FAMILY ROAD TRIP

Our work is done for now and we get to enjoy a little vacation with the family from Holland. We take them to the Motorhome, which is still parked at Roca Azul by Lake Chapala.

Road Construction along the road to Roca Azul has been going on for quite some time. We don't expect it to be ready soon.

Our first trip is through the mountains direction Tapalpa. on the way we visit the small community of Atemajac de Brizuela, which is situated well above sea level of which the cool temperature is a good indication. This is a very unique village with dark coloured wooden doors and windows and many portales.
With all of us taking pictures I have posted all of them on our Picasa website

We continue south to the historical city of Tapalpa, where we frantically search for a Geocache, which appears to be hidden in the clock tower, but the door to the tower is locked. So instead we search for a restaurant where we enjoy a typical Mexican lunch accompanied with wine.
 

There is still enough time to drive north to Piedritas, a park with strange rock s scattered over the hills. There is another cache, This time we have better luck. Our visitors are amused by the creative way the locals transport their goods.

A stay at Roca Azul is not complete without a visit to the Thursday market in Jocotepec. They sell anything from shrimp, vegetables, fruit and bright coloured bras or dyed baby chicks. Where there are people there is food and the most common dish is tacos with beef, chicken or pork and hot sauce.

 

We start the mornings at Roca Azul with an early walk to the lake 

to see the beautiful sunrise.

Our next day trip takes us along the north east shore of Lake Chapala to the village of Jamay with it's beautiful church and it's unique tower built in honor of Pope Pius IX. At the tourist office we are welcomed with open arms and we are offered a tour to the ruins from the old church as well as the current church.

 

Within walking distance of the church is the malecon, where we find the perfect spot for a picnic lunch from our coolbox and a beautiful view of the lake with all it's greenery.

With the helpful information from the tourist information office, we find our way up to the Mirador, where we not only have a spectacular view of the area, but also find a cute little church with a very colourful  interior.

On our return to Roca Azul we take the inside road through the country and the small village of San Pedro Itzican. Every corner, every street has something interesting to show, to which most of us North Americans our Europeans are not used to. We try to be sensitive to the privacy of the people; Especially the woman who are rather not photographed.

 

We pick up a justice of the peace who is on his way to the church to perform a wedding ceremony, but is stranded. The car which is to drive him to the village of Mezcal is smoking and he has 15 minutes left. He gives us his business card and offers us the use of the boat from the municipality to take us to the island of Mezcal.

I am not the shortest person on earth after all, the lady who tends to the bathrooms is about half my size and does not mind at all if we take a picture of her.

We do not find the boat from the municipality, but for 250 Pesos we can catch a boat ride to Mezcal Island to visit the old jail which is being made into a museum.


 

There was suppose to be a cache hidden. I knew because we found it before, but with the construction it has been removed. With a little imagination we made a new cache in the same place the old one was suppose to be.

 

We make it home just before dark, hoping to attend the Rotary meeting in Jocotepec. When we find out that the meeting has been canceled, we invite our friends Jerome and Louise over for drinks. Meanwhile Ramiro picks up our friend Joe form the bus statio in Ajijic and we pack oour bags for an early morning departure for our 8 day road trip to central Mexico.

We're all packed for the road trip and Joe is coming along with us.

We have a large coolbox plugged into ny hotel room and have our breakfast and evening meal at hand.

This is the most economical way to travel.

The plan is to go to Guadalajara for a visit to Tlaquepaque. The traffic on this Saturday morning, however is a nightmare, so instead we continue to the Oblatos Canyon where we walk through the park and enjoy our first picnic lunch.










As we are working our way out of the city we see the Tonala market and decide to park the van and stroll through the many stands with handmade crafts, food and trinkets; What a treat. I am happy that our guests still have a chance to experience this. Tonala is a lot less upscale than Tlaquepaque and no  tourists here.

We had hoped to make it as far as Guanajuato tonight, but with darknes setting in at 6:30 we decide to stop at Lagos de Moreno, where we find two rooms. One for Joe and one for us four. Once we are settled in and have our glass of wine with a little snack, we walk downtown to see the many activities. It appears to be a rather wealthy city with beautiful stores with a strong North American influence.

The best way however to see the city and learn about it's history is in a horse drawn carriage. Just like royalty we are riding through this colonial city with its many cathedrals and other historic buildings. The Christmas season is at full swing with many shoppers and plenty of decorations. Our "chauffeur" is quite entertaining and tells us all sorts of funny stories about the city.

We have no notion of the day of the week, let alone the day of the month. We just enjoy, driving along the Mexican roads and visiting some of its nicest cities. We pack up early and make our next stop Guanajuato. Here we need a lot more time than just a few hours. We drive up the mountain to the statue of el Pipila who once burned the gate to the village to let his troops in and protect the city from the Spanish Army.

From here we have a fantastic view over the entire city with its winding streets up and down the hill.

We leave the van in the parking garage and while Joe and Fred take the trolley to the Mummy museum I join Fred and Annemieke for a walking tour through the city. We have lunch at one of the patios downtown and don't have eyes enough to see all the activities, the local people and the beauty of this amazing city. Don't forget to check the Picasa Album for more photos.

We continue to San Miguel de Allende and find a place for the night at an old historical hotel named Los Insurgentes. Since we are right downtown, we are able to walk and see the many historical buildings and several cathedrals. At the main plaza we are treated to a laser show which is projected right on the Cathedral.

I had printed our several options for walking tours through this city with its more than 160 churches and cathedrals. We circle around the square where we see many Americansand learn that from the more than 140,000 inhabitants 8-10,000 are American and Canadian.
They fill the coffee shops and restaurants, and are good customers for the many street vendors.

We decide to complete our tour in the street car which is parked along the square. Luckily we are the only passengers and receive a detailed explanation of the various buildings and learn more about the history of the city.
Particularly interesting is the neighbourhood of Chorres, which was built by the Franciscans for the Indigenous people. We leave the streetcar and walk up the many stairs to this old neighbourhood, which has old public wash houses, and beautiful gardens. One of the building is now an arts centre were various arts and music is being taught. Our tour ends with a view over the entire city and we continue south.

The initial plan was to make it to Angangueo for the night, but with the many interesting photo opportunities, sunset came earlier than we expected. So instead we stop at Maravatio and find a hotel along a very noisy highway, too far away from the centre to explore.
With our portable bar, we have the luxury of having Happy Hour right in our room.






We arrive in Angangueo quite early and the first thing we do is search for a hotel. There are plenty to choose from, right along the main drag. We choose the one that has the best deal, which includes an experienced guide who takes us up to the mountain 3200 meters above Sea level, where El Rosario butterfly park is situated.


It is going to be a long steep walk so we fill our tummies with tacos from one of the several simple kitchens along the parameters of a large field. The public bathroom is nothing more than an open space separated with plastic shower curtains, offering very little privacy.

 

 Our guide leaves us a the gate, where we buy our tickets and another guide takes us up further into the sanctuary. It's a very difficult clime forcing us to stop every now and then to catch our breath. I use the breathing techniques I learned in Chile for high altitude and it seems to help.

At first all we do is climb along the sandy trail and wonder if we will see any of the Monarch butterflies this early in the season.

Then our guide slows down and points to a small cluster of golden things fluttering between the leaves. Then more appear and before we know it we are surrounded by butterflies. They seem to be everywhere and even land on our heads.

Tree branches are bent from the weight of the many butterflies. Wow, this was definitely worth the effort.

Angangueo is not a very large village and we return early enough to explore most of it. We visit the murals and walk around the small market place. Before we climb the hills for a view of the city from above, we calculate the estimated time for  sunset.

In the evening we make plans for the next day and must decide whether or not we want to overnight in Morelia with all the bad news going on. We are happy that we are in a much quieter community and know that tonight we will have a good night's rest.

After a healthy breakfast of fresh fruit, yogurt, bread, coffee and tea we pack up all our belongings one more time and head west, direction Morelia. The grass in the fields is white from the frost. Even the locals indicated that this has been an unusual cold few days.
Well, we are used to it and know, that as soon as the sun is high up in the sky, it will warm up to the mid 20s.

Morelia is a busy city. Therefore we leave the car at the edge by the Aguaduct and walk along the main road.
At the park we notice a group which looks like a wedding party, but find out it is a 15th Birthday party. In Mexico, such an occasion is as big a celebration as a wedding, and no money is being spared.

As we walk along the busy road we visit the State building. Annemieke has no problem entering, but when Ramiro want to enter he is being stopped. Once he explains he is a Canadian tourist he gets clearance to enter. Hmm, makes me wonder.




Right across from the large cathedral are the portales with many choices of restuarants where we have lunch. We see the double decker bus and decide to take a city tour. Fred forgot his cap, so we fabricate one for him to protect his head from the hot mid day sun.

The bus drops us off at one of the most beautiful churches in the city. From the outside it does not look like much, but the inside is loaded with gold and silver ornaments and stained glass windows.
Just when we decided not to visit any more churches, this one tops them all.

Again we need to make a decision; The initial plan was not to spend the night here, but continue to Patzcuaro, but there is so much to see and Fred really wanted to do one more Geocache. By the time we are back at the car, it is too late to drive on.

But within no time Ramiro find the perfect hotel in a quiet neighbourhood, allowing us more time to explore the city. Visit the old library and the candy market where we stock up on Christmas sweets.

Our next stop is a little over an hour west at the well known city of Patzcuaro.

We find two rooms at an old convent "Mission de San Manuel". The halls and rooms are ice cold, but the decor is lovely. We trust that with the afternoon sun, things will warm up.

After we drop off our luggage and the rest of our household items we drive straight to the little harbour where we catch the boat to Janitzio, a small island in Lake Patzcuaro.

The islanders, which are mostly natives, take up most of the space on the boat. The women are dressed in three different skirts; one of cotton lace, a second is pleaded skirt and the third a hand embroidered apron. Most wear a lacy blouse with ribbons and embroidery. Their shoulders or head is covered with a large shawl. During the 20 minute boat ride they keep themselves busy wit embroidery, which they sell on the island.

There are no vehicles on the island, everything is done on foot. The locals must carry their purchases from the main land on the steep steps, which connect the houses and many souvenir shops throughout the various levels of this hill.

We climb all the way tot he top of the mountain to the monument of Morelos. The monument has an interior staircase which can be climbed with an even better view of the surrounding area.

The only tourists we see are Mexicans. As a matter of fact other than the gringos who live in San Miguel de Allende, we have seen very few foreigners. On the small square on the top of the mountains a small group of dancers give us a traditional performance with their wooden soled shoes. It almost sounds like a "klompen" dance.

 

Our ride back is very relaxing and we have one more chance to soak up the afternoon sun.

This will be our last night on the road. The outside temperature this evening is very mild and we take advantage of the opportunity to stroll through the streets, which are busy with last minute Christmas shoppers.



We drive back direction Roca Azul via Quiroga, which is famous for it's many crafts man.
Quiroga was a Spanish priest from the early 1600s, who took it upon himself to teach the local people various trades, so they could sustain themselves. As of today, along the roads, we can see the many work shops. Some villages only deal in copper, while others do woodwork and other stone carvings or clay pots. I find a heck of a deal at one of the pottery places and can't resist to buy some to take home.

Our last stop is int he small fishing village of Petatan, where thousands of pelicans wait for the time that the fish processing plant closes and the waste gets dumped in the lake.