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March 10, 2005
Patzcuaro, Mexico
Warning: This is going to turn into a travel blog for a few days. We're back, with sunburns and crappy amateur photography and Mexican pottery.
Click here for photos from Patzcuaro (March 1-3).
Overall it was a good trip, with a two day visit to Patzcuaro and a week in the touristy coastal Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo area with Derek's family. The best parts of the trip were the quiet or unexpected bits, where D and I walked around back streets in Patzcuaro or found a decent restaurant. It's amazing how a lot of sun and a tropical climate can turn your mood around, especially during a crappy winter.
The weekend trip we had planned to the mountains -- to get out of the touristy coastal towns of Zihuatanejo and Iztapa -- turned out to be a great idea. Stopping on the three-and-a-half hour drive for a coco (a coconut with a straw in it, then the coconut meat mixed with lime and salt in a bag) wasn't. I knew very well that we were NOT supposed to drink the water for fear of infection by various scary-sounding bacteria and amoeba. I knew that we were supposed to avoid any and all interesting or homemade foods. But the highlight of any international trip for me is food -- I have to try EVERYTHING.
So we were good for about 24 hours and then we broke down and had a coco -- which is fine -- but we probably shouldn't have wolfed down the coco/lime mix and coco bread afterwards, since we could see that it was made under not-so-sanitary conditions in a little village more dogs and cats than people. It was really good. But it kind of ruined half of the Patzcuaro trip for me, since I felt miserable for the next 24 hours. Derek was fine for the next few days but it eventually caught up with him and he was out for a day, too. Whatever, it was worth it.
The Mexican highway experience was interesting -- on a weekend you'll end up having to stop in every little village and give a contribution. Each village has a speed bump, so you have to slow down, and some sort of group will be fundraising. We ran out of Mexican change and ended up giving out American money. We also passed a military checkpoint, complete with intimidating soldiers with machine guns.
Patzcuaro is a sizable town with a very European feel and two classic plazas. There's also the large Patzcuaro Lake nearby with a few islands. Our hotel (Mansion Iturbe) was an 18th century residence with gorgeous old woodwork and high ceilings. It was on the Plaza Vasco de Quiroga, which is lined with centuries-old trees and is constantly full of people. We arrived on a Sunday and everything felt very festive. The large market in the other town plaza -- Plaza Gertrudis Bocanegra -- was full of busy taco stands, and people were walking around town visiting shops and restaurants or sitting on the fountains in the plazas. It was much cooler than the coast (actually a bit chilly). And best of all, we hardly saw any Americans. Not even the people in the tourism office spoke English.
One major attraction is the island of Janitzio, a small "fishing" island that has a large statue on top. Over the past 50 years it has morphed into a huge tourist magnet. A ferry took us across the Lago de Patzcuaro to the island, and we walked up endless winding steps past countless gift shops to the top for the view. When we finally made it to the top -- sweating, thirsty, and in need of a rest after climbing for half an hour -- we were met with an entrance gate and a sign that said 6 pesos to enter. A group of Mexican tourists laughed out loud when they saw it. The entire island exists to help tourists part with their money.
We also wandered around Patzcuaro a bit, enjoying the plazas and market and shops. We tried to local specialties -- pescado blanco and sopa tarasco -- at El Primer Piso (very good) and had two great breakfasts at our hotel. Mexican scrambled eggs (with peppers and onions) in torillas dipped in beans and huevos divorciados (one fried egg in green sauce, one in red, on a tortilla) are both fantastic.
On our way back, we went up to Estribo Grande, an old volcano outside of town. At the top, there is yet another collection of endless steps to climb -- at least 400 though we didn't count, but the view is fantastic and it was peaceful and quiet.
Enough for today. More travelblogging tomorrow. Expect a rant about huge resorts built on formerly serene beaches and criticism of the Disney-like resort experience.
Posted by csageday at March 10, 2005 12:28 AM
Comments
regarding the coconut incident -- it probably didn't help that coconuts are one of the worst diuretics...
Posted by: Joanna at March 11, 2005 06:22 PM