Back From Mex city & Patzcuaro
 

First, thanks to everyone who replied to all my postings and questions before my departure.

I ended up with an entirely different trip than I planned, because I changed my itenerary. Also the experience itself was unexpected, but to me that is part of the hallmark of a good trip. Original itinerary: Mex City- Patzcuaro-San Miguel de Allende. After talking to people in Mex City, realizing there was more I wanted to see there and also determining that SMA was too much, I just did Patzcuaro book-ended by 2 days on each end in Mex City.

Day One: My cab driver with his 30+ years experience deftly avoided 3 spinouts in front of us due to the rain and during the 1 1/2 hr drive thru traffic we had a wonderful conversation that gave me a chance to really stretch my legs in Spanish. I was relieved that he knew my hotel El Catedral, and when I entered the lobby I was knocked out by how nice it was for the modest price and how welcoming the staff was. They did not have record of my reservation confirmation, so I had to show them my email printout and they gave me a lovely room. I will post my review of it there. Sat night I went to Cafe Tacuba and had a plate called Cuatro Cositas, 4 little things, a chicken taco a tamale an enchillada and rice and beans. The chicken taco was beautifully baked white chicken in a paper thin wrapper, more like a spring roll, a tamale that had a hearty corn texture around flavorful meat, and an enchilada in a creamy sauce that absolutely melted in your mouth - a little hard to translate into Spanish!, & 2 bottles of Sol (yes I prefer the lighter colored beers).
Day 2: Sunday, I was feeling sluggish and was afraid of inertia, the biggest enemy of traveling solo. So I booked a day tour of The 3 Cultures and the pyramids. Actually my plan had been to see Tula and Teotihuacan, but somehow I didn't see that day trip. However I ended up in a group of 10, everyone spoke at least 2 languages we had 2 people each from Alaska, Italy, she she spoke an amazing 4+ languages fluently and beautifully), Paris, and Australia, myself and a documentary maker from Madrid here doing a feature on the train system servicing the Mexican countryside. Conversation flowed, the local guides were very knowledgeable and funny. There was one stop that was too touristy for my taste and the vendors in the "Artisan Collective" shop pushed hard, but the rather generous tequila sample took tha edge off my annoyance. The cactus uses demonstration including paper thread, and how it is dyed with flower blossoms was great and not as stilted as a description may make it sound.

Then we got to the pyramids. The local guides provided us with as much information as they had gleaned over the years, and left us to explore. The Temple of the Moon only gave access to the first platform, and was quite steep, so I headed over to the Temple of the Sun, and got in a long line, which moved in about 20 minutes. I was surprised that the assent and trip down really did not take that long, at the top, I met the couple from Australia, and documentary maker friend got very serious about taking a few photos for me to prove I was there and they all cheered me because they knew I had just finished knee therapy 2 weeks before this trip, and of course I congratulated them on making it "arriba" as the Mexicans succinctly refer to getting tot he very top of any climb. Going down was the hard part, and we all took our time, in phases. Then we all had a nice late lunch, I had chicken breast with squash blossoms. It was good, but had a flavour somewhat like soy sauce.

We got back into the city at 6:00, I just wandered around a mercado and bought some pretty hematite-colored beads. I was leaving for a 5 hour bus ride to Patzcuaro the next morning. More later.

Great! Keep it coming.

nd,
Sorry you missed San Miguel de Allende: my house is truly arriba al tunel, lol.
Glad you liked Hot El Catedral: would you return?
Squash blossoms are often done tempura-style here.
Hope you saw the mask carvers in Tocauro: just heard that Sr. Juan Orta Castillo (perhaps the finest) died several months ago.
M

Thanks for taking the time to share!

Stewbear- wait I get to Cha Cha Cha next!

Mikemo - no masks for me- they give me nightmares- funnily enough, I passed on seeing the 2nd floor of the Museo in Patzcuaro which featured masks. Tempura! that explains it. I was going to post to buy you a coffee, then I realized I would be trimming my itinerary.
Hopefulist - I like your moniker.
Back later with Day 3 &4.

Day 3: The bus trip to Patzcuaro was not a 5-hour ride, it was 6 ½ hours. The coach bus is big and comfortable, and we started out with some interesting music- selections from Carmen, and a medley of Sail Away and The Flower Duet. Unfortunately, then there were a series of movies that I spent the rest of the time trying to ignore, wondering if the midnight run was quieter and a better option. I got to Patzcuaro and checked into Hotel Los Escudos (the Shields). I had the Cherub room, which was just off an internal tiled courtyard, with a big bed with a massive carved headboard, wall murals and a modern tiled bathroom. The only thing was it had no windows to outside light, and the bed was very hard. The staff was really nice and helpful. I had about 1 ½ hours of daylight, so I went to the Basilica, stopping at a few boutiques along the way. I had dinner at Cha Cha Cha.There is a room with four tables inside, decorated with lovely blown glass vases and platters, and pottery.I was startled when I pulled out the chair and there was a big gray cat. I yelped and people laughed when I said – No se mueve, because the cat did not stir one bit. Cornish game hen and Mexican-style vegetables. A huge platter which I immediately cut it in half and had it packed to go for a snack the night shift at the hotel. I treated myself to a Margarita (no ice!). Dinner was good, if an odd choice by me from a Mexican menu. Very attentive but extremely slow service. I had my heart set on a traditional flan dessert, but apparently when the hotel had called and reserved the table, they told them it was my birthday, and so they brought out a very hard flavorless and completely inedible rectangle of chocolate cake with some kind of fruit syrup on it, I am guessing guava. I took a second bite to be polite. Since the service there is so incredibly slow, I didn’t get out until after 10:30, so I couldn’t order something somewhere else. After a lovely stroll back to Plaza Vasco, I sat outside for a bit and then turned in by midnight.
Day 4: I had a nice breakfast of steamed milk and a platter of huevos con jamon and a tall glass of fresh squeezed orange juice. Then I took my pastels, charcoal and sketchpad and sat in the plaza on one of those big comfortable benches and sketched the fountain, statue of Vasco and eventually a class taking an outdoor history lesson. People occasionally stopped to look, but as I have virtually no talent, they moved on pretty quickly. Even my favorite hotel desk clerk said, 4 hours? Really? But I enjoyed myself immensely, the stillness of sitting, working with the colors and form and trying to convey a look of humility sadness and purpose in Vasco’s eyes. I went over to El Patio for cheese quesadillas and guacamole and limeade mixed with mineral water. I had a long nap and then I walked over to the Basilica and the Mercado for a while and just got an idea of what I wanted to buy. I came back to the plaza, and had an appetizer of 2 mini-bean burritos and a warm coke. After that, I felt much better. Later I had a small nieve. Turned in, read until drowsy. I really had to be exhausted to sleep on that rock-hard bed. I had seen a really pretty hotel with a lobby and lots of fountains, but I got attached to Los Escudos. Tomorrow, Janitzia.

Ninasdream, I'm enjoying your posts. For future, I really think you could have had ice in your margaritas, etc. The vast majority of restaurants use bottled water, etc. and the ice is fine. I think the only area where there might be a concern is with street food, and even then, I've been lucky.

The only time I wasn't lucky was on my last trip to San Cristobal, where we ate in an American owned vegetarian restaurant which prides itself on its organic healthy food (lots of notices about organic this, organic that). Unfortunately I heard later that they don't maintain very high standards for cleanliness! I did get sick after eating there.

Susan thanks for the tip, but I don’t think so. Under the possible topic of too much information, I was on Immodium AD almost the entire trip. Not enough to stop me, but an annoyance. I avoided street food, had only bottled water and no mayonaisa, no ice. It is hard to pinpoint the problem. Possible sources: the fresh squeezed oj, the nieves (made with shaved ice—oops), or the 2x I forgot myself & brushed my teeth with unpurified tap water.

Ok, I never brush my teeth with tap water, and you do have to consider OJ (depending on where you get it) and the nieves. But sometimes people just have bad luck! Your trip sounds great, though!

Don't forget the "salsas": onions are among the first offenders.
Buen provecho.
M

Susan - glad you are enjoying I love to tell the tale.
mikemo- I didn't have much salsa...I was thinking about the cilantro, but onions, huh, ok.

Wait til we get to the last 2 days and I say " the bloddy hell with it!" and start eating street food, with no additional problems. I couldn't resist the aroma of the roasted corn, the hamburguesa, and the hot dogs with hot & sweet peppers and onions at 3 for $1. :)

Si los Mexicanos are lined up for street food, no problema.
Claro, onions are often the source of GI illnesses (simply look at outbreaks in E.E.U.U.).
M

Eso!

I watched the Taco Vendor on the edge of the Mercado & the small plaza cleaning one morning. Wish I had the energy to clean my kitchen so well. Ate is tacos numerous times with no ill effects.
PS My Md & my cardiologist recommend Bictrim "F" ( a sulfa product 12 for about 80 pesos) as a preventive for the revenge. I have never been sick in 25 years of Mexican food & travel.

Sb,
No reasonable internist/infectious disease specialist prescribes antibiotics for any yet unaquired and undiagnosed disease.
I rather think in today's medical legal climate, that would get one sued.
I speak as a former medical expert witness.
M (MD. NBME; ABIM; ABNM; ABR)

stewbear- I have a very hearty constitution. But on this trip I also took motion sickness tablets for the first time in abt. 10 years. Within 12 hours after leaving Mexico, from the plane to my home, I was 100% again. That's all.

Day 5: Janitzio.
Today's word: humectante. This apparently does not mean hair conditioner, it means (body) lotion. But at least I didn't have to worry about my hair blowing around on the ferry or on my island jaunt.

I had my favorite breakfast at Cafe Escudos and caught a cab to the dock. I had planned to see Yumuen, but it was a 3-4 hour ferry ride around all 4 islands, and I couldn't seem to understand where you stop to get off. So, I decided to go to the purportedly very touristy Janitzio so I could have ferry ride and walking.

On the ferry there were various vendors, and then a group of 4 musicians, a cello 2 accordians and a guitar and great voices. Two men whooped in that quintessential Mexican style and everyone sang or clapped. I hate to say that I recognized the music from mexican tv, but I smiled at the familiar sounds, and how much music was a part of everyone's daily life on that ferry. I gave los musicos all my change. At the window, another woman and I manuevered around each other snapping photos, chatted and ended up next to each other when we exited the boat. She asked me if I was one my own, and would I like to join her family for the day. Are you going to walk to the top? There is a giant monument on the top with mural painted on the inside of the statue telling the entire sorty of the struggle. Yes, we are. It was the woman, a little younger than myself, and her husband who live in Virginia, the father and mother and the brother. The father and brother were the 2 men I saw calling out and singing along on the ferry. No one spoke much English, and we climbed little by little, chatting, laughing asking about each other. I could hardly believe we made it to the top.

Drink of the day: a Michoacan- a beer with salsa and lime juice. My new friends bought me one before we began the walk baja. I liked it and boy, after you drink one, you aren't tired or hungry or hot or nothin'! More tomorrow.

Mikemo I was not recommending others to do as I do with Bictrim only telling what my doctors recommended for me (Considering My Medical Condition). We are all unique so I do not give medical advise to anyone. Both Doctors are not only familiar with me but also with Mexican travel as both have homes here in Mexico.

Stewbear- I know that I always feel the need to clarify that I am not giving medical advice.

My mexican family and I had dinner together and and exchanged addresses and parted company. What a lovely day! Later I take a walk and have a nieve - uva- which is like our rum raison. I only have part as itis very sweet, and then I try to explain "brain freeze" to my fave hotel front desk person. I do some writing and sketching at a cafe table that remains well-lit until after 10. A nice gentleman from Ft. Worth Texas stops by fo ra while to chat. I see him and his party in passing a few times and wave.

Day 6 _ I have a relaxing morning. As I am walking toward the Basilica, A man in a pick-up truck mimes writing and I think he is asking for directions. As he draws closer, he asks, "How is the painting going?" I say Casi finito, almost finished I met he and his young daughter in the plaza when I was working with my pastels. She wouldn't tell me her name, so I called her Senorita Bonita sonrisa which made her laugh. Ho-la Bonita I call into the back seat of the car and say hello to the other people in the car, and as they pull away I cross the street and say hello to my friend from the front desk at the Museo. What fun! I do not expect to run into someone I've met like I am in my own hometown. I see a coral necklace and other trinkets I want but I need to go stand in that line at the bank. My ATM card was not accepted. It was about 45 minutes. I have a relaxing day and spend the afternoon at the museum. Some items there are enchanting. All the desciptions are in English, as are the guides brief room tours. I skip the 2nd floor with the masks. I enjoy a glass case of wax figures in victorian dress playing cards. I don't know why I liked it, but I did. I also enjoyed all the bird-shaped vessels. I went back to the room for a nap, put on something flowing and went over to El Primer Piso at the corner of the plaza where at a balcony table I had hands-down the best meal of my trip.

At the mueum in Patzcuaro, that should be all descriptions and presentations by the live guides are in Spanish only!

Ss, if you go to Patzcuaro, I highly recommend a meal at El Primer Piso. I was tired and not very hungry, but had been practically dreaming of the pear salad mentioned in Fodors guide.

Sections of pear topped with creamy goat cheese, barely detectable fresh peach, a creamy dressing and chopped greens, all placed around a small heap of watercress with wwalnut bits, at once so light and so rich. I actually had to put it aside part-way and ask them to bring my tarasco, black bean soup. Leaving the tortilla strips aside, I savored rich spoonfuls of the spicy bean soup and gooey cheese. Then I returned to my pear salad. I had ordered a Chilean white which was sweet and clean, the perfect match. I usually drink chilean reds which are very peppery, so this was a nice change.
Service was bland, no chatting. I didn't see all the hanging artwork I'd read about, but there were sayings written on the wall - <<El secreto de una larga vida es ajos, lo dificil es guardarloun secreto>>. The secret to a long life is garlilc, the difficulty is to keep it a secret.
The restaurant lost some cool points by playing an instrumental music selection, including "The Hustle". I should have gone back another night, maybe for the beef medallions in sherry, instead of being lazy & getting a poor cafe supper. Fireworks began in the Plaza as I was finishing my wine. I was told it was for the annniversary of the birthday of the Queen of Spain when I stopped to ask a woman walking in the plaza. Hmm.