19th Sept 2016
When originally putting together the itinerary for our time in Mexico, I cribbed the routes followed by G Adventures and other tour groups. Although this has been successful and we have been to some great places, as we have settled in to a routine, we have been reminded that organised groups can move at a faster pace than independent travellers.
We had already decided against going further north to Zacatecas as it would make for some long bus trips and would eat into the shrinking time before we need to be in Guatemala. Instead, we cut directly west to Morelia. Today, we are going to take a day trip to nearby Patzcuaro rather than spending a night there as we had originally envisaged. As well as keeping our itinerary on track, this allows us to rehearse getting back to the bus station which we will need to do again tomorrow when loaded with our backpacks.
Once at the bus terminal, it is simple not only go get the tickets for today’s excursion to Patzcuaro but also for tomorrow’s 6hr transfer to Puebla. We’re then able to settle down for the 1 hour ride. Patzcuaro turns out to be a small, sleepy town just west of Morelia – though apparently, it gets very busy around the time of Dia de los Muertos. Once again, it is a matter of getting collectivo ride from the bus station into town.
All the buildings seem to be painted in white above a base of a burnt, brick red. It is quite appealing and characterful, but it really feels like we have stepped back in time – a feeling reinforced by the wooden shelves and bright tablecloths in the café we stop in.
There are sights to be seen in town, but other than orientating ourselves we leave those for later. Our priority is to get out to nearby Lake Patzcuaro for no particular reason other than that a boat trip to the nearby island of Janitzio appeals to us (and the island has a giant statue of Morelos – see yesterday – on it). So we hail another collectivo – with a check of “lago?” – and it is out to the jetty on the lake shore.
Once there, it is easy to spot the boats taking folk (almost all Mexicans, whether tourists or locals) out to the island. The fare is MXN$55 and we’re pleasantly surprised to find that this is the return fare. The next boat to go is pointed out to us and a few minutes later the skipper decides that it is full enough and heads off (after false start and return to pick up a few more passengers).
I’m reminded of our trip out on to Lake Titicaca – not just the altitude (though at a mere 2,000m we are nowhere near as high as Titicaca) but more the scenery with the channel out to the lake through reeds and water plants and the fishermen in their tiny boats. The crossing takes less than half an hour and as we approach Isla Janitizio we pass close by a cluster of fishermen. I’m puzzled why we come to a stop until a couple of them paddle over and, one on each side, they work their way down the boat with cap extended for tips / change.
On the island, the only way is up – along a winding path that threads its way past stalls selling brightly coloured souvenirs. Of more interest to us than the tat are the stalls where small fish (think whitebait) are being deep-fried in what look like upturned steel sombreros. We pick the most wizened woman we can find and get a portion freshly fried for us. A good squeeze of lime over the fish is fine, but we say no to the chilli sauce and the end result is absolutely delicious.
After that, it is onwards and upwards to the statue – with a short pause to admire the view back out over the lake from its base, we head inside and climb up. Fittingly, for a statue of Morelos, the interior is a series of painted panels depicting key scenes from his life (which we now have a broad understanding courtesy of yesterday’s museum). The story unfolds as we climb the spiral around the interior walls – at least the ending wasn’t a surprise to us! The final climb is up a tight staircase (beside a sign asking you not to spend more than 45s at the top) and we emerge in a viewing platform in the wrist of his raised arm. The views are spectacular.
By this point, we reckon that we deserve a beer and so pause at a restaurant half way down the hill before making our way back down to the boat and then retrace our steps into town. We now have a little time to see the sights in town that we skipped earlier, and so we mooch around the Plaza Grande surrounded by hotels and restaurants; the Plaza Chica with its statue of Gertrudis (another Independence heroine); and the Basilica de Nuestra Senora de la Salud.
Then, still having a little more time, we explore the local market which we initially think is just a single narrow alley but, like the Tardis, turns out to be a lot bigger on the inside with a grid of stalls selling the usual mix of things – and I start to contemplate whether I should get a cowboy hat. Again this is all very much for locals – you hear very little other than Spanish being spoken and it is a long time since we have heard any British voices.
We’re still a little early back at the bus station for the trip back to Morelia. Its a shame that we can’t get the bus to go any sooner as we are well behind with our chores and it is getting on for 7pm by the time we get back to the hotel. There is still more to be done today too as we need to cross off the remaining items on our Morelia to-do list before our departure tomorrow. Top of the list is some better shots of the cathedral – both of the interior and then of the exterior as the lights come on at sunset.
We’ve now worked out that the best place to get the shots we want is from the diagonally opposite corner of the Plaza from our hotel and so we head off as the sun starts to set. Initially, we are worried as only one of the two bell towers is illuminated, but a few minutes later, the lights come on and, juggling camera settings to keep the pictures sharp, we get the photograph that we wanted. We have seen some beautiful cathedrals in our various travels but this one is right at the top of our list – I suppose, that it should be too given that it took a little over 100 years to build.
Then, finally, we allow ourselves to go off and get some supper. The streets are definitely less busy now than they were over the weekend but even so, there are enough people wandering around to mean that you need to pay attention on the pavement. So, we are surprised when, once again, we get to the restaurant we were aiming for only to find that we are the only people dining. We really don’t understand why these good restaurants serving good food are so empty.
Over our Mole (no, not that sort – a sauce of chocolate & chilli) and Enchiladas we contemplate our day. We did have the option of taking an organised tour to Patzcuaro and this would have had the advantage of stopping at some additional local markets and of not needing all of the bus to collectivo transfers. However, it would have cost around 3 times as much (albeit still pretty cheap) and it is unlikely we’d have had the chance to get out to Isla Janitzio. So, although we are tired, we’re very happy with our day trip.
