Coming in July are two Pen Women workshops in San Miguel de Allende, a beautiful viejo colonial town in the mountains of Mexico, well-known as a haven for artists and writers. Our mission will be to see, with new insights, the centuries-old architecture, revisit some ancient Mexican images, and enter new space with our own creative talents, all in one week.

• Read up on San Miguel, its history, famous daughters (and sons), and the impressions of visitors for the past three centuries.
• Here are a couple books we suggest. Check your library. They probably have copies. "On Mexican Time" and "Mexican Days," by Tony Cohen and "Behind SMA Doors" by Robert deGast.
• Check out a Spanish language lesson tape or CD from your library too, and listen to it often in your car or home. Even a few words of Spanish will enhance your trip.
• Walk around the block every day. We're not kidding - SMA is high (6,489 feet above sea level) with lots of stairs, cobblestone streets, and numerous churches, shops, and restaurants you'll want to explore. El Centro is the Olde Towne that dates back to the 1600s. We'll go at a slow pace, but you'll be glad you did a bit of exercising before you got here. But, if you're not much of a hiker, or even a shuffler, don't worry too much - taxis are everywhere and cost $2 for a whole carload. And you'll still walk faster than Sandy Huff.
• Read up on health and airport requirements. For example, pack your scissors in your checked suitcase, and only have one carry-on bag. A good site is the U.S. Dept. of State travel advisories (which always sound dreadful, so look up what the Canadian, Australian and British governments are advising, too) at http://www.state.gov/travelandbusiness.

• Your passport
• Your business cards, if you use them. You'll be meeting people and making contacts here.
• A wad of $1 bills. Local shopkeepers accept US dollars. Local taxis charge 20 pesos (about $2 US) to go anywhere in town.
• Bathing suit
• Camera (digital is best, and we'll have a session on digital photography basics using your own camera.)
• Comfortable walking shoes. Leave the high heels at home. SMA's cobblestone streets and rocky sidewalks date back to the 1700s, and you'll appreciate sturdy soles and good traction.
• A couple of granola bars or your favorite pocket snacks. Meals in Mexico are later than you're used to. And remember, no matter how precise the printed schedule sounds, we'll all be on Mexican time!
• Your ATM card. It's generally cheaper to get cash (pesos) from an ATM. Yes, you can get cash from your credit card, but fees can run up to $20 per transaction.
• Your credit card. For big purchases, merchants know all about credit cards. Your account will be billed at the current Dollar/Peso exchange rate for the day your transaction goes through the Mexican/US banks. Right now the US dollar is strong, so you'll probably get a good deal.
• Comfortable, modest, washable clothes. No short-shorts or plunging décolleté, please. (Yeah, we know you don't own any of those, but it's fun to say it anyway) Pack or buy one semi-dressy outfit for plays and events, but most events are pretty low-key down here. And if we happen to schedule a hands-on clay session, you'll want grungies.
• Layers. Remember you're at 6,435 feet above sea level. Days are hot, evenings are chilly, and it does rain in the summer.

• Clothes you can wear 3-4 times each. Keep your luggage light. Redcaps and porters will not be around to lug your baggage, and the rest of us have bad backs, too! Wheeled suitcases are best.
• Art and/or writing supplies. Arches cold pressed paper, that exact color of paint, and your favorite brush are probably for sale somewhere, but at high prices at a store that might be closed for siesta when you get there.
• A copy of your address file, and your snail-mail address book. Internet cafes dot the city, and we know several that serve delicious meals, lattes, and drinks. You can send letters home, type another chapter of your novel (Sandy Huff did last summer), and burn CDs of your digital photos, too.
• Your usual medications, with a copy of each prescription – that little printout that comes from your druggist is perfect.
• Phoning home. For local calls, buy a phone card when you get here, usually at a pharmacy (farmacia) or any place displaying a little blue sign with a drawing of a phone. Calls cost 10 pesos, so a $5 card should cover all your local calls.
• Should you pack your cell phone? Last August, cell phone calls cost .69 cents per minute. To call the U.S, read the back of your phone card. Electrical power is the same as the U.S., but bring a 3-prong adapter if your appliance needs it. For emergencies, dial 152-0911.

• If you are coming right to SMA, fly into Leon (BJX), which is an hour's van ride away. If you'd like to explore Mexico a bit more, you can land in Mexico City (MEX), which is about 3-4 hours away.
• Several land transportation companies provide van service to SMA. We have used Viajes San Miguel, Sollano 4, Centro, San Miguel de Allende, Gto., México 37700. Tel: 011 +52 (415) 152-2537 Fax: 011 +52 (415) 152-2538. Email: info@viajessanmiguel.com. Be sure to ask about a Penwomen group discount, in case other Penwomen arrive at the same time with you. Last August, round trip van fees from Leon airport to the door of our hotel were $49 per person. Watch for a person holding a sign with your name on it at the airport. This company handles both Leon and Mexico City transportation to SMA.

• Our hotel is Quito Loreto, Calle de Loreto #15, SMA, GTO, Mexico 37700 Our hotel is Quito Loreto, Calle de Loreto #15, SMA, GTO, Mexico 37700. Another website to check is Travel by Mexico. Your registration includes a private room from Saturday night to the following Saturday night. If you want to stay longer, rates last August were:
         Single: 400 pesos, with TV, 450 pesos
         Double: 480 pesos, with TV, 550 pesos
         Triple with TV 650 pesos
• If you want fancier quarters, we visited B&Bs such as Casa de la Cuesta, $145 a night, Casa de la Cuesta. Try San Miguel Guide. Run your own Google search because new websites pop up every day.

• 8 nights and 9 days in SMA
• 8 breakfasts
• 3 lunches
• a souvenir carryall bag loaded with favors
• 5 days of classes and activities
• 2 full-day field trips
• 1 Sunday tour of 3 local homes
• Ice-breaker wine-and-cheese party with a great rooftop view and local celebrities
• A CD or DVD of our shared photos
• A recuerdo (keepsake) you make yourself

• Travel to and from SMA
• All suppers
• Souvenirs (Stick a big duffle bag or extra suitcase in the bottom of your roll-on. Handicrafts here are exquisite.
• Extra movies, lectures, classes, plays, openings, and evening events. We don't know yet what they will be, but we know they will certainly occur!
• Taxi fares for exploring on your own. $2 gets a whole car full of people anywhere in town!

• "On Mexican Time: A New Life in San Miguel" By Tony Cohan. Click here for a review.
• "Death of the Fifth Sun" by Robert Somerlott, the story of Hernan Cortez and the Conqust of Mexico.
• "The Doors of San Miguel de Allende" by Robert de Gast. Picture book of SMA doorways.
• "The Labyrinth of Solitude" by Octavio Paz. An enduring classic by the Nobel Prize-winning poet and essayist Octavio Paz. This collection of essays tackles Mexican culture and character. The chapters on the Mexican celebration of the Day of the Dead and the conquest are especially memorable.
• "The Maya" (1966) and "Breaking the Maya Code" (1992) by Michael Coe. Regarded as one of the foremost Mayanist scholars of the latter 20th century), Coe has also made extensive investigations across a variety of other archaeological sites in North and South America.
• The Discovery and Conquest of Mexico: 1517-1521 by Bernal Diaz Del Castillo. Cortez' letters to the Spanish King, giving a first-hand account of the Conquest of Mexico.
• "Aztec" by Gary Jennings. From a review: "A superior read for those seeking an epic adventure ride inside a historically accurate novel. This is the life and times of Mixtli, an Aztec citizen....one-time warrior, merchant, teacher, royal attaché, and many others. A picture of what it may have been like inside the magnificent Empire of the Aztec."
• Francis Calderon de la Barca - A woman travel writer's essays on Mexico from 1839 to 1842. Read the letters.