal leads his guests through the narrow cobblestone streets of the town, stopping at art galleries (where curators greet him like Mr Rogers' neighbors), a secret hotel adorned with hundreds of ceramic suns, a famous brothel now converted to a staid B&B, and institutes of art and culture.  As guests, we were refreshed with coffee and local pastries, a tasting of local mezcals, and a light lunch, all included in the tour.  But here's the wrinkle:  at every stop (and even sometimes on a wide part of the sidewalk), Pascal takes out his guitar and plays us a song or two.  He's an accomplished musician, having made his living at that for many years, and his repertoire ranges from Mexican traditional to blues and beyond.  He even managed to get us to accompany him on a few traditional instruments he brought along.  Woven around the songs are the myths and legends of Mexico and San Miguel in particular, which our storyteller guides us through.  And of course that would have to include the Oaxacan story of the alebrijes, those fantastic animals that appeared to a Mexican artist in a fevered dream in the 20's and have morphed and gotten more psychedelic ever since.  You can check out their starring role in the Disney/Pixar classic "Coco" to get the modern take.

We were sad when the tour finally ended after lunch, but somehow the blow was softened when Pascal presented each of us with our own personal alebrije.  Probably the mezcal didn't hurt either.

We found Pascal through Airbnb "experiences", but have included his direct contact info below.


Jean Pascal Monzies
Pascalsong.com
Sanmiguelmusictours@gmail.com
+52 415 115 2555
Sent from my iPad