Our plan had been to visit Uruapan, the “Avocado Capital of the World”, and we did drive through miles of lush avocado plantations to the town. When we got to our intended camping spot, the owner told us there was a private fiesta happening that evening.  We were welcome to stay but it would be muy ruidoso (very noisy).  He told us there was a campsite in Patzcuaro, which is where we had planned on going next anyway, and that it was only 20 minutes away, so we headed for Patzcuaro with the idea of returning the following morning to walk around Uruapan .

The drive to Patzcuaro, however, took much longer than 20 minutes, more like 60 minutes and the traffic was intense, so we quickly decided that Uruapan would not get a return visit.  We need to leave something for the next trip, right?

We got set up in a nice campsite in Patzcuaro and headed out with the dog for a walk to the historic centre.  The town was founded in the 1320’s and was once the capital of Michoacan state.  Old colonial churches and buildings were everywhere.

The main plaza in town was being decorated for Christmas.  The entire park was part of a large nativity scene in the making.  We have seen a few times now that elephants are included in nativity scenes here, usually located near to the three wise men.

I think Luca asked us to find an elephant on this trip, we couldn’t promise much but here he is! Still looking for Ava’s penguins.

Patzcuaro felt different to us from other pueblos we have walked around in…maybe not as friendly?  Not sure.  There were also a lot of Mexican tourists on the street the day we were wandering about, so maybe that is what made it feel different to us….perhaps the tourists are not quite as compelled to respond to a Buenos Dias as locals.  That being said, we chatted with several people throughout the day, many stopping to ask if they could pet Piper.  Usually they begin with “no muerde?”  (She does not bite?), and when we assure them that she is “muy amable” (very friendly), they usually tell us that she is “muy bonito” (very beautiful).  Luckily, Piper’s Spanish remains minimal, so this has not gone to her head.

The next day we took a ferry to the small village of Janitzio, which covers an island in the middle of Lake Patzcuaro.  The ferry ride left from docks surrounded by mats of water plants so thick that it looked like you could walk on them.   A variety of specialized floating equipment was being used to try and keep the plants from taking over completely, but it was a losing battle.

The town of Janitzio is mostly occupied by the Purepecha , indigenous people of the area, and the island is famous for its Day of the Dead celebrations.  We shared the 30 minute ride to the island with school children, residents of the island and a few tourists, even one other gringo!

In the centre of the island is a 130 foot high statue of Jose Maria Morelos, an important figure in the Mexican War of Independence (John, we found your friend Jose but his last name isn’t Cuervo!).  After docking we wandered through the streets to the top of the island, past never ending vendor stalls selling handicrafts and the ever present michelado stands. A michelado is a drink made with beer, lime juice, tomato sauce and spices, served in a glass rimmed with salt and chilli powder.  We see people drinking these all hours of the day, and I just learned that the drink is believed to be a cure for hangovers….possibly the source of one as well?

The streets here reminded us of Namche Bazaar in Nepal.

A narrow staircase wound its way around the inside of the statue.  Murals depicting scenes from the War of Independence covered the walls.

Looking up inside the statue.

Making our way back to the docks. Lots of stairs for the day.

We learned here that the loud bangs we are hearing, randomly, night and day are not canons as we had been told before, but cohetes (rockets).  These are launched by coheteros (a role of distinction given to certain men in the village) in connection with any number of celebrations, and, according to one internet search I did, were originally thought to scare away evil spirits.  Whatever the purpose, we hear several of them every day, every evening, and very early in the morning, and they can be quite loud if they are launched nearby.  We are getting used to them, hardly even reacting…well, by we, I mean Derek and I. Piper is still having distress from the noise.  Either her demons haven’t been scared off yet, or ours have become callous.