Blogs from Michoacán, Mexico, North America

Monday, we took a cab to Morelia the capital of the state of Michoacán. This is a beautiful modern city with clean wide streets and impressive buildings but again we did not find much of interest. We all enjoyed a trolley tour of the city and took some pretty pictures but the one we failed to take was that of the city’s most ancient relic inside the cathedral - a five hundred year old statue - Senor de la Sacristia, an image of Jesus Christ sculpted by indigenes out of corn stalks and orchid nectar, capped by a gold crown donated by Phillip II of Spain. It has since been explained to us that Mexicans (and maybe others) bind corn stalks together with the nectar which serves as a glue then they are able to carve ... read more

Ten years ago Mexico’s Secretary of Tourism embarked on a program to designate certain towns around the country as “Pueblos Magicos”. So far, fifty towns have been awarded the title due either to their natural beauty, cultural riches or historical relevance. Patzcuaro was the seventh town chosen and is the first of these towns we’ve visited this trip. Patzcuaro is a pretty town with white stucco buildings and red tile roofs. The city is a popular tourist destination but we did not find much of interest here. There was some carnival activity as lent began while we were there but it was pretty amateurish – just kids having fun. The city lacks the usual large permanent central market and has few sidewalk restaurants and independent food stands. Tuesday morning the four of us caught a boat ... read more

We took a bus from Uruapan to Morelia for a day of sight seeing. The buses are very nice and it was a great way for Ed and Ray to do some sight seeing without having to drive. Morelia, named after local hero Jose´ Maria Morelos was one of the first cities founded in Nuevo Espana in 1541. There are many historic buildings and over 20 churches in the historic center of the city. The city center has a unique vibe and is a wonderful place to spend a day.We spent the day walking and exploring before taking a trolley tour. There was a little excitement when Ed was checking out a motorcycle that belonged to a local motorcycle cop. A little boy had gotten his balloon string wrapped around a sign pole in front of ... read more

Uruapan is home to the National Park Barranca Del Capatitzio. It is an urban park that is actually in the city. It features lots of waterfalls, foilage and stairs. The river flows over boulders and cascades over ledges. There are numerous waterfalls and cascades. It is incredibly tranquill and a great way to spend the day. We had read about the Mole Orapondiro Restaurant and were treated to exceptional Mole. The campground left alot to be desired, it was just a hotel parking lot. We had to walk through the lobby to the back of the hotel and around the pool to get to the showers and bathroom. But, the location allowed us to visit the town and to take the bus to Angahuan and Morelia.... read more

Super Bowl Sunday, we moved about 140 miles southeast of Puerto Vallarta to San Patricio – Melaque where we checked into Laguna del Tule Trailer Park. We lucked out. There was just one open space on the beach side. The pounding surf rocks our camper. Some of the waves sound like shotgun blasts. There are quite a few Americans here: Rigs with license plates from Maine, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Colorado (2) and Montana. (Actually the couple with Montana plates said they had escaped from Colorado when Fort Collins became too crowded.) Ray & I and our travel buddies Ed & Michelle represent the “left coast” but we Americans are still well outnumbered by Canadians. Hail, hail the gangs all here: Our amigos Paul and Terry had already settled in for the winter. In fact, Terry had ... read more