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I Wish I Could Be In Patzcuaro Dec 12

MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Explorer
With my family.

The castillo with the final act of the crown blazing in glory soaring straight up.

The flowers and excitement. Children running around shrieking with joy.

Until they witness the devotion most Mexicanos have for the Virgin of Guadalupe, it's hard to explain to most outsiders. She's a lifeline anchor of hope to tens of millions.

And outside your window a seeming audio representation of WW III proves it, all the way 'till dawn.
17 REPLIES 17

Belgique
Explorer
Explorer
We loved Rancho la Mesa in 2016. Maybe our favorite place on that trip. Beautiful views. The restaurant was fantastic. Getting in/out in a 35' motorhome was an experience but not a biggie. Don't know how it is now. By car it was easy using the main highway or through town.
Hickory, NC
2007 Fleetwood Discovery 40X

MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Explorer
Sorry to neglect. Fingers wore out.
Be careful at Villas Patzcuaro about crossing the highway to thumb a taxi. Dangerous. The little annex at the park is great if you can summon lena, firewood for the chimenea fireplace.

WOOL! Cross the highway there is a row of shops. Make a right turn and walk to the last shop. Regional knitted wool shirts, blankets throw rugs, caps.

Catch rides back to park at corner of Plaza Bocanegra.

Talleyho69
Moderator
Moderator
You neglected to mention that Hotel Villa Patzcuaro has a nice RV park. It is before you get to the Best Western Posada de Don Vasco on the other side of the street. Very nice facility.

There is also another park on the opposite side of town on the way to Santa Clara del Cobre. It's called Rancho la Mesa. We have not stayed there, but have heard good things about it.

Unfortunately, El Pozo is no longer.

MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Explorer
MORE Patzcuaro (some hints)

There are TWO plazas in town. The smaller of the two is called BOCANEGRA and it's main attraction beside lovely people watching is the sprawling open air market.

Plaza Don Vasco is much larger and 2 blocks deeper into town. Without question there are more inside and outside dining restaurants surrounding the larger Plaza.

For excellent whole bean coffee go to the larger plaza, from the smaller plaza follow the one way street deeper into town. Keep going when you reach Plaza Don Vasco. About halfway into the block you will see a tienda with exotic knick knacks and a rich coffee aroma issuing forth. Of course it will be on your right the plaza will be on the left. The price per kilo is very fair.

Back up to the smaller of the two plazas, Bocanegra

Thread your way through the open market. It's a maze. On the other side, perhaps 100 meters in a straight line the end of the market happens at a small street the boundary. There will be a lot of mid size trucks on the street.

This is where you can find in season, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and blueberries. Plus huckleberries and a few others.

STRAWBERRIES Fresas
BLACKBERRIES Zarzamoras
RASPBERRIES Frambuesas
BLUEBERRIES Moras Azules

You'll have to ask. They know me as a "big player (haha)" because on my last day of a visit, I purchase 20-30 kilograms of various berries and six hours later they are in my home. I lay them out so the ride does not turn them to mush. Obviously in an RV your purchase will be much less. This fits perfectly with six kilos of cafe. My house is "freezer city" with four Torrey 6' freezers and one 24' CF Viking refrigerator freezer.

After exiting Mex 14 (the highway to Morelia), about two miles toward the docks and Patzcuaro, look for a gasolinera on the left side of the 2-lane road. Turn into the gasolinera. There sits an independent restaurant alongside. This is our favorite restaurant in all of Patzcuaro because it is truly Mexican, and loaded with customers who demand "real" food. The salsas are spicy and the menu is large and inexpensive.

MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Explorer
The dance is at the Posada de Don Vasco, who became one of my chief heros in all of Mexico. The hotel is on the right side on the main bule between the docks serving Janitzio Island the the town.

Although the food isn't budget, it's quite possibly at the top of the regional heap. In winter, eat in the first dining area immediately upon entering. The staff maintains a blazing fire in the fireplace and it is recommended the wearing of wool and a coat for the open sky dance.

The dance is in the evening and cocktails during the performance won't cool-off like food would.

The stage is round and behind it the musicians play their instruments.

I have been seated next to the stage three times when an indigenous young man lost his footing and fell. The last time was atop my table. Another reason not to have food on the table. Thankfully none of the three was injured, they remounted the stage and continued with the performance.

This diversion gets a solid TEN in my book.

I must also point out that the island Janitzio is an extremely steep cone at 7,000 feet elevation. Even fit youngsters return to the dock winded and tired. Beware if you are aged or have cardio-respiratory issues.

daveB110
Explorer
Explorer
Mex, a wonderful story!
We visited twice, in sucessive years. Saw the Old Men do their dance in the square, with plywood accentuating their movement, and again, in the hotel we stayed in, both years with the same room and the same desk and bellman present. We ate in the same restaurant, went in and looked for our old table... and saw a group sitting there already = but from our home town! We joined them for the latest news from home. We observed the parade and outdoor activities of November 12th in the small town of El Rebelsito, Jalisco.It included rockets that exploded loudly above us, but the young ones in elaborate and colourful attire, were amazing. Another nice trip away from the beach, another great memory of Mexico.

Naio
Explorer
Explorer
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

Such a wonderful antidote to the bad hombres rhetoric!
3/4 timing in a DIY van conversion. Backroads, mountains, boondocking, sometimes big cities for a change of pace.

MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Explorer
I had guests at the hotel who left and said they would return. But not until the transmission on their camper truck burned out, the army dropped off a couple of soldiers to watch over them, They were towed thirty miles to a shop and were isolated for longer than a week living in their camper at a mechanic's shop.

They then were invited to a wedding and treated like the guests of honor. Local women would not allow the misses to cook saying it would be barbaric to cook in such a small house. They were invited every evening into a different home to spend time with the family. They were shown the local hot springs balneario not shown on any map, a hidden cave with stalagmites and stalactites, petted tame deer.

"When we were finally fixed up the thought of leaving had tears rolling down my cheeks" she said "and the two soldiers wolfed down egg and tuna sandwiches like there was no tomorrow",

Naio
Explorer
Explorer
Awww...! I can feel the love you have for the place and your family, in your writing.
3/4 timing in a DIY van conversion. Backroads, mountains, boondocking, sometimes big cities for a change of pace.

MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Explorer
At dawn is when I fill my coffee cup and wander outside to visit garden and orchard. Being a schoolday the girls won't show up

A banana, then a cantaloupe, a bag of Patzcuaro blueberries from the freezer. Pineapple? No too acidic. I cut the fruit up and put it into a blender. Slice a bolillo lengthwise butter it then add highly garlicky parmesan cheese. Into the toaster oven for nine minutes.

The select single finca Chiapas coffee soon has my foot tapping. Then the licuado of fruit which had been chilled by adding ice cubes. The bolillo was crispy and the garlic bites deep into the sweet fruitiness.

"CAWK A DOOODLE DOO !!!!!!!" roars Foghorn Leghorn

He and the hens want out. So I grab a bowl and head for the pen. I can count on five or six eggs but I am careful to put an x on those I must leave behind so the hen will not abandon her nest.

I stare out over the ocean. Distant cumulus clouds line the horizon.

Just another day in paradise.

MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Explorer
And a daughter sitting next to me giving me the evil eye. Jesus and I exchanging glances. I let out a low moan. "Well, his columna has finally given out" explains Jesus. "I'll help him home into bed".

The instant services are over, Brenda does the 200 meter sprint crashing into my door. I am in bed (no deathwish), Jesus sitting at the computer. I feebly explain I was Baptized Episcopalian remember?

In fact I understood not one word of the Padre's Drone.

And I am thinking Tourists Miss All This.

MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Explorer
Church pews designed by Josef Mengele.

Concrete sepulcher designed so a word spoken once can be heard four or give times.

Doors and windows cleverly designed to be oriented cross-wind.

Ladies flapping fans making for a great bat cave audio.

Talleyho69
Moderator
Moderator
Our low today, actually last night, was 77 degrees F. Long pants would be torture. No meat? No big deal. It's the clothes that would be the killer at least for us.

MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Explorer
Tomorrow long pants and shirt sleeves no sandals. Send a selfie for Brenda to confirm. No meat. It's chilly so the first part will be easy. A nice soup perhaps to agree with part 2?