Posada Mandala Patzcuaro

... I took a bus out of town to the Sanctuario de Atotonilco - the goal of pilgrims and penitents from all over Mexico. In addition to the main chamber, with its walls and ceiling covered in folk murals and paintings, it has six chapels, all richly decorated. Despite its interior being under renovation, it was very impressive.
The road from SMA was almost all under construction. The scenery was like a moonscape of wreckage and rebuilding, and the air was heavy with gritty ...

... drunken tourists trampling over people's graves to take photos of the few old women who had come to honour their dead. Relatives would leave offerings of the deceased's favourite foods and place orange Cempazúchitl flowers by the graves, which are supposed to draw out the spirits of the dead with their enticing scent. However it was disappointing to see so many intrusive tourists flocking around them, and it seems unlikey the dead could have heard their families calling over such a ...

... Mexicans took us to a trendy club with an outside bar and a magnificent view of the city lights down in the valley below. I spent the vast majority of my weekend's money on one bottle of Bacardi, from which I got about two drinks as many others helped themselves. Still, we had a great time and it was definitely one of the coolest clubs I've ever been to. We headed back to the bus around 3am but it was only then that the real fun kicked off. Upon returning we consumed far too much of ...

... um einige liebevoll eing**ichtete Gästezimm** **weit**t. Fast zu schade, um nur eine Nacht hi** zu bleiben. Wir haben uns**e Gastgeb** etwas mit uns**** unangekündigten Ankunft üb**rascht, und so können sie leid** kein Abendbrot bieten. Stattdessen fahren wir hinein nach Pazcuaro, v**irren uns ein paar mal mit Hilfe uns**es GPS, und finden schliesslich das Stadtzentrum. Es sieht besond**s alt aus, ab** auch hi** helfen strenge Gesetze, ein einheitliches ...

... has four acceptable en-suite rooms with cable TV for 150, 200, 250 and 300 Peso for 1, 2, 3 or 4 persons and four other rooms that go for even less but have no TV.

I spent my final night staying down by the lake at Hotel Estrella, Lazaro Cardenas No. 2, Tel: 01 (434) 342-5699. This small guest house didn't look much from the outside but looks can be deceiving as this Hotel proved. The interior fared much better. The en-suite rooms ...

... 2, 3 or 4 persons.

Hotel Regis, Portal Carrillo No. 12, Tel: 01 (452) 5235844, Web: www.hotelregis.com.mx . This hotel benefits from a good location, overlooking the plaza and has cheerful looking rooms.

Hotel el Tarasco, Independencia No. 2, Tel: 01 (452) 5241500. This was a much older hotel, located on the plaza and has nice features throughout. Their current ...

... caravane pour un souper avec les mexicains. Le restaurant est une toile tendue entre plusieurs poteaux pour abriter les mangeurs; la nourriture est cuite sur des genres de BBQ , à ciel ouvert. On nous a servi un breuvage chaud aux pommes en arrivant et le plat recommandé était du poulet rôti enterré avec des légumes de toutes sortes; le goût était délicieux mais on ne savait pas toujours ce que l'on mangeait. On a très bien mangé et personne n'a été malade.

... islets. Above the far shore of Lake Patzcuaro, a dozen kilometres off, rose a green wooded peak, a gently sloping cone near perfect in its symmetry. And, in the distance beyond, lurked more ancient volcanoes, their fertile flanks blanketed in thick forest. From amid the cloudy waters of the lake rose a number of small islands and none of these was more alluring than the stump of Isla de Janitzio, every inch of it's steep sides seemingly covered by building. From a ...

... morning and headed for Lago Zirahuen just outside of Patzcuaro. We arrived in the town of Zirahuen just in time for a late breakfast. Quite possibly some of the best food we have had thus far. Chili Rellenos and Huevos Rancheros for less than 5 dollars. There was enough food to have fed two more- but we managed to power through. The lake is beautiful. After breakfast we drove around it searchin for a bungalow to rent.