Blogs from Michoacán, Mexico, North America

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North America » Mexico » Michoacán » Morelia December 31st 2018

I am not sure what happened with the last blog . I published it but haven,t received a copy yet . Hope it finds you ...and me As I said the bus ride here was long but not a problem. Leather seats , leg rests , seat belts , separate men and ladies washrooms ...luxury. The country side was interesting . Agriculture for the most part with fields of dry corn stalks , some in stooks , new crops (grains I believe) and fields of Agave for the tequila industry. We drove up mountains covered in brush and some just scrub. Not REAL mountains. Not arriving here until dark was a disappointment but seeing the Centro Historico all lit up was almost like a fantasy . As I said before there were many people of all ... read more

North America » Mexico » Michoacán » Morelia December 29th 2018

Arrived here last night after a long day on the bus. We left LaPineta at 7:20 for Guadalajara 4.5 hours. A one hour turn around then as we were backing out the door hit the barrier and something fell off . That ended up being a one hour delay before heading off for the 4 hour trek to here..It wasn't a difficult trip .The bus is very comfortable , leather reclining seats with seat belts and a snack given at the start of each ride . I also benefited from being a senior . My fare was discounted 50% so cost about 45$C. Can,t beat that . My hotel Casa del Anticuario is a converted mansion in the historic district. Built of stone ,plaster and wood it is impressive. Myra and Filippe at the desk and ... read more


Monarch butterflies en masse In 2009 I went to Mexico and visited the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. When my mother saw my photos from there she felt that she really wanted to see this phenomenon for herself one day. It took nine years but now finally we went there. Before anyone check out the blog entry I wrote in 2009 and accuse me of plagiarism I admit right away that I have here reused some of the text I wrote then. I am writing about the same place so it's not like there is much I can say that I didn't say then. Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve is a sanctuary in the highlands of Mexico protecting the winter habitat of the monarch butterfly. In the summer the mo... read more
Monarch butterfly
A monarch butterfly
They stay in Mexico for five to six months every year

North America » Mexico » Michoacán » Morelia February 25th 2018

I am going to say more about PV in the next blog, but now want to tell you about our side trip inland to an area north west of Mexico City. It is not logical to go all that way and then return to PV before flying back to Mexico City when it is time to go home but the reason we did it is because we wanted to see the Monarch butterflies and they fly north before we go to M.C. We might have missed them if we had tried to see them at the end of March as they usually leave about the time of the spring equinox in March but the exact date depends upon weather conditions. When the 'right' wind blowing from the south comes along, they go with it. So that ... read more
Perhaps decoration in churches was influential in development of murals.
Some very modern, reminded me of Starwars
Large skeleton emerging from pool in Guadalajara.

North America » Mexico » Michoacán » Morelia February 9th 2018

Hello folks, and thanks for checking in with us again. It's been a few weeks since our last update. Since then we've traveled from Mazatlan to Acapulco, from beaches to mountains, through a couple of really pretty cities and towns, and back to the beach. In Mazatlan, we met Jen and Gavin, a British couple who were more than a year and a half into a 2-year trip up and down (or down and up) the western hemisphere. We hit it off with them really well, although being the only American in our foursome, I often found myself trying to decipher what seemed to be a foreign language at times. Between references to car parks and crisps, lifts and lorries, I had better luck with the Mexican Spanish. They were, and have been, a lot of ... read more
Tortuga being fixed in Chapala
Pastry paradise!
Lake Chapala, Jalisco state

North America » Mexico » Michoacán » Pátzcuaro February 14th 2017

Due to recent current world (well, for that read USA) events of Jan 20th we suddenly we had an overwhelming desire to fly our flag whilst in Mexico There was only small issue with that, we didn’t have one and didn’t know where to get one. No problem, as a child of the Blue Peter era I know there is nothing you can’t make if you have a piece of cardboard and some sticky back plastic, oh, and a modern day invention of a printer (and yes, I did ask a responsible adult if I could use the scissors) Later that day, whilst we were sitting in the camp site coffee shop we watched several European campers pull in. All were adorned with their national flag and, in large writing the name of their country written ... read more
Waiting for the Ferry.
Truck reversing onto Ferry
A different View of ramp ......


It was 31 degrees F at 7:30 this morning in Angangueo! No heat in the hotel, but we had gotten extra blankets so stayed warm. We walked up the hill in town and found two old ornate churches and a plaza with a fountain. Right across from the plaza was a charming restaurant called Los Arcos. The food was very good, huge portions, and usual reasonable Mexican prices. We explored the town a bit more until it was time to meet our ride to the butterflies at the hotel. This turned out to be very convenient. He gave us a ride to the butterfly refuge (Sierra Chinchua), waited for us in the parking lot, and took us back to the bus so we could go back to Zitacuaro. The road up out of Angangueo was very ... read more
Horses at Butterfly Refuge (Sierra Chinchua)
Trail to Butterflies with Guide
Monarch Butterfly


After breakfast we took the taxi to the bus depot for our trip from Morelia to Zitacuaro. Morelia is a big, sprawling city and the outskirts are not as attractive as the historical district around the cathedral and hotel. The city is 6300 feet above sea level. Taxi, $2.50, bus $7 per person. About 32 degrees F, so very chilly. Got to depot early, found a warm spot for a cup of coffee. The bus was comfortable, made a few passenger stops in Morelia, and stops at the depots in a few larger cities. Zitacuaro is straight east and a bit south of Morelia. Hit some road construction so the ride turned out to be about four hours. We were the only non-locals on the bus. At one stop in Morelia, a man got on with ... read more
Lots of Dogs in Town
Colorful Flowers Along the Street
Church in Angangueo

North America » Mexico » Michoacán » Morelia January 22nd 2017

A good breakfast in the dining room was included with our room. Not bad for about $20 a night! The hotel contained a lot of marble and wrought iron rail and wall dividers. This morning we went out to explore the city. It is difficult to know how to dress in Morelia. It is 37 degrees at 5am, 57 degrees at 9am, and 77 by 3pm. We began by walking some of the side streets near the hotel. You see many balconies with wrought iron railings and plants. We heard many pet birds (probably parakeets or parrots) behind the windows. The city is very clean and well kept. We tried to find the Michoacan state museum (Museo del Estado), which contains details of Michoacan' s past. But unfortunately it was all boarded up and under reconstruction. ... read more
Morelia Rose Garden
Avenida Madera, Closed for Biking
The Aquaduct

North America » Mexico » Michoacán » Morelia January 21st 2017

Since the butterflies are up in the mountains and in cooler temps, we left a suitcase of warm weather clothes like shorts and swimsuits at the hotel. We will be back at Hotel Kioto in four days after our Morelia trip. We left our stuff with Enrique, the guy at the desk. We have him new Minnesota Twins hat. We got a big smile, so I think he was happy. Our bus to Morelia left at noon. We took a cab to the depot ($1.50), much simpler than walking that distance with luggage. The depot is open and quite warm, pigeons flying in and out. But we later found out we had first class tickets, so we could use the A/C waiting room. The bus we had was from the Parhikuni bus company. The bus we ... read more
One of Charcters by the Cathedral
Moving Lights on the Cathedral
Fireworks by the Cathedral




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