Elaine Litman Donor Trip, Mexico 

Itinerary 

Querataro Historic Center	Querataro Main Square

Day 1 Feb 19, 2011 Saturday Fly direct to Queretaro: 

·        Transfer from airport meeting Continental flight 2037 from IAH arriving at 7:44 pm 

·        Dinner at Hotel/nearby restaurants on your own. 

·        We will stay in small hotels near the historic area  

 
Day 2 Feb 20 Sunday (Note: Day 2/3 may be reversed) B 

·                    A tour of the world heritage site, located in the historic downtown Queretaro. Originally built from the giant fortunes made in the silver mines, Queretaro’s beautiful plazas and baroque chapels have been recently restored to their original splendor. The charming narrow passageways through the center of town are lined with high quality craft shops, loncherias and homemade candy stands. Queretaro is a UNESCO world heritage site. We will visit the beautiful colonial churches, plazas and homes of old Queretaro.

·                    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santiago_de_Quer%C3%A9taro

·                    Time to shop or go to museums in afternoon, lunch on own.

·                    Optional Group dinner.  We will make a reservation at local restaurant for those who wish. 

Day 3 Feb 21 Monday BD 

·                   Bus tour to the Elaine Litman Bank.  We will meet with representatives of our lending partner, Pro Mujer, and meet some of the women Elaine’s bank has helped.  

·                    On way to or on the way back, we will stop in Tequisquiapan or San Juan del Rio, where we’llvisit an Opal cutting studio. The state of Queretaro is known for its fine quality opals. 

·                   Tour and included group dinner (maybe at a winery) in Queretaro

Day 4 Feb 22 Tuesday B 

·                  Travel time from Queretaro to San Miguel de Allende is 1 hour. On the way into town, we will stop at the Mirador to see a great view the city.

·                    We will have a two and half hour guided walking tour San Miguel, a historic town founded in 1542 that has become an attractive tourist destination for wealthy Mexico City residents.  In 2008, San Miguel was designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.  

·                 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Miguel_de_Allende
·                    Time to shop and lunch on own. 
·                    Optional group dinner.  We will make a reservation a local restaurant for those who wish.  
·                    We will stay in small hotels in San Miguel city center. 

Day 5 Feb 23 Wednesday BD 

·             Free day to explore or enjoy spa services.  Some suggestions: 

·                Visiting Fabrica la Aurora is a must. It is a converted textile factory that now is home to artist galleries, furniture stores, antique showrooms, restaurants and even a wine bar. This place is great for those interested in the arts or for shopping. It is a very friendly place as well. During my stay I became friends with a number of the artists and store owners. You can see everything it has to offer at www.fabricalaaurora.com.  It is walking distance. 

 ·             Optional alternative:  some could go to www.los-senderos.com, picnics, trail rides, tours of the vineyard and cooking classes in the cook's garden 2.5 km from San Miguel center. 

·               As a group we will go in late afternoon to the Mayan Baths at Arcangel. Ten minutes north of downtown, these incredibly beautiful baths are located in underground passageways and chambers where you walk through waist deep hot mineral spring water. It is a breathtaking Spa. The website is http://www.arcangelbaths.com/. We will have an included group dinner this evening at the Mayan Baths.

Day 6 Feb 24 Thursday B 

·             Guanajuato -1 hour away from San Miguel (6-8 hour tour) this mining town, produced 35% of all the silver in the world back in the 17th century. We will have a guided tour of this enchanted city has built its homes on the mountain side giving each colourful home a distinctive bright and happy look. This is the birth town of Diego Rivera where he spent his childhood and now shows some wonderful painting of the artist. Guanajuato was declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988.

City of Guanajuato	Guanajuato Basilica

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guanajuato Time permitting, a ride through the beautiful Santa Rosa Mountains with a stop at an excellent ceramics workshop high in the mountains will be included.  The mummy museum may be available as an option if everyone agrees to it and is willing to pay the small entrance fee. 

Day 7 Feb 25 Friday BD 

·                  Pozos and Dolores Hidalgo -50 minutes away from San Miguel is the rugged town of Pozos, officially known as Pozos de Mineral. For several centuries, Pozos produced an assortment of minerals, from silver to mercury, and the town, now mostly in ruins, has the mines to show for it. Recently, newcomers have begun renovating crumbled buildings, turning them into hotels, restaurants and art galleries. Pozos has been described as looking like San Miguel did 40 years ago. We will spend some time walking the cobblestoned streets with our guide, maybe explore the mines. To visit online go to http://www.mineraldepozos.com/ Lunch and free time will be in Dolores Hidalgo. Optional tours of Dolores Hidalgo’s house museum or the Independence museum. Several ceramic shops for the shoppers. 

·              Departure dinner in San Miguel is included.

Day 8 Saturday

·                   Early morning departure for USA-Transfer from hotel to Queretaro Airport

Tour Pricing

Pricing is Double Occupancy for 7 nights and assumes that we have 15-20 participants.  There may be a small supplement if we have fewer participants.  Please contact Harriet Hughes at TIAWDonorTripMexico@TIAW.org for tour pricing if you choose to leave early or have other questions. 

 
To register for tour 
         
  Please see Cancellations fees noted below

Not Included:

 ·                    Airfare: going on Feb 19, returning Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday was $593 on Continental Airlines from DCA when this tour was developed.  We do not recommend that you fly into Mexico City.  

 ·                Meals not listed as included on the date line.  Optional lunches and dinners will require each person to pay cash for their meal.  Please remember that credit cards are not as widely used in Mexico and separate checks for credit card are rarely possible. 
 

 ·                 Transfers from/to Queretaro airport other than on dates specified above are not included. For those wanting to leave early, transportation to Queretaro Airport from San Miguel is about $65.   It is less expensive from Queretaro. 
   

 ·                    Drinks at included meals, bottled water.  
 

 ·                      Any items of purely personal nature, such as laundry, faxes, calls, food and beverages not included in meals provided; meals not specified as part of the program; optional spa services, performances and excursions not included in the itinerary;  
 

·                    Tips to guides, drivers and hotel porters.  
 

·                    $100 minimum donation to TIAW microcredit program which is tax deductible.  This may have been previously made or done at the time you register for the trip.

Cancellation Fees and Safety Issues

Cancellation before September 1 will incur a $50 administrative charge unless a substitute is found. Cancellation between September 1 and February 18 will incur a $50 administrative charge plus any costs that TIAW cannot obtain a refund on unless a substitute is found. We recommend that you obtain trip insurance if appropriate.

SAFETY ISSUES:

Mexico is currently under a State Department travel advisory for US visitors. However, the most dangerous areas of Mexico are generally considered to be the border areas with the US and the capital Mexico City. Nevertheless, safety of persons and property is always a concern when traveling in Mexico . TIAW does not make any guarantee of safety, and participants on this trip will be asked to sign a comprehensive release. Receipt of your deposit will constitute your acknowledgement of these terms.

QUESTIONS: Contact Harriet Hughes via TIAWDonorTripMexico@TIAW.org with questions or special requests.