After Jen's class on Thursday, we went out for a bite to eat with her teacher, Mario. He is from Mexico City and has lived in Guanajuato for six years. He lived on Vancouver Island for 5 months one year, so he had an idea what Washington was like. We had a good time.

I never mentioned that Guanajuato is at 2000 meters (over 6000 feet). Saturday and Sunday I had a mild headache all day trekking around, which I blamed on altitude, but by Tuesday the calves stopped hurting and besides sucking air I was OK.

Jen has class from 6 to 7, and at 6:50, I set out to meet her and Mario. I had just left the B&B which is located up one of these hilly streets. I run across 3 young women, one crying out a name loudly, and they are pushing an old senora in a wheelchair up this damn steep cobblestone street. Very slowly pushing her.

Well, I don't know how to say "Let me help you" in Spanish but they quickly got the idea. We pushed OK for a bit but then hit a step. They spun the chair around and removed those foot rests, and then leaned the chair over and each grabbed a handle.

That left me holding the back of the chair, and we went over a couple steps. Mind you, I have no idea where these folks are going, but I do know there are not steep streets beyond the B&B -- it turns into a staircase.

So we went up those steps, I'm being real careful not to slip (in Birkenstock sandals) because then a real disaster would occur.

The first turn in the staircase after the B&B, they stop and gesture that we have arrived. Gracias a Dios! I was sucking serious oxygen. They were very grateful for my help.

So, in the Cervantes capital of America, I become a modern -- but successful! -- Don Quijote.

With that high point, our short trip to Guanahuato was over! Gracias, amigos, y adios!