La Quinta Margarita Patzcuaro

... me to a smoothy with a huge slice of delicious banana bread at his favorite cafe in SMA. We were joined by another retired American who had just come back from touring South America and had lots of interesting observations to make about that.
So, as one golden day drifted into the next, Gay, Armando, Jorges and Sara continued to take care of my every need, including assisting me to make a reservation at the Hotel Allende in Morelia when I eventually decided to move ...

... moon rising over the mountain side and reflecting the orange glow of the sunset opposite it.

It had been a surreal and unforgetable weekend, despite the disappointing commercialisation of this ancient indigenous festival. It is certainly something worth experiencing once in your life, although I would recommend trying one of the smaller islands in Lake Patzcuaro, which are less likely to be so overrun by tourists and should offer a more authentic version of the Day of the Dead.

... spoke more Spanish that night than ever before in my life. I've definitely felt some improvement in recent weeks, after feeling like I made no progress at all during the first month of travelling.

On the Sunday we visited a traditional local town before begining the long journey home. We probably spent more time on the bus than off it over the course of the weekend, and I soon learnt to expect at least double the time when a Mexican tells you how long something will take ...

... feet were soaked! By the time we dismounted I could barely walk, but when we sat down at the restaurant (I say THE restaurant because it was the only one in the village!) I found standing more comfortable than sitting (and for that matter, 2 days later I still do!) We had a delicious meal with a choice of chiles rellenos, quesadillas or bistec a la mexicana and hot chocolate or other drink for less than $5! (US prices are going to be a shock to the ...

... Stadtbummel fahren wir weit** in Richtung Pazcuaro, gelegen am gleichnamigen See. Die Strecke ist kurz und wurde vor ein paar Jahren mit ein** neuen Autobahn sup** ausgebaut, so dass wir im Handumdrehen da sind. Wir finden im Reiseführ** den Hinweis auf ein schönes Gasthaus am Rande vom See und auss**halb d** Stadt, und in d** Tat **weist es sich als absolute Traumunt**kunft. Ein mexikanisch/am**ikanisches Pärchen hat hi** nach und nach ihr eigenes ...

Patzcuaro, on the other hand, yet another Pueblo magico, was a colonial gem - beautiful buildings, windy cobbled streets & spectacular setting close to a lake. Sadly, as with many of these places, no hostels and few cheap hotels - ended up in some dive where the teenager looking after it seemed shocked that I wanted a key for my ...

I was fortunate to catch a lift between Uruapan and Patzcuaro (60km) with Aline and Oscar, the owners of Casa Chikita B&B, which was where I had been staying in Uruapan. Patzcuaro is located just off the autopista midway between Uruapan and Morelia, a forty five minute drive from either. We didn't leave Uruapan until 16.30 hours as they had been waiting all day for a car to be delivered. They were heading to Morelia with some friends and ...

... book. The attached photos are of both handmade masks ...faces (yes we now own a lovely one by Juan Orta, a much honored master mask carver) and real faces from the Patzcuaro public mercado. We also threw in a couple shots of a childrens parade in traditional costum and the Zocalo just for fun. Hope you enjoy. Off for a swim and drinks with some nice French folks. We leave tomorrow for Puebla, a short drive, and then to Oaxaca city for an extended stay. Saludos

... atop the isle, a monumental figure of the patriot Morelos, his right arm raised aloft in defiance of imperialism, dominated the scene. The forty metre high statue of the independence hero Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon atop Isla de Janitizio was conceived and constructed by the government of President Lázaro Cardenas - himself a native of Michoacan - during the 1940s. The left-leaning revolutionary regime had just nationalised the oil industry, much to the chagrin of the ...

... passed and I knew(but didnt want to belive it). I told Preston and we hopped in a cab(fortunately i had taken a photo of the hotel) We missed em by about 20 minutes. Everything was gone. You cant imagine the feeling of walking through that door into a locked parking garage and your car is missing. Fortunately the dogs are ok. The dogs were on the roof barking- we ran up to get them and love on them-so happy that they were ok. Motherfuc&%$! The police were right ...