On the Road to Patzcuaro and Guanajuato

Earlier in the year, I talked to my former sister-in-law (but still friend) Kathy about a trip within Mexico. Kathy lives in Asheville, NC and is a teacher. She’s thinking of spending some time in Mexico after her retirement and wanted to check out a few places.
We decided on Patzcuaro, Michoacan and Guanajuato. I told my friend Jeanie, who lives in nearby La Penita, about the trip and she decided to join us.
Jeanie and I took the bus to Guadalajara, arriving early afternoon. We stayed at the Hotel Tonala. It has a good location right in the center of Tonala. We spent the afternoon looking around the shops. Since we didn’t know what we might find on the trip we held off buying anything. Kathy flew into Guadalajara later that evening and met us at the hotel.
Early the next morning we caught a bus for Morelia. The scenery isn’t very impressive along the way. We did pass one very large lake near Morelia. From Morelia we took another bus to Patzcuaro.
Our hotel, the Casa del Refugio, was an excellent choice. It is right on the smaller plaza in central Patzcuaro. Our room was on the second floor. The hotel is built around a central courtyard and is very nice. We ate breakfast there a couple days. The staff at the hotel was exceptionally nice and friendly. When we wanted to take a tour around the lake, the desk clerk made several calls for prices for us and even took messages for us and helped us decide which tour would work best for us. Mainly in Patzcuaro we shopped for crafts. There are many little shops and we wandered around town looking. We also stopped for a cold drink once in a while and did some sight-seeing.
The weather was nice during the day. It was sunny and warm. At night it cooled off quite a bit, and the evenings it rained it was sort-of chilly.
There is not much “night life” in Patzcuaro. We expected more activity, well, any activity, in the plazas in the evening. No taco stands or other vendors at all in the evening.
One day we hired a taxi driver to take us around Lake Patzcuaro to the various towns which each have their own craft specialty.
We went to some ruins near Patzcuaro first. There are many, many rock walls and some remains of structures. We mainly liked it because it was so quiet and peaceful!
One area we passed through had several cantera stone carving places. There were so many statues, pots, fountains and things. Most of them were different from the others, no mass-produced things here. We wanted to buy plenty, but really, can you bring a 200 pound statue home on the bus? Jeanie and I both said we’d like to return there and buy some things for the house.
The village of Tzintzuntzan is the village where many straw things are made. There were lots of Christmas decorations and many baskets. We also visited a very old church with 400-year-old olive trees in the yard. We only went to a couple shops, it would have been interesting to see more of the town.
Quiroga is somewhat of a regional center for crafts. It also has an area with a whole row of carnitas vendors. It is funny that there are about 10 stands right in a row, all selling the same thing. We ate some carnitas and then wandered around town. We found some really pretty flower posts in one shop on a side street.
I can’t really remember which other villages we visited. The mask-making village was one we were looking forward to, but it was disappointing. Many people weren’t working due to a fiesta, and we only visited a couple mask workshops and didn’t find anything we liked.
The next day we took a boat to the island of Janitizio in Lake Patzcuaro. It is the site of a big Day of the Dead celebration. The boat ride was fun. Once on the island, we walked up to the top to the statue of Morelos. There are many shops lining the walk up there. We passed the cemetery and wondered how a large Day of the Dead festivity could take place in such a small cemetery. Once at the top, we went in the statue and saw the view from the top.
We were told that the only people allowed to live on Janitizio were people who were originally from there. It is a very crowded little island. We walked back down, visiting more shops and then took the boat back to Patzcuaro.
Near the boat dock was a row of wood-working shops. We each purchased something hand made to take home. Again, there were many things I would have considered getting, but didn’t want to carry them home.
We left Patzcuaro to go to Guanajuato. Kathy later commented she felt like we were on The Great Race. We took a local bus to Morelia. The bus was delayed because of a wreck with overturned tanker trucks. No fire or leaks, but traffic was slow while the trucks were being cleared off the road.
We got to the Morelia bus station and had to figure out how to get to Guanajuato. We were told to take the bus to Irapuato then on to Guanajuato. The bus was leaving in 5 minutes. We bought our tickets then off we went. Once we got to Irapuato we had a choice between a first or second class bus. The second class was leaving right then, so off we went. Looking back, we should have taken the more comfortable and air-conditioned first class.
In Guanajuato we got a cab to our hotel. We were amazed to go through one of the underground streets for several miles. The tunnels are pretty narrow and seemed to be unmarked. We got to our hotel, the Posada Santa Fe. It is on the Jardin Union , a very busy plaza in the center of town. After we checked in, we walked around the area. The central area is very well maintained to have the traditional feel and look. There are no signs except the ones on the front of the stores, which are very unobtrusive. There are no traffic lights or neon signs.
Both nights we were there, there were many people in the plaza. We saw a parade, students getting ready for graduation, and many people just enjoying the area.
We went on a city tour that included going to the Mummy Museum. These aren’t the kind of mummies like in Egypt. Apparently a combination of the soil and air conditions caused the bodies to dry out and mummify before they could decompose. Very weird to see! We also went to a silver mine, a very pretty church in Valencia, and to a museum of replicas of torture devices from the Inquisition. On the bus tour was a Mexican family with grandma, grandpa, various aunts, uncles and grandkids. It was obvious that Grandma was the Queen of the Family. We had fun watching the family, except when we had to wait a long time for them to shop at one stop.
The tour also included some great panoramic views of the city. It is built on many hills and the houses are very colorful. It is a very scenic and picturesque town.
We walked many places each day and all enjoyed the feel of the town.
We did visit the Don Quixote museum, which was the inspiration for the annual Cervantes Festival. There are many churches right in the centro area, too.
Jeanie and I took the bus back to Puerto Vallarta from Guanajuato. We ended up having to take the bus to Guadalajara and then change buses for PV, even though the first bus was also going to PV. It was full, so we had to get a later bus which was OK since it wasn’t full.
The trip was really fun. I would recommend Guanajuato to anyone, it is so scenic, historic, clean and interesting. I also liked Patzcuaro a lot, and if you want to shop for crafts stuff, you’ll love it!

Mothers Day in Mexico

Mother’s Day is celebrated May 10th in Mexico. And it is a very big deal. I’ve heard some people compare it to Christmas for Mom. There is lots of advertising of restaurant deals, appliance sales, and candy and flowers are prominently displayed in the stores.
I had heard from a couple different people that our municipality, Bahia de Banderas, was having a big Mother's Day event. Our friend Alex said that there were raffles with some decent prizes and it was open to all moms and didn’t cost anything, so I thought I’d check it out.
I’ll start out by saying this event was not like any other I’ve been to.
I knew it was scheduled to start at 3, but then again I know that if you get to an event at the starting time, you are almost always early. I got to the small town of San Jose right before 3, figuring that would give me time to get it ahead of the crowd.
Much to my surprise, I easily found a convenient parking spot near the entrance to the Esplanada, which is a big, enclosed park area used for futbol games and big events. There were hundreds of people walking in the streets near the Esplanada entrance. As I got to the entrance, I saw a huge line of women. This line went a block down the street then turned down another street. I went to the entrance where we went in for other events with the fire department or with our press credentials. From there I couldn’t even see the end of the line! I was told to go back to the main entrance. I did not have to wait in line and went in. There are some advantages of being part of the press.
They had just started letting the women in and I entered with the first group. As I stood in line with a group of women from one of the senior citizen groups I talked to several of them about their kids and grandchildren. A couple ladies who had walkers were placed in plastic chairs and carried down the hillside to the flatter area by some men. We each had a ticket to enter the raffle and the first thing we did was put our tickets in the hopper. Then each lady picked a colored ball out of a box. The color determined which prize you got. I saw mixing bowls, knife sets, glassware, plastic containers, utensils and other small kitchenware. I received a set of bowls with plastic covers. Then each person got a bottle of water and a bag of candy.
The main area was set up with a big stage and lots of chairs. Women were quickly scouting out sections of chairs for their groups. I noticed a number of the groups had matching outfits. These were groups of ladies from the “Casas de la Tercer Edad” or senior citizen centers throughout the municipality. Many groups had been brought to the event by buses.
I quickly found my friends in the municipal press department. They told me that about 7,000 tickets had been given out ahead of the event and that before long the whole area would be packed. The event was a joint effort between the municipality and DIF, the social service agency. Today’s newspaper reports attendance at about 10,000!
People just kept steadily coming in, getting their gifts and filling up the seats. I had been there about an hour and nothing much was happening. There was some taped music and the announcer made a comment or two. Then I noticed that the other gate had been opened and people were now flooding in through 2 gates. I offered to help collect the raffle tickets as people came in. The present giving out area was really busy!
The entertainment finally started around 4:30. First up was Alvaro Martinez, a young boy who sang mariachi type songs. He was followed by Ruth Nayeli, the girl who won the Festival of the Bahia de Banderas talent contest in February. She is only about 11 years old and a great performer. Next up was the Municipal Orchestra. After that, the announcer gave away some raffle prizes. The names were called out and the ladies came up to collect their prizes.
Oh, the prizes! When Alex told me there would be prizes, he said maybe you will win a refrigerator. I thought he was kidding. Nope. The prizes ranged from irons, blenders and pots and pans sets up to home theater sets, TVs, stereos, stoves, refrigerators, microwaves, a dining room set and a living room set.
Only a few smaller prizes were given out at that time, then the entertainment resumed. The main act was a woman named Lucila Mariscal, or Dona Lencha. She is an actress, comedian and singer. She and a partner entertained the crowd with their comedy, then after that she sang and told more stories and jokes. My Spanish isn’t really up to all those jokes! But the crowd really enjoyed it.
Throughout the whole time, more and more people were arriving. The available chairs were quickly filled. The announcer said chairs were for mamas only, and staff people were going around making sure that kids and men were aware of that. As far as staff, there were literally hundreds of staff doing everything from controlling the line, handing out water and prizes, helping people find chairs, and just being in the crowd to help if any problems arose. Many police were around and the entire fire department was also there with all the trucks. They were stationed at each corner of the area with medical bags ready.
I saw trucks steadily coming to the event delivering more chairs. Ladies crowded around the trucks to get a chair, but there was no jostling or arguing. A set of bleachers was quickly assembled at the back of the field and ladies anxiously awaited that seating. Still, with all that, there was a standing room only crowd. Many of the ladies were prepared and brought parasols for the sun and small blankets to sit on. Those in addition to the “home in a bag” that many women carry – tissues, toilet paper, snacks.
After the entertainment ended, about 7:30, the real business of the event started – the raffle prizes. As names were called out, a seemingly endless parade of ladies went to the front to claim their prizes. I didn’t hear one complaint about what they won, whether it was a set of knives or a new TV. There were hundreds of prizes, and the crowd stayed pretty quiet so everyone could hear the names being called out.
As ladies got their irons, blenders and other smaller gifts, I wondered how a person was supposed to get their new stove home. The announcer said if anyone won a prize and could not get it home due to the size, go give your name, address and telephone number to the fire department and it would be delivered to your home. I did see women hauling off their stereos and microwaves, not taking any chances that it would be lost or delayed in delivery! Prizes large and small were given out steadily. One short break was taken when the medics had to attend to a person in the crowd and carry her to the ambulance. The announcer said he would wait a minute so no one would miss hearing the names called.
About 9:45 the prizes were finally all gone. I didn’t win the dining room set or the “kitchen package” which included a stove and a microwave, I didn’t even win an iron.
People packed up their presents, kids and belongings and headed home. I had to wait at my car for a little while since there were so many people walking in the street that it would have been dangerous to drive.
All in all, it was an unforgettable event, something my local friends thought was interesting. “It’s just a party,” they said. “What’s the big deal?” I had a hard time explaining to them how you would never see an event like that in the US. One where everyone who came was given a gift by the government, where people would be willing to sit patiently and wait for hours to see if they won an additional prize, where arguments wouldn’t take place over the few available chairs. To me, it was nice to see so many women of all ages out enjoying the afternoon and evening. But I did have one question – who cooked dinner?

The holidays continue!

Harold got the outside Christmas stuff up in plenty of time. We had a big inflatable snowman on the roof, rope lights and our Feliz Navidad sign. Downstairs we had snowflake lights, candy canes, and an inflatable Santa. When we mentioned to people we met where we lived, several people said, oh the house with the Christmas lights!
We have a little Christmas tree that hangs on the wall and we have many snowmen and other decorations.
It still doesn’t really seem like Christmas when it’s hot and sunny though. The stores do their best to keep everyone in the mood even with live Christmas trees for sale.
We were invited to a Christmas Eve party at the Refugio Infantil Santa Esperanza (RISE) where we have done volunteer work in the past. It was a pretty low key event. First all the children were fed dinner. There was turkey and dressing, sweet potatoes, tamales and more. We all helped feed the kids since there are so many little ones there now. The kids just love to have people there who can pay individual attention to them. They all ate a big dinner then went inside to watch videos.
The 15 or so adults then ate dinner out in the courtyard. I guess before we went I thought a dinner at an orphanage would not include alcohol, but I was wrong. There were soft drinks and wine, plenty of food and good company. It was a nice way to spend the evening.
Our friend Alex is a fireman and had to work a very heavy schedule through the holiday period. Called Operative Blanca Navidad, the fire fighters worked shifts of 36 hours on, 12 hours off. Alex’s wife and daughter decided to go to Guadalajara to spend the time with her family since Alex would hardly be home at all. Each fireman got one day off in the 3 week period, and Alex was off December 24.
We invited him to stay at our house since not only was his family gone, but so were most of the neighbors. He went to the Refugio with us and had a nice time. After the wine was gone, he decided to try the whiskey. Apparently other times he had whiskey it was not very good and he wasn’t very hopeful but decided to give it a chance. Someone had brought a bottle of Johnny Walker which Alex decided was excellent. So excellent in fact that we had to stop at a liquor store on the way back to Bucerias to buy a bottle of Johnny Walker and some Coke. Yes, the liquor store was open as we headed home about midnight on Christmas Eve.
One reason Alex went with us is because his parents live right across the street from the Refugio. But they didn’t get home until late so we only had a chance to say hi.
The way the week went was that each fireman/paramedic worked his normal 24 hour shift in the fire station, and then the next day worked on beach duty. The civil protection department also provided lifeguards for the holidays. A group of college kids volunteered to help as well.
When Alex got off after his 36 hour shift he went home, cleaned up the house, fed the birds, washed his lifeguard uniform then came over to our house. We usually grabbed something to eat then when we got home, Alex spent most of the night drinking beer. He seemd very happy to be able to relax, visit with us and drink some beer. Several times he said he was really enjoying his few hours offf work. This repeated for most of the vacation period. We helped him out some by taking care of a few bank tasks and taking his clothes to the laundry since he was at work so much.
On Christmas Day we had a pretty quiet morning then had a cookout for some of our friends. We had probably 20 people altogether and everyone brought something to share to eat. Everyone seemed to have a good time.
We had plenty of leftovers so we packed them up the next day and took them to the fire station.
On New Year’s Eve last year we went to the beach in Nuevo Vallarta with Luis and Monika. This year, Luis said they had some new rules prohibiting bonfires and they weren’t going to go. We all decided to have a bonfire at the beach in Bucerias. Joann and Patricia had guests who wanted to celebrate on the beach so we decided to do that. Altogether our group had 20 people or so and we all had a great time. At midnight we could see fireworks all across the bay. Some of the displays went on for a long time. It was cool out, but not cold enough to keep anyone home.
Mary Lou and BZ were here for 3 weeks staying at Casa Tranquila. We met them last year and were glad to see them back. They plan on moving to Bucerias in the late spring.
They were here for 3 weeks and it seemed like the time just flew by.