20 February 2010

Saturday

Well I started writing this while sitting in the parking lot of the Tequila distiller Jose Cuervo in Tequila, Mexico.  Now I say “I started writing this” while in the parking lot…we thought we had permission to park overnight in this high walled very secured parking lot

 but the guard at the parking lot had another idea…”you’ve got to leave !!!”. 

OK, we left, but before I continue on, here is our GPS location for the parking lot and the town of Tequila…     20.88511N, 103.84378W. 

A lot of the towns we visit just don’t give us any room to drive down the main and side streets but Tequila is different…at least so far.  The books we’ve read about Tequila (located about 40 miles west of Guadalajara) and the many tours that are available from all the different distilleries told us that the best tour can be made by visiting the (Sauza) Jose Cuervo distillery

and that can be found by driving straight into town, past the church on the right, and after making the mandatory right turn it is on the left...  It was perfect, not a glitch was had, and we even found a parallel parking spot for me to slide into.  Then it was off to find out if we could still get a tour before the day was done.  We found that the “English” tour would take place at 3pm which would give us a chance to have lunch and tour the town a little prior to getting back in time for our tour.  At 3 we met our tour guide, saw a short movie, and started out and into the distillery.  One of our first stops was in front of the furnaces that steam the Blue Agave “heart”. 

 Now this “heart” looks like a large bulb except that at the time of harvest it is sitting above ground with lots of very pointy large leaves coming out at all angles and if they hadn’t been pruning the tips since day “one”, they could be very dangerous to handle.

  Now this tour was a tasting and educational tour and our first taste was here…a taste of the raw agave heart (kind of like a raw potato, starchy..).  Our second taste came just around the back side of the furnace area.  This time the agave heart tasted like a sweet and sticky cane sugar stick.  Now remember, this is a tasting tour…  Next in line, was the” very raw” first liquids of tequila…otherwise, pure rot-gut.  God, that was awful !!!  From here on the tastings (an additional 7 good sized shots and a special Margarita) got better and better.  Now it was about this point that I asked our guide about our staying the night in their parking lot…”Not a Problem…”.  Well it was a good tour and we did really enjoy the tequila and, we really didn’t want to drive that motor home out of that gated parking lot, but ...  Well we drove out without a problem but the problem arrived in front of us about 100 yards down a narrow street…the two way turned to a “One Way” going back the way we came so we had to turn around.  We did experience a horn honk or two and that was really uncalled for.  On the other hand, I thought I did a great job under the circumstances.  As I was just making the last of my “U-turn”, a little red car pulled over to the side and stopped.  A man dressed in a nice suit and tie came over and asked us if we were trying to get back into the plaza area and if we were, he would love to guide us out of this tight situation we were in.  His thought was we would go over one more corner and turn left and that would take us back into town…wrong.  The bridge had been destroyed and there now was a detour (without any signs telling him or us this problem…).  Well thank God this man was sent to us as we would still be trying to find our way back into civilization.  If we drove 1 paved section of “roadway”, we drove 5 dirt and cobblestone sections and all the while with a 15 foot concrete wall on one side of us while on the other it was just a grassy, tree, swampy area.  Well he finally got us back into town, and right back at the plaza we were looking for.  As a matter of fact, as we pulled up to the plaza a car vacated a parking spot that was long enough for us to pull into so we quickly pulled to the curb and settled in for the night. 

Yep, we’re going to stay parked at the plaza and with the church right across the street,

we’re going to try to get some sleep as well.  We found that sleeping was going to be a little tough.  This being a Saturday night in a Mexican town, parked at the one and only plaza, and the “whole town is a tequila distillery”…  Well let’s say that they don’t have a problem with “cruising” or with loud music coming out of every vehicle that made it around and around and around that plaza until very late in the morning… Well would we go back??? Yep, in a minute and we’d probably park in the same place seeing as how there isn’t a campground within 30 miles.  The drive to Tequila and the drive away from Tequila as we headed back towards the coast was great.  A little up and down while in the hills and mountains and even a volcano that shot huge lava rocks miles away (notice the lava on both sides of the road..)

 Even with the twist and curves for all those miles it was still a beautiful drive.  It was so different from what we’ve seen before as we’ve traveled and it also gave us a chance to see “The Blue Agave” fields that seemed to go on forever,

crossing one mountain or hill and then on to the next…Man, just think of all that Tequila !!!

17 February 2010

After arriving and setting up the afternoon of the 15^th in Jocotepec, we were driven into town by Candy and Tom.  We had originally met Candy and Tom at the campground in Alamos and were quite surprised when we pulled up next to them today.  By the way, our GPS position for Google Earth is:  20.26664N,  103.42148W

We had originally planned to walk into town but Candy told us that they were just heading that way and they would love to show us a little of the town before they continue on to their destination…what could we say, “that really sounds great”, besides that would save us about a 45 minute walk.  The last time we were in Jocotepec was in 1990 with Bon and Doug.  Some of the town was so familiar and most of it was totally new.  We walked the market place, around some of the streets, and then out to the Plaza.  We were getting hungry and we knew that there must be a place on the Plaza that would fix our needs.  Sitting under one of the arched passageways was a place where we ate the last time we were here, although I’m sure that it wasn’t the “same place” as people and businesses move on.  This little restaurant offered a local dish called Birria which turned out to be goat meat in a “soupy” chili-de arbol (red sauce).  Served alongside we received a thicker tortilla than normal.  I used the tortilla to dunk into the sauce and Louise used it the correct way…taking the meat out of the “arbol” and placing it on the tortilla with a splash of lime.  I found this lunch to be really good, but for Louise it just wasn’t what she would have preferred.  I must tell you that I even finished her dish…  Lou’s hair had gotten to the point that she really needed a cut so we went looking for a local hairdresser to do the work.  We had no sooner left the salon and Louise started feeling lightheaded and nauseous.  Not this again, this was the 3^rd time and she was just about ready to throw the towel in.  We hurriedly found a cab that could rush us back to the motor home so that she could “suffer” in her own place and not in public.  Well that night and the next day wasn’t wonderful but the 3^rd morning she felt well enough that we decided to move onto our next destination.  The campground here in Jocatepec

was very nice, treed, wi-fi, 30amp service, quiet, and close enough and yet far enough to town that you got a good hike in getting there and back.  I made 2 more hikes into town after the first afternoon to do some shopping and while I was there I took a glance into the church on the plaza.

  As I mentioned earlier, we did recognize some of Jocatepec and this church was one that I really enjoyed seeing again.  Next time we’ll have to make it to the church before Louise gets something to eat…

13 February 2010

Arriving at this campground, we were wondering just how far out in “no man’s land” we were.  Hacienda Contreras RV Park is located about a 40 minute walk from Valle de Juarez and a 12 minute drive from Mazamitla.  Other –wise if you were to look at the larger green field using Google Earth at the GPS location of:    19.94312N,  102.96779W you’ll find us. 

Sal and Barb have a great campground here and are the “Host’s from Host’s Heaven”.  From the moment we met them it was like we were “family”.  The campground will hold the largest of large RV’s

 and unlike most Mexican campgrounds, be able to supply a true 30amp service, great drinking water with tons of pressure, and an easy to get at dump at each of the large level sites.   Do I sound like an advertisement, well it was…  for $125 pesos a night you just can’t beat this place.  The first day we just took the chance to be a little lazy until late morning and then we took a hike into Valle de Juarez.  Jauarez is a small town with a wonderful plaza filled with activity.  Standing high above the plaza is their architecturally beautiful church.  We hiked into town to do a little shopping at the open air market and find a place for a quick lunch.  With backpack filled and a couple of bags in hand, we headed back to the campground.  No sooner had we started than a pick-up pulled alongside and Barb called us over and offered a ride back…”welllll OK”.  On the way back, Barb was telling us about this great hike from Mazamitla that would take us down to a great waterfall.  Waterfall, we’re interested…

hike, we’re interested…  We were going to take the Minnie Winnie into Mazamitla but Barb and Sal thought we might be too large to make it through town, and besides, “we’ll be more than happy to pick you up and take you to the gate of the hiking area”.  9:30am and they were there to take us, so with backpacks filled, camera and extra batteries, and an extra jacket we were off.  When we arrived in Mazamitla it was obvious why I shouldn’t have brought our little Minnie.  Yes, we could have made it, but it would have been with a lot of inconvenience to us and those in town…these streets are REALLY narrow,

 and with a car or pickup parked…it would have been tough.  No sooner had we passed through the main part of town and we were heading down a steep cobblestoned road.  Down, up, turn sharp left, up, and then down for ever…  Finally we approached a gate.  This is where we were to get out and start our hike.  At first site I thought, “Well this isn’t going to be so bad”…  It wasn’t until we had walked on that cobblestone for a couple of miles going down a steep grade that I started to know that this was going to be a real hike.  Now the gate that was now a long way above us was set up for a “Community” of high-end country homes.  It just so happened that the stream flowing through their property was the water supplying the waterfall we were going to see.  So as we hiked on that cobblestone we were distracted by the beauty of most of the amazing country homes set before us.   At the end of the cobblestone and about 3 miles of downhill torture, we finally find a dirt and stone trail leading further down to the upper area of the falls.  This part of the trail really got steep as it stayed close to the falls until you reached the bottom.

  Now, a couple of pictures, a deep breath (hoping to be able to catch one…) and start the hike in reverse.  Remember, we’re still at 6500 feet and I’m really beginning to feel like I’m my age…  As we start our return to town, we come upon a couple of good salespeople…  Now Louise and I have never forgotten a time when we were hiking Mount Sinai In Egypt, and on the way up and down we were met by the “sales people” offering us an opportunity to “TAKE A CAMEL” to the top or the bottom…Well we had suffered so much after that hike that we always tell those that are looking at hiking Mt. Sinai to “TAKE THE CAMEL !!!”.  Well sitting before us a salesman and he’s offering us a ride…a ride on a horse.  I can hardly remember when I’ve been on a horse, and as far as Louise…she’s not a horse lover.

  But, a quick assessment of our hike down on cobblestones, and the altitude…we’ll take the horse.  Well first off, Louise has short legs and the stirrups just couldn’t accommodate her needs.  Second, my stirrups wouldn’t allow my foot to slip in all the way because of the WIDTH (that’s a first…).   So off we go.

  Everything was going pretty well while going uphill (and that was 90 percent of the time) but when we had to go down…well we both were forced into the horn of the saddle with a constant jamming motion making it very uncomfortable, and my toes being the only thing I was holding on with were about ready to leave me.  I don’t know how long we endured this torture but I’m still here to write about it and to tell you to “Leave the horse behind..”.  I wasn’t too sure I’d be able to dismount, or if I could, would I be able to continue our hike out to the town center so that we could find a place to have lunch and enjoy a mighty big cerveza.  The short of it is, we did make it to town, we did find a great restaurant, we/I had a huge cerveza, and we even took in a tour of the plaza

 and this unique church of their's. 

 The people that live in and around Mazamitla love this town and those that travel from Guadalajara and beyond keep coming back because it is a great and beautiful place.

12 February 2010

From Patzcuaro to Mazamitla…well if you really want to know where we are you can take this GPS location to Google Earth and check us out:  19.94312N,  102.96779W

Not too much to write about tonight.  We said our “Good-Bye’s” to our Patzcuaro camping buddies and headed for Mx 15.  We drove through a couple of towns we’d visited over the last couple of weeks (Tzintzuntzan and Quiroga) and then headed west by northwest for about 130 miles.  Tonight we’re sitting in the Hacienda Contreras RV Park.  It’s almost totally flat, has great power, water, and sewer hook-ups, and the largest sites we’ve been in so far in Mexico.  Today was a loonnnggg day…  We left Patzcuaro just before 10 and after driving the 130 miles we arrived here just past 5pm…130 miles in 7 hours.  What happened?  Well today’s roads were again narrow and twisty, a lot of climbing and a lot of down-hill, but on one hair-pin curve a large 18 wheeler lost control and “Jack-knifed”, blocking all the roadway.  Fortunately it was a single vehicle accident and no one was hurt except for the truck. 

 As we were starting to approach the accident, we were met by cars and trucks that were flashing their headlights at us warning us that there was something going on up ahead.  We continued until we came upon a Federal car with flashing lights.  At first we thought it might be another vehicle check station but then we saw the line of cars, trucks, and buses and knew that that was too large of a group for a regular vehicle check.  We sat in the line for about 5 minutes and then all of a sudden just about all of the cars and smaller trucks started making a “U-turn” and heading back the way they came.  Well we saw an opportunity to advance in line so we continued down the road.  Sitting there again for a couple of minutes and one of those Federal cars came by announcing for “CHICA automobiles” should follow him…well, we’re not the size of a class “A” motor home, so we must be a “CHICA” too.  After allowing 5 or 6 cars pass us, I jumped in line…  We passed “hundreds” of trucks and busses and a few cars that weren’t “Chica”, but we continued all the way to the very front and then we met a VERY SURPRISED “Federal” police officer…  His look was great but not so happy and smiling as I would have liked, fact is, he waved us over to the side of the road and called in support to talk with us (either he didn’t speak English or he just didn’t want to deal with us…who knows (I say with a smile on my face)?).  All I can say is this…we had front row seats for getting that 18 wheeler out of the ditch and roadway, AND we were FIRST in line to get the hell out of there 3 HOURS later.  Now you know what took us so long to travel the 130 miles. 

10 February 2010

We started the day with a half mile walk to the bus station to catch the bus to Morelia.  This 35 mile bus ride will take us about 1 hour with all the little stops along the way, this isn’t the Express…  it was a comfortable ride with the bus being about 80% full and us having to share the rear full bus length seat with just one other man.  When we pulled into the bus station at Morelia we were blown away.  This is “A Bus Station” !!!  There must have been 100 buses there, and they were all of the quality of the one we rode in on or better.  I’m sure that somewhere they still have the “chicken bus”, but so far we haven’t seen them.  Our bus was an “inter-city” bus, but when you get one of the cross country busses you get LUXURY and I do mean luxury.  In leaving the bus we were directed to the terminal (looked pretty 1^st class to us…) and then a short walk out to the waiting cabs.  Well we had been reading the Lonely Planet book again and we knew, or thought we knew, that we wanted a combi (white with a red stripe) that would whisk us off to our predetermined hotel.  As we walked out to the cab area, we noticed that there weren’t any combi’s to be had…ok, now what???  I asked a security guard as to where we might find one, and he immediately asked us with a smile…”Are you sure you want a combi and not a cab?”.  Well we should have gotten the idea that just maybe we were making a mistake by going with the combi, after all, we’re not the normal “Lonely Planet backpacker” in the big city.  Well we were told the combi’s can be found about a block away so off we went.  Sure as heck, here comes the red striped combi and it even has CENTRAL written across his windshield (the common practice).  When Louise and I jumped into the back of this older VW van we joined 2 other ladies heading towards the downtown area.  The cost for getting us from the bus station to Central was 5 pesos (.40 cents) each so we weren’t going to go broke riding to town.  About 20 feet into our ride and I told Louise that “something sounds like it’s ready to go..”, and sure enough about a mile later and 5 more people added, we’ve broken down.  Now that’s not a big deal as there was another combi right behind us and it was ready to handle our needs without a problem.  The only thing that we didn’t learn from the Lonely Planet book was that the red striped combi’s have a number system displayed on the front windshield too.  The number 1 took you directly to Central, while the others 2-6 traveled all the neighborhoods using a back and forth pattern to collect as many people as possible before finally getting to our destination.  What could have been a 15 minute ride turned out to be 40 minutes and we had a FULL combi too.  Now this reminded us of a college initiation prank, “how many students (paying customers) can you cram into a VW van…we had 17 plus the driver…DID WE WIN ANYTHING???  Finally arriving in the “Historical Center” of Morelia we were able to free ourselves of the combi and quickly search out a coffee shoppe.  Actually it was right on the corner of our departure, so finally somebody was looking out for us.  The coffee here in Mexico has really been good and this stop wasn’t any different.  Just outside of the doors was the “Presidents office” (the Governor of the state of Michoacán) and there was a peaceful demonstration happening.  One long block was completely blocked by demonstrators’, some sitting in the street and others pacing around.  Now first rule for a traveler in Mexico…”stay away from demonstrations”…well we’re inside right, what the heck can happen in there having a cup of coffee??  Fortunately nothing.  Finishing our coffee and checking out our map, we headed out to find our hotel.  Morelia is an easy city to get around in once you’ve gotten yourselves into the center.  We found the hotel, checked-in and immediately went out to see the sights.  Right across the street was the Morelia Museo Arte Colonial.

  In the early 1800’s this was a convent, but now its museum and a location for advanced musical arts.  As we roamed the floors we were constantly hearing someone playing or practicing the piano or some other instrument.  The art work was nice to see but the building was really the attraction…  A little further up the street and we were entering The Temple of San Jose.

  Seeing as how it was just a couple of blocks from our hotel, I waited for this night shot…it’s much more impressive this way.  Noon time has arrived and we were off to lunch.  Two blocks behind the hotel was Morelia’s huge Cathedral

and a close-by restaurant that more than satisfied our hunger.  About a mile further down the main street (Ave Madero) we found the Fountain los Tarascas

 and the beginning of the 4 mile long Aqueduct that was built in the 17^th century.

  Just past the college, we were facing the Patriota Morelos statue.

  This was an impressive man and is still revered in the minds of the Mexican people of Morelia.  Across the plaza was the most beautiful church (my opinion..) that we’ve encountered so far…Santuario de Guadalupe.

  Especially the interior, it was amazing… 

 Well a couple more hours of walking Morelia and we were ready for bed and our departure back to Patzcuaro in the morning.  This time we’re taking the Luxury coach…its 8 pesos (64 cents) more…we’re being big spenders now. 

9 February 2010

This morning there was a group of us from the campground that gathered into a Chevy van and headed into Tzintzuntzan (tseen-tsoon-tsahn) to see and enjoy the Fiesta del Senor del Rescate.  This “Fiesta” started last Monday and would continue to Friday with a huge fireworks display,

 but today was “Judgment day” for the local artisans who brought their finest works of art to be judged.  Most of the day’s celebration took place in front of the two old churches

 in and among the beloved olive grove.  These old, very old, olive trees were brought to Tzintzuntzan by Vasco de Quiroga and are believed to be the oldest olive trees in the Americans. 

 The trunks look broken and black but are still producing new branches with fruit each year.  Tzintzuntzan, or “Place of the Hummingbirds” in Purepecha, was the Tarascan capital when copper blades helped the Tarascans defeat the invading Aztecs in the late 15^th century.  Sitting high on a hill overlooking Largo (Lake) Patzcuaro and the now location of Tzintzuntzan, is the archeological site of Las Yacatas.

  It’s an impressive group of 5 round, reconstructed temples.  This is the remains of the Tarascan Empire.  Over all the countries and miles we’ve traveled this is not the most impressive, but with today’s town below and some of the people of it still being direct descendents make it impressive enough.  Our drive took us 35 minutes at road speed, but all along the route we saw family after family making a pilgrimage by walking the whole distance.  This pilgrimage had been taking place from last Monday and will continue onto Friday, day and night…and we think we’re tough.

  Food stands were setup and operating everywhere.  Most were setup in the park amongst the olive trees

 but there were so many more all along the street entering into town and up and down the streets of Tzintzuntzan. 

 Blessings were being taken into the Templo de Nuestra Senora de la Salud

 from many of the Purepecha people of the area…some food, some wine, and some with large bouquets of flowers.  Outside of the church there were gatherings of young people in different dress.  Some were dressed as evil and others in gowns of white with gold headdresses.  All mixed together in a kind of shuffle dance that went in a large circle for the longest time.  Then there was the large group of young that were dressed in their best suits for the boys and white gowns for the girls.  They were there for their confirmation and blessings.  One display of food products we haven't seen was the honey dipped squash.

Anoher thing we haven't seen before during "picnics" or fiesta's...a cooking fire built right on the ground of the park...

Overall it was a great fiesta and one that we’re glad we didn’t miss.  With all the different good food around us, Louise and I decided to find a “restaurant” and enjoy a lunch away from the masses and give us a chance to sit down for awhile.  We went walking up this one street that was covered from wall to wall with vendors offering food to handmade trinkets, hats, and d even Christmas decorations hoping to find just the right place.  I just happened to look between two food vendors when I saw a hallway leading to a courtyard and a long table where people were sitting and eating.  Taking Louise’s hand, we walked back and asked if they had a place to eat and a place to sit in the shade…  Everyone kind of looked at each other and motioned for us to take a chair across the table, which happened to be in the shade.  I noticed that we had moved two young men out of their seats, but that didn’t seem to disturb them at all so we moved in.  Now no sooner had we been seated than we had a large bowl of Pozole (soup) was set before us…now we hadn’t placed our order yet and we hadn’t seen the menu yet either, but we had this bowl of soup.  Now it was about this time that I noticed that no one else was eating, just us and they seemed to be getting a kick out of it…”OK, what is this???”  “Are you all family???”  We had walked into THEIR HOME and like no one else, had even asked to SIT IN THE SHADE…  Once we found out what we had done, it was a good laugh for everyone but they weren’t going to let us go without having a good lunch and in the shade at that.  These people here in Mexico are wonderful and we’ll never forget it. 

9 February 2010

Quiroga… I must admit, it sometimes becomes more of a mumble from me as I try to pronounce some of the village and town names here in Mexico…Quiroga…  We’ve been trying to see as many of the towns around the lake as we can before we leave, and there’s good reason for it.  Each and every town and village is really unique, but yet so much the same.  Quiroga is a much larger town than Patzcuaro and has one of the largest markets in all the area of Michoacan, with the exception of Morelia.  They are the second largest in producing and marketing shoes in all of Mexico.  Their also known for their “carnitas” (chunks of slow cooked pork).  Louise and I hailed a combi and headed out for a Sunday afternoon in Quiroga.  Seeing as how we had a drive of 25 minutes or more, it cost us a whole 8 pesos each (about 65 cents).  When we arrived in town, we were let out about 4 blocks from the central and more exciting part of town.  As we looked up into town we saw why…it was one heck of a busy day at the market

 and the whole town was a buzz.  This gave us a chance to walk right up the middle of the market with shops (or little stalls) branching off to the right and the left for a block or two each way.  Hidden in the middle we found a pathway leading into the church were a service was being held.

  Finally we hit a “T” in the road and found ourselves facing a beautiful plaza that was filled with people having a great time walking hand-n-hand, necking, eating at anyone of a hundred (only an estimate..)little eating establishments, enjoying several entertainers who were playing their guitars, or playing their guitars and dancing all around the plaza area.

  It wasn’t only a great way to spend a Sunday with family and friends, it was a party under the “Sun”…  I mentioned that Quiroga was known for their carnitas and you couldn’t get into the plaza without passing one stand after another all across the front of the plaza and each and every one of them was trying to hand you a sample of their sumptuous delights.  You could eat enough of the free samples to make a complete dinner if you wanted, but we came to town to find and enjoy a molcajetes.

  Traveling the way we do, we quite often reach for our Lonely Planet Mexico book to give us direction and information, and this was one of the finer things we’ve found using their book.  Taqueria los Compadres is a little hole in the wall eatery that we had a little trouble finding, but once found…one word…”MOLCAJETES”.  Quiroga is a great town to visit, but I would recommend that it be a Sunday, it’s when things really get going.  You can find great values in almost anything you might be or not be looking for, especially if you’re looking for anything in leather …Have fun. 

6 February 2010

I wanted to add a page to our journal that shows some additional pictures that were left out of our past posts.

As I had mentioned before, the villages/towns that surround Lago de (Lake) Patzcuaro have some wonderful crafts that they market throughout Mexico and parts of the US.  Whether it is wood or stone carvings, straw weaving, or handcrafted wood furniture, you’ll have lots of selection to choose from.  A “small” example are these wooden masks…

This is one of the many local homes here in Patzcuaro.  It’s when you get on the other side of the door that you really see the “home”. ..

This is one of two floors of what is now one of the local museums.  That that is separating the flat stone flooring is cattle ankles.  They have even used them at the entry of their homes for cleaning the bottom of their shoes…

This crucifix is made out of corncob paste.  They take the corncobs and adding water, they grind them down to produce a thick paste.  Then the artist forms his subject and paints it.  This was done back in the late 1700’s to make a crucifix that can be carried in processions.  It weighs just less than 25 pounds and stands a total of 8 feet…

A lot of shops are located in buildings that date back to the 16^th century and are hidden from the street by a single door that seems so old and dilapidated that it would be impossible to open, but once opened you find a hallway that leads you to a series of different shops located around some wonderful gardens including trees like this orange tree loaded to the hilt…

As we walk the plazas or the porticos of Patzcuaro, we have never had a problem in finding a pastry cart or more…

Then we have found that this campground is a teaching campground.  They have a class on “stilt” walking.

  Those that are taking lessons are either doing it for “kicks” or for the opportunity to walk as a “Clown” in some of the local festivities. 

This morning we jumped onto a combi for the bus station.  We’d heard so much about Santa Clara de los Clara that we decided to see it for ourselves and take the bus higher into the mountain to check it out.

  Santa Clara was about a 20 minute drive but with all the small stops we had for picking up more passengers, it took us at least 40 minutes.  As we were climbing further up the side of the mountain, we could look back on Lago de Patzcuaro and the Isle Janitzio.  We were totally grateful that we had a clear day to head out after being held in because of the drenching rains.  Here I am feeling sorry for myself and from what we’re hearing, the people here in this part of Mexico have been hit very hard with flooding and slides.  We even heard that there was a tornado that passed about 60 miles east of us that killed 4.  Getting back to Santa Clara de los Cobras.  In 1553 it became the most important copper smelting area in “New Spain”.  It was in the 19^th century that production of copper peaked and it was in the 19^th century that the town was destroyed by a huge fire.  In 1910 it burned again and just about everyone left the area for good, that is except the Purepecha’s.  The copper mines were quick to be tapped out so the only way for the craft to continue was to purchase recycled copper.  Cable and wire were and still are purchased in heavy volume from Mexico, the US, and other countries abroad.  Over 10,000 TONS of copper come out of the smelter to Santa Clara each WEEK.  It was very interesting to watch the artists handle the blocks of solid copper and transform that blob into a piece of beauty and function.

  Santa Clara, being another of the “Colonial” cities whose casa’s (houses) are mostly painted white with a red band across the front of it, and sport a red tiled roof.  A lot of the time the front of the home becomes a store front.

 The thickness of the adobe walls is amazing (that is all except the “newer” homes) at 2 to 3’ thick.  I’m sure you’ve already noticed, but we really enjoy the wonderful churches of Mexico 

and the two that we visited today were again special.  Notice the wood ceilings and the copper chandeliers.

  Many of the homes here are decorated with bells, flowerpots, doorknockers, hand railings, all mad of copper.  The kiosk in the middle of town (the plaza)

 has a copper roof, but the benches, garbage cans, and light poles only look like copper as they have been painted.  Throughout Santa Clara you will find shops filled with amazing pieces of “art”, already for someone to walk into the establishment with cash in hand and be able to take home that perfect copper bath tub, kitchen and bath sinks, and etc, etc. 

 Now let’s talk lunch… Louise and I were enjoying this one copper shop and the young man managing it when I asked if he would recommend a restaurant with good local foods.  He told me about the Hotel Rio that was about 3 blocks down the street.  Well his recommendation was great and the food was worth twice what we paid.  The daily recommended lunch was a 4 course affair starting with soup.  I chose the fish soup and Louise the tomato tortilla, which both were amazing.  If you notice, the whole fish is cut in half and sits in my bowl very nicely.

Totally we ate as much we could hold without becoming stuffed, which meant we passed on dessert…next time. 

2 February 2010

All across Mexico the rain, hail, thunder and lightning has made its mark and here at Pátzcuaro it’s proved no different.  Now coming from Seattle I should be used to rain, but when it comes down so hard and for so long, and since we’re travelers and wanting to see as much of this wonderful area as we can, we’d like to see it STOP!!! 

Even while we were traveling through Europe we had days where the weather just wanted to “dictate” our agenda.  At times we succumbed and stayed bundled up in the VW van, AND we’ve found that we have chosen to do the same here in our Minnie Winnie.  Well you can only do that for sooo long and you’ve got to bust out.  That’s what we did yesterday.  The tug of getting out of our 160 sq.ft enclosure and with the rain becoming more of a sprinkle, we layered our clothes, dug out the umbrella, and headed into Pátzcuaro.  We knew we didn’t want to walk the 20-30 minutes into town so we opted to hail a “combi”.  For $5 pesos each we were driven almost door to door and it only took 10 minutes.  Just to remind you what a combi is, it’s a Toyota or similar VW van that has been made into a short delivery bus system that carries up to 12 sitting and as many as 15 with those standing.  For our trip we joined 5 others so it was very comfortable.  During the drive there were two ladies that were holding a conversation about their family and Louise was having (and feeling guilty) a good time trying her Spanish listening ability.  Well by the time we got out of our coach and arrived at the “chica” plaza it was either another coffee break or minutes early for lunch…lunch won out.  The only reason that I am writing about this is for what I had chosen from the menu.  Sorry I can’t remember what it was called, but…scrambled eggs, peppers, whole but very tiny fish (the length about 1 ¼”) all scrambled together in a Verde sauce. 

 We saw these fish at every restaurant on our trip to Isle Janitzio, and it seems that they are only second to Pescado Blanco in this area.  I found this dish to be really good, a little spicy, but I’d so it again without a second thought.  Louise stuck with Huevos Rancheros.  With our 12V electrical system giving us a “challenge” we decided to find a small table lamp.  On our first couple of outings we struck out, but today we hit pay-dirt…a small white lamp and a 22w fluorescent to give us exactly what we wanted.  For the last week we’ve heard about a festival at one of the little villages around Lake Patzcuaro.  Tocuaro, which is near Erongaricuaro on the western shore of the lake, is known for its mask carvers.  These artisans do their work and sales out of their homes.  Another artisan product that is produced at Tocuaro is embroidered textiles.  Now, the festival that we’d heard about was the special celebration on February 2^nd, “Candlemas Day”.  It’s celebrated throughout Mexico with parades, dances, and a festival.  It’s important in the Mexican calendar with the birth of Jesus and the midpoint of winter and spring.  Besides candle-light processions to the church for service, they follow that with big parties with family, friends, and loved ones.  During the gathering and before entering the church, the courtyard in front is invaded with men wearing carved wooden masks

(locally carved) of skulls, devils, very imaginative birds, serpents, lizards, and things like frogs.  They are all carved out of Copilillo (a wood only found in Michoacan) and Avocado wood.  They encircle a group of young boys and girls that are holding these huge poles decorated with white linen and flowers and try as best as they can to disturb them and the crowd that’s encircling all.

  Unfortunately the heavy rain appeared again, but to those that came to celebrate it didn’t hurt a thing.   

I’ll step back to earlier in the day… After brunch, purchasing our lamp, and scouting out more of Patzcuaro, we headed back to the coach.  Louise and I had decided to try and find that “possible” festival a Tocuaro.  The couple next door was asked to join us so the 4 of us went out to find a combi that would take us.  For $8 pesos each we were underway.  We were let out beside the roadway and told that the cobblestone/dirt road across the street would take us to the village of Tocuaro.  We had met this young lady on the combi and seeing as how she was going our way, we followed along.  When we approached her home she told us that “if you need anything, this is where I live, just come and get me, but the village and the church is just up the road”…that’s the hospitality we’ve found all over Mexico.  Like she said, the church was just up the road,

 and they were in the process of getting ready for the festival.

  Soooo, now what?  No sooner had that thought come up when we heard a band playing.  Where there’s music, there’s a gathering and we should be a part of it.  Well we no sooner found the music and the crowd, but we found ourselves being invited into “The Mayor’s” personal property for one heck of a festival.  They had a large brass ensemble playing great Mexican music,

tables filled with people from the village drinking beer and tequila, and being fed a wonderful meal of beef, rice, and beans.  With no way of saying “I can’t, or I’m sorry for interrupting”, we were escorted to a place under a lean-to, encouraged to sit while a huge portion of food was set before us,

 and a case of beer was on its way…”WHAT A FESTIVAL !!!” If we weren’t family or part of the village, we were welcomed friends.  In this area, the people are not only artisans, mayors, or whatever, they are people with farm animals, and that is where the lean-to comes in…it was a cover for the stock.  Yes it smelled a little, looked a little rough, but it was cover from the rain and it was a “FESTIVAL”.  Now I’m not sure if you can tell from this photo of the little girl, but this it the “two-hole’r”.

  We only saw women using it and can only guess were the men went or is it that men can just hold it longer…  Well on another subject, who is that lady with the pink hat dancing with that Mexican gentleman?

  Oh ya, on another subject which I’m happy to be around for, was a 70^th birthday toast with churro’s… 

31 January 2010

This morning Louise and I walked the mile and a half to the “muelle” (dock) and caught one of the morning blue and white 40’ long water-taxi’s for a 30 minute ride to the Isla Janitzio (you can see the island at Google Earth coordinates of :  19.57361°N 101.65194°W ).

The town of Janitzio, which means “where it rains” (hell, does this mean that Seattle has to change its name ????) can only be reached by boats.  The water taxis run from a number of locations around the lake, but the primary departure location is from the embarcadero (pier) here in Patzcuaro.

  The Isla of Janitzio is famous for the “Butterfly” fishermen who are skilled at lowering their butterfly-shaped nets to catch the local “pescado blanco”. 

Fact is that’s exactly what Louise and I had for lunch and it was very tasty…  I read that the butterfly fishermen are also located on the back side of the 50 peso note…how interesting.  Besides the butterfly fishermen being a draw to the island, there is a 40 meter (132 feet) statue of Jose maria Morelos. 

 He was and still is a great hero of Mexico’s independence.  This statue was started in 1933 and has been a major draw for the Mexican tourist ever-since.  It sits at the very top of the island and can be seen from just about any point around this huge lake.  You can climb to the top of the statue by way of a staircase that spirals up the inside.

  Most of the interior walls show the life of Morelos in murals painted by Ramon Alba de la Canal and others.  The murals are great works of art but are also is a good Mexican history lesson.  Once you finally reach the top of the statue (which the last few yards are climbing through a narrow staircase up the raised arm to his wrist) you can peer through “peepholes” (areas with just enough room to get your head through) to view the spectacular view of the island, lake and the surrounding villages and towns around the lake. 

 Some of the people of Janitzio and the towns surrounding  The island is a primary location for the variety of handmade textiles and artwork being sold around this area.  There is one time that I think would really be interesting to be around the island.  That is when they celebrate the “El Dia de los Muertos” (Day of the Dead).  Part of this festivity are the candlelit boat processions that make their way to the island and then to Janitzio’s church and graveyard (jeeezzz, I missed getting the picture of this cemetery, it was really very pretty).  After remaining there for the night and enjoying the large festive vigil, we can only imagine the “imbibing that was and is involved…what a party!!! 

We had heard that once you depart the boat, you start your hike…STRAIGHT UP HILL!!!!  That is no bull, and if you remember, we’re at 7200 feet already…PUFF PUFF.  Well I think we did really well.  Did we have to stop and catch our breath??? Oh ya, but not all that many times.  Almost every step you took would land you in front of another little shop

that was always there ready for your break.  It’s amazing how many little shops that are selling just so many of the same products can survive through the day.  I’m afraid we didn’t help the economy of the island much…$40 pesos each for the found trip taxi ride, $6 each for entry to the statue, and lunch of $100 pesos ($8 US)…That was our full day today, and it was really enjoyable.