Stayed home all day today (Saturday) waiting for the Dish TV guy to come and he never showed up! Hmmm just like in the United States ha ha!
Our time in Morelia was great! Such a beautiful city. The population is almost 700,000 and it's in the mountains at about 6000 feet. Other info:
The heart of the historic center is the Cathedral and its surrounding plazas: the Plaza de Armas, also known as the Plaza de los Mártires, the Juárez Plaza and the Melchor Ocampo Plaza. The largest plaza is the Plaza de Armas, which has been remodeled several times since it was designed in the 16th century. The first church on the Cathedral site was built in 1577, which was a modest structure of adobe and wood. Many years later, this structure would be almost completely destroyed by a fire.[2] Originally, the Cathedral of Michoacán was in Pátzcuaro in a church that now is the Basilica of Nuestra Señora de la Salud. When cathedral status was moved from there to Valladolid in 1580, the city became the civil, religious and cultural capital of the territory
The surrounding areas of the city are forests and very beautiful. It's funny- in the cities, Mexico is sooo crowded, but out in the country there is just so much open land. At first I thought it was just the deserts- of course, who wants to live in the hot desert and what about water, etc? But in the state of Guerrero, which is pretty tropical, at least on the west side (don't know about the eastern borders of the state), but when we would drive to a bigger city to the south to shop (which was an hour's drive instead of 2 hours to the north to Acapulco), we also drove thru mountains and there again was so much open land. Anyway although we were in a hotel in the central historic district, we drove all over the place with Pablo (Everardo's brother), and it is a crowded city. Always lots of traffic. Really nice areas, beat up areas, poor areas...yeah lots of poor areas. It's like Mexico has rich people and poor people and not too much inbetween. I mean the people who have jobs and houses, by US standards thinkstill have to be labeled poor. People do have houses- but what kind of shape are they in? Many times a person or a family starts with one cement square room. Then when they can, they add another room...maybe a second story. The kitchen or bathroom may start out outside and later become an inside room. They may or may not have electricity. Then there's the "infovit" houses; the tiny houses the government builds and helps people to buy. I'm not sure what the criteria is, but you can make the first "down payment", and then the payments come out of your paycheck. When these houses get built in huge complexes they are harder to add on to, but usually start out better equipped. We actually looked in a few when we first came north to Sonora and were looking for places to rent...but they are so small, double beds take up entire bedrooms....all the rooms are small. Now, for someone with no home and no prospects....small is SO much better than nothing. We also looked at some over here in Baja; they were like one step up, a little bigger, more rooms, but still tiny- might have worked for us if they had had yards or were close to an open space for Sam. As it turned out we were lucky, so lucky to find this tiny mobile home right on the beach. Our bed is queen size- a king would not fit....well anyone reading this knows what a small trailer is like. But our dogs run free, and the ocean is out my kitchen door window. Wow- I really get off track don't I? ha ha
I took so many pictures in Morelia- lots of us, sitting in a sidewalk cafe, looking at the Day of the Dead alters, in our hotel rooms, standing in little plazas...eating all kinds of yummy stuff! But I also took tons of pictures of just people. People are so interesting...people walking down the sidewalk, shopping, picking up their kids at school, sitting near us in outside eateries.....And so many types, very modern...that would be young people mostly, then very traditionally dressed, and everything in between, like any huge metropolitan city. Pablo used to be a traffic cop in the city and is now retired. He doesn't need the money but works in the parking lot of one of the big stores, directing cars, helping people with their groceries. I think it's a tips job- meaning your pay is what customers give you. Almost all of the stores do not pay their baggers; it's all tips. In Costco I think they might pay them, but not the guys who work in the parking lot, and actually Costco is the only store I've seen where you don't tip the baggers. Anyway Pablo was able to take as much time as he wanted to spend with us, and he took us to a couple of "hole in the wall" places to eat- which are always the best, and we got to meet his son and other daughter- ok well I got to meet them- Everardo already knew them.
So one day we met up with Pablo and his 2 daughters and went to Patzcuro for a fair they were having for Day of the Dead. It was like a country fair, tons of food and things for sale- not rides or anything. There was a speech by the town's mayor I think, but mostly booths and vendors. I got my face painted like a skeleton and kept it all day; scared some little kids ha ha, but back in Morelia there were other people walking in the streets with their faces painted and some in full costume. It was a nice day. And a couple of days later when the truck broke down outside Patzcuro is made it a little more comfortable than finding ourselves stuck in a strange place.
We left Morelia on Monday morning early, but went to a auto parts store and then a mechanic at the edge of town in the direction we were going to have this part put on. Poppi was sure this was the reason the truck was starting not to run very well.....hmmm turned out we were there for hours! Until mid afternoon, and then we were finally on the road...drove for about 20 minutes down the highway towards Patzcuro....and we broke down....yeah that wasn't what was wrong after all....I had finished a book, started a journal so I could write in this blog...snacked and napped. There was a huge pitbull straining at a barred window near the truck and Everardo warned me not to go near him. I could see this dog was all wiggly when I talked to her...but I stayed away. Sometimes a dog is fine until you go into their space, their car, yard, etc. Sam was like that in Petaluma with strangers- if he came out the gate onto the sidewalk he was fine....but if YOU came in thru the gate he charged at you growling. Now he never bit anybody...but ha ha we had to move our mailbox off the porch and onto the house wall along the driveway because he hated the mailman, and then by extension it seemed...anbody in a uniform...like the UPS guy, the Fed X guy....cops...Well at the end of the day, when Everardo was test driving the truck (which as it turns out was not long enough for it to really warm up and then crap out), the guy let the dog out and she was sweet as a bug. All wiggly and happy to get some lovin'.
So that's how we ended up in Patzcuro...and we pulled off the side of the highway and tried to limp to a mechanic shop....waited at a train track for the train to pass, and it dies. But the very first person to drive by is a family in a truck and they stop and then offer to tow us to a shop!! Ha ha the rope was kinda short and I just kept singing that "happy happy happy" song (the one that's a utube video on facebook by that rapper Pharrel- who I knew of from that show the Voice ha ha...I had played the video and like it so much I added it to my beach exercise music because I really jumped around to it...so it helped when I was nervous being towed by this short rope on this dirt road in a strange town...) Well that mechanic wasn't there- ..."he'll be back in 40 minutes.." Yeah right- translation maybe back today, or tomorrow....or next week, or...what mechanic? ha ha. Well the truck, after cooling down, started again, and Pablo showed up as well. He had tortas (sandwiches) for us..and after we got to a small gas station/little store square, Pablo and Everardo went to find a mechanic and I stayed with the truck and all our stuff...I only tell this part of the story because Pablo neglected to tell me about the jalapenos on the tortas....aarrgghh that's hot....however I found out why Mexicans eat lots of tortillas (I think)...the bread cooled down my mouth- the water didn't help but the bread did, so I learned an important lesson. ha ha Ok we found a mechanic who had a yard to keep the truck secure overnite and found a motel close by. Thanked Pablo for ALL his help- he is the best brother-in-law ever!...and sent him home. The next day they thought they had it figured out....but no so we had to stay another nite. But....
The cool thing was, we took a cab down to the waterfront- there's a huge lake in Patzcuro, and it has an island in the middle of it called Janitco (spelling). People live on this small island and it's basically a hill with houses on it and a gigantic statute on the top. There are stairs all over the place, and houses on different levels, and lots and lots of tiny shops to explore. We ate at a little restaurant, Poppi had a big fish....but I had chicken,,,why didn't I have local fish? Don't remember now....and we hiked up to the top..actually part way on a winding path along the outside of the town so we were looking at the water, and then to come down we came down stairs and steps and stairs and steps....looked in the shops, chatted with people....and I took lots of photos of course. So if the truck hadn't broken down we wouldn't have had this side adventure, so it was ok. The next morning we picked up the truck and we were off....and made it all the way to Acapulco.
Ok this was my mistake. We were heading for Zijuantenjo, but got there so early in the day that I voted to keep going to Acapulco. Did I mention that I hate getting into strange cities after dark? Especially congested places like Acapulco!! We got there after dark and decided to head for the hotels we knew were by the airport. We missed the turn to take us around the center of the city, and so got stuck in so much traffic! Ok sidenote- in Mexico when you are on a highway heading for one city and you have to go thru another....you don't really "bypass" it...you still go thru it, just maybe not thru the center, but it's still a city so congested, trafficky...and we get lost all the time! I mean there will be signs and then all of a sudden- no signs! For miles, and then maybe it's some weird little turn of some small road....we've gotten lost big time in Guadalajara twice! Ok so we trudge thru the city, dark, loud, so many cars! And then...we have to go on this road that goes along the cliffs that is always slow going anyway, but at that time of day it was horrid! Well our clutch over heated! We were not the only ones, either. By the time we hit the top we couldn't get out of second gear. Terrible end to what started out as a really nice- but long- day. Well we found a motel, and it had a really nice pool with plants all around it, low lighting, and nobody in it- right outside our room. Ah ha so things went back to lookin' pretty good! I think I floated around in that little pool for at least 2 hours. Everardo came in for a few minutes and then went off to find us some food. We ate and fell into bed.
Next morning we left for Playa Ventura, got there in the afternoon after a small detour where we found out a bridge had been washed out...but I think I'll save this story for tomorrow.....Viva!
Our time in Morelia was great! Such a beautiful city. The population is almost 700,000 and it's in the mountains at about 6000 feet. Other info:
The heart of the historic center is the Cathedral and its surrounding plazas: the Plaza de Armas, also known as the Plaza de los Mártires, the Juárez Plaza and the Melchor Ocampo Plaza. The largest plaza is the Plaza de Armas, which has been remodeled several times since it was designed in the 16th century. The first church on the Cathedral site was built in 1577, which was a modest structure of adobe and wood. Many years later, this structure would be almost completely destroyed by a fire.[2] Originally, the Cathedral of Michoacán was in Pátzcuaro in a church that now is the Basilica of Nuestra Señora de la Salud. When cathedral status was moved from there to Valladolid in 1580, the city became the civil, religious and cultural capital of the territory
The surrounding areas of the city are forests and very beautiful. It's funny- in the cities, Mexico is sooo crowded, but out in the country there is just so much open land. At first I thought it was just the deserts- of course, who wants to live in the hot desert and what about water, etc? But in the state of Guerrero, which is pretty tropical, at least on the west side (don't know about the eastern borders of the state), but when we would drive to a bigger city to the south to shop (which was an hour's drive instead of 2 hours to the north to Acapulco), we also drove thru mountains and there again was so much open land. Anyway although we were in a hotel in the central historic district, we drove all over the place with Pablo (Everardo's brother), and it is a crowded city. Always lots of traffic. Really nice areas, beat up areas, poor areas...yeah lots of poor areas. It's like Mexico has rich people and poor people and not too much inbetween. I mean the people who have jobs and houses, by US standards thinkstill have to be labeled poor. People do have houses- but what kind of shape are they in? Many times a person or a family starts with one cement square room. Then when they can, they add another room...maybe a second story. The kitchen or bathroom may start out outside and later become an inside room. They may or may not have electricity. Then there's the "infovit" houses; the tiny houses the government builds and helps people to buy. I'm not sure what the criteria is, but you can make the first "down payment", and then the payments come out of your paycheck. When these houses get built in huge complexes they are harder to add on to, but usually start out better equipped. We actually looked in a few when we first came north to Sonora and were looking for places to rent...but they are so small, double beds take up entire bedrooms....all the rooms are small. Now, for someone with no home and no prospects....small is SO much better than nothing. We also looked at some over here in Baja; they were like one step up, a little bigger, more rooms, but still tiny- might have worked for us if they had had yards or were close to an open space for Sam. As it turned out we were lucky, so lucky to find this tiny mobile home right on the beach. Our bed is queen size- a king would not fit....well anyone reading this knows what a small trailer is like. But our dogs run free, and the ocean is out my kitchen door window. Wow- I really get off track don't I? ha ha
I took so many pictures in Morelia- lots of us, sitting in a sidewalk cafe, looking at the Day of the Dead alters, in our hotel rooms, standing in little plazas...eating all kinds of yummy stuff! But I also took tons of pictures of just people. People are so interesting...people walking down the sidewalk, shopping, picking up their kids at school, sitting near us in outside eateries.....And so many types, very modern...that would be young people mostly, then very traditionally dressed, and everything in between, like any huge metropolitan city. Pablo used to be a traffic cop in the city and is now retired. He doesn't need the money but works in the parking lot of one of the big stores, directing cars, helping people with their groceries. I think it's a tips job- meaning your pay is what customers give you. Almost all of the stores do not pay their baggers; it's all tips. In Costco I think they might pay them, but not the guys who work in the parking lot, and actually Costco is the only store I've seen where you don't tip the baggers. Anyway Pablo was able to take as much time as he wanted to spend with us, and he took us to a couple of "hole in the wall" places to eat- which are always the best, and we got to meet his son and other daughter- ok well I got to meet them- Everardo already knew them.
So one day we met up with Pablo and his 2 daughters and went to Patzcuro for a fair they were having for Day of the Dead. It was like a country fair, tons of food and things for sale- not rides or anything. There was a speech by the town's mayor I think, but mostly booths and vendors. I got my face painted like a skeleton and kept it all day; scared some little kids ha ha, but back in Morelia there were other people walking in the streets with their faces painted and some in full costume. It was a nice day. And a couple of days later when the truck broke down outside Patzcuro is made it a little more comfortable than finding ourselves stuck in a strange place.
We left Morelia on Monday morning early, but went to a auto parts store and then a mechanic at the edge of town in the direction we were going to have this part put on. Poppi was sure this was the reason the truck was starting not to run very well.....hmmm turned out we were there for hours! Until mid afternoon, and then we were finally on the road...drove for about 20 minutes down the highway towards Patzcuro....and we broke down....yeah that wasn't what was wrong after all....I had finished a book, started a journal so I could write in this blog...snacked and napped. There was a huge pitbull straining at a barred window near the truck and Everardo warned me not to go near him. I could see this dog was all wiggly when I talked to her...but I stayed away. Sometimes a dog is fine until you go into their space, their car, yard, etc. Sam was like that in Petaluma with strangers- if he came out the gate onto the sidewalk he was fine....but if YOU came in thru the gate he charged at you growling. Now he never bit anybody...but ha ha we had to move our mailbox off the porch and onto the house wall along the driveway because he hated the mailman, and then by extension it seemed...anbody in a uniform...like the UPS guy, the Fed X guy....cops...Well at the end of the day, when Everardo was test driving the truck (which as it turns out was not long enough for it to really warm up and then crap out), the guy let the dog out and she was sweet as a bug. All wiggly and happy to get some lovin'.
So that's how we ended up in Patzcuro...and we pulled off the side of the highway and tried to limp to a mechanic shop....waited at a train track for the train to pass, and it dies. But the very first person to drive by is a family in a truck and they stop and then offer to tow us to a shop!! Ha ha the rope was kinda short and I just kept singing that "happy happy happy" song (the one that's a utube video on facebook by that rapper Pharrel- who I knew of from that show the Voice ha ha...I had played the video and like it so much I added it to my beach exercise music because I really jumped around to it...so it helped when I was nervous being towed by this short rope on this dirt road in a strange town...) Well that mechanic wasn't there- ..."he'll be back in 40 minutes.." Yeah right- translation maybe back today, or tomorrow....or next week, or...what mechanic? ha ha. Well the truck, after cooling down, started again, and Pablo showed up as well. He had tortas (sandwiches) for us..and after we got to a small gas station/little store square, Pablo and Everardo went to find a mechanic and I stayed with the truck and all our stuff...I only tell this part of the story because Pablo neglected to tell me about the jalapenos on the tortas....aarrgghh that's hot....however I found out why Mexicans eat lots of tortillas (I think)...the bread cooled down my mouth- the water didn't help but the bread did, so I learned an important lesson. ha ha Ok we found a mechanic who had a yard to keep the truck secure overnite and found a motel close by. Thanked Pablo for ALL his help- he is the best brother-in-law ever!...and sent him home. The next day they thought they had it figured out....but no so we had to stay another nite. But....
The cool thing was, we took a cab down to the waterfront- there's a huge lake in Patzcuro, and it has an island in the middle of it called Janitco (spelling). People live on this small island and it's basically a hill with houses on it and a gigantic statute on the top. There are stairs all over the place, and houses on different levels, and lots and lots of tiny shops to explore. We ate at a little restaurant, Poppi had a big fish....but I had chicken,,,why didn't I have local fish? Don't remember now....and we hiked up to the top..actually part way on a winding path along the outside of the town so we were looking at the water, and then to come down we came down stairs and steps and stairs and steps....looked in the shops, chatted with people....and I took lots of photos of course. So if the truck hadn't broken down we wouldn't have had this side adventure, so it was ok. The next morning we picked up the truck and we were off....and made it all the way to Acapulco.
Ok this was my mistake. We were heading for Zijuantenjo, but got there so early in the day that I voted to keep going to Acapulco. Did I mention that I hate getting into strange cities after dark? Especially congested places like Acapulco!! We got there after dark and decided to head for the hotels we knew were by the airport. We missed the turn to take us around the center of the city, and so got stuck in so much traffic! Ok sidenote- in Mexico when you are on a highway heading for one city and you have to go thru another....you don't really "bypass" it...you still go thru it, just maybe not thru the center, but it's still a city so congested, trafficky...and we get lost all the time! I mean there will be signs and then all of a sudden- no signs! For miles, and then maybe it's some weird little turn of some small road....we've gotten lost big time in Guadalajara twice! Ok so we trudge thru the city, dark, loud, so many cars! And then...we have to go on this road that goes along the cliffs that is always slow going anyway, but at that time of day it was horrid! Well our clutch over heated! We were not the only ones, either. By the time we hit the top we couldn't get out of second gear. Terrible end to what started out as a really nice- but long- day. Well we found a motel, and it had a really nice pool with plants all around it, low lighting, and nobody in it- right outside our room. Ah ha so things went back to lookin' pretty good! I think I floated around in that little pool for at least 2 hours. Everardo came in for a few minutes and then went off to find us some food. We ate and fell into bed.
Next morning we left for Playa Ventura, got there in the afternoon after a small detour where we found out a bridge had been washed out...but I think I'll save this story for tomorrow.....Viva!
