Buenos dias!
Roads in Mexico are never dull,
what with wildlife, hairpin turns and kamikaze bus drivers, but to ensure our
endless amusement, they post odd road signs every couple of miles.
Some examples, translated: Your family and You come First; Obey the Signs;
Don't Maltreat the Signs; Diminish Your Velocity; Retard your Velocity; Respect
the Signs; Mini-supermarket; and used car parts are called Yonke. And
here is a little contest for you creative readers: A common road sign
is "Vibradores" - guess what it means, and where and why it is beside the road!
I will publish your suggestions (anonymously, if you request) in my next installment.
Leaving the Michoacan coast, the
road twisted yet again through the Sierra Madre range. This was dramatic
and lovely country, but required considerable concentration to navigate.
We saw several accidents, probably caused by some lunatic passing on a corner,
if you ask me! Little mountain villages dot the area, with farm fields
straddling impossible cliffs and arroyos. Gives side hill cows a whole
new meaning - we saw cows grazing on mountainsides so steep I would be afraid
to climb them without a rope! Once we rounded a corner to find a little
girl holding a rope strung across the road with a red shirt tied to it.
We stopped and she spoke to us. Since we had no idea what she wanted,
we gave her some pesos. She kept on talking, but she did lower the rope
and allow us to pass!
We stopped at a lovely and ancient
town, about the size of Montpelier VT, on Route 14 north of Uruapa.
Streets were cobblestone, and flowers grew within enticing courtyards. Orange,
lime and avacado orchards filled the surrounding valleys. We asked at a neighborhood grocery, and learned
that the town had no hotel, guest house, or place for tourists to stay.
We drove on and found a hotel in the old section of Patzquaro with
beautiful gardens within the requisite courtyard. The plaza was nearby,
so we feasted on street tacos at the large evening market for supper.
Patzquarro sits next to a sizable
lake with an island in the middle. A colorful Indian village climbs the
steep sides of the island. We drove around the area trying to get to a
couple of villages we could see next to the lake, but could not find a road
leading to either. We did find a place where water taxis take tourists
to the island village, though. We naturally hopped on one, and spent
an enjoyable few hours on the lake and exploring the village. These
are Huaruru Indians, I think, and the tiny women dress in bright embroidered
outfits somewhat similar to the Tarahumara we saw in Creel. The island
boasts a huge statue right on top, which looks like an overweight Statue of
Liberty. The street leading up to it is lined with little shops, in which
residents sell native handicrafts and imported junk. We climbed to the
top of the statue. (Well, Isaac and I stopped at the head, feeling dizzy
with the height and precarious nature of the staircase further up. Undaunted,
Steve climbed to the raised hand to take photos.) We lunched in a rooftop
restaurant overlooking the village and the lake beyond. A little boy approached
us to change American money, as there is no bank on the island. Some tourist
must have given him the dollar and 2 quarters for pesos.
We met some gringos on the return
boat trip who were staying in nearby Morelia, and highly recommended it.
We did go there, park and walk around exploring. We found it too large
and urban for our taste, though, and no children were playing in the street.
This has become one of our main requirements for a temporary home - must have
children playing outside! We drove on north, even though it meant pushing
on toward 5:30, which is the time we feel we should have located a place to
sleep for the night. And are we glad we did!
We found a room in the only hotel
in a town called Cuitzeo. Cuitzeo boasts a very active plaza, with constant
markets, music, food stalls, and fiestas. There are three very old (450
years) churches around the plaza. Almost every building in town is painted
red on the bottom and white on top - tradition, we are told.
The Hotel Parthenon is run by a friendly young couple, Juan and Brigit, with
two lovely daughters. Juan's sister, Salud, lives here and helps out as
well. We really connected with these folks, and they with us. We
have learned more Spanish since we arrived here on Dec 9, and they more English,
than in all the time before. They agreed to rent us our hotel room by
the week, and allow us to share their kitchen, while we look for a house to
rent here in Cuitzeo. We have explored the surrounding area some,
early on when we were still deciding if Cuitzeo was the right place for us.
North of here is Moroleon, a major
clothing manufacturing and marketing center. There we found an internet
cafe, and directions to a village closer to Cuitzeo, with internet access, called
Huandacareo. The road to Huandacareo went through two tiny villages that
felt like 16th Century England. Ancient stone walls enclosed animals next
to tiny adobe houses. An old man slept in his doorway in the afternoon
sun. Another led a burro, nearly hidden by the bundles of sticks
it carried. Bright laundry fluttered on rooftops. Everyone watched
us pass as though we were from Mars. We liked Huandacareo, and the internet
cafe was great, but the only hotel was in a poor neighborhood and not very nice.
So we came back to Cuitzeo.
We went to Guanajuato, as we have
repeatedly heard that it is a great place to settle, and we sort of had it in
mind. It is indeed a colorful and lovely town, and within two days there
we had found three places we could rent. However, it is again bigger than
we would like, which means it will be more difficult for Isaac to connect with
other kids. A bank machine ate my ATM/credit card, and the bank manager
was a turd about getting it back. Some one stole the propane tank off
the roof of the van on a street in broad daylight, and broke off the antenna.
So we came back to Cuitzeo.
We love it more here every day.
People are very friendly. Few speak any English, and we haven't seen one
other gringo here, so we get to practice our Spanish a lot. Every single
day since we have been here has been active in the village. First
there were ten or so evenings with bands and fireworks in the plaza to celebrate
the Festival of the Virgin of Guadalupe. And now we are into the twelve
days of Christmas. Every evening, we join all the other families in town
in the plaza for candlelight processions, reenactments of various aspects of
the Christmas story, and a brief service in one of the lovely old churches.
Each ends with treats for everyone - usually a bag full of candy, and once a
box of sparklers.
We are developing a comfortable
routine here. We sleep until about 9:00, then have coffee and fresh fruit
on the back deck in the sun. Then Isaac does school work while Steve and
I go out househunting. We stop in various little shops for food for the
day - fresh warm tortillas, roast chicken with pickled vegetables and hot sauce,
fresh fruit. Or whatever. Isaac gets to spend 5 pesos a day in the
video game parlor across the street. We hang out with Juan, Salud and
Brigit. We stroll up to the plaza and listen to music, maybe buy a taco
or hamburquesa.
We bought a tropical plant,
and have decorated it and our room for Christmas. The Mexicans have a
big family celebration on Dec 24, and we have been invited to join Juan and
Brigit and their extended family. There will be a pinata for the kids,
a feast, and lord knows what else. We'll have to let you know!
And the late breaking news - we
have rented a house! It is pretty rustic - just two rooms, a bathroom and
a courtyard. But it is only US $72 a month. We are going
to buy furniture, and set up a kitchen in the bigger room. Set up dishwashing
in the courtyard, which also has water going to it. We are really looking
forward to filling the courtyard with flowers and shrubs (very cheap here!)
and settling into a home again! And just in time for Christmas, too!
Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday season,
Sarah, Steve and Isaac
Sarah Gallagher
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