Our trip to Patzcuoro- Jan 19-22/2013

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I just enjoyed my first travel day after a good night sleep.  The little town of Patzcuoro has a brightness, lightness and feels animated and fresh.  Local folks are active, and busy with their tasks, yet never too busy to offer a smile or a few words.

Sylvene and I walked in the market which was so huge we had to find an escape route to get to the route with all the colonial buildings. (what a lovely 2 hour wander)

Ivan read in the cool but sunny Zocalo. We found our favourite restaurant near our Hotel " Refugio del Angel" (a refuge for angels like us:).  They served the best coffee, terrific “desayunu” and a great salad with spinach, goat cheese, orange slices and bacon. Many of the choices were served decoratively with care and we had most of our meals in this warm little place by the Gran Hotel.

There are few tourists this time of year as it is very cold and few hotels have heating. We only saw about 8 gringos. During Santa Semana and the warmer seasons many people do visit Patzcuora.  Both Mexicans and Gringos. This is a tough time of year for sales, and hotels are cheap but freezing!  But we saw the town in a very natural state with Mexicans and Indigenous folk mixed together. Michoacan is so friendly and pretty, I let go of my brainwashed negative views of that state as at times it is on the advisory as a place NOT TO VISIT. (due to cartel wars etc.)  But the people are gentle, caring, helpful and we never felt worried or spooked. Everyone in the market was honest, and in fact the deals were too cheap. Luckily most things were too big to consider buying. I chose to photograph  things rather than purchaseJ But we all brought home a few treasures. The clay cookware is practical and aesthetic. Sylvene found a lovely large pottery baking dish for paella which she managed to fit into her carry on today, her departure day.
 

We enjoyed the nearby night markets, the crafts were different than anything we had seen in other parts of Mexico, and the ambiance and warmth of the people was delightful. Although the weather was cloudy, with a view of the lake through the fog, it was great weather for walking.

We visited Santa Clara del Cobre, the metal workers town. This town specializes in metal and copper work. The extensive variety of innovative creations from huge urns to colourful enamel plates was overwhelming. The town is small with many interesting shops displaying colourful vases decorated using copper enamel, or plates hammered with fantastic textures, some of the jewelry was made with a mix of metals (copper, silver, bronze). 

When our eyes were fatigued from admiring all these very different but beautiful masterpieces, we stopped at an unpretentious hot soup kiosque. We were served chicken soup by gracious staff, and enjoyed sitting on a rough bench with the locals and warming up while sipping this steaming broth accompanied by piles of tortillas.

Four days isn’t long enough to see everything, but it was great to experience another
town with so much character.

The winding road through “El Bosque” the local forest at 7000 ft was pretty for the first two hours when leaving Patzcuoro but a good part of the journey was on roads with lots of  industrial areas producing building materials.

We are glad to be back in Roca Azul, enjoying our cozy Casa. I have resumed Spanish lessons and Ivan is doing some writing. Although this year’s weather is more variable, today was gorgeous. And any day here is spectacular compared to our long BC rainy wintersJ

Patzcuoro, Information

Patzcuaro rests 3 miles south of the shore of the tranquil Lake Patzcuaro, and 36 miles south-west of Morelia, just at the midpoint between Morelia and Uruapan. Patzcuaro is an undeniably beautiful town full of elegant colonial architecture, vibrant markets and strong indigenous traditions. The first Bishop of Michoacan, Vasco de Quiroga, not only evangelized and defended the indigenous peoples of Patzcuaro; he built schools and hospitals there. Vasco de Quiroga carried out extensive and surprising social work in the town, pitting him against the authorities and even the clergy, whom, with the support of King Charles V of Spain, Quiroga stubbornly resisted.
Three basic elements of Quiroga's utopia can still be seen today: the mountainous landscape of pines, firs and junipers surrounding the lake, as well as the birds and fish that inhabit it; the small wood, tile and adobe villages containing some of the oldest churches and monasteries in the country, and boasting the characteristic handicrafts of each community; and finally the lacquer-work and silver, pottery, wood carving, copper, guitars and textiles that have been produced here for centuries.
The city of Patzcuaro boasts two central plazas and several quaint, smaller squares. The Plaza Principal (Main Square) is bordered by 17th-century mansions overlooking a central fountain and a statue of Quiroga. The city’s second main plaza, the Plaza Gertrudis Bocanegra, is where the city’s colorful Mercado de Artesanias (Handcraft Market) is found, along with the Gertrudis Bocanegra Library and the Emperor Caltzontzin Theater, each displaying on its walls vibrant murals depicting the state’s elaborate history.
Other colonial-era gems include the Casa de los 11 Patios (House of the 11 Patios), Templo y Ex-convento Jesuita (Jesuit Temple and Ex-Convent), and the lovely Basilica Virgen de la Salud (Virgin of Health Basilica). Be sure to take advantage of your stay in Patzcuaro to stroll along its steep, winding streets and restful plazas, sample its traditional food, listen to its legends and absorb the delightful music of the pirecuas or the native tongue of the Tarascans. Remember, the most important fiesta is held on November 1 and 2, the famous Days of the Dead, when fishermen row across the lake to the Island of Janitzio in canoes aglow with candles.

Pictures from Patzcuoro Jan.19-22/2013

Patzcuoro Trip - Jan. 19- 22

Jan. 18, 2013

We are headed to Patzcuoro tomorrow Jan. 19 and will spend 4 days total visiting and driving. We wanted to see this pueblo in Michoacán for a long time, so decided we would set out tomorrow while Sylvene is with us. We will drive on the south side of Lake Chapala and see the beautiful countryside, then stay our first night at Posada Refugio del Angel.  We didn’t book three nights yet, but if it’s nice we will enjoy

staying in the centro historico at this hotel.

Since this plan surfaced with little time to prepare we are madly filling our coolers, packing blankets (it’s 7200 ft.) and finding all our warm clothes.  Though at noon it is very warm, it cools off to 10 degrees overnight.

So hope to post some interesting pictures when we return as there are many rural pueblos  nearby with indigenous weavers, potters, metal workers, and crafts people of all kinds.  The colonial architecture in town sounds lovely and several glistening lakes surround Patzcuoro.

This will be our first excursion this season:)

Joco, San Juan Cosala, Thoughts on Mexico, Sylvene's First Day

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Jan 15/ 2013

Sylvene arrived last night after a pleasant day of travel. She was welcomed by a clear sky filled with stars and a warm evening in our casa.

The next morning she found it difficult to adjust to the altitude (5240 feet) and it didn’t seem like we would be too active.  The combination of jet lag and a higher altitude for some people causes dizziness.

Happily by noon we wandered over to the healing thermal pool to practice the fine art of floating. Kris and I have been thinking that if everyone floated on colourful  ridiculous air mattresses we would live in a more peaceful world! (it has been an important way we punctuate our days at Roca Azul and we now have 5 years of practice)  Sylvene enjoyed the nurturing sunshine and perfectly blue sky, the healing powers of the thermal pool worked their magic on us all. Ivan did his usual now 50-60 minutes of lap swimming.

Our joint energy built up and we headed to Jocotepec to observe the celebrations for Senor de la Montana. Colourful kiosques, carnival rides, and preparation for the events to come were taking place. Ivan sat in the square while we wandered down the narrow transformed streets stopping to buy dried cranberries and raspberry turnovers.

We were headed to Vive Mexico for supper in San Juan Cosala and were delighted to meet or friends who are in the process of creating an unusual house, an architectural creation. Agostine, who runs Vive Mexico, and has coordinated the building greeted us with his usual warmth. Shortly after our friend, the architect and his wife arrived. They  encouraged us to visit their now nearly finished home. We look forward to see what has transpired since last year.

Life in Chapala is a series of stories half finished, with new characters that pop up when you least expect it. Mexico seems to harbor large numbers of people with interesting and often questionable histories as well as wonderful folks who are able to realize their dreams.

Each street corner and town square speaks volumes. A day wandering brings story upon story. Courage, hardship, and the ability people have to adapt, connect and accept always inspires me.
  

Sylvene arrived Jan 14//2013 and we have been exploring