Surviving La Vida Buena

Something Old, Something New: Hotel Refugio Agustino

2011-11-01T04:21:00.000-06:00

Morelia's Centro has many hotels, but there seems to be a sort of magnetic convergence of older and newer ones in and near Av. Galeana, Allende, Aldama and Abasolo.

One of the most recently inaugurated is the Hotel Refugio Agustino, at Calle Aldama # 272, just off Ave. Abasolo.
It's bounded by Málaga, a juice bar, to the east and a Happy Go convenience store to the west. The o.k. Tako Tako Taquería is across the street.

Patio lobby area

Banessa greets you with a smile

The following review is about Suite # 7, which rented for $550 pesos during the Day of the Dead period, normally about $50 pesos less. Standard rooms rent normally for $450 pesos, making this a good value, considering the quality of the furnishings.

The Hotel is a converted charming Spanish Colonial building with seven rooms. It’s very nice with few deficiencies. There are modest but charming Colonial decor touches throughout: wooden beams, brick ceilings, walls of cantera stone, brick arches. All in good taste, without being overwhelming. Our room was a suite consisting of an ample bedroom with a king bed, a very long, well constructed dresser about 3 meters in length, with mirror, better than average lighting and ample wall switches and outlets; a small kitchenette area with a stainless steel sink and drainboard, a microwave oven and a small cupboard; a tiny breakfast table and kitchen stools.

foyer of Suite # 7

There’s no refrigerator nor any drinking vessels or dishes, other than a couple of glasses out by the water dispenser in the hall. You’ll have to bring in your own food, as there’s no food service in the hotel. But there are many food establishments nearby.

We had ample closets and storage space, although the closets are peculiar in that the hanger rods are at right angles to the norm.

The bed linens are above average in quality and we slept comfortably. There was some ambient noise through the patio doors, but it wasn’t bad, and after all, noise is almost inescapable in Mexican cities.

The bathroom is small but adequate, with a modern flush toilet and lavabo. There were a couple of minor flaws: the vertical stainless steel inlet pipe of the lavabo was not mounted firmly and wobbles a lot when touched. Another, minor detail is that the towel hook swiveled loosely. Not a big problem though.

The attractive shower, just off from the toilet area, in an unroofed stall. The tiled walls and floor are new and very clean. The hot water took about 1 minute to arrive, but when it did, it was forceful and plentiful. In fact, the shower, along with the comfortable king sized bed are among the highlights of suite #7.

Note that as a retrofit, the bathroom is in a partially unroofed box constructed within the suite. The toilet area is roofed in relation to the rest of the suite, but the shower area is not. There’s also a translucent plastic skylight in the ceiling over the shower and part of the bedroom.

A really nice feature to Suite # 7 is the small, private patio, accessed by attractive wooden sliding doors. There’s a small table and a couple of chairs. It would be a nice place for breakfast or afternoon drinks. (You can also dry your socks and undies out there by draping them over the patio furniture.)

Patio doors looking inward

Bedroom in refection

However, considering the large and uninsulated expanse of the sliding wood and glass doors, I would not want to have this suite in the dead of winter.

The standard rooms are compact but appear adequate. They are arranged for the most part on two levels, a small sitting room below and in at least one, low ceilinged, bedroom loft, up a set of short, broad wooden stairs.

When I stopped by in August for a quick look at the hotel, the low ceilinged upper level was a little stuffy. I would not choose a room that faced the street, because of the noise. There's at least one other suite on the upper floor, which overlooks the lobby, with a Queen bed. Price is the same.

The most serious flaw in an otherwise lovely small hotel was the temporary (?) lack of Internet connectivity. Wireless Internet is advertised as being available in the lobby area. However, when I was given the password and I tried to enter it in my mobile device, it wouldn’t connect. After some time, Banessa ("with a B"), the friendly receptionist, told me that the router was broken, in fact, “burned out”. I was lucky to have access to Wifi at our friend Rosa's Casona Rosa, 2 1/2 blocks away, but it was nevertheless an inconvenience, and not available to everyone.

Here are some informal ratings:

Comfort: ****

Service: ****

Price per room: $$$$+ ($= $100 pesos)

Cleanliness: outstanding

Quiet: Our room, in the interior, was fairly quiet.

Contact:

Tel: (443) 274 9224

Email: refugioagustino@hotmail.com

Website: Click here.
Location:

Calle Aldama # 272, Centro Histórico, Morelia, Michoacán, México

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The Phoney War

2011-10-09T05:55:00.002-05:00

Until we moved to Mexico in September, 2005, we were unfamiliar with the workings of cell phones. We had to buy one, as there were no land lines reaching the remote outposts that have bookended our home life here. Only the large house down by the railroad tracks, which we house sat for 4 1/2 months, had a landline phone.

There are many Telcel tiendas in Pátzcuaro, about one on every block in Centro, and on every other corner. What criteria to use in selecting the best shop?
We guys might as well choose by which has the most attractive young women who almost inevitably run these stores.

Not your usual, everyday Telcel salesgirls

Our first phone was an inexpensive Nokia, no camera, no MP3 player, just a phone. It did have a flashlight which seemed to have volition to turn on at unexpected moments. (No photo available.)

The user interface was cryptic, but with exploration, we were able to gain a basic knowledge of the workings.

A second phone was needed when we moved out here to The Sticks. How else could we communicate over distance when one of us was in the house and the other was away?

I purchased a second Nokia. The relatively simple model had been superseded by a somewhat snazzier one. It looked cooler with its central cursor key, but the interface was actually more recondite. But that one suffered a fall, and though he crystal was replaced after an agonizing, 6 weeks wait, after which I eventually took it to a different store for repair, the phone was never the same as before. For one, the screen lost its backlighting. The interface remained inscrutable and prone to rebellion as settings changed on their own, calls were made without my involvement, and overall, it was a Piece of Crap.

A few weeks ago, I decided that I couldn't stand it any longer, so I shopped for a new phone.

I chose a Telcel tienda which I knew would be really good, because A—a, the young woman in charge, is very attractive. Sorry. No photo.

Eventually, with her help, I chose a coolly elegant LG model with a flip cover, a mini window in the cover to see time and date and other activity, a camera, a very nice compact design, and it only cost me $999 pesos. The Nokias had run about $480 back in the day.

I was delighted for the moment. A little later, I discovered a few shortcomings. The charging port is a mini-USB port with a skinny, hard to open cover. We have had to use a jeweler's screwdriver to open it.

The operating instructions are only in Spanish, on a single sheet of paper, unlike the extended, bilingual User Manual that came with the Nokias. (yet inscrutably recondite.)

The LG came with only one, obnoxious rock and roll song ringtone installed, but of course, the user can add more. We'll get to that.

The camera is easy to use, but I still haven't been able to access the files on my computer. We'll get to that.

O.k. Lets get to it. To transfer files between phone and computer requires that the back of the phone be slid off, and a tiny pinkie fingernail sized SD card be slid out. The phone kit comes with a regular sized SD into which you slide the mini SD card. The ensemble slides into your card reader. A volume (disk image) shows up on the Mac's desktop. Inside are some subfolders, some of which seem to relate to what you can view on the phone screen, after clever navigation through the shoals. Others seem to have no relation.

I won't describe the entire, tedious process of creating a ring tone, then dragging it to a folder, ejecting the disk image, reassembling the phone, finding out that it's turned off, restarting, navigating back to the Profiles screen, selecting the correct setting (a significant achievement in itself) and then only to find that the imported ringtone is an "invalid file". But eventually, I got one to work. However, I may have inadvertently deleted it yesterday.

Although I can see the lousy photos on the phone, I can't locate them when the disk image is mounted on the Mac.
However, this is probably an effort not worth pursuing.

I have one last question: if the LG phone has a mini USB port for charging, why the hell can't you do file transfers via the same cable?

Oh; one more question: where do the get the software designers for such user unfriendly interfaces? Dropouts from software designers' school?

I will admit, though, how cool I feel when I flip the cover open and then snap it shut.

What I really want is an iPhone, but the cost of hardware, and especially, the contract plan rates are way out of my budget. I guess that if we gave up eating out in restaurants so often, I could swing it. That prospect is highly unlikely.

Dream on.

The Green, Green Grass of Home*

2011-09-11T07:26:00.000-05:00

Our usual summer schedule for lawn cutting is about every two weeks. It's normally done by our landlord's father, Mateo, using a "huiter", ie; a weed eater.

This year we were away a total of six weeks, with only 12 days between visits to the U.S. Although Mateo has access to our yard, he and his wife, Chucha were in San Jose, California even longer than we were.

So it was when we returned from the final segment of travel in New Jersey, we found a Bonanza of Lawn Greene (*That was the original title of this post, but I took pity on my readers.) in our yard. It was nearly waist high out back, as the grass is always greener by the septic tank.

That's a trailer, not a septic tank

After nearly a week back home, I went out and located Sr. Candy, who had occasionally cut our grass when Mateo was away. He took a look at the elephant grass out back and told us that his huiter couldn't handle it. But he knew a couple of muchachos, one of whom had a disc cutter huiter. We agreed on a price, and the crew showed up here on Saturday morning.

They went at it with two huiters and a rake, as well as a wheelbarrow. They also removed a tangle of chayote vines from the brick wall at the north side of the house. By 10:30, they had it done, other than the walkways that needed sweeping.

Most of the clippings were deposited outside, at the base of our wall along the street, but they workers also hauled off a truckload with which to feed their cattle.

We paid them, shook hands, and watched as the faded off into the morning sun.

And now, for your further entertainment, here's our title song, as sung by Marty Robbins (I tried to get Merle Haggard, but EMI Publishing had restrictions on it.) Click here to hear Merle sing it, on YouTube. The best one, so far, IMO.

For those who prefer, here's a much younger Joan Baez singing of the GGoH.

Flight to Reality

2011-08-31T13:40:00.000-05:00

"Como una película, excepto estuvo real."
"It was like a movie, except that it was real."
About 2 hours out on our flight, Continental 1736 Newark to México City, the old man with a silver headed cane, who'd been seated across the aisle from me came out of the bathroom with ashen face.

A flight attendant asked him if he was all right, but he didn't reply. The FA asked me if I spoke Spanish (By an amazing coincidence, she was the same FA of a year ago, when we flew 1st class, after attending a wedding at WEst Point.) When I spoke to the man, he didn't answer. Another bilingual FA came out and was able to communicate with him.

The FA went on the PA and asked if there were any medical personnel aboard.

Like in the movies, the slender, good looking middle aged Mexicana seated directly in front of me rose and said, "Soy médica." "I am a doctor."

La Doctora, por Diego Rivera

Doña Cuevas recalls there was an extended pause before the doctora responded, but I don't remember this.

There was a Chasidic Rabbi aboard, but he was not called upon to take a visible role in the drama.

The elderly lady traveling to Mérida, who'd been wheeled to the boarding gate in a wheelchair would undoubtedly miss her connecting flight. We hoped she would be well cared for until put on an onward flight

The doctora and the Flight Attendants attended to the sick man, taking his blood pressure and administering oxygen. They later moved him to the back of the aircraft, I suppose to lessen the stress on other passengers.

Then came an announcement from the Captain that we would be landing at Houston IAH to deplane the sick passenger. All of us would have to remain on the plane, as it was an international flight.

We stayed on the ground at IAH about 40 minutes, to refuel. Then we took off for México City, arriving about an hour late. Fortunately, Immigration was as easy and pleasant as always; our bags arrived on the belt before we did; and the Customs process went smoothly. We got the green light, so all my exotic food imports passed without close inspection.

Army Brand Officer's Pork Loaf

The porter who schlepped our bags was a friendly man who welcomed us to Mexico; the taxi driver also was an affable gentleman.

We ate supper at the Restaurante Covadonga next door to the hotel. It was nothing special but it was very convenient.

Back in the hotel "Master Suite", I filled the Jacuzzi and immersed myself in its bubbling, soothing waters. I was soaking in the odd events of the day.

Last night, we slept soundly, some 11 hours in all. After a hearty breakfast of cafe con leche, fruit and Huevos a la Veracruzana, we walked to Plaza La Villa de Madrid, then back to the hotel for a nap.

La Cd. de México Para Codos

2011-07-30T06:33:00.008-05:00

A fragment of a message washed ashore near here, about cost of living for retired expats in the Morelia and Pátzcuaro areas.

On Jul 28, 2011, at 9:10 PM, on Michoacan_Net, moreliaamigo wrote:

"I would tend to put vacation travel in a different category. The $2,000 peso splurge allowance could allow for a monthly trip to Mexico City, Zihuatanejo, or someplace and cover transportation, hotel, and meals for a short two-day trip."

"MoreliaAmigo" brings up an interesting spin off from the topic of general cost of living. ("Vacation" takes on a new meaning anyway, when you are retired and already Living la Vida Buena in Mexico, but decide you need a change of scene, so you decide, for example, to take a long weekend in Mexico City. —I think of lodging in Zihua as generally higher priced, for similar quality. Besides, I prefer Mexico City to the beach scene.)

My theme will be "Mexico City On a Budget", and I don't mean staying in backpacker's hostels and eating instant oatmeal and reusing teabags for breakfast, and the comida económica at $30 pesos for your main meal, antojitos por la calle at night.

A big chunk of the cost could be transportation. It's a little more for us here in the Pátzcuaro area than it is for our City Cousins in Morelia.

A trick to solving some of the transportation burden is to travel lightly, with just a couple of carry on bags. So equipped, we can catch a local combi (schedule indeterminate) to La Estacíon in Lower Pátzcuaro for $7 pesos each. (Here, "$" refers to Pesos Mexicanos, unless otherwise indicated.)

At La Estacíon, we board a second class Purhépechas bus to Morelia's Camionera Central, $36 each. We can live without an onboard video for the hour or so it takes to get there.

View Larger Map

At the Camionera Central de Morelia, we go to the AutoVías ticket counter, politely flash our INAPAM senior benefits cards, and buy two tickets to México Terminal Poniente; $300 to $310 each, depending on class of service. IMO, the cheaper upper deck is better, but my wife likes the lower, as it is less vertigo inducing.

Food: pack a sandwich and a piece of fruit. The bus line hostess will give you some kind of snack and a choice of water, refresco or a Boing! fruit drink. I like the Boing!

You have just saved the price of a meal.

Upon arrival, you'll also have saved $3 or $4 pesos each by sagely using the baño aboard the bus, or enter the AutoVías waiting room (or, if you have the cojones, boldly stroll into the more spacious ETN waiting room and use their baño).

Stroll past the Taquilla de Boletos Taxis with a slight, knowing smile, grasp your bags closely, cross the busy street (with the light), thread through the tianguis, and descend into Metro Station Observatorio. Buy boletos, $3 each, saving some $80 or more pesos. I have read, from a generally reliable source, that INAPAM card holders can show their credentials and ride for free. But I wouldn't have the chutzpah.

These tickets will open up most of metropolitan México D.F. to you, if should you choose to accept the challenge. But really, yours will be a trip of modest distance, of only 5 stations. It's also easy to find a seat when boarding, as Metro Observatorio is the first stop on Linea Una.

Stay on until Metro Station Insurgentes, ascend to the gladiatorial looking sunken plaza, and exit by way of the short underpass marked "Calle Jalapa". Please note that you will be entering Colonia Roma Norte, a genteel artsy neighborhood, very different in tone from the glitzy, sin drenched Zona Rosa immediately to the north. We will now find decent lodging, at a budget price. It's not far, but here's a map.

(Problems encountered embedding the map to fit this page, but here's a link—Click Me— that should work.)

Immediately upon reaching the Calle Puebla cross street, turn left and walk two blocks, past Calle Orizaba, to the Hotel Embassy, at Calle Puebla # 115, adjacent to the Salon Covadonga. You can't miss it.

This is your habitacíon sencilla, one king bed, a nice sized room, a very nice bathroom, free wifi just off the lobby, at a cost of $300 a night for one or two persons. Mmm; a mirror running along one wall of the bedroom. Use your imagination.

There are other, costlier rooms, which we haven't seen. There's a list of prices here and photos.
Friends seem to like the Hotel Colonia Roma,on Av. Álvaro Obregón at the corner of Jalapa. I've only looked in, and though it's a bit more ~~ventral~~ central to the action, it seems very worn to me. The main attraction is that it's cheap. $200 for a king bed? ¡Increible!

Now for some food. There are cheap eating places on Calle Orizaba at Calle Puebla and north. There's a cheap comida corrida offered at the Punto y Coma restaurant on the corner.

Calle Orizaba at Calle Puebla

Punto y Coma

Continuing on Calle Puebla toward Ave Insurgentes, you'll find a wealth of inexpensive and often attractive street food stalls, as well as an inexpensive, American style coffee shop.
These do not necessarily constitute recommendations.

Or a torta holding a deep fried tamal.

If by some chance you get touched by an intestinal bug, or even simple indigestion, there's a Farmacia de Dios just across Avenida Insurgentes Sur. With a name like that, it must be good.

Pricier eating places are found as close as the Salon Covadonga (which is usually panned for its food and service, but may be fine for a drink and a snack), and south on Orizaba to and through the Plaza Río de Janeiro. There are some pretty uppity restos in the area of Calle Colima, where it crosses Orizaba, notably the la-di-da dining spots in the Hotel Brick. There's also the overpriced Ristorante Rosetta, which I previously reviewed.

Lucille's, on Calle Orizaba at Calle Tabasco is o.k. for a beer and a light pizza.

At Av. Álvaro Obregón at Orizaba is El Diez, a very decent Argentinean style steakhouse. There's also salads, pizzas and hamburgers there. El Diez is a favorite, neither the cheapest nor the most expensive of choices in the area.

The best and by far the cheapest hamburguesas are found at the corner of Calle Colima and Calle Morelia; Hamburguesas a la Parilla. Grilled Hamburgers. Standing room only. You could, I suppose, take your juicy, dripping purchase and refresco Jarritos across the street to the park, but we never have.

For decent, if unspectacular, Mexican family food favorites, there are several restaurants Bisquets Obregón within a few blocks. On weekend mornings, there is often a waiting line. An attraction for codos is that they'll give you a modest discount if you show your INAPAM card when you sit down.

There's more, but I'm not going to detail them here. Look in My Mexican Kitchen's archives for that.

Diversions para codos:

• People watching, especially in the Plaza Río de Janeiro and the Plaza Luis Cabrera. For that matter, just about anywhere in the area.

• Used and new bookstores, many on the south side of Av. Álvaro Obregón.

• The weekend tianguis of odd collectables and more, as well as socks for diabetics and some food. This is always an attraction.

• Walking, enjoying the architecture, much of it French influenced, a legacy of the Porfiriato (esp).

You could even walk to Colonia Condesa, about 15 to 20 minutes away. We did it, and it was very pleasant.

Museums operated bu government agencies are usually free on Sndays. But an INAPAM card will get you discounts any time, except Monday, when many museums are closed.

When you get tired of yuppie haunts, take the Metro to the Centro Histórico. You will probably have to transfer from Linea Una to Linea Dos at the Pino Súarez station. Consult your guidebook for possibilities.

Getting home.

We often splurge on a taxi for our return to Terminal Poniente, in order to avoid the press of crowded weekday morning Metro coaches. But if you leave early enough, or on a weekend, you can manage the Metro. Remember, it's only five stops away from the Insurgentes Metro station.

Getting INAPAM discounted seats may be slightly challenging at times. Sometimes there may be only one discounted seat available. Sometimes none, until a considerably later departure. If, on arrival, you'd thought ahead, you could have bought your discounted return tickets in advance. But we rarely show such foresight.

If AutoVías doesn't have what you want, try ETN or Primera Plus.

Conclusions: can a three day weekend in Mexico City be done for $2000? The buses alone will cost you $600, from Morelia to México and return.

The three hotel nights will be $600 to $900.

Miscellaneous stuff, figure maybe $300.

Food, if you can keep your dining costs at under $50 each per meal, and that's feasible, but unlikely in our case. Total for appproximately 9 @ $50 meals x 2= $900.

Let's ring it up and check out: $1800-2400. I think the higher figure will be more likely, given the many temptations waiting there for the wide eyed visitor.

I was a Volaris Virgin...

2011-07-22T06:52:00.001-05:00

...but no longer. I have a new view of Volaris, a Mexican budget airline. It was a few years ago that I made a reservation with Volaris to speed our return from Oaxaca to Toluca. But at almost the last moment, the airline cancelled the route. [begin sarcasm] I will give them this: the agent offered us a flight at no additional cost, from Oaxaca to to Tijuana and thence back to Toluca. I may not remember clearly, but there may have been a stopover in Monterrey. [/end sarcasm]

I was pissed, especially when I requested a refund, and I was given a complicated list of instructions that involved, among other things, scanning our passports and emailing them. Fortunately for us, a savvy friend suggested that we just contact the credit card company for a refund. That done, we got a charge back within 6 months. Good work on the part of the credit card company, but not on Volaris' part.

This spring, however, I saw a super cheap fare on Volaris, from GDL to SJC. Even with forward seating and trip insurance (given our unfortunate history with Volaris), the fare was $562 USD for two, round trip. That was perfect, as we wanted to attend the quinceañera of the daughter of the folks who own the house that we rent. At the same time, we could visit my in-laws in Campbell, CA, all conveniently situated close to the quinceañera folks, and peripherally, several fascinating dining opportunities.

After a night in the lovely Casa de Las Palomas in Tonalá in which we weathered a ferocious storm, we took a long cab ride to the GDL Airport. There we laced our way back and forth to check in, got documents filled out at Immigration, then back to the check in, where we were allowed to saltar la fila. With only a fast donut break at the in-house Krispy Kreme, we finished our check-in and went for breakfast at Burger King. It was a good Whopper, much better than the one on Calzada La Huerta in Morelia.

We ascended/descended to the Volaris waiting rooms.
It was there that I had my first sighting of the lovely birds,
Aves Illae Volaris Azafatae. (I'm certain my attempts at Latin will be corrected. Bring it on.)

Avis Illa Azafatae Volaris

By their smart uniforms and perky demeanor, it seemed as though they were just done with a remake of Catch Me If You Can. But besides being attractive, they are first rate hostesses. I had no sense of authoritarian or chilly efficiency as we have experienced with some U.S. airlines flight attendants.
(A notable exception was the First Class flight attendant on another airline, who when I requested a pillow, jokingly told me that there were none, but that I might rest my head on her bosom. I am not inventing this.)

The Volaris azafatas distributed snacks* and drinks with smiles and charm. I was entranced. I was also impressed by their snappy tailored uniforms, the precise details of which I cannot describe, due to my deficiency of couturier vocabulary.

The safety video on our return flight was done by cute kids, speaking Spanish, of course, with English subtitles, and for once, was hard to ignore.

Our return flight was at 12:30 PDT and so there were free alcoholic beverages offered by our hostesses. I had a cafecito con ron, and when asked if it was all right, I said I could hardly taste the rum, so they graciously poured more.

We've rarely had such pleasant flights as this, our first with Volaris.

*The one downside, if any, is that the snacks, while varied, are still comida chatarra. (Junk food.)

Mexico should be proud of this fine airline and its excellent staff. They are in partnership with U.S. based Southwest Airlines. I will be looking for more opportunities to fly with Volaris.

Appointment in Tonalá

2011-07-12T10:54:00.003-05:00

There was a merchant in Bagdad who sent his servant tomarket to buy provisions and in a little while the servant came back, whiteand trembling, and said, Master, just now when I was in the marketplaceI was jostled by a woman in the crowd and when I turned I saw it was Deaththat jostled me. She looked at me and made a threatening gesture, now, lend me your horse, and I will ride away from this city and avoidmy fate. I will go to Samarra and there Death will not find me. The merchant lent him his horse, and the servant mounted it, and he dughis spurs in its flanks and as fast as the horse could gallop he went. Then the merchant went down to the marketplace and he saw me standing inthe crowd and he came to me and said, Why did you make a threatening gestureto my servant when you saw him this morning? That was not a threateninggesture, I said, it was only a start of surprise. I was astonishedto see him in Bagdad, for I had an appointment with him tonight in Samarra.

From Appointment In Samarra by John O'Hara

OUR Saturday departure from Pátzcuaro was threatened by the violent events of Thursday afternoon and evening. Los Caballeros Templares gang skirmished with police and the Ejército, hijacking public and private vehicles and setting them aflame. Most of those incidents took place in distant Apatzingán, Uruapan and Morelia.

Photo from quadratin.com.mx

We were worried less about our own safety than about our ability to get to Tonalá, Jalisco, where we had reserved a room at the Casa de Las Palomas, prior to a flight out of GDL on Sunday morning. The bus line companies or the Camionera Central of Morelia had suspended activities until the disturbances were squelched.

Casa de Las Palomas. Hotel photo-cropped

We developed a few contingency plans, but as our departure time grew closer, the bus lines began running again, and we reached our destination in comfort and ease. The hotel is very well arranged and managed, and the room we had ($440 pesos for 1 or 2 persons, king bed, wi-fi, AC and fan; The rooms are arranged around a large, roofed atrium, and broad stone stairways access the various floors.

After a nice dinner at the close by Restaurante El Rincón Del Sol, we went to our second floor room to rest. A couple of hours later, I arose and was thinking of going out to buy some pan dulce for a light breakfast in our room. But when I saw that it had started to rain, I changed my plans.

Instead, I went up to the azotea or roof terrace, in the hope of finding an approved place to smoke a cigar. The owners of the Hotel La Casa de Las Palomas have done an excellent job in developing the rooftop to make it a congenial place for parties. When I topped the stairs, I saw that it was raining harder but I dashed across the open area to the roofed section. Alas, the only smoking area was out in the open.

Terraza in good weather. Hotel photo.

Now the rain was beating alarmingly on the arched translucent room. The wind was picking up, driving rain through the partially open sides of the sheltered party room. The wind screamed and began to hurl pellets of hail against the building. Cascades of water poured off the peaked roof, and despite the drains, began to back up.

Terraza in the storm. Don Cuevas photo

At that point, I decided to take further shelter in one of the small restrooms at the back of the party room. They were solidly roofed and the walls were perforated only by small louvered ventanillas. Only a little wind driven water came though the louvers.

Back of the covered party room. Rest rooms to left.

By this time I'd been up there 35 minutes or more, and I began to think of returning to Doña Cuevas and the hoped for dryness of our room. But as darkness cast its somber cape over the beleaguered city, the storm continued. I twice saw electric lines short out in pyrotechnic showers of sparks. (Just like in the movies.) Sections of the city went dark, and ours followed, but power was quickly restored.

First, I decided to take some photos. With hindsight, I wish I'd taken a video to convey the motion and the roar. After a while, the rain diminished enough that I could seriously consider making a dash across the open area of only about 50 feet.

Crouching to avoid drenching my camera and my iPod Touch, I raced through ankle deep water. At the head of the stairs, I found Norberto, a hotel employee clad in yellow rain slicker, desperately trying to hold back the water. He had rolled up carpets to dam the top- of the stairs. But ni modo (Noah Vail), the waters cascaded down the stairs, forming shallow lagoons at the landing. Then, once more, it spilled to yet lower levels.

Our floor had limited pools of water, and to my relief, our room was dry. My shoes and clothes were soaked, but by some miracle of modern fiber technology, the shirt and pants dried out by morning.

We heard hotel staff labor until at least midnight, clearing up the water. By 6 a.m. we saw only a few damp spots and a small puddle on the wooden dance floor. The cab ride to the airport was dreary but uneventful. Our flight was very pleasant (more on that later.) We arrived in San Jose, CA to beautiful weather.

Others did not get off as lightly as us. Here's a report from El Informador de Jalisco (in Spanish).Las lluvias dejan cinco mil damnificados en Tonalá

We Love Casona Rosa in Morelia

2011-06-29T05:03:00.006-05:00

The Centro of Morelia has many hotels and B & Bs from which to choose. Where to stay depends on one's tastes and budget. We love staying at Casona Rosa.
For several years, we've watched the growth of first, Casa Rosa, and now, of Casona Rosa. They've come a long way from the first two cozy bedrooms and cute but tiny kitchens, formerly located down the street from the present location.

Doña Cuevas and I have been privileged to be guests of Rosa at both the early Casa Rosa and the extensive new Casona. We've also been privileged to meet Sra. Rosa and Sra. María Armenta, whom we count as friends, and Sra. Emily López, the U.S. reservations booking manager.

The Casona is quite unlike impersonal, modern hotels. It's more like staying at the grand house of a slightly eccentric but very creative and hospitable aunt. It's a place into which a lot of passionate energy has been invested. That passion is revealed both in the larger aspects, but especially in the details. The decor stands out because the old casona has been renovated and decorated with Mexican folk art down to the último charming tchotchke.

Tchotchke cabinet

Seldom does anything go unnoticed in order to make your stay more comfortable. An example: during our recent stay in the López suite, the clay water jug on a table had a netting cover over the mouth, weighted by tiny ceramic cups, in order to keep out any flying insects that might venture by. (We saw none, but it was a nice touch.)

There's a full kitchen available for guest's use, and with prior arrangement and a reasonable extra charge, breakfast will be prepared for you. María is famous for her giant burritos.
There's a casual dining room, just off the kitchen, and a slightly more formal one, to the back of the house, graced by this mural by former guest Valda Alsop.

Mural and photo by Val Alsop

Glass dining room table

Most of the suites are within range of the included wifi. There's also a Vonage phone available for guests' use. Donations are requested.
The sunny patio is a center for relaxation and conviviality. You can have breakfast there.

Patio

Another plus is the high level of personalized service. Rose and María will go out of their way to make sure that you get the info you seek, and often will personally accompany guests to local art and crafts stores, restaurants, mercados, or local points of interest. (When free time is available.)

Mercado Niño Santo, a few blocks away

The Casona Rosa taxi driver, Jesús López is a gem. Although we'd met, we hadn't used his professional services until recently. He took us to the Morelia Airport to pick up in-laws, and besides being a good driver through the sometimes insane Morelia traffic, he's outstandingly friendly and an interesting conversationalist on a variety of topics. (In English or Spanish.)

If you do stay in the upstairs López Suite, which faces the Calle Galeana, be aware that there is traffic noise until about 10:00 p.m., and you should bring earplugs. The other suites, toward the back of the house, do not have that problem. Nevertheless, we had little trouble sleeping. The two upper suites warm up during the hotter months, but with the floor fans provided, we were reasonably comfortable. But I'd recommend that you choose a main floor suite toward the middle or back of the house when you book.

The Colonial Suite

Casona Rosa is very well situated, in the heart of the Centro Histórico, just a few minutes from the Plaza d'Armas, Catedral, and a wealth of Spanish Colonial buildings. Stores, restaurants, pharmacies, and restaurants, serving food from delicious hamburgers to creative "author" cuisine, are within a few minutes' walk.

Map of part of Morelia Centro

While Casona Rosa does not have its own parking garage, there are several within a few blocks' distance.

Stays at Casona Rosa are by reservation only. Casona Rosa also offers special rates for long term stays. Contact Rose Calderone or Emily López by email for more information.

Casona Rosa
Calle Galeana 274, Colonia Centro
Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico 58000
443-312-3127 La Casona Mexican landline
http://www.facebook.com/lacasonarosa

Rosa, L, and Doña Cuevas, R, admiring folk art

Five Years on the Rancho

2011-06-28T04:55:00.003-05:00

July 1st marks the fifth anniversary of our renting our house here on the Rancho. September will mark our 6th anniversary in the Pátzcuaro region. Our first house in the area was "ready to wear", a completely furnished 2 bdrm, 1 bath, lvg/dng rm houselet on acres and acres (I should say, "hectareas") of land. It was in a vacation club called Quercus, on the road to Santa Clara de Cobre.

While it was a cute house, the thin, wooden walls were uninsulated and we passed our first winter there, freezing our butts off.

In April, when our 6 month agreement expired, we moved into the grand, rambling, tile encrusted house of an Arkansas expat friend, close at hand to the ferrocarriles of the Tzurumútaro Choo choo. We lived there and cared for it for a little over 4 months. It had a few problems, which I won't go into here.

Our friend's house

Along about June, 2006, we were looking up and down the streets of Pátzcuaro in search of new quarters, as we expected our host to return in late July or August. With the possible exception of a duplex apartment on Gringo Hill, all the houses we looked at were tortuously constructed, some with hazards such as stairs of uneven height, and low concrete beams ready to clobber the head of the careless. There was a skinny shower room installed inside a pillar between the kitchen and the living room. The neighborhood wasn't all that nice, either.

We also visited a country cottage out in a peach orchard. It was even further away and higher altitude than our Quercus cabin, and worst of all, the skinny kitchen was like a utility room. At least the view was great.

Then I met an expat at the Men's Tuesday Breakfast named Mel O'Hara. He suggested that we come out to see the two houses available for rent where he lived. It was 20 minutes out of Pátzcuaro Centro. The Internet, delivered by microwave towers, was sketchy. But one house was passable all right, and the other amazed us. We knew almost immediately that this was it. The house was well built, and the setting was beautiful. The then drab exterior belied the well finished interior.

Our first view of the house

Our house as it is today

Double doors in the entryway

The living room before furnishing

The kitchen was the deal maker

The view; OH the VIEW!

The house has changed over time. Our landlords put up a new, tiled roof, at their own expense, and then when I proposed that we pay to have the house rewired (so that I could run a toaster oven and the microwave oven at once), they paid for 90% of the costs.

The local people have welcomed us. We attend many of their fiestas. We've also been to three funerals. Through these blogs, and through my Picasa web Albums, I've become the photo chronicler of the Rancho. The people who have emigrated to the Other Side (the U.S. border) enjoy seeing local events commemorated on the Web. Next wednesday, we are invited to a Graduation comida. I was asked to please bring my camera.

We have no doubt. This is the place. The right place.

Riding the Nostalgia Train

2011-04-27T08:35:00.001-05:00

We had the good fortune to experience passenger train travel a few times in Mexico before the services ended around 2000. We were on the Chepe Primera Clase (Chihuahua al Pacífico)* run about 3 times. Comfortable and enjoyable; fun companions, cold cerveza and a dining car! (I didn't eat from the dining car but there were enough vendors coming aboard to sell their specialities. A steward came buy at intervals to serve us a pseudo-orange drink I quickly dubbed "Naranjanada".

A highlight was the 20 minute stop at Divisadero mirador, where ladies sold gorditas filled with chcken and other antojitos. You could even see the Barranca del Cobre!

The first train trip was from Cd. Júarez to Chihuahua, and the following year from Cd. Júarez to Zacatecas, a 24 hour trip, Pullman class car, through mostly desolate wasteland. We did make friends with an interesting family. It was fun to explore and deploy the foldout furnishings in our Pullman roomette, but after that, it was nearly unremitting boredom. We stopped for what seemed hours in the middle of nowhere. Maybe we were ahead of schedule.These are probably one reason Zacatecas looked so good, with its cobbled streets, plazas, fountains and the warm glow of the faroles de dragones. (But it is truly a wonderful city.)

Another year saw us take an overnight train from Mexico City to Oaxaca. No Pullman Service. The most exciting part of that was the boarding, with uniformed conductors to show us to our seats. After a semi sleepless night, the dawn revealed that we were in La Cañada, a scenic section of the trip, not long before arriving in Oaxaca. Another fabulous city.

For some benighted motive, we once the overnight train from Mexico City to Monterrey. It was slow, paralytically boring and uncomfortable. No Pullman Service. We slept athwart the wooden arm rests, waking with our legs like logs.

We didn't always take first class trains; an exception was another overnight trip (No Pullman Service) from Tepic, Nayarit to El Sufragio Estacíon, a connecting point to Los Mochis via 2nd class bus. That particular train coach was dark, dingy and foreboding. The restroom was either nonexistant or out of order, but it was fun to whiz off the back platform.

Even riding the First Class coaches on the Chihuahua al Pacífico, taking a wee in the WC posed a threat for the photographers and others standing in the usually fresher air of the vestibule between cars. There was a definite spray factor when the WC was flushed. It was especially noticeable as the train lurched around one of the many curves.

It's fun to look back on those days of train service, the occasional discomforts and slowness fuzzily obscured by time and nostalgia. These days, I prefer the bus. We can even choose which bad movie to watch, or none at all.

(This post was inspired by a post on Michoacán_Net by David Haun, which set off a flurry of train stories.)

A Magic Phrase

2011-04-21T05:54:00.000-05:00

María Dolores was our hostess at a small (2 bedrooms) guesthouse apartment in Madrid in 2002. She was a kind and caring person, but she was very careful who she admitted to her third floor piso. It was in a nondescript building on a very busy one way street, a few blocks south of the Plaza Mayor. She lived with her then 13 year old son, who played games on a Mac. We found a kinship there.

She gave us juice and homemade quick bread. The room and ensuite bath were small but clean and we were glad to find it, especially at €35, back when the dollar was at par with the euro.

When she saw that I was going to go out into the streets with my camera slung over my neck, she also gave me some advice.

The first part was that it was better not to carry valuables in a visible way.

The second piece of advice was that if anyone accosted us or asked a question, just say: “¡NO LO SÉ!” and walk on.

We never had occasion to use the phrase while we were in Madrid, as we had no problems other than be shorted 20 Euros from an ATM on the Puerta del Sol.

Last Sunday, in Mexico City's Colonia Roma, we were walking back to our hotel from a friend’s house. A dodgy looking guy suddenly stepped out and accosted us with the words, “Discúlpe la molestia, Señor...”

María Dolores’ magic phrase awoke from its long slumber.

“¡NO LO SÉ” came out of my mouth unbidden by conscious effort.

He shrank back wordlessly and we walked on.

What Spanish magic does that potent phrase contain, to work in Mexico City as in Madrid?

Cleaning Out the Whatsit?

2011-04-05T05:54:00.000-05:00

Monday, I cleaned out the "Whatsit?" catch-all shelf in our trastero cabinet. We'd bought the two section trastero from a Zirahuen organic ranching couple back in 2006, and it's since served us for clothes drawers, overhead storage space, wine cellar and liquor cabinet, and as a "Whatsit?" catchall compartment.

Doña Cuevas checks the trastero when it moved in

The Whatsit? held a miscellaneous collection of flashlights, candles, mosquito coils, locks, Hallow'een masks and other junk.

Yesterday's big find were the numerous eyeglasses, in their snazzy cases, of which at least two had higher quality frames than the ones we'd gotten in Pátzcuaro. The electric extension cord and surge suppressor went out to the storage boxes in the garage. The goofy looking candle holder, mosquito coils and some other items are going to giveaways. The massive padlock which had originally been the main line of defense at our gate was defective, so we tossed it in the trash.

It was a productive and satisfying way to occupy an hour or so. We had to take a long nap afterwards, but that was partly in response to the change to Daylight Saving Time, and the previous two long but enjoyable days of house cleaning and prep for Sunday dinner.

Seven Shots In Michoacán

2011-03-19T06:34:00.001-06:00

This post is not about violence in Michoacán. If you were looking for that, you might instead go here.

No, this is about some of the free or inexpensive health care available to both Mexicanos and Gringos living here. No ifs, ands or buts.

Our doctor, Dr. G., internist, prescribed for me seven vitamin injections, one every other day. It was highly inconvenient to go into Pátzcuaro for him to administer the shots. But I realized that I could walk to the community clinic a kilometer away. There they administered the shots for free, plus I had a nice walk.

We've also had free seasonal flu inoculations at local clinics. No hassle, no paperwork, no ID, FM3 or passport. It's a great benefit, generously offered. Dr. G. would have administered the shots for free also, but I would have had to drive 30 minutes to arrive early at his consultorio to avoid a possibly long wait. Knowing about the community clinic was a real plus. Hardly 5 minutes passed between my arrival at the clinic and receiving the injections.

¡Viva México! ¡Viva Michoacán!

Hoopla On the Rancho

2011-03-03T04:55:00.000-06:00

A couple of the preteen neighbor kids came over one evening last week. Andrés is especially inquisitive and likes to chat with us in Spanish. Both he and Alejandro were carrying a Mexican, homemade version of a Hula Hoop. The hoops are made of stiff lengths of hose, with a metal piece jammed into one end so it may be mated to the other end. These "aros", or hoops, are slightly smaller in diameter and a bit heavier than the commercial model Hula Hoops I recall. I was pleased to see that these toys or exercise devices are made from low cost, surplus materials.

They then proceeded to enthusiastically demonstrate how the hoops are used. Andrés also had a jump rope (video link).

Andrés and Alejandro

Our amiga down the street told us later that the hoops are used as part of the schools' physical fitness program. In an effort to combat obesity, the Mexican government is instituting new measures in the schools, among which fresh fruit stands are set up to tempt the children. What will the comida chatarra (junk food) vendors do? Papitas (potato chips), dulces, refrescos, chicharrones are an integral part of the Mexican food culture.

After the PE demos, we sat and chatted a while of life here and al otro lado (in the U.S.), until the air grew cool and the sun began to set. We enjoy these occasional chats with these kids. It will be our turn for Show and Tell next time.

Twisted Taxi Tales

2011-02-04T09:32:00.003-06:00

During the many years we've visited and lived in Mexico, most of the taxi rides we've taken were free of any unusual incidents. But there have been some exceptions.

The stories you are about to read are true; only the names of the drivers are omitted because we never knew them. No crimes were committed, but we have been subjected to pendejadas. In the following series of Twisted Taxi Tales, up to five Pendejada Points (¶) will be awarded to qualified taxistas.

Cd. Júarez bridge crossing, 1990s.
On a return to la frontera at Cd. Júarez, our driver took us to the International Bridge, going against considerable traffic in an attempt to get quickly to el otro lado. This was memorable as the bridge arches up in the center, and it's difficult to see oncoming traffic. He then asked drivers in the correct lane to let his taxi shoehorn in, and one complied. But Mexican border officials phoned their U.S. counterparts, and he was turned back and made to go to the end of the line.
¶¶¶

TAPO to drop off in unknown barrio of México City Centro, 1990s.
We returned from Oaxaca, and at the TAPO bus station got an official taxi ticket at the booth. Once outside, we were directed to a taxi with the radio blaring loud music. We politely asked the young driver to turn it down, and he sullenly complied. Once out on the streets, he turned it up again.

After a while, we were stuck in heavy traffic on a side street with vendors' booths on both sides. Our driver turned to us and said, "We have arrived". I knew that was BS because I was very familiar with our destination. I insisted that he continue, and we eventually we got to the right place. We made a show of writing down his taxi license, but he turned it so we couldn't see it. "Don't do that, I'll lose my job!" he wailed.
I replied that if he wanted to keep his job, then he shouldn't try to drop off his pasengers in barrios desconocidos.
¶¶¶¶

Terminal Norte to Centro; First Day on the Job. 1990s
We got off the bus at Mexico City's Terminal del Norte, a day or so before Mexico's ndependence Day. Our very young and friendly driver told us it was his first day on the job. He did all right, too, and got us to a spot nearly under the ceremonial bleachers on the west side of the Zócalo. We walked, carrying our packs, the 5 blocks to our hotel.
¶

Jerkaround routes: two in one afternoon! Monday, January 31, 2011.
Colonia Roma Norte to San Juan Mercado. How it ought to be done; here. Our cab's route instead went here. (The route shown is somewhat exaggeratedly inaccurate as even Google Maps couldn't parse the insanely illogical route we took. But it's not far off from what happened.) The topper was that upon entering Paseo de La Reforma. we were delayed by a massive demonstration, but the tránsitos helped us sidle by.
¶¶

San Juan Mercado via Alameda to go to Mojing Comida China. The walking route here. (We thought it was distant, but it wasn't. Eight blocks, maybe. We didn't want to walk with our shopping bags full, so we hailed a cab.)
Our cab's intended route here. When we got to within 1 block of our destination, I asked that we be let out. In all fairness, that taxista may have been doing the best he could with the convoluted one way streets, but I also have to say that he was also trying to take us to Hong King Chinese restaurant rather than the one we wanted. Hong King is only about 5-6 blocks from where we hopped into the cab.
¶¶

Fortunately, the last cab driver of the day, who took us back to the hotel didn't play any games with us. Just with traffic regulations. He turned down a one way street, crossed back through a gap in a construction divider, later ran a red light, and got us back in good form. Those maneuvers are acceptable to me, because they got us to our destination quickly and cheaply.

To conclude; it's not even the negligible padding of the fare which irritates. It's the inconvenience, waste of time, and above all, sense of helplessness.
But, you know what they say: "Ni modo."

Pemeces* Past and Present

2011-01-17T09:29:00.001-06:00

Old Pemex Gasolinera, C/ Federico Tena at C/ Navarrete

You could get your hair permed, your skin tattooed and your car greased. That was when we arrived here in October, 2005. Gas was no longer available.

Today, a new Pemex is arising. The final construction touches are underway. We don't know what it will offer, apart from gas, oil and air. I'm betting that no tattoos will be available, except accidentally. Maybe there will be an OXXO, or a Happy Go store. You can buy a lot of handy things in those stores. Look for the hotdog specials! You can get a premixed alcoholic beverage in a can!

We miss the old Pemex, a classic of Mission style Mexican Architecture. It occasionally provided us with cheap or free parking. The lube rack pits were totally unguarded by any safety rails. No risk to me, as I never went inside.

New Pemex plaza

Shade for your vehicle

*Pemeces: plural form of Pemex

Three Guys and a Ladder

2011-01-14T06:18:00.001-06:00

Today, Doña Cuevas is our Guest Blogger. Editing and composition by Don Cuevas.

(This really happened. We are not making it up.)

Doña Cuevas writes:
"Last week I went up the road to visit and lunch with 2 amigas Norteamericanas coming from Morelia for shopping. I met them at a roadside restaurant we lovingly call Larry's Fish House (because our ex-neighbor Larry liked to eat there when he lived here.)"
(Don Cuevas says: "Mediocre food, great view. They often seem to go together. However, the hand made tortillas are good and the salsa de molcajete can be tasty.")

Doña Cuevas continues:
"I looked out the window, as we sat eating our shrimp dishes, and there
were 3 guys.They were attempting to repair a light fixture high above the ground. Two of them were steadying a 12-16 ft. wooden ladder, with no support, for the 3rd man, who was about 12 ft. up the ladder. He realized he couldn't reach the outside light, and came down."

"I looked out later and there was a Pepsi truck backed up, with the
same third guy climbing up the ladder (which now had its top resting on
the back of the truck) with a plastic chair in his hands. He climbed
up on the chair, which sat upon the roof of the Pepsi truck, but it was still not high enough."

A Pepsi truck something like this one.

"One of the other guys brought a sturdy plastic bucket (like a pickle bucket) and pitched it up to the guy on the roof of the truck.
He placed upside down on the chair seat. He climbed up but it was still not high enough, but by standing on his toes he could reach the top of the light fixture and start unscrewing the top part."

"We left at that point, but I'd bet that the fixture was unscrewed,
the man came down off the Pepsi truck with the fixture, the necessary
parts were not available to fix the light, and the Pepsi truck drove
off with driver at the wheel. The Pepsi truck, or a similar truck,
would return another day and the light would be reinstalled, to work
until someone shot out the bulb and the bulb covering."

"It never gets boring around here, at least for me."

"Saludos cariñosos,
Doña Cuevas"

The Bicentenario Celebrations in Pátzcuaro

2010-09-20T06:11:00.001-05:00

We don't usually attend nighttime events in Pátzcuaro, as we live way out in the country and don't like to drive at night. I'm also in the habit of going to bed early and arising very early.

But as this was Mexico's Bicentenario year, we decided to attend both La Noche del Grito on Wednesday, Sept. 15 and the next day's Independence Day celebrations.

To make this easier and more enjoyable, we booked a room at the lovely Villa Victoria B&B, located only 3-4 blocks from Pátzcuaro's Plaza Grande.

After we arrived, we walked a few blocks to the Portal Salazar, on Calle Codallos, across from Plaza San Francisco. There we enjoyed a late breakfast at Menudería Tére, one of three similar places at that location. We just happen to be be most familiar with Tére's and like it. In fact, it's becoming a once a week habit of mine.

Then we went to the Plaza Grande to check out the decorations and the construction of the "castillo" from which the fireworks would be fired that night. All was looking good, so we went back to Villa Victoria for an extended nap to prepare us for that night's festivities.

About 5:30, we arose and went out, walking along Calle Iturbe, which had been closed off to traffic and set aside for tents offering junk food in all its glory.

There were also the enchiladas placeras de pollo, for which Pátzcuaro is famed. Seen in the daylight, they tempted even me. But we walked on, as we wanted to eat at Restaurante Lupita's (formerly Cha Cha Cha.) We were the only diners at 6:00 and we were closely attended by our waiter. I ordered arrachera, on the recommendation of a friend, and it was quite good. I also had a Margarita, which although it was good, came nowhere close to the generous pour of the potent Margaritas that Enrique used to make at Cha Cha Cha. But after all, it's a totally different restaurant and the price was about $30 pesos less at Lupita's, if I recall correctly.

Doña Cuevas had a nice Fish and Chips dinner.

As we paid the check, the rain began and we scuttled under the roof lines to seek shelter at La Surtidora, at Portal Hidalgo. After drinking hot chocolate and conversing wth friends, we dashed back to the B&B for reinforced weather proofing, then returned to the Plaza Grande to listen to speeches, and hearing, but not really seeing the crownings of the various queens, and at last, a stirring and impressive grito from the balcony of the Presidencia. My impression was that emphasis was appropriately on the Independence movement rather than the Revolucíon.

The wait in the rain for the Grito was uncomfortable (we did have umbrellas) but when the fireworks erupted, it was worth it. Must have been at least 20, possibly 30 minutes of show. It wasn't as artful as some more sophisticated displays, but it was made up by enthusiastic bombardments and skybursts. This display, you crafts fans will appreciate, was hand, not computer fired. Men with fusee torches went about lighting the fuses, and early on, one pyrotechnician was seen climbing down a scaffold in a shower of sparks. The display held a surprise element, as some of the mortar launches fell short, and the bursts took place just over the heads of the daring crowds. Colored fire peppered the lawn. I had my wet umbrella for further protection. :-) As far as I could tell, there were no injuries. (The pyrotechnicians run serious risks of injury in there work, not just from the fireworks but from falling.)

The show wound up to an explosive, screaming flashing climax, and we stood stunned, engulfed by smoke.

Then we went back to our lodgings for a few hours of sleep. At 9:00 a.m., the Villa Victoria staff served a wonderful breakfast which did a lot to revive us.

Thurday morning was a day of parades, marching students and "carros alegóricos" or dramatic floats. I'll leave the description of that to others. But my conclusion was that for the parade bystander, once you've seen 15 or more units of uniformed students drumming and bugling, you can happily go home. We did just that, walking 8 or 10 blocks from Centro to the Libramiento, where we caught a taxi. The road home was nearly deserted of traffic, and we arrived at our house, exhausted but happy.

(We plan to pass up Pátzcuaro's Anniversary Celebration on September 28. We can handle only so much excitement. Once in 200 years is enough!)

These revolucionarias were especially colorful

Rather than select and place any of the dozens of photos I took, I'll embed the album in slide show form, below. Have fun!

Our Gated Community

2010-09-18T07:56:00.002-05:00

Following up on my previous post "Don't Forget To Take Out The Trash", here is the latest news on the trash dump news front.

Wednesday evening saw the first known garbage truck dump its load in the new basurero. We weren't there to see it, as we were in Pátzcuaro to celebrate La Noche del Grito and El Día de La Independencia.

However, once recovered from that celebration and informed of the event, we went up the hill to get some photos. There are still many scenic vistas to be enjoyed, if you look in the right direction.

Vista al sur

Make a nearly 360º turn, and this is what you see:

Vista al norte

It was surprising that the dump is so close to the road. The truck(s) must have followed a roundabout route onto the property. It's only 200 feet or so from the old stone wall. There is a theory behind the location, but I prefer not to speculate on it here.

If walls could speak...

Vaca muerta en el camino.

My task accomplished, I returned home.

Later that afternoon, I learned that opposition elements had taken action at the foot of our street. Some rancheros placed a heavy chain across the street at a level high enough to block large trucks but with sufficient space to let passenger vehicles such as ours slip by. They also rolled a large boulder into the street, which is impressive, but unlikely to be a true barrier. Probably it's more symbolic than real. The word on the street is that if the chain is removed, as it surely will be, they will replace it with a permanent one. Thus, fate has led us to live in a gated community, which never was our intention.

We sat a few minutes and chatted with these men, then told them, "Cuídense", and left.

The dispute is at its heart a family disagreement. We hope that they resolve it peacefully and soon.

Here's a short, live action video.

Things That Go Bump In The Road

2010-09-10T05:02:00.000-05:00

Not a bra! Slow down!

Full stop!

Anyone familiar with driving in Mexico knows what "topes" are: speed bump barriers to excessive velocity as well as tranquility. There are various forms of topes, ranging from the basic raised ridge to metal plates set into the pavement and the elegant "reductor de velocidad" along Morelia's Avenida Camelinas. Then there's the racy "vibradores", a series of corrugations sometimes known in the U.S. as "rumble strips". In ritzy Montclair, NJ, they have "speed humps".

But there are lesser known variants of topes, which I'll describe. Poor communities, which don't have the funds to install raised barriers, sometimes just make a short and steep ditch, a negative space I dubbed a "nope". That's pronounce "NO-pay". In the hardscrabble outlying burg of Tzurumutaro, the back street sports concrete tank barriers that could be called "golpes", Spanish for "hit" or "blow" in the hurting sense. Those are best negotiated by flanking maneuvers when possible and when that's not feasible, a slow aproach at an angle may allow your vehicle to pass without damage. In pleasant contrast, the highway bypassing Tzurumutaro to one side has two of the most gradual and gentle tope mounds ever seen. Crossing them is like eating Mallomars candy.

In a labyrinthine colonia in lower Pátzcuaro, the not recommended route to the Panadería La Espiga includes a horrendous tank trap with a vicious, protruding reinforcing rod. Other routes are advised, or foot travel only. I recommend hiring a knowledgeable guide for your first visit to the Panadería. Contact me.

Possibly you like topes; maybe you want to experience the "Real Mexico". If that's the case, I recommend a drive to Morelia's International Airport, close to the town of Álvaro Obregón. There are something like 27 topes between the turnoff from the main highway out of Morelia and the Airport entrance gate. What's not to like?
After a reckless encounter with topes, you may need this Tope's Auto Repair.

I have now found what I think is the ultimate topes nightmare.

Don't Forget To Take Out The Trash

2010-09-09T04:56:00.003-05:00

Sometimes changes take place quickly, and one's point of view changes just as fast. That happened this week, all within a very short time span.

Lately there has been an unusual amount of public works activity here in our pueblecito. There's a crew of citizens, both young and old, working on widening the road near where it meets or roughly paved street. All that cooperative community work gladdened my heart. Perhaps our street would be the next to be resurfaced?

(Doña Cuevas says that if it were improved, vehicles would be racing up and down it. In my opinion, God gave us topes for that very purpose.)

Click to go to video

But as the work progressed on the road widening below our house, there came the disquieting roar of heavy rock and gravel hauling trucks passing our house and returning empty. We live a few meters from the end of the pavement, where the gravelled stretch inclines lazily up the ridge.

Geni Certain photo

There are some nice views from there. Until a few years ago, the gravelled road was a horrendous bog of cow paths wandering from boulder to boulder by way of mudholes. Now, it's a nice walk.

You have to look out for the odd, dead and rotting animal just beyond the picturesque stone walls. This month's special is a smelly, dead cow. But these carrion are ephemeral. Given a month or two, they are reduced to bones by decay and coyotes.

The other evening, rumor flew to us via cell phone that the enterprising gentleman who'd improved the road, and late last year had 7 power poles installed and extended to his property up the way, was planning to have the municpal trash dump placed up on his terreno. It's entirely possible. Our informant told us that all the other local inhabitants are against the plan. A petition was circulated among the local gente. I was asked by an expat amiga whether one person's will could prevail against a majority of popular opposition. Sure it could. Depends.

Don't forget to take out the trash

We await the outcome. Updates will surely follow.

UPDATE September 10, 2010: We have been unable to drive in or out of our street for 2 days, while the concrete sets at the foot of the street. Yesterday, we used the combi vans to go out and into Pátzcuaro. It was easy going out, but we had to wait nearly an hour coming back, arriving in a deluge of rain. We walked up in a small graywater rapids to our gate.

It occurred to me that the street improvements might be in a large part for the benefit of heavy trucks that otherwise could not pass the "nope", my neologism for "negative tope" at the foot of the narrow street, and the widening is intended for waiting trucks to layby until their turn to haul their loads upward.

UPDATE September 12, 2010: we didn't have our regular trash pickup last Wednesday. I assumed that that was because the new concrete was being poured at the foot of our street, and the trash truck couldn't cross it. But now it seems as though the trash collectors are boycotting our pueblo in protest of the proposed new trash dump up the road from us. The new dump might cut into their regular routes. I don't know exact details, or what, exactly, is going on.

Power to the people!

New gate to the proposed project area

The Fine Print:
I am forbidden by the Mexican Constitution and the laws governing my migratory status to engage in any political activity, sign petitions, and perhaps even comment negatively or positively on such issues. I've gone over this post with the proverbial fine-toothed comb, looking for any indications that might reveal my sentiment on this subject. I'm sure that none can be found. I leave the rest to your imagination.

Glorious Anniversary of Five Year Plan

2010-09-04T09:09:00.000-05:00

We arrived to live in Mexico on September 14, 2005.
We now approach the Glorious Anniversary of our first Five Year Plan.
Last week, we completed our applications for our second FM3 visas.
On Wednesday we went to pick them up. Now they are laminated cards instead of passport like booklets.

OLD

NEW

We celebrated the beginning of our second Glorious Five Year Plan with a nice seafood lunch at La Jaiba.

Yummy!

Five years ago crossed the frontera just before dawn on September 14, 2005, and got to to Morelia a couple of days earlier, and not without some car problems.

We obtained temporary housing over the cold winter of 2005-2006, then house sat for 4 months in the spring of 2006. Then in June 2006, we found our present home waiting for us. It was outwardly unattractive but inside it was a gem. Since then, it has been variously improved by the owners: new roof, paint and rewiring. Our rent has risen only 500 pesos in the 4 years we've been here. Knock knock. Recently, the monthly charge for pueblo piped water rose from $50 to $70 pesos.

The rancho/village in which we live has recently gotten funding and a community effort public works project is under way right now. The hub of the pueblo at the crosswalk has been widened.

We felt the spirit move us, and with a gift of utility shelving from dear, departed friends, we reorganized or garage! ¡Que milagro!

Could be turned into a guestroom or a small store!

A couple of years ago, the rough, upaved cowtrail that was the upward extension of our street was bulldozed and graveled. Last year, seven concrete poles were placed to carry current upward to a projected house site. We don't like the poles, as the spoil the view, but hey! It's not our land.

Pole Land

A new tienda opened at the entrance to the pueblo about 6 months ago. It's a progressive, modern store, allowing the customers to come inside and actually see and perhaps handle the merchandise before buying. The other tiendas here have little windows where you knock, ring, push a bell and you ask for whatever dusty, out of date article you desire. This should quiet and calm (but it won't) the critics of Big Supermarkets who fear that those threaten the small, Mamá y Papá tiendas. We have at least 5 tiendas in our pueblecito. Some are hidden away on side streets, serving the neighborhood.

The 3 kilometers of paved road in from the main highway has had its potholes patched a couple of times. Keep up the good work. We like being able to drive in and out without swerving to avoid potholes.

This is a good place for us, and we hope to enjoy at least another 5 years here.

Developers' Plans Setback As Yacht Club Lake Vanishes

2010-07-25T08:52:00.002-05:00

Now this; just in:

Developers' plans for an elaborate yacht club faced a devastating setback when the lake vanished overnight to parts unknown. It was speculated by amateur geologist and ex-spelunker Don Cuevas that, "the lake had drained into subterranean caverns, the extent of which we may never know, due to the heavy contamination from agriculture and animal husbandry deterring exploration*."

Below, before and after shots of the lake property.

Laguna antes

Laguna despúes

Developers stated that although it was indeed a serious setback, they were forging ahead with other elements of their development plan of the Tzu-Tzn Regional Airport, the Monte Fuji-Taco Club Campestre, and a multi-tiered luxury condo fraccionamiento. Much depends on government funding for building the Morelia-Tzu-Tzn cutoff highway, which would not only access the development, but would save motorists a valuable 11 minutes, on the average, while enroute to Tzn to buy Christmas ornaments.

For up to the minute developments, stayed linked to this blog.

*That is, the caverns are full of BS.

Remembrances of Things Karst

2010-07-16T06:49:00.001-05:00

For those of you interested in the esoterica of cave explorations, I have started a blog, "We Once Were Cavers." The introduction, The Adventure Begins has been posted, with remembrances of things karst soon to follow.

Somewhere in China. I have never been there.

La Semana Ch***ada

2010-07-05T17:16:00.003-05:00

La Semana Ch***ada.

Or, in Bowdlerized English; "That Was The Week That Was."

(I found out that there is actually a place in the state of Jalisco called "La Chingada" Increible.)

Please pardon my Español, but this has been a very interesting Week, as in the Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times." It deserves that appellation.

When we returned fron Mexico City on June 23, both Doña Cuevas and I had suffered various degrees of intestinal upsets. We had taken only over the counter medications for it, and Pedialyte electrolyte replacer.

On Friday, her ilness was dormant and mine was becoming more active. On Saturday, I went to Dr. G. who prescribed to me some Ciprofloxacino 500 mg. tablets and Lacteol Fort, a concentrated Acidophilus culture.

By Sunday morning, I felt fine, in fact, energetic, and I cooked a big comida for us and one guest.

Monday, came the Storm. It was a driving, wind-swept rain, pushing, punishing hail. Water came under our front door and into the garage. Because we have EZ-2-Kleen tile floors, that was not a big problem to soak it up.

Meanwhile that afternoon, Doña Cuevas was showing signs of fever and tiredness, but otherwise seemed fine. Abut 10 p.m., she got up to visit the bathrom, and all was silence. I went in and checked on her and it was obvious by her semi conscious awareness that she needed to go to a hospital. We are familiar with these symptoms from previous incidents.

I called Dr. G, who arranged to meet us at Clínica Don Vasco in Pátzcuaro. (This is an example of one of the exceptional times we drive at night.)

Once inside the small, neat clinic, she was treated with fast acting solutions via IV to rapidly improve her condition.

By morning, she was much better, and by late afternoon, she was released.

There was a followup at Dr. G's consultorio next morning. Traffic in and out of Pátzcuaro has been ch***ado since we'd come back on the bus from Mexico City. Tree trimming was underway along Avenida Lázaro Cárdenas, and the traffic flow diverted to narrow streets through Colonia Revolucíon. One of these streets resembles a malpaís of lava blocks punctuated with elevated sewer covers. Buses and all vehicles choked this route and a barely better one a few blocks west. So the usual 5-10 minute trip to Centro was taking 30 or more minutes at times.

Dr. G prescribe her the same meds, and after 2 days of taking them, is almost completely recovered.

Back home, we rested and cleaned up. Late in the day Tuesday, a friend told us that the Rancho water pump se ha decompuesta. (BUSTED.)

Next morning our landlord told us that a bolt of lightning had struck it. Money had been raised among the rancheros to repair and replace it, but for now, all our running water depended on what we had left in our tinaco.

Conservation measures were begun, and we got a lot of buckets and a 55 gallon drum from a friend in Tzintzuntzan.

Adjustment was difficult at first, but after a day or so, we got the hang of bathing with a cereal bowl and heating rain water on the stovetop.

Meanwhile, we struggled to prepare for a special July 4th comida slated for Sunday afternoon. The prospect looked grim for that event, but our amiga in Tzintzuntzan saved the day by offering her home and grounds. We gratefully accepted.

The comida and party take place this afternoon, and we hope to have a good time, if the lake doesn't rise nor the volcano awakens.*

Saludos,

Don Cuevas

* PS: Maybe our luck has changed for the better. The party and comida went smashingly well and all the guests enjoyed themselves.

PPS: YES!! Our luck has changed for the better. The pump was fixed and we have running water once again.

The Old Baker's Club—A Sleepy Reminiscence

2010-05-01T05:18:00.003-05:00

Old and Crusty Donuts

I was reading Steve Cotton's blog the other day, and encountered this blogpost on siestas.
Then, I left this comment:

Same Life--New Location

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

sleep glorious sleep

Don Cuevas said...

I must have naps, due to my long engrained baker's habit of arising in the early morning hours. It's when I do my best work, that is, after a mug or two of strong Chiapas coffee.

In my real experience, bakers arrived at work sometime between 2 and 3 a.m. There's a certain special feeling of belonging to an exclusive club.
(Snort!)

Siestas are a must. Our usual siesta time is after la comida, at about 3:30 until 5:00 or so.

When I arise from those naps, no one should engage me in any meaningful conversation until my brain has returned to normal velocity. I just can't process anything that requires more than a grunted response. The amygdala rules.
Think of Steve's crocodle post, above.

Saludos,
Don Cuevas

April 21, 2010 5:27 AM

The NY Times recently had an article,
What Is Sleep? - Opinionator Blog - NYTimes.com

JOINING THE CLUB
first, you have to adapt to the schedule; sleep is always on your mind

When I started my first real bakery job, my hours were 3:00 a.m to 11:00 a.m.

I wasn't at all sure I could adjust to that reversal of my sleep cycle. I recall an August afternoon nap on a camp mat in the air conditioned living room of our bungalow in Springfield, MO. I was desperately trying to get some rest before I had to arise at 2:00 a.m. I was only partially successful.

Now, after many years of working similar hours, I can go back to my previous sleep routine only with the greatest difficulty.

planning a proper lunch/breakfast is important

I want to tell you something about working in a medium to large retail bakery in the early morning hours.
Often, when I arrived at the loading dock entrance and entered the bakery production area, the two senior bakers were sitting on the flour sacks taking a break and eating bologna sandwiches on white bread. Always white bread. When I expressed a preference for rye or whole wheat, Chester, the older baker, who resembled W.C. Fields, would poke fun at me with comments about my "whale blubber sandwich on kumquat toast." Funny guy. That's only a sample of his humor.

One of my first jobs as a Baker's Helper was washing sheet pans and other things as called upon. Getting mild electrical shocks when washing the outside walls of the walk-in freezer was an eyeopener.

the whole mirth catalog

It was a big moment when the senior bakers called me over to the bench (work table) and invited me to help make donuts. My assignment was to pick the cut holes from the big sheet of dough sprawled on the bench. It was a monotonous job, enlivened only by Chester's jesting, making funny faces, teasing the cake finishers, general ribaldry and hilarious parodies of popular Country and Western songs.

They sheeted the dough through a big machine and cut out the shapes with a die cut roller, and I got to pluck the holes. Somehow, that task would cause my mind to wander. It would often wander to the eastern Missouri Perry County Karst Plain. (PDF, 1.6 MB) Hundred, perhaps thousands of sinkholes...endless cavities, stretching to the horizon.

Later, when I'd graduated to the point to where the trusted me enough, they took some time off and I was left alone in the bakery production area, mixing, kneading, sheeting, cutting and still plucking those thousands of donut holes. It was a big step and a big responsibilty. But it was easier for my mind to wander at 4 a.m. when I didn't have that crazy, crusty old baker banter to keep my mind on the job.

flubbing up can be hazardous

A few mishaps occasionally resulted: like the sugar cookie dough one morning. "Emmett; it just doesn't look right." —I phoned the head baker at 4:00 a.m. on his day off.
"Did you put the sugar in?"— he asked.
No. That was what was missing! Mixing in the correct amount of sugar nearly instantly corrected the problem.

Then there the big floor mixers. These are not your Kitchen-Aid table top mixers. They are powerful machines. I think one was an 80 quart and the other a 120 quart capacity, with electric lifts.

Massive Mixers a lot like these

There was at least one close call when, in my sleepy daze, I failed to properly lock the massive bowl onto the mixer arms. The bowl was loaded with perhaps 100 pounds of donut mix, maybe 60 some pounds of water and and several one pound blocks of fresh yeast. That plus the weight of the stainless steel bowl came to over 250 pounds.

As the bowl rose, it canted forward, threatening to spill the unmixed contents onto the less than pristine floor, as the mixer rose from the floor on its legs! (This was a hard to achieve feat.)

I was sweating, you bet. After I calmed down, I was able to fiddle the mechanism to safely lower the bowl to its round, wheeled dolly.

After experiences like those, quitting time at 11:00 a.m. was welcome, and then home to lunch with a beer then some sleep. (Breakfast had already been eaten while sitting on the bags of flour in the bakery. My usual, of course: a whale blubber sandwich on kumquat toast.)

This is not the end of the story, but sufficient for now.

¡Viva Las Vegas!

2010-04-12T19:46:00.001-05:00

Last Thursday while enroute to Morelia, I was seeking lodging for a visitor, and had a rare opportunity to visit the Auto Hotel Las Vegas. It's on the Pátzcuaro-Morelia highway, located less than half a mile east of the Tzurumutaro junction. Although we'd often driven past the attractive, new building, we'd never had a reason to stop by, as our home is not too far away.

Look for the motel behind the power pole

The facade is white, with a can't-miss, bright red sign. It immediately gained points with me for its clean, uncluttered, yet Devil-may- look. No lighthouse, no crenellated towers, no throbbing neon sign. Just inside the curving entryway is a placard with the rates. I wrote them down.

Normal $180
Especial $200
Jakuci $500

All the posted rates are for an 8-hour stay.

(I have to state at this point that the designations, "Normal" and "Especial" don't have any relation to the variety of activities that might transpire within, but only to the size of the rooms.)

At the office, I inquired about 24-hour rates. The woman on duty called her manager for further information. After a while, I obtained the following:

Normal $300
Especial $400
Jakuci? I didn't bother, as our visitor would be on a tight budget.

Now, we step beyond the semaphore barrier...

This is a semaphore barrier, or something like it.

I was pleased that without even asking, I was shown two rooms. The first was a Normal. Its overhead garage door is electrically powered and rises smoothly and quietly at the touch of a button.

The interior of the garage was not only spotlessly clean, it was far nicer than a few scruffy hotel rooms we'd stayed in elsewhere.

It's notable that there were no stairs to climb, as the Auto Hotel is built on one level. This is thoughtful planning, as both the electric overhead door and the lack of stairs mean better energy conservation.

A simple door lead into the habitacíon itself. The decor was neutral but not unattractive. There are small and subtle decorator touches.

Inside was the immediate, unmissable, suffusing presence of a powerful air freshener. Inescapable, but fortunately not to the level of gasping and choking.

The room itself was small, but serviceable, with a neatly made bed, two shelves as nightstands, a shiny, flat screen TV, and a tiled floor. I didn't have the nerve to jump onto the bed to test it, but it looked new and firm. Firm is important.

The modest sized window was well curtained. That, too, is important. There may be a deficiency of ventilation. We noticed that the garage door descended to within a foot of the pavement. Maybe that's to help the ventilation.

Over in the baño, just past the entry door, the necessary was behind a partition, opposite the sink and an attractive, glass enclosed shower. Every thing about the place was clean, modern and upright.

On the vanity in the bedroom was a plastic-laminated menu, listing foods and drinks, a select line of your favorite tipples, plus Health and Beauty products that might be useful for your stay. (Like a comb...)

There is an on-site restaurant, probably not open to the public at large, for example, tour bus groups, but solely intended for the comfort and sustenance of the Auto Hotel guests. I'm also speculating that there's no dining room, but that there's 24-hour room service. I didn't notice any pasamuro opening for food delivery. Maybe I just wasn't paying close enough attention. (Later...nope, there is no pass through. I wonder how room service makes its discreet deliveries.)

The Especial room was next on our tour. It was on the same floor plan as the Normal, but perhaps 25 to 30% larger. This particular room was next door to the office, and had no window but a false one. The bath also was a little more spacious.

It's up to the individual guest whether size matters in choosing a room, but the Normal is certainly cozy, yet functional. If you were to bring a trunk full of special doohickeys and accouterments, then you might wish to pay a little extra for an Especial.

That was my first visit to a true motel de paso*. If we didn't live nearby and were traveling, I'd certainly consider it an excellent and economical lodging option. But it would not be my choice for an extended stay.

I returned Sunday afternoon with our visitor, who approved of the standard layout, and it was then that I quietly took some photos. I noticed that a few luxury details were missing, such as the fancy glass shower partition, but no matter; it was fine with him.
Bedroom with mirror
The garage; not the living room.
A "Normal" room.

Cinderella's coach goes here.
The air freshener was more muted in his room.

I'm hoping to obtain a man on the sheet interview with our visitor when we see him today, to get his effable evaluation of the lodgings and services. So, stay tuned to this URL. §

*The Hotel Pal in México, DF has a motel section, but we stayed in the family and business section, so I have no observations of the nether regions of that hostelry.

§ This, just in: the bed was fine, but the room was warm and he wished for a fan. I didn't get any info on the bathroom and hot water supply. He didn't call for room service food.

§§ NEW! Our visitor stayed a total of 4 nights and reports that the shower was fine, with plenty of hot water, although its arrival was somewhat delayed. He also confirmed my earlier fleeting impression that there is another, smaller mirror on the wall across from the foot of the bed. One could reflect on the possiblities of that arrangement.
(Now I see that I captured it in my photo. So much for my powers of observation!)

Apple, Inc Collaborates With Pátzcuaro Tourism Commission

2010-04-01T07:02:00.001-06:00

DATELINE: Pátzcuaro, Michoacán. April 1, 2010

As a devoted Apple fanboy, I occasionally am privileged to receive insider info from a Silicon Valley source that chooses to remain anonymous.
(For similar reasons, illustrations are not available yet.)

Thus it was that I was astonished when I opened my encrypted email earlier this morning to learn of the collaboration of Pátzcuaro's Tourism Development Commission with Apple, Inc. in regard to the renovations of the Plaza Grande. The newly renovated Plaza will, first of all, be a wi-fi zone where both local citizens, expats and tourists can use their mobile devices to both check their email and chat in real time with their buddies. (There goes The Office.)

Artesanías aficionados will be able to shop online and pay with digital money for the Catrinas, Alejibres and Cocuchas without the bother and added expense of a guide to take them to craft villages around the Lake.

The new multi-story Mercado will feature multilingual touch screen iPads at strategically located stations so that shoppers may view produce, meats and clothing in an easy manner, comparing the prices in advance, and pay with credit card or PayPal. This lessons the risk of petty thievery as well.

Local fondas and taquerías are eager to jump on the digital bandwagon. Proposals are afoot for an iApp for online ordering from your favorite taquería, birrería or quesadillería for digital micro payments. This is looked on as a major breakthrough in reducing or even eliminating the perpetual coin change shortage.

As an added bonus, digital subscribers will be able to get combi van schedules on line and make reservations for boarding passes, thus eliminating the uncertainty that some persons experience under the present system. Phase 2 will breakout the digital readable passcards to eliminate the scrambling for change that is so aggravating now.

All involved are enthusiastic for the success of this plan. "If all goes well", said an unattributed municipal spokesperson, "we'll be looking at virtualization technology to allow more visitors to enjoy Pátzcuaro without those stinking tour buses clogging our calles."

Other municipalities are watching closely, and may develop similar programs if Pátzcuaro's is seen as successful.

Remember; you read it here first.

Flash Panned: Hospitality Horrors

2010-03-22T17:37:00.009-06:00

From the archives of Surviving La Vida Buena comes this relic, freshly dusted off for viewing. Since this post was conceived, I have learned that Flash does not work on an iPhone or iPod Touch, which is somewhat limiting, but perhaps a blessing in disguise. Perhaps we can look forward to it not working on the iPad.

A discussion started recently on Chowhound.com, about the relative merits of the Restaurante El Bajío's recently updated web site.
My friend and fellow foodie, D.L. Glidden, complained that the site was not user friendly, and was designed in a "cutesy way" to show off the skills of the web designer.

I countered that at least a menu was posted, however cutesy, plus information on the new branches of this venerable and justly acclaimed restaurant.

This mild disagreement gave me inspiration to begin collecting some of the worst examples of web sites from the Mexican hotel and restaurant sectors.

A contender for First Place Worst Site is that of the trendy (read "expensive", with minimalist decor) Hotel Condesa DF.

Not as repellent, but uselessly annoying is the website for the Hotel Stanza. D.L pointed out that despite the deceptively simple home screen, the "Bienvenidos" and "Welcome" give a false impression that there will be language options. However, those bienvenwelcomes do nothing. When you click the "Entrar" button, you will enter a world inspired by Alice's encounter with the Caterpillar. But at least there's a clearly posted rate chart, and inquiries are answered promptly.

Not geographically distant is the Hotel Milan. where you are at least given the option of viewing the site via Flash or html. If you choose Flash, you'll be taken on a pulsing urbane journey with accompanying pulsing music, where, finally, you'll be deposited at the HTML site. The latter gives the facts in a dry but useful manner.
(Update, March 22, 2010: The Milan website has gone all Flash. If you fill out the reservations request form, you may never receive a reply, as the staff doesn't check the mail. If you would like to stay there, call. It's a nice hotel.

A clumsily designed but pleasantly naive site is that for the Grutas de Tolantongo and resort. I like the way the silly green cacti fill up as each page loads. The water sounds are pleasant. The rotating logo on the homepage is hilarious. Not so nice is the weird navigation as you visit each part of the website.
Update: The Tolantongo website, while still flashy, has been updated, and is easier to navigate, but no longer so amusing. It's just clunky. I miss the old version.

I'll point you now to what I consider an ideal Mexican lodging website:
La Posada de San Antonio B&B, in Morelia.

One page!
No animations!
Everything you need to know, at a glance.
The rates are clearly displayed on the home page.

The story doesn't end here. There are hundreds of garish, Flash-laden, hard to navigate web sites for hotels and restaurants in Mexico. Perhaps you know of some. Send your contributions here via the comments form.

I'll leave you with this challenge: navigate the magnificent, baroque, cluttered web site of Rincones de Mi Tierra. (I admit that although it's very complicated, it can be enjoyable.)

NEW! The Mother of all Hotel Flash Websites. I'll let you explore it without my comments. (Except that you might want to go make yourself a sandwich while the front page loads.)
UPDATE: D.l Glidden's wife discovered this sporting Flash web site— http://www.frankiesfreshfish.com/
Catch one if you can!

Hotel Pal, Colonia Centro, Mexico, DF

2010-03-04T06:26:00.003-06:00

About a year go, while browsing the useful pages of wikimapia.org, I found the Hotel Pal near Metro Station Balderas where Lineas 1 and 3 cross. The location seemed a long way from the usual Centro Histórico attractions, but as we found out, we were able to walk to the "Centro Centro" in 25 to 30 minutes. Having the Metro Station on the corner, near 3 Banamex ATMs, was a real advantage. The other attraction was price.

View Larger Map

I'm not sure how they can offer such tremendous value at modest prices, but I think one way is to eliminate costly frills, eg, there's no bellman staff. The lobby is attractive but minimally furnished with a few easy chairs and a sofa.

The non-uniformed reception staff was business like and correct. They work from behind a large, heavily glass window.

There is a restaurant and bar, but we didn't eat there, as we had other dining interests in the area.

The hotel caters to business travelers, families and tour groups, but also the "drive-in trade", with a "love motel de paso" section accessed via a ramp into the garage. This had no feel of sleaze about it to us. Now, some persons might not like that the TV in the room has 1 or 2 porn channels amidst the regular programming; but our solution was to not watch them. The brief glimpses we had were definitely raunchy.

While we were there, a large tour bus group of older Americans or Canadians arrived by for one night.

The maintenance and hygiene are impeccable, and it's clean to the point of looking sterile. Our room was simply but pleasantly decorated.

I have to mention that the free wi-fi in the room and lobby worked well, and for those guests who didn't bring a laptop, there are two well maintained PC's with Internet connection in a glassed in area to one side of the lobby.

The huge bathroom of our Master Suite, on the 4th floor, was a highlight. The floors were faux marble, and in addition to the usual equipment, there was a bidet and a 2-person jacuzzi tub. (Unfortunately, it took 25-30 minutes to fill adequately, which made me feel guilty for wasting water.)

The capacious shower stall supplied forceful and plentiful hot water. We never had less than 4 or 5 big bath towels. The bath amenities were basic but adequate.

The main bedroom-sitting room was even larger and had a good, firm king bed, nightstands, a desk, a desk chair, a small round table and two wing chairs. The closet was open style, but had many hangers. There were no drawers of any sort in the suite, but the night tables had undershelves.

Illumination was adequate from recessed spot lamps. There were two large windows, which partially opened, and well shielded by heavy curtains. There was some noise at night (music) from the buildings behind the hotel (some of which are humble tenements) but the noise usually subsided in and hour or so. A friend stayed in a streetside, single room, and he had no trouble sleeping, he said.

The TV remote control did not work, and was inconveniently bolted to the wall next to the bed.But since we don't watch much TV, it was not a big problem.

The wi-fi worked seamlessly.

The neighborhood seems safe enough, at least in daylight hours, and we walked everywhere to the north and east, reaching the Centro Histórico in 25 or 30 minutes. However, I didn't want to make the same walk after dark. The Avenida Arcos de Belén looked fine, as did Av. Balderas. Calle Luis Moya might be o.k., but I wanted to stay away from the areas near Mercado San Juan and east to Eje Central 3 (San Juan de Letrán) after dark. We took a cab back after dinner at Restaurante El Huequito in Centro, and it was only $16 MXP.

We found most basic services within a 2-block walk.

The Ciudadela Artesanias Mercado is 2 blocks away. Mercado San Juan of specialty foods, about 8 blocks.

We will definitely stay at the Hotel Pal again when in Mexico City.

Hotel Pal Location. (Fixed image)

The Forwarders

2010-02-25T08:48:00.005-06:00

I've always hoped that the Internet would be a Force for better Communication and Understanding. Instead it seems to be an Effing Facility for Forwarding Freaks.

I know these FWD: emails are intended to be inspirational, entertaining and informational. But they are clogging my In Box and slowing down the delivery of useful mail.

Just last night, I got one with seventeen (17) attachments, none of which opened in any reasonable time.

I got a PowerPoint slideshow of Great Pictures, complete with an audio track; Funny Commercials, Nostalgia pieces, on how everything was better when we were young. Those are common, and tend to recycle the email rounds.

I get forwards from people I don't know. I get forwards from acquaintances. My sister won't send me a personal email, but she regularly sends me forwards from work. Her firm's Internet policy forbids listening to Internet music because of bandwidth concerns, but she'll send fat PowerPoint files. I don't get it.

Here's a tip: almost all of this vital info is somewhere on the Web. Google it, and if it's so interesting, send the link to your ~~victims~~ recipients.

There are at least two kinds of Forwarders:
• There are those who ask if it's o.k. to forward you messages of interest.
• There are those who don't ask.
But they have something in common; whatever your answer, yes or no, they'll send them. The Forwarders are worse than proselytizing religious zealots. You can neither slam the door in their face, or politely get rid of them.

With religious proselytizers, you can say, "Gracias, pero no tengo interés. Que les vayan bien." and they go.

Fowarders don't get, "Do. Not. Send. Me. These. Forwards." They are compulsive in their behavior. Their mouse inexorably gravitates to the FWD To All: button. They will ALWAYS find some way to ignore what you'll tell them. I think that some get a sense of empowerment in that with a click of mouse, they can spam* everyone in their Contacts List.

*Most of the spam I receive is from people I know send announcements of local events. They either don't realize that they have me more than once on their contact lists and there are those who forward the orginals, to be sure I don't miss the event. So I get 4 or 5 emails with the same subject.

Some send political messages, of both Right and Left viewpoints, all of which presume I'm interested. I'm not. I'm the Don of Apathy.

I found this article on Responsible Forwarding, and it has some good advice. It reminded me of another reason that I dislike receiving gratuitous forwards: list after list of previous recipients' email addresses. Sometimes, my address is included in the CC:, which is Unforfriggiingiveable.

You are obliged to scroll on and on about who sent what to whom, ad nauseam. Somewhere, past all that unecessary dross, is a nugget of some Priceless Gem with which you have been blessed: "Coca-Cola Caps of the mid-20th Century", for example.

I have a big favor to ask.
Please copy this blog, and Forward it to everyone on your Contact List or Address Book. Your recipients will thank you. Mil gracias.

Saludos,
Don Cuevas

UPDATE: I just received an unsolicited file attachment of 958 kb, of a NY Times Digest. Right after I shot off a snappy reply, I noticed my email program struggling to intake some other wad of uselessness.

(Useless? Yes, as I can read the undigested Times on their website, and if I wanted to, I could probably read the digest form on my own.)

As I knew it would already by in the inbox of my Gmail account, I looked in there. The same person had sent it again with an "Oops, LOL!" that the previous wad had the wrong day in the subject line.

God save us.

I'm increasingly in favor of Internet training to obtain an operator's license.

And people who send me offensive "humor" FWDs are going on my ~~Shit~~ Buddy Reject List

Las Cabañuelas

2010-01-17T07:45:00.002-06:00

A friend gave me a brief note yesterday, suggesting that I'd like this new word, "cabañuelas".

The note reads: "Cabañuelas= the first 12 days of January. Tradition says that the weather during these days indicates the climate during the 12 upcoming months of the year."

If the tradition is true, then we are in for a wild and windy time of rain interpersed with hail and mitigated by rainbows.

After nearly two weeks of unseasonably rainy January weather, the streak seemed to have broken yesterday. Though here at la hacienda the world was covered in fog, it cleared by mid morning and the rest of the day was bright, sunny and less cold. There is hope.

Alas! I just looked outside and there are ominous dark clouds to the east.

It's probably his fault. (I don't understand this next picture, other than it's a "Wanted" poster. I found it in a Google images search for cabañuelas.

What's So Great About Pátzcuaro?

2010-01-08T06:04:00.005-06:00

"Uriel" put this question last week to one of our local forums, Michoacan_Net.

What is so great about Patzcuaro? Why do people want to travel there? The ice cream ("nieve") isn't all that great. There isn't much to "really" see. Or maybe i haven't seen the greatness of Patzcuaro.

This elicited a flurry of replies, many tinged with indignation. Most made references to a "warm fuzzy" feeling they had while in Pátzcuaro.

I refrained from answering, as I thought the orginal question more than a little trollish. Besides, why should anyone feel compelled to defend their choice of where they live?

After an interval, our friend, "DrBosque" (who left Pátzcuaro several months ago for the more southern climes) cut through the warm fuzzy haze and replied thusly:

Many of the people we know who have moved to Patzcuaro shared the impression that it just felt right. For most, immediately. I can think of few who would use the word "great," a rather hollow word for a place and culture that's anything but.

It's one of prettiest cities in Mexico, and perhaps the only one that has such an inspiring tree-filled plaza without a church scowling from one end. That earns it a certain greatness in my mind (but then I do tend toward attitude regarding authoritarian religions).

What are you comparing it to? And what caused you to have such unrealistic expectations, that you're so disappointed you have to ask the question so disparagingly?

I replied privately to DrBosque:

I agree, the word "great" doesn't apply. For most of us, it has a nice feel to it. The geographic setting is attractive. You can walk from one side of Centro to the other in 15 minutes; you almost always see people you know. But there are almost no really good restaurants. :-(

The mercado is a true highlight for me. The vibrancy and color animate me. But I wouldn't want to spend more than an hour at a time in there. It can be exhausting.

The historic center's streets and buildings are charming. Outside of a few choice areas, the town is rather less attractive. (See the Libramiento, por ejemplo, athough it's improving.)

It's a good, cheap place to retire!!!

I'll add that although we enjoy living out in the countryside, on the peaceful and tranquilo rancho, I need the stimulus of several visits a week to the vigorous and animated scene of Pátzcuaro Centro. A few hours of walking the charming streets, having coffee with friends, shopping, and I'm renewed for a few more days.

Others, who live close in, enjoy gallery shows, concerts, and playing bridge with friends. Everyone finds what they like best.

The Rainbow Gathering

2010-01-04T05:26:00.013-06:00

Central highland Michoacán area seldom gets more than isolated rain showers during the months from October to June. This year we've had several rain showers, and today was a soaker.

We were driving home from visiting friends when we saw a partial rainbow along the foot of the ridge. Of course, we could never quite pass under its arc or overtake it.

On the other side of the road, the windbreaks of eucalyptus were austerely beautiful in their clean washed grayness. Sunshine was breaking sporadically through the rain showers, illuminating Los Tres Picos and the other mountains that form the backdrop to the valley.

When we drove up our street and reached our gate, I was amazed by the magnificent double rainbow in the northeast sky. As soon as the car was inside, I opened my camera and took some pictures.

Maybe these rainbows are a favorable omen for the New Year.

Dead Horse Curve (unpleasant subject)

2009-12-02T11:27:00.003-06:00

There's a section of highway, at the base of a small mountain between Tzurumutaro and Sanabria (the turn off for Ihuatzio) that is notorious for its blind curves. For reasons incomprehensible to us, it's also an area where livestock, both cattle and horses, freely range unfettered. The result is that there are often the corpses of cattle or caballos.

We had just finished smelling the last of one such rotting carcass when another unfortunate victim was seen lying on the other side of the road, a hundred or so meters closer to Sanabria.

We feel badly for the victims, but we have no solution to the problem. Ni modo. At the very least, we use extreme caution when driving around the curves. When riding in the combi van, we have to adopt the motto, "Fe en Dios y adelante." "Faith in God and forward."

We once had a driver steer with his knees, while texting on his cell phone, on this same stretch of highway.

The last victim's situation was especially asqueroso; after a few days, its head was missing.

Sorry to upset your stomachs. I'll offer a photo of some beautiful, live horses, taken alongside a less trafficked stretch of another highway near here.

Click on photo for full view.

Zi-Wha?

2009-11-28T16:37:00.003-06:00

We have just returned from a 4 night stay in the small, tropical, Pacific coastal city of Zihuatanejo, in the Mexican state of Guerrero.

This trip was out of character, as I especially have not liked beach resorts in the past (I was bored to irritation), and we are both averse to steaming hot locales. (One of the big attractions of the Pátzcuaro area is that it's seldom hot.)

Lately, however, the onset of cold weather here in the Michoacán highlands plus a desire for a change of scene, impelled us into taking this brief trip. I theorized that an air conditioned hotel, in a city with numerous restaurants and shops nearby would appeal to me more than a "chill" beach scene. (Chill beach scene, if I understand that phrase correctly, is a place of hammocks under palapa shape huts, where you lie around, drink coconut water mixed with gin or whatever —neither of us like coconut water—, and I'm good for oh, maybe, 5 minutes chilling in a hammock.)

We decided to travel by bus, an economical and less stressful way than driving. Oddly, no buses go directly from Pátzcuaro to Zihuatanejo; one has to either back track to Morelia or go to Uruapan. Uruapan is the logical choice, as it's 50 miles down the slope and in more or less the right direction. We packed lightly and carried two soft mini-duffel bags and a woven shopping bag. Thus equipped, we walked down our street to the corner, where we waited then caught the combi van to Pátzcuaro.

There's a second class bus stop in lower Pátzcuaro called "La Estacíon", after the long inactive train station nearby. This is a popular transportation hub for buses and combis and taxis. We dared enter the Tortas Pátzcuaro shop, next to the infamous Federal Police Station that got shot up by narcos last year, to buy two tortas (hoagy/sub-like sandwiches) to go. Then we walked a block, waited a few minutes, and got tickets for the Uruapan bus.

The bus is "servicio ordinario", which in other words, means it isn't first class, but it's reasonably comfortable for short trips.

The scenery is beautiful, as the highway winds down the mountain slopes through pine forest and views of extinct cinder cones, then past groves of avocado trees. The outskirts of Uruapan mark the end of the pretty part and the start of the gritty part. It's quite unattractive a place, but the bus station isn't bad. A good thing, as we had over two hours to wait for the next bus. We'd bought our senior discount tickets for the 1:30 p.m. run two days before.

The people watching was above average, and helped while away the time. There's even an operating bakery, where I watched the baker scrape down the dough on the inside of a still whirling dough kneader machine.

From Uruapan, our First Class bus on "La Linea" took us down into the Tierra Caliente of Michoacán and the dramatic mountains around the Presa del Infiernillo reservoir.

Three quite forgettable movies played for our entertainment. (At least, I'm trying to forget the last one, an animated, full-length feature about anthropomorphic eggs, in an Old Mexico desert setting. Although the stark beginning, shaman-haunted and set amongst the buttes and mesas of Real de Catorce was auspicious, it quickly degenerated into mawkish and squawkish silliness.

The autopista disgorged us onto the sunny coast road, which carried us palm thatched huts, cold beer stores and for about 45 minutes to lovely Zihuatanejo.

The Zihuatanejo bus station has no taxi boleto taquilla where you can buy tickets at a regulated rate. So I was pleasantly surprised when the taxi driver quoted us a rate of $25 MXN to take us to our hotel, Villas Miramar, in Colonia La Madera, a ten minute walk from Centro.

Colonia La Madera is a pleasant, semi residential area, in which most every property is dedicated to the hospitality industry. The principal, east-west-ish street, Calle Adelita, is shady and relatively cooler than the nearby streets across the mostly dry canal that marks its northwestern boundary. There, as in much of touristic Zihuatanejo, English is widely spoken. Prices are often quoted in dollars, but with firmness, you can pay in pesos, which is better for you, the customer.

Villas Miramar was a good choice for us. We are grateful to our friend D.L. Glidden, who told us about it, and gave us many dining tips. The Miramar has two sections, one on either side of Calle Adelita: a "garden view" and a "sea view" section.

We chose the sea view section, which cost us $850 MXN a night (about $66 USD a night, with a 40% discount on the 4th night. It would have been $100 MXN less per night for a garden view room. (These were shoulder season rates, which changes to high season on December 18.)

The room was very spacious and comfortable. There was a small terrace with a view of the bay and the pool below. There was a small refrigerator; an effective ceiling fan; two double beds, reading lights, an AC unit, a decent bathroom with very ample supplies of hot water, and a telephone, which we never used. The TV had very few channels available, and we had no remote, but TV watching is not among our priorities.

What didn't come with the room was purified drinking water, facial tissues, and instructions for operating the lights. But we bought two liter bottles of water at nearby stores and we eventually figured out the light system.

We were soon into the pool. Not big enough to do laps (like I care?), it was perfect for cool, easy lounging.

I realize that this post is getting long, so I'll leave it here for now and later, describe our quasi-touristic activities and especially, the restaurants, on My Mexican Kitchen.

View Larger Map

Beam Me Down, Google...

2009-11-14T09:46:00.006-06:00

...there's life down there.

I learned on Mexconnect.com's forums the other day that Google Earth now has Street View for Guadalajara. I have to admit the Guadalajara aspect didn't excite my interest, but I was really thrilled that Google Earth had this feature. The poster helped me out by explaining how to enable Street View in your Google Earth browser. Open the panel on the left side and look under "layers" for "street view", then check the box.
(You can visit Ajijíc and Chapala, if you wish. I haven't tried San Miguel de Allende yet.)

Areas which have been photographed for Street View have little camera icons up and down the street. Mousing over the icon reveals the street name. Corner intersections are indicated with names of both streets.

You can click the camera icons to reveal a small photo, then click the link below to open in Street View. Or, just double click the camera icon to swoop directly down to street level. This is often vertiginous and not for those prone to los mareos. Once at street level, you can drag the image to either right of left and then navigate your way up and down the street. There's some limited zoom in-zoom out capability. To exit, click "exit photo" in the upper right of the screen. This does not return you to your previous, regular view very well. I have to zoom out and correct the North arrow on the navigation tools to reorient myself.

Instead of Guad, I went zooming off at high speed to México, D.F. There I homed in to one of my favorite areas of the city, Colonia Roma. Once I "arrived", I navigated to Avenida Álvaro Obregón, locating various well known landmarks such as Casa Lamm, Hotel Colonia Roma (budget), Hotel Milán (moderate), Hotel Stanza (Executive Class). The latter is located at the corner of Álvaro Obregón and Calle Morelia, with the Jardín Pushkin to the east side. (You can see the street tianguis and food stalls there.) About three blocks up Calle Morelia, at the corner of Calle Colima, I located my favorite hamburger stand. (pictured below) With minimal maneuvering, I was able to get a good Street View, full screen picture and save it.

With a little trial and error maneuvering (the direction you are looking is not always clear.), I then navigated several blocks to the off-center, second floor, shiny chrome and formica restaurant, Las Costillas d' Fuentes, at the corner of Calle Mérida and Calle Durango. Nº 58, to be exact. It's on the first floor up in this modern building, pictured below. It's a slightly odd but pleasant, low priced restaurant specializing in charcoal grilled meats, especially the eponymous rib steaks. Coming soon on My Mexican Kitchen.

This is another great tool enabling us to explore the world and its wonders, thanks to the generous development of the Google Corp.

Don Cuevas' Top 5 Hotel Picks

2009-10-26T05:27:00.007-06:00

When we last heard from him, Felipe was concerned that the Cuevas couple was still skimping on pesos and staying in wretched backpacker budget hotels.

Rest your fears, amigo. With two borderline exceptions, we have not stayed in a budget hotel since 2004. Those exceptions were the Posada de La Villa (pretty basic and older), and the Hotel Casa Galeana, (newer, nicer and noisy) both in Morelia. Neither of which would be on our Top 5 List, however. Since then, we have made it a point to spend the necessary money in order to be comfortable.

These are our top picks.
Mexico, D.F. is where we usually stay in hotels these days, going to and from the Aeropuerto Benito Júarez (MEX).

Hotel Milán, Av. Álvaro Obregón, Colonia Roma Norte. (Map) This is a 3 star hotel which is well located in a pleasant zone of the city, near parks and fountains, restaurants, coffeehouses plus new and used book stores. The rooms are modest in size but nicely renovated. The bathrooms are small but very clean and functional. Sometimes there is free wi-fi in the rooms.*

Hotel Catedral is our choice when staying in el Centro Histórico. It's a couple of blocks north of La Catedral. It has all the amenities but still, despite its increased popularity among Lonely Planet fans, its rates are still affordable. Book by email and save by not opting for the breakfast in the hotel restaurant. Save even more by paying en efectivo.

Also in CH, we have stayed at the Hotel Gillow, the Catedral's older sister hotel, on Isabel La Católica at Cinco de Mayo, and we didn't think it worth the extra money. The Gillow has great, 1930's Art Deco style in its lobby and public spaces, but the room we had, though large, was quite worn.

Similarly, the cute Hotel Canadá on Cinco de Mayo itself has a pleasant staff but tiny rooms and street noise. The chief advantage of the latter two are their terrific location in the very center of the CH. The wonderful Jugos Canadá is next door. The Gilipollos chicken restaurant is across Cinco de Mayo. (I confess; we haven't eaten there yet, but the '30s and '40s style Cafe La Blanca is only a block away.)

Back in Colonia Roma, we have recently pampered ourselves at the Hotel Stanza (used to be called Hotel Parque Ensenada). The rooms are like the Catedral, but a higher notch in amenities and style. The rates are reasonable for the quality and service. We like it because it's a great place to rest while decompressng after a visit to the U.S. It's the closest decent hotel to Hamburguesas a la Parilla, just 3 short blocks north on Calle Morelia.*

*Note that both my Colonia Roma choices are within convenient range of several Bisquets Obregón restaurants, including the Mother Ship of all Bisquets in Mexico. They are notable for serving decent fare at good prices.Breakfasts, accompanied by café con leche, are a strong point.

Puebla, Puebla.
We have only been in Puebla once, and we chose to stay at the quirky but pleasant Hotel Imperial. In a way, it's a semi-budget hotel. They offer a geezer discount, if you show an INAPAM card. They also include a Manager's cena, but it's pretty basic. There's a breakfast included, a bit more elaborate. There's wi-fi, and it works. The location is quite central; a few blocks to the Zócalo. The rooms are old, and worn, but we were comfortable. We opted for a Suite Ejecutivo, as the price was so reasonable: $550 less INAPAM discount. In your spare time, you can get in a few holes of mini-miniature golf, while in your bathrobe. (Included in the Suite Ejecutivo price.)

Oaxaca, Oaxaca.

Really, we've only stayed in one hotel in Oaxaca, the Casa Arnel. We have a great deal of affection for this hotelito and the family and staff that runs it.
On our first stay, in the early '90s, we skimped and took a very minimalist budget room, resembling a barely converted mop closet. Since then, Casa Arnel has renovated and improved so that the rooms are pleasant, although they could not be called luxurious. The attractions, besides the hospitable family, are the green leafy patio and the neighborhood. There is a small restaurant for guests, serving breakfasts, drinks and light meals.

Barrio Jalatlaco

The location is within 7 blocks of the first class bus station, in the picturesque Barrio antiguo Jalatlaco. It's a 20+ minute walk to the Zócalo, but an interesting paseo. A few blocks away is the Parque Júarez, better known as El Llano, a very relaxing and pleasant place.

Casa Arnel is in a fairly quiet neighborhood, but there is sometimes noise from other guests out in the patio.

For longer stays, they have some basically furnished but pleasant apartments a few doors up the street.

Bonuses: A nice, inexpensive Morelia hotel; and a very nice expensive B and B:
1. Hotel Plaza Morelos.

We don't need to stay in Morelia very often, as we live 45 minutes away. But sometimes there are occasions when we are in the city for some special event, for example the recent Lila Downs concert. We stayed one night at the Hotel Plaza Morelos, just off Avda Acueducto, on the west side of the eponymous plaza. Behind the colonial facade is a modern hotel. They have renovated parts of it, so you have a choice of "nice" and "better" rooms. None of it is luxuriously appointed, but for only $450 pesos (special promotional rate, usually $650), we had a very large room with 2 beds, a large bathroom, an unusually large closet space, free wi-fi, a Continental breakfast. Quibbles: the desk was silly, designed for tiny people with low knees, and there's a good sized outdoor swimming pool, but it didn't attract me because the water looked overdue for a change.

2. Now, if cosmetic defects bother you, such as paint spatters on the walls or unfinished wiring, or that the two sections of the building join in a skewed juncture, pass up the Plaza Morelos and get a reservation instead at the Posada de San Antonio, nearby on the leafy, tree lined Calzada Fray Antonio de San Miguel, where you'll pay $1200 pesos a night for tranquility and peace and near perfection, plus a full breakfast, attended to by unusually amiable hosts. There are only 3 guest rooms. Some have great bathtubs, and plentiful hot water.

The map. Note Plaza Morelos just east of the Posada San Antonio.

This concludes my hotel picks for now.

Hoteles Mexicanos: Los Buenos, Los Malos y Los Feos Part 3

2009-10-25T03:48:00.014-06:00

I'm beginning to realize that these anecdotes of Bad budget hotels could go on for a long, long time. Conversely, what's so interesting about a Good hotel?

I think I'm getting close to wrapping up this theme.

But I must highlight just one more really bad hostelry. It's
hard to choose: the hotel in Huautla de Jiménez, Oaxaca, whose bathrooom window almost fell to the street below when I opened it? The Hotel Lorena, in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, looking like a suite of bare bones dental offices, with the bare electrical wires in the closet?

The room in the Hotel Avenida in Chihuahua that had the concrete support column in the middle of the tiny room, and a good view of the flashing lights of the marquee just below our window? Not to mention the literally piped in central AC that came on and off at the whim of management?

No; the outstandingly bad hostelry was the Casa de Húespedes Bed and Breakfast in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, January, 1993. We were in full backpacker kit and mentality as we drudged up the cobbled streets of SCLC, while light drizzle fell. Our goal was this fantastically cheap hostelry which offered a room with bath PLUS breakfast for the peso equivalent of U.S. $10 a night/dbl.

After a long walk from the bus station, we arrived at the two story Casa de Húespedes, where we were greeted and shown two different rooms. The first was closer to to the main house. We imediately detcted a foul sewer odor upon entering. We quicly noted that the bathroom was separated from the bedroom by a coarse curtain.
We immediately asked to see another room.

That looked and smelled a lot better. By now, our energy reserves were at the point of no return. We needed to stay because we lacked the strength to return to the centro and look for another place. Besides, we really wanted to experience the cheapest lodging deal we'd ever read about.
We took the room.

It was nearly bare: a bed, a few pegs in the wall for clothing and a small card table for a nightstand.
We soon realized that the bed had no mattress but only a boxspring, covered by the bedding. There was one, bare light bulb in the room.

The bathroom was a charmer: a copper pipe snaked into the window, ending in a big showerhead. We were not keen to use the shower, as the bathmat was a filthy car floormat. The bathroom floor was equally unattractive.

We decided to make the best of it and crawled into the bed, between thick woolen blankets, atop our boxsprings.

Lights out.

We were awakened at intervals by the shrill screams of a child. Sleep was difficult, but we somehow survived a restless night.

When we went to the sunny terrace where a breakfast of frijoles negros, tortillas, eggs and excellent coffee was served, we could almost overlook the wretched night we'd experienced. But we knew we couldn't stand another night like that, so after breakfast, we left, lugging our backpacks, and found a nice, clean warm place, with hot water showers, just off centro. It was about U.S. $17 a night, with no breakfast, but it was worth it. La Posada Virginia was cozy and homey, and we snugged right in.

Stay tuned for Don Cuevas' Picks of his favorite Mexican Hotels.

Hoteles Mexicanos: Los Buenos, Los Malos y Los Feos, Part 2

2009-10-20T07:14:00.002-05:00

In a previous post, I described some of the features of the Hotel Montecarlo, which I would rank among the best budget hotels in México.
Good price, great location, lots of ambience.

Our other hotel experiences were not always so favorable. The first one was a small place in the provincial town of Pánuco, in the Veracruz lowlands, along the winding Río Pánuco, back in '80. I forget its name. We'd had a long, tiring day, of considerable exertion, after climbing up to a cave, and we arrived after dark. Pánuco greeted us with a Hair Raising Vehicle Adventure on a steep street, ending at some posts atop a precipice, from which we'd reversed ourselves, clutch lurching and tires smoking. We'd already seen another hotel, which did not impress us favorably, but the one we selected was not any better.

(This picture is NOT of our Pánuco hotel. Looks Australian, don't it?)

The room was "only" the equivalent of $8 USD for the 3 of us, with two beds and at least one, large cockroach.

The most striking aspect of the room was the shocking pink paint job, with a sensitive appliqúe of green frog patterns climbing in rows up the wall. Or could have been shocking pink frogs climbing a green wall. It was a long time ago.

The temperature and humidity were uncomfortable, so we opened the massive, sheet iron windows to catch whatever breeze, but catching instead the nocturnal noises of vehicles, crowing roosters and flying insects.

The small bathroom, our first experience with the "all-in-one" design, had a stuffed up commode. There was a conveniently situated vent above the toilet shared with the bathroom of the adjoining room, which also shared earthy sounds and aromas. I don't recall hot water, but because of the heat, cold water was welcome.
After a few hours of fitful sleep, we were glad to get out of there and on the road.
I can't even remember what I had for breakfast, or where.

Stay tuned; there are more hotel tales, and they get worse before they get better.

Hoteles Mexicanos: Los Buenos, Los Malos y Los Feos

2009-10-20T06:36:00.002-05:00

A recent post by David Lida, "It was good enough for D.H. Lawrence", on the venerable Hotel Montecarlo, in the Centro Histórico of México, D.F. brought back memories. Replying under my pseudonym, "Michael Warshauer", I wrote:

¡Viva el Hotel Montecarlo!
I started staying there on my second visit to Mexico City, February 1992. It was the equivalent of U.S. $14 a a night for a single room.
When my wife and I started staying there in ‘93, the peso price had risen but the dollar price had dropped. We last stayed there in February, 2004 for about U.S. $25. At that point, I realized that my aching, aging bones needed more comfort and we started staying elsewhere. The acrobatic antics necessary to enter some of the smaller bathrooms no longer amused me, nor were the infamous “eraser” pillows, with a consistency of firm rubber, still tolerable.
The doorlocks on the rooms were always cantankerous, but fun if you liked puzzles.
I always enjoyed arising early, going the to branch of the Pastelería Ideal across the street, and bringing back fresh pan dulce for us, the old night clerk, Arnulfo, and later, the security guard.
Gracias, David, for reawakening memories of our earlier, more adventurous travels in Mexico.
Saludos,
Mike

Night desk clerk Sr. Arnulfo and Doña Cuevas

Felipe Zapata responded that although he'd wanted to stay there, just once, in order to say he'd done it, my description convinced him not to.
In an email to him, I expanded the details, so that he could get the full flavor of the place. Some excerpts, below

In my reply on David Lida's blog, I failed to mention the Pervert Lounge, or whatever it's called, almost directly across the street. The large, high ceilinged front rooms would be the best ones, were it not for the Pervert Lounge disco. On Th, F and Sat, it revs up at about 10 o'clock and blasts away until about 4:00 a.m. The music (?) penetrates even the heavy wooden shutters and curtains. No wonder there're loose plaster fragments in the rooms. (Really, they're from sismos.)
Not all the rooms have acrobats' bathrooms. Some are grand salas, where you may bathe, evacuate and shave all at once, as you like. Be sure to move the toilet paper out of the range of spray before showering.
The newer, smaller but quieter rooms, at the back of the hotel, usually have windows or narrow airshafts, or no window at all, but an overhead ventilator. They felt snug and safe. Those rooms tend to be the ones with acrobatic bathroms.
Taller persons need to take care when descending the grand, curving staircase from the primer piso to the lobby. There's the underside of a marble cornice that can cause head damage if you walk on the wrong side. (There is a small and cranky elevator, capacity 3 persons and a small amount of luggage.) But you can make a grand entrance on the grand staircase, as if anyone cared.
Free local calls, through the ancient switchboard!
Another neat thing was when cars were driven into the lobby and parked in the ground floor garage.

Yes, we have a lot of affection for the old Hotel Montecarlo. It was one of the best budget hotels in which we've stayed during our earlier travels in La República. There have been much worse.

Stay Tuned

The Pole Dancers

2009-10-16T04:45:00.002-05:00

It's been scarcely a month since our house underwent the Glorious Rectification of Electrification Project. So it was with considerable astonishment the other day, that I saw a big truck parked in our street, laden with cable, parts and stout new concrete posts.
I knew I hadn't ordered any work.

Neither the trucks nor the uniforms of the somewhat boisterous crew bore the CFE (Comisíon Federal de Electrificacíon) logo. I concluded correctly that they must be contractors.

Using posthole diggers, they excavated new holes close to the previous posts. Next, the trucks placed the new, taller and stouter posts into the sockets. This was accomplished with a large mechanical claw I call "The Grabber". Delicate nuances of positioning were aided by muscle power, through the use of the rope slings. (These slings also are the pole climbing device used by the workmen.)

After the three poles were emplaced, the crew began the changeover of the power lines to to the new poles. This meant that we had to patiently wait a 2 to 3 hour period without power. (We have become proficient at this.) Later, the lines and posts were extended for hundreds of meters farther until they reached a farm gate. The final post has a large lamp above, to light the gate.

Although at first I'd had the impression that the crew was a bunch of uncouth laborers, I gained new respect for their skills as I watched them work. The job is not only a skilled one but a dangerous one. They gracefully climbed the poles, sometimes in pairs, and reset the lines.

Soon after they had restored the power to our house, they set about removing the old post from inside our yard. This was a very delicate maneuver to accomplish without damaging our house or our new electric line-in. It was done successfully and I could let my breath out again.

Later, we met the ranchero who was responsible for not only the gravel extension of our road uphill, beyond the pavement, but also the new electric lines and posts. He's planning to build a house up in what are presently fields. The view is superb from there. He mentioned putting in a sports field for the community, but we gently tried to dissuade him. (As if we have any influence in the matter.)

He also kidded us about developing a Colonia Americana. Maybe the money will run out before that.

Sofas, So Good

2009-10-13T06:20:00.002-05:00

We recently saw an ad in the Morelia_Connect email bulletin for a sofa, loveseat and a "puff", (Whatever that was. It's what we call a hassock.).

We had been wanting for some time to furnish our living room with more than the Lifetime brand plastic folding furniture we'd purchased up to now.

We immediately emailed the seller to put a hold on this alluring sofa set and to make an appointment to see it.

When we arrived at their Morelia home, it was something of a surprise that the furniture was not in use in the owner's living room, but rather, jammed upright in a storeroom, and partially hidden by other furniture.

We got a glimpse of the handsome vinilpiel covering, and a better look at the zippered beige fabric cushions. The price was very reasonable, so without hesitation, we made a partial payment on the furniture. We already had a passing friendly acquaintance with the family, so were willing to purchase the set semi-sight unseen.

Over a week we hauled the pieces back to our country home near Pátzcuaro. Once all the pieces were in the house, we tried various configurations that were both pleasing and practical.

It is not possible in this house to have a both a good view out the window and a pleasing arrangement of the furniture. The many swing-inward windows of the dining room threaten the risk of a blow to the head when comes a gust of wind. Thus, there were some constraints.

When the sofa and love seat were lined up, the room looked like a doctor's waiting room. We tried several configurations over two days, and then hit upon an L shape. (See photo below)

I then decided that the dining room table (not seen, behind and to the right of the sofa in above photo) had to be turned 90º from the previous placement. That freed up more space for the new sofas and gave an aesthetically more pleasing feel to the room. But this new arrangement deprived Doña Cuevas of her accustomed view out of the window. She now has to sit at the narrow end of the table. She is adaptable.

It was quickly apparent that the "new" furniture, although attractive enough, was somewhat stark and needed some color accents. We made a fast search in Costco and Wal-Mart for possible throw cushions So far, nothing ignited our attention.

Fortunately,we have a collection of serapes and rebozos originating in Oaxaca and Michoacán to lend visual interest. Before you know it, ~~we'll be out browsing local talleres and galerías, looking for artesanías~~.
(No; never; not us!) But we might paint the stark white interior walls something bright and cheerful, during the dry season ahead.

In the few days since we set up the sofa and love seat, we've so far given them limited use. We have to retrain ourselves to change from our usual lounging spots to take advantage of them.

We'd no idea that buying this sofa set would be such a life-changing experience.

Autumnal Equinox

2009-10-13T05:37:00.003-05:00

The Autumnal Equinox has passed. The fields are graced by wildflowers, notably the showy pink cosmos.

The waning days of September are a time for reflection for us.

This is the time when I mark another birthday, when we note that we've lived in México 4 years, and our adopted city, Pátzcuaro, celebrates the anniversary of its founding.

It was in the ugly, pre-dawn hours that we crossed the border at Nuevo Laredo on September 15, 2005. After a strenuous two day journey, hauling a 12 foot cargo trailer, our transmission blew out some 50 miles short of Morelia, We were kindly given refuge for the next two weeks at the home of an expat American lawyer in the heights above the city.

On the night of the 28th of September, 2005, we joined Patzcuarenses in celebrating the Anniversary of the City, with a blast of fireworks at the Plaza Grande.

On the first of October, we moved into a chilly, woodland cabin in the heights above Pátzcuaro. We lasted there six months before the cold and dust got to us. Then we went to house sit for the late Jimmy Blackfeather. His house was sheer luxury after the cabin. I especially enjoyed the lengthy hot showers afforded by the 3 or 4 large hot water heaters.

In June, 2006, we were guided to our present home out in the ranchos by the late Mel O'Hara. This has become our place of contentment.

Over the past three years our house has enjoyed a couple of upgrades, through the kindness of our landlords. First was a new, traditional tiled, techo de tejas, plus a lovely cerulean exterior paint job.

This year they paid for a rewiring of the house so that we now can enjoy safe electricity and fewer trips to the breaker box. We can now operate the toaster oven and microwave at the same time.

There have recently been many changes in our neighborhood. Both of our American neighbors moved away to larger homes on the edge of Pátzcuaro. Although we still will see them, we will miss their congenial proximity out here on the rancho. There are new friends to be made.

Fountains of Flame; Wheels of Fire

2009-07-04T11:16:00.013-05:00

A July Fourth reminiscence.

I have great memories of fireworks.
When was a kid, like many my age, I was a budding pyrotechnist. But I'd spend my free time Saturdays at the New Haven Public Library, researching old manuals and "The History of Pyrotechnics". Our basement was a semi-clandestine workshop and lab for my small firework creations.

Once, in the late 1950's, at the North Haven, CT County Fair, we viewed a bucolic or rustic sort of display. It was notable in that two stout posts were sunk into the ground about 100 feet apart. When the Catherine wheels on the posts went off, reciprocating pulses of colorful fire were sent shooting along a wire strung between the two posts.

There were also especially entertaining, "helicopter" type aerial spinners that would spiral up and explode. There were special Japanese mortar shells that after rising to a considerable height, would splinter into thousands of sizzling red scintillating embers, briefly fracturing the night sky.

The Hayseed Rube climax was unforgettable. Over at the right post, there suddenly appeared a firework donkey, outlined in blue fire. It lazily moseyed towards the left post. About midway, it halted, and emitted a forceful stream of golden fire as if it were peeing. The crowd, as it were, ate it up.

After that bit of rural jocularity came the obligatory American Flag set piece; one of the few times when it's o.k. the burn the Flag in public.

I also remember the food concessions area and the huge kettle of lard in which rough dough balls were fried into greasy snacks, covered with powdered sugar and sold still semi raw in the center. I loved it all!

Another Fourth of July, another, more professionally choreographed and spectacular display was at Lighthouse Point, on Long Island Sound, New Haven, CT.

A huge crowd gathered along the shore to watch the elaborate and lengthy show. No money was spared to make it awesome. It was marred only a little by the igniting of the marsh grasses at the time of the stupendous, sky-slashing, thundering finale. Of course the New Haven Fire Department was already present.

I remember the overall excellence of the pieces, and the pacing was superb, but unlike the funky, rural North Haven Fair show, nothing specific stands out in my mind.

A few years later, my family moved to Saint Louis County, MO. As the Independence Day holday approached, I discovered that the neighborhood Unitarian Church was going to have a fireworks display. I ingratiated myself with the amateur team chosen to fire the show. They must have been impressed by my dubious "credentials"; and I was in! Oh, Joy!

That night, the show proceeded well, considering what amateurs we were. We'd drop the pasteboard mortar bombs into the inclined iron pipes, sunk into the ground, pull off the protective end cover from the fuse, light it with a fusee flare and scuttle to the dubious shelter of a low, earthern berm. Whooshh!! BANG!!
It was fun! It was exciting!

When the moment came for the show finale, we opened the large cardboard carton that contained perhaps 6 heavy pasteboard mortars, all intricately fused.

Then, stupidly, we lifted them out of the box and placed them on the ground. When the fuse was lit, Newton's Third Law of Motion came into play. The group of mortars now pointed in nearly every direction, firing unpredictably, more at ground level than up in the air. It was exciting! It was fun! VoooooP! BANG!

We looked forward to a rest with the set piece American Flag. Whomever had set it up had not sunk its posts securely into the ground. When we fired the flag, the framework wobbled, and we were obliged to grasp the posts with our arms to keep it from falling. There were sparks...but actually no significant burns resulted.

The bad part was the next day, when I finally discovered what "chiggers" were. (slightly gross pic behind that link) The grass into which we dove the night before was a chigger haven.

And now, at last, this post's Mexican finale:

Our experiences with Mexican fireworks had been limited. We did watch the burning of a castillo in a parroquia of Colima, Colima, during the 90s. It was fired as a 20 meter tall "castillo" tower of bamboo and whatever. There also were "toritos" or devil chasers, kids and men, wearing leather capes over their shoulders ran about with sparks shooting out of their bull horned heads.

One of the climactic moments was a fire portrait of he founding priest of the church. But he was outranked by a firework portrait of the Virgen de Guadalupe. (This was a long way from North Haven.) It was a nice time, especially the free musical concert and the comida casera for sale of las Señoras de la parroquia.

We once made a nightime visit to a small pueblo between Cuernavaca and Tepoztlán, Morelos, we looked in on the pirotecnos in a bodega of an ancient church, tying the tubes of powder to willow withes, painstakingly constructing the wheels of fire in the traditional way.

Below, a video showing similar methods.

But the last fireworks show came when we moved to Pátzcuaro, September 28, 2005. It was the multi-centennial, 300 years plus anniversary of the founding of the city. It was also my birthday, and our first night living (in a hotel) in Pátzcuaro. So it was that we took a late nap, and wandered down to the Plaza Quiroga (Plaza Grande), and placed ourselves into the midst of the firing range. No one objected, There were no barriers, no police nor fire department tape lines. You could be stupid as you wished if you wished to risk your hair, skin, eyes. No one bothered you. (Try THAT in the U.S.)

Above, the castillo.
Suddenly, the Plaza ignited into a frenetic and noisy illumination. Mortars were firing less than 12 feet from us. Thirty feet away, a castillo was burning, burning, spinning, showering and spitting sparks. Booms, flashes, smoke and cheers.

It was a great welcome to the Ciudad y Municipio de Pátzcuaro.

Below, a Rilly Big Shew of Mexican Fireworks, a very professional one by Eventos Brillantes. (I re-replaced the previous video with the original, for the appreciation of of the true aficionados de la pirotecnia, and because it has better editing and production values.)

Tres Años a la Hacienda

2009-06-17T09:21:00.002-05:00

Photo courtesy of Geni Certain

(This began as a comment to Felipe, on his blog, The Zapata Tales, and his post, "The Smells of Mexico".)

For me, nothing beats stepping outside the front door in the early morning to turn up the heat on the hot water heater, and inhaling that scent of new mown hay and the sweet smell of recently born calves.

(Calves are so cute when young, then they grow up to be large, bespattered, klunky kows and pendulous toros.)

Photo courtesy of Geni Certain

But, after being out here at the Hacienda nearly 3 years, I don't mind the wet cow plop on the streets and roads. After all, it's 100% organic.

I'm not so keen on the canine road pudding about a kilometer on out toward the crossoads. But, on the other hand, the horse mummy along the base of the big hill on the way to Tzurumútaro is now curing nicely. The smell is hardly noticeable as we drive by.

As the dawn comes, the many birds began their varied musical choruses.

At la Casa Hacienda Cuevas, there is much baking, adding its aromas to the mix. However, my baking schedule is not as regular as that of Felipe's Guapa Señora, who bakes pastries to sell every Saturday under the portales of La Plaza Grande.

What more could I want? A warm Danish pastry? I already have that before me with a mug of café de Chiapas.

Now, I want to toast the memory of Mel O'Hara, who died 3 years ago in his casita just over the way from our house. It was he that kindly lead us to our new home place. We liked the place right away, but now we love it.

Here's to Mel! I lift my coffee mug to his memory.

A Magic Utility Belt

2009-06-09T06:39:00.004-05:00

Sometimes, fantasies come true.

When I was a little kid in Brooklyn, NY of the late 1940's, I was given a belt, studded with fake "jewels" made of colored glass. In my imagination, they were control buttons that could invoke super powers. A touch of a green jewel, and I could melt into lithe thinness, and slide through the most densely crowded streets.

A touch of the red button would send me soaring at high speed, lightfooted, over the "EL" station stairs , on my way to buy hot dogs for our supper at the garlic fragrant corner deli.

Who could have imagined, that some 60 years later, it's possible, with a few keystrokes, to fly, perspectives constantly shifting, zooming and rotating at will; either from the mountains of Madrid or from the coast of Barcelona, para ver las calles in Street View photographs, then quickly jump to a specific address in San José, CA (Google Earth).

I can locate pizza places in Manchester, CT, or fish 'n chips shops in Manchester, England, complete with reviews and driving directions. Chiropractors in Cairo. (Google Maps); and visit places of color and wonder undreamt of in those earlier generations. I just spent a few minutes looking at my childhood neigborhoods to see what has change (much) and what has not. Google now has refined its maps and Street View once again. Check it out.

Later, as a teenager, I enjoyed spending many Saturdays at the New Haven, CT Public Library, getting books from the stacks on topics such as pyrotechnics and speleology.

Now, a vast and seemingly limitless worldwide library is open to me, both at home and when I'm away. I don't have to look in the card catalog, write out call slips, and hand them to the librarian, who'd give me suspicious looks, and wait very long for the desired info.

Back then, as a young kid, I was also enamored of a special sort of scrapbook/coloring book, which involved making waxed paper transfers of the color comics and such, then scrapbooking it. (Obviously, a dim memory.) Those were my multimedia tools of that era.

Now, after having learned some basic, then more advanced computer skills over the last 15 years, and with the help of tools such as Blogger, I can build a journal of my view of reality (and fantasy). Instead of waxed paper and a flat stick for image transfers, we have Copy, Cut and Paste, as well as Save and Save As.

Best of all, many of these powerful commands are accessible by keyboard shortcuts. I love keyboard shortcuts. Mousing is o.k. at times, but the speed and ease of keyboard navigation is unsurpassed.
(I can make this entire page vanish with the touch of two keys. I can change sites with a few keystrokes.)

My newest Magic Utility Belt is a MacBook Pro laptop. Although its powers are far beyond any childhood dreams, it still could be more portable. An iPhone or iPod Touch, with their amazing apps, accessed by touch screens, come a lot closer. But, ultimately, what I want is a belt in which a touch of a colored jewel or a combination, invokes a heads up, holographic display, and flys me to where I want to go. Meanwhile, I have posted these graphic examples of some other magic utility belts for your entertainment.

Regreso al Nido

2009-05-25T07:46:00.002-05:00

We returned to Michoacan last Thursday, after a three week visit to the home of my parents and sister in New Jersey. It might be called a return to the nest, but, truthfully, it wasn't. I had never lived in that house, other than during our annual visits.

This visit was difficult at times. My parents are aging and my father is not well.

I'd left the nest in the 60's, when I went off to a rather irregular college experience. I'd always been the independence seeking one. What could be more independent than to later retire to a small ranching pueblo near Pátzcuaro, Michoacán?

Our Continental Express jet banked over a corner of Morelia, then homed in on the airport, located in the green, rain-refreshed valley northeast of of the city. From the window I glimpsed the broad expanse of Lago Cuitzeo, shining in the late afternoon sun, just over the ridges to the north.

We landed, and after a brief passage through Migracíon and Aduana, we were greeted by Nacho, our driver.

After loading the trunk with with our luggage, we rode off into the glorious sunset. I was animated and energized, until fatigue eventually set in on the hour and a half drive home.

A couple of days later I was cleaning the porch. Long, thin twigs littered the floor.

The mystery was solved when I went to move the barrel grill. There, on the utility shelf of the grill was an abandoned swallows' nest, under the shelter of the tarp. The only evidence of occupancy was a few wispy feathers.

FAQ: How to get from MEX Airport To Patzcuaro

2009-04-14T19:10:00.005-05:00

Over the last few years, I've received more than a few emails asking me how to best get from the Mexico City Airport by bus to Pátzcuaro. While I recognize that there are several ways to accomplish this, with the help of our friend, Big Tex, I have distilled the vital information down to to give the simplest, most hassle free way possible. This applies to travel in the daytime and early nighttime hours. We try not to take buses at night; it's just our personal preference, unrelated to any other issues.

This is a Public Service Announcement, brought to you by Don Cuevas, so don't give me any static. Like, you've heard that the Metro is cheap and fast. So? Go to some other website if you want to get fxxxed up in the Metro, not here.

At the Mexico City Airport, after passing Aduana and Migracíon, be sure to buy your taxi ticket at the official taquilla, or sales window, for example, Sitio 300, not from some tout. This is very important! The fares are calculated by zones. There are regular taxis, which are fine for most people's needs, and they are much cheaper than the large expensive Suburbans. Pay attention to which service you are buying. Once you pay for your taxi ticket at the window, you do not pay the taxi driver anything more, except for a very optional tip, if you had a lot of luggage, or his conversation was especial cool, whatever.

Once at Terminal Poniente, also called Terminal Observatorio, go to the AutoVias ticket counter. There are at least 3 desks, close by each other. It may take a moment to figure out which is the one needed. read the "Salidas" or Departures board. Credit cards are accepted for payment. If paying with cash, check your change. Get a bus direct (Sin Escalas) to Patzcuaro. While it does stop 15 minutes in Morelia, you stay on and do not change buses. Escalas are changes from one bus to anoher. No need, if you follow the easy directions here.

(Certainly, it's easier than taking ETN to Morelia, changing to a Patzcuaro bus once at Morelia for which a change of building is probably necessary as well.) It has to be faster to get an AutoVias bus, with more frequent departures, than the ETN. Though the AutoVias buses are one level down in luxury than ETN, they are quite comfortable. AutoVias has a separate waiting room, with free restrooms and free coffee. They will also check in your larger luggage while you are still at or near the ticket counter. The buses are equipped with passable restrooms. The movies are generally awful.

You get a crappy "ham" and cheese sandwich and a soft drink when boarding. I recommend Boing! a natural fruit drink. You can also buy decent baguette, croissant, or torta sandwiches or pan dulce at Terminal Poniente's restaurant or snack bar, inside. I avoid the outside stands and the inside carnitas places. The main restaurant does a decent breakfast. There's an internet place or two, which are sometimes open and sometimes functioning.

One drawback of AutoVias is that you can't yet book on line.
WAIT! You can now book on line, as long as your trip isn't very far in the future. Go to Grupo HP-Occidente , and fill out the forms and press the digital buttons, as requested. But it should be no problem getting a seat during normal, daytime non-holiday conditions, walking up to the counter and paying for the next available departure.

By the way, anyone who willingly books a seat at the rear of the bus, near the toilets, deserves the experience.

The trip takes 5 hours, more or less. If you follow my directions, hard-earned through personal experience, you will be all right. Once arrived at the Central de Autobuses de Pátzcuaro, you can get a cab, take a combi van if you know what you're doing, or even walk to Centro, if your luggage is light and it's still daylight. But I don't want to explain the last one. My work here is done.
¡Adios, muchachos!

Piso Superior

2009-04-12T03:29:00.005-05:00

We are always looking for a better baño when out and about. It used to be that a well maintained sanitario was often hard to find. In that situation, it was often a matter of "breathe through your mouth and squint your eyes." Now, after many years, things have improved.

Click photo to enlarge.

Quiroga was thronged with Easter Saturday visitors, we among them. We'd been rooting through a medio kilo of well-salted carnitas and washing them down with muchos refrescos and bottled water at the Plaza. The moment came soon enough when we needed a baño pronto. It was best to seek relief there in thoroughly modern Quiroga before setting out for Tzintzuntzan, where the options might be somewhat marginal.

We finished up our nieves at La Michoacana, and walked back a half block to a set of sanitarios set behind a serious double revolving cage door. There was a coin slot for a 2 peso fee and a young woman handing out carefully folded papel higíenico. At that point, our roads forked according to sex. Women to the left, entering on the ground floor. Men had to achieve relief by first ascending a hallway with a steep, concrete paved ramp, inclined at about 30º, to the mingatorías* and excusados* some 10 or more meters up to the piso superior. Handrails and treads cut into the concrete ramp were provided for our safety.

The upper deck was highly functional, (except for the first 3 booths, which were afuera de servicio), attractive and well maintained. At the street side were stained glass windows. I didn't take time to explore in detail, but did my business and then, oh-so-discreetly, took a picture of the ramp.

This was indeed a superior pipí experience up on the piso superior.
I recommend it to visitors. Men should have strong legs.

*Basic bathroom terminology. Another free, educational feature of my blog.

"Sanitario" is a nice term, "excusado" is the porcelain throne itself. "Mingatoria" is a less-seen term for a urinal. Not so polite.

"No pise al pasto", on the other hand, is a sign to "keep off the
grass."

What goes around, comes around

2009-04-07T02:39:00.010-05:00

Morelia's eastern and northeastern areas are less familiar to us than the southern and southwestern areas where we normally shop.

"The city is the biggest in the state, and the population of the conurbated area was 642,319 people (608,049 in the city of Morelia), according to the census of 2005..."
(wikipedia.org)

We know how to get to the Airport by the western peripheral highway, past the Bus Station, or up the more direct but often traffic clogged Calzada La Huerta-Héroes de Nocupetaro-Avenida Morelos Norte.

We left the MLM Airport yesterday morning, and with hopes for a simpler route, took the new toll road "Short cut" east of the city. It which turned out to be not so short. It debouched (no, not debauched) us into a major construction zone, where a huge trench, The Excavation From Hell, lay at the key city street intersection to where we'd really wanted to go. At that point my mental GPS crashed, and after at least one fruitless loop, we ended up taking an unplanned serial circuit back around the north side of the city. Fortunately, the traffic wasn't too bad once we emerged from the construction zone.
(General Confusion Fault Zone on this zoomable, draggable map.)

This meant that we had to skip the breakfast at Bisquets Obregón (not a major disappointment), and at it also seemed our shopping at Costco was doomed.

(enter sheepish pun area)
But what goes around, comes around, and nowhere does it apply better than to peripheral highways. We completed about two-thirds of the giant loop of the north side, and eventually found a parking spot near "Barbacoa de Borrego José Luis", about a 1/2 mile from Costco. The specialty there (and not much more than this) is pit-steamed mutton, wrapped in pencas de maguey (leaves of the agave plant), cooked for hours, until the meat is fork-less tender and a delicious consomé is produced. You can make your own tacos with the fresh, hot tortillas they bring you, or put the meat in the bowl of consomé, or order "montalayo", which we didn't, a sort of Mexican "haggis" of spiced, chopped sheeps's innards, usually eaten as tacos. All parts of the sheep are put to ewes. It's really delicious, if you're innardly oriented.
(exit sheepish pun area)

From Costco, well-known territory for us, it was no big deal to get home. Our route had been lengthy, but at least we hadn't looped back to the Airport.

I posted our plight on the Michoacan_Net Yahoo Group, and got advice from a poster who often uses the short cut road. But I've yet to unravel his advice, because he knows where he's coming from and where he's going, so his easy reference to places unfamiliar to me does. not. compute.

The Birds Is Coming!

2009-03-06T09:29:00.008-06:00

This morning, as I was sleepily spooning in my rice and beans, Doña Cuevas exclaimed that the crows were swarming. This was a change from the white cattle egrets that beautify the area. Unfortunately, the egrets are on vacation just now, probably dipping in the tepid waters of Lake Cuitzeo or somewhere fishy. When I got up from the table, I took a look.

It was reminiscient of M.C. Escher drawings.

I then grabbed my camera and took a few photos. A closer looked revealed that they weren't crows, their color was brown on back but some had yellow breasts.

I was pleased that they stayed outside, wheeling and squealing. A confused and thrashing bird indoors is one of the creepiest things I know.

I didn't sight a Tippie Hedren among them.

A Shift of Wind

2009-02-24T06:37:00.008-06:00

When we returned yesterday from a fast trip to Morelia, I saw that the tarp that covers the Kingsford Barrel Charcoal Grill had blown off. We keep the grill under the protection of our front "porch", yet a shift of wind had removed it. Susan said it was the March winds come early.

Photo of paper mill air pollution.

Marzo es un mes de vientos fuertes e impulsivos. The neighbors' metal gates slam and clatter in the whims of the wind. If we're not careful to put the in door stops, our doors slam shut with an alarming bang. Almost all of our doors are wood, so they are quiter, but even if they were metal, I believe the gusts of wind could slam them.

A couple of years ago, we lay sleepless during siesta time, listening to the moans and screeches of the wind whistling through the vacant houses up the street.

This morning I awoke to a whiff of a different smell than our accustomed muted aromas of farm animals and the rare musky, funky odor of a skunk. It was the distinctive stink of the paper mill below the hill descending to the valley of Morelia. This was a sure sign that the prevailing winds had shifted fom west to east. Nature, playing ping-pong with the winds, had surmounted the hill and delivered us an unsolicited ream of chemical pong.

There's a beautiful new factory, the "Fábrica de Jabón", on the Morelia-Pátzcuaro highway, in the final stages of construction. It is closer to us than the paper mill. It remains to be smelled whether it will waft sweet aromas or render the stink of rancid fats.

Green and Bear It

2009-02-16T11:05:00.002-06:00

It's only the middle of February, yet Spring is awakening in Las Cuevas.

(The following is not a complaint, mind you, but a description of an event. May no one take a fence.)

Last week, our landlords brought over an air compressor and a spray gun. Their youngest son then proceeded to paint our scruffy, pointy fence. Over two days, he painted the fence, some of the concrete base, the brick columns, some patches of grass (which, dry as it's been, needed some refreshment of color).

He also managed to paint himself in the back flow of spray. We sincerely hope that his health isn't impaired.

We are grateful. I hardly notice the stray spray. I'd been hoping for some time that they'd paint the fence. This came as a gift.

I just got back from a late morning walk. I saw the rancheros/campesinos fertilizing the plowed milpas, one costal at a time. There's no shortage of organic fertilizer here. We are in Cow Country.

Nearby, a grassy field is already bright green. The plant growth may be zacate, here, a tangle of low lying, vinous stuff used to feed cattle. Innuendo and out the other.
Serious planting of corn is still ahead. The seed must be in the ground just barely ahead of the June rains.

It's the never ending cycle of life in el campo.

Life's a Beach

2009-01-12T06:57:00.009-06:00

I am not a lover of beaches. They bore me. Yes, they are pretty good places to go for mariscos dinners. But they have sand, which is often scorchingly hot, and the damn stuff clings to you on your feet, legs and other unwanted places.
See this photo? Admit it, it's incredibly boring after a few moments of fond gazing.

Coconuts could fall from high up in the palms, injuring you to the point of becoming a total vegetable, finishing off the job of dulling your faculties; or even, dead. Agua de cocos is a highly overrated drink, with a wishy-washy taste of soap, and the concept of ¡Cocos Fríos! is highly relativistic.

Beaches often have mosquitos. Some have jejenes as well. Jejenes can make evening strolls along the beach (while having meaningful conversations with your loved one) into a Jell.

Hammocks are bad for the spine. They are also hazardous in terms of flipping out, especially when hung over concrete floors. It's no wonder that the Mayan civilization declined, with hammocks in which to make whoopee. (There were some other aspects, involving perforations with sharp spines, but I'll skip over that.)

Do I have to mention sunburn? O.k., I will.

The last time we stayed at a beach was in February, 2007. We stayed at Quinta d' Liz, run by Luis, a very nice guy, with two charming and sexy assistants of the female sex. I will admit, it was nice to have my morning coffee, toast and jam served by the cute, mildly flirtatious helpers in their swimwear.

After that highlight, the day went downhill quickly, as the sun rose higher and began its inexorable burn of pale güero skins. By 11:00 a.m., the sand was too hot to to walk across in bare feet, unless you'd studied firewalking while with the Peace Corps.

Most of the day we spent under the shade of a palapa, or in our humble hut. Fortunately, there was a powerful fan. If that didn't cool us off, we could go water ourselves under the unheated chorro de agua coming out of the shower. That felt pretty good. I think it was seawater.

One day, Susan and I drove over to Ixtapa (a development of modern, air conditioned high-rise hotels, featuring all amenities, scorned as "Plastic!" by true Mexico travelers seeking The Real Mexico Experience), to which I longingly gazed upward, thinking of air conditioning, a swimming pool, room service, swim-up bars and especially freedom from nightly enshroudment in mosquito netting. Alas! We were only there to visit the U.S. Consular Representative for paperwork, not dally in luxury. No Carlos 'n Charlies' for us.

Back at Troncones, I futilely sought luxury. I made the mistake of signing on for a massage at a New Age-y resort up the road. I really should have known better, but the sun had addled my reasoning. That turned out to be highly less than satisfactory; no: irritating! It was also absurdly expensive. I don't want to discuss it.

That was followed by dinner with our friends at a well recommended restaurant in an Eden-like resort, in the "Uptown" part of Troncones. That was a bust in several ways, as the restaurant was dealing that night with another, large party of diners to our neglect. The hostess was rude, the service was irregular, and the food was just passable.

The most satisfactory meal we had while in Troncones was makeshift antojería on the side of the unpaved street. The food was tasty and the price was right.

O.k.; I admit I don't "chill" well. (God, how I dislike that use of "chill".) Some people are born to the hammock and the palapa, the caressing of susurrous wavelets as they walk along the littoral, but not me. I prefer walking the calles of México, D.F. or of Oaxaca. Yes; I'd rather be in Xalapa than under a palapa.

In conclusion: "Cada Loco Con Su Tema".

Fiesta Wear

2008-12-11T08:34:00.019-06:00

The cohetes (skyrockets) began shooting upward and exploding at about 4:30 a.m. It's the Día de La Virgen de Gudalupe, celebrating México's Patron Saint.

The Mole Circuit* has started up again with the beginning of December, and we're riding it, but somewhat reluctantly. Fiestas are fun but they also wear us out. There have been so many fiestas (many of them celebrating weddings), that I've decided to just make a digest of those we attended. I'll give more detail about the first one, then compact the others.

*Really, it should be called the Barbacoa Circuit, becuase the local variant of barbacoa is the most popular main dish for serving a crowd. Here, it's a huge stew of calf meat cooked in a light chile gravy.

It's not that we don't enjoy a festive occasion, with merry families and friends gathering to toast the happy couple. A more important reason is that full participation requires steadily drinking Tequila, brandy and an occasional cerveza for relief. It's true, there is Fresca or Coca, but those are mere vehicles for the hard stuff. All that booze often results in declarations of undying friendship, seasoned with jovial, manly insults. It's machismo at work, supported by an alcohol-induced fog.

Our first boda of December was on the 5th, a civil ceremony wedding at Tzintzuntzan, followed by a merry, tipsy feast at Ucazanastacua.

The drinking and toasting began early, on the steps of La Presidencia (county courthouse) in Tzintzuntzan immediately after all the extensive papeleo (paperwork) was completed. The ceremony was conducted by a young, lady judge. I noted that she mentioned in her advisory remarks to the couple the importance of family planning.

After an hour or two, we headed out of the town for the drive along the winding lake shore cornice road to Ucazanastacua. The name comes from the Purhépecha language, and means something like "tiny place with a gorgeous view."

We hombres were separated from the mujeres, and we entered the lower level patio first, and were seated at long, trestle tables. The customary shower of confetti was dusted over our heads and shoulders by pretty muchachas. (At least, they looked pretty to my fogged brain.)

There were a limited number of chairs, so many of us hard case types sat on long beams, covered with newspapers, and supported by stone and brick cairns.

We were well supplied with bottles of Tequila and Fresca or Kas (a tart, grapefruit soda which I do like) were brought out, and the drinking and toasting started anew. It would have been rude not to join in, ¿no es verdad? Fortunately, it wasn't too long before the food arrived.

I'll skip over the food details, but this meal did include mole de pollo, corundas, a thin caldo de pollo and the inevitable rice and tortillas.

The appearance of long-necked bottles of Cerveza Victoria (a favorite) falsely signalled a withdrawal from the hard stuff, so I accepted a bottle. I'd scarcely had a few sips, when a bottle of Tequila Sauza appeared. My new amigo told me that I should taste it for its superior qualities, but I passed. Then came a bottle of brandy to mix with Cokes. I passed on that also. I held my plastic cup of Fresca in a tight grip.

Doña Cuevas and I were ready to leave, but our amiga, María, said that we needed to stay until "la fruta" was brought out. Before long, men and women, bearing large platters of half pollos con mole y arroz, and baskets and even crates of fruits, waggle-danced in a line around the tables.
Yes! It was the long awaited Chicken Dance, plus fruit. This time I was there to capture it on video of sorts. See below. It was pretty cool.

The air was also getting pretty cool as the sun dipped toward the mountains on the opposite shore. We gathered up our riders and started back toward the van, 100 yards up the road. One of María's sisters was the big winner of a large, uncovered platter heaped with mole con pollo (in this instance, more like pollo with mole). I was dreading having it along in our vehicle. But then she covered it with a plastic bag. Even better, a colectivo combi van pulled up, and she and her children got on.
(That photo of a combi is, of course, not what they really look like here. But I used it because it's colorful.)

We gathered our few passengers for the drive home in the dark.
The trip was slow, as we had to watch for ladies standing chatting in the road, topes and road paving machines, still working away.

We dropped off our riders at their house. After we left,we decided to limit our participation in these events to a select few, only within walking distance of home.

As we drove up our street, we saw young Sra. Irma pushing her daughter Vanessa in a stroller up the roughly paved street. She hailed us, and handed us an envelope, and verbally invited us to her wedding on January 3, at the La Capilla de Las Cuevas. We expressed regrets that we couldn't attend, as we'd be away. ¡Lástima!

Coming up next, El Día de La Virgen de Guadalupe, on December 14th.
You've seen the photos from 2006. The ones from 2008 are similar. (I noted some minor differences in serving trays.) I didn't even drink a beer!

Next, we accepted an invitation to the Wedding of the Year, Sra Lupe, Sra Chucha's sister; and Sr Fernando's daughter, Montserrat will get married to Javier on the 20th of December. It was easy, right down the street from us. It was also well organized, with a seamless transition from the church to the outdoor dining area. Of course, they are only about 200 feet apart.
My score: 1 cerveza, 1 shot of Tequila.

More: Magdalena's quinceañera (15 year old girl's coming out ceremony and party), just down the road, on December 25. Just keep clicking the forward arrow for more pics.
I went to that yesterday, while la Sra. C. stayed home to nurse a cold. The Mass ran late, but the music and singers were especially good.
My score: 1 cerveza.

(Food note: the barbacoa was chopped instead of served in chunks, which made it much easier to eat. It's usually quite a challenge to cut pieces of meat off the bone with a plastic soup spoon in one hand and a rolled tortilla in the other.)
(I want to make special mention of the papas fritas and paletas vendors, who not only sell outside the church, but also in the forecourt, and mingle with the guests, hawking their delicacies.)

There's another wedding, I think on the 28th, of Srta. Amparo and her young man from Las Vegas. But we won't be here.

Then the Irma and Ramón wedding on January 3.
These fiestas have been fun, but tiring, and I'm looking forward to Lent, some 40 days of relative self-denial.

A few days ago, I discovered an envelope on the porch that held an invitation to another wedding the next day, in Coenembo, across the ridges to the northeast of us. We stayed home and rested.

(I haven't mentioned the bailes, held in the evenings, after the comidas.
Another day, another post. These highly amplified extravaganzas shatter the nighttime tranquility. I think it will be quieter in a Mexico City hotel.)

¡Próspero Año Nuevo!

The Smell of the Paint, the Lure of the Hardware

2008-08-19T09:35:00.014-05:00

We finally visited the Ace Hardware store in Morelia yesterday. We first heard of it a few years ago, when someone was looking for canning jars and lids. We'd passed it a few times when driving along the Avenida Acueducto in search of culinary and other pleasures.

I must be honest. Do-it-yourself projects are not in my repertoire. I do enjoy visiting the amazing, seemingly cluttered ferreterías of Pátzcuaro, grouped conveniently about la Plaza Chica for the most part. They are a time machine back into the hardware stores of my youth, but in Spanish.

Nothing therein is self-service. It's a studied ritual of waiting at the counter for help; waiting while the employee looks for the item, often back in the bodega, then comes back with the item(s). If you decide to buy it, they give you a ticket which you take to the cashier's window, where you wait a moment, pay, get ticket slip stamped, return to the pickup window, where your purchse is waiting upon surrender of the pagado ticket.

Ace Hardware Morelia is a bright, modern store with shiny fixtures, broad aisles and gadgets that gringos like. It also has at least one cheerfully helpful saleswoman who goes out of her way to assist you.

At Ace Hardware, you checkout as in a supermarket; your purchases are scanned; credit and debit cards are accepted, and off you go, out the automatic doors.

We entered hoping to find Rid-X, which they didn't have, but left with two metal flyswatters, a hanging soap dish for the kitchen sink, suction cup hooks and a 40 foot retractable clothesline reel.

We ran the gauntlet of tempting 1/2 gallon (and smaller sized) canning jars, canning lids; frying splatter shields, OXO kitchen tools, barbecue and grill tools, heavy duty fireplace gloves; Coleman Camp Stoves and fuel, and too many more items to list here.

This morning I started to think about where inside the house to mount the retractable clothesline reel and quickly eliminated most locations as inappropriate and awkward. I finally found one spot in the second bedroom (which is also my computer room.) where we might get 10 feet of the line extended. I also realized the almost the same thing could be accomplished with some clothesline and two hooks drilled and screwed into the wall. Cost of lesson: about $30 USD. (However it's retractable. Wow.)

But it was possibly worth it for the entertainment value of visiting an American style hardware store in Morelia.

Avenida Acueducto # 3175 A,
Colonia Matamoros C.P. 58240
Morelia
Tel: (443) 315 8161

Two Years in Las Cuevas

2008-08-10T06:03:00.007-05:00

August 3 was a red letter day for us. It marked the second anniversary of our life here in el campo, specifically, in La Casa de Gloria en Las Cuevas.

To celebrate, we made a party for our neighbors and friends on Saturday, August 2nd. They have been so friendly to us and had shown us many kindnesses.

We had no idea how many people would show up; we estimate from 25 to 75. As it turned out, we had about 35 guests. Our neighbors, Sra. Chucha and Sr. Mateo lent us tables and chairs, as did our neighbors on the other side, the venerable Sra. Jesús and Sra. Praxedes. Our Alabama American neighbors brought us a tent and 2 chairs. We were set. Guests began to arrive at 2:15 and by 2:25 all were present

The menu was simplified from a similar party from December 10th, 2006:
Two salads, 4-bean or Italian coleslaw; pasta mushroom and cheese bake; pizzas. We also served soft drinks and beer was available, but almost no one took a beer.

The expected tormenta de lluvias arrived, but we were dry under the entryway where the guests gathered.

When it was over, Susan and I were tired yet happy. It was worth the work.

I'll give more details of the pizzas and recipes for the salads on my food blog, My Mexican Kitchen. (coming soon).

Street Corner Economics

2008-07-02T04:47:00.004-05:00

Here is an observation, made without judgement.

I was waiting yesterday at the corner of Calle Iturbe y La Paz by the pila (water tower) at Pátzcuaro's Plaza Chica. A cab pulled up, the driver got out, and after some difficulty with the key, unlocked the trunk. Meanwhile, his only passenger, a lady of some years, also got out of the car.

They both began to unload several items from the trunk, including a large metal pot, of the type used to steam tamales, a charcoal brazier, a plastic pail containing a pineapple and several other small items, and a few things I don't specifically recall.
She dropped a few coins in the driver's hand.

So much remains unknown to me, but my immediate reaction was to wonder what kind of sales she could achieve to justify a taxi ride, and not take the less expensive combi. From her cook ware, it would seem likely that she was going to vend tamales y atole, although the hour, about 11:30 a.m. seemed odd for those foods. Usually that spot is occupied by a tamales vendor in the morning, and at about 5 in the afternoon, by one or two of the atole de grano ladies, who seem to have cornered that location for the evenings. (Fortunately for us, who appreciate their quintessential soup of rough corn seasoned with anicillo.)

In the end, I realize that I have almost no grasp of street corner economics nor of economics in general.

A Tale of Two, no, Three, no, Four Comidas

2008-06-29T19:26:00.009-05:00

Do I hear FIVE??

We have just emerged with chile stained fingers from another round of fiestas and their attendant comidas. The big, really big fiesta time is, of course at Christmas. Two or more weeks of visiting, eating barbacoa, mole and sopa seca de arroz.

The impetus behind this semi-minor round of parties on the carnitas and mole circuit here was the end of the school terms. These are not celebrated in an "efficient", North of the Border way, like all at once, but extended over as long a period as possible to extract maximum enjoyment.

This period of fiestas and comidas also falls during an optimum time, when the "Summer People" (as I call them) have come for a visit, "del otro lado", that is, taking time off from their jobs in the U.S. to come home. The Summer People are really the local people, but those who went north to work and improve their fortunes. Some have been gone from here as many as 18 years.

Our fiesta and comida schedule started a week ago last Friday, on the 20th of June, with a Mass followed by a big tent party in celebration of a a pair of kids who had attained their third birthday. There were carnitas, soda and beer, then later, cake (which we didn't stay for.)

Last weekend, the Fiesta Circuit ratcheted up: Friday night we went to a pre-graduation/birthday pig pickin' at the house of Rubén and Isabel. The affable mechanic Rubén gave us a warm welcome, then filled our bowls with heaps of pozole. We could have had carnitas instead, but it seemed prudent to avoid those meaty morsels a couple of hours before bedtime.

Saturday evening brought a change of pace and of tastes; an expat party. Susan D invited us at to a birthday party for her husband, Doug, at their lovely new house. That was principally an expat gathering. Guests contributed a wide array of tasty dishes dear to us, the extranjeros. I brought a sort of Cheese and Salami Pizza Bread and a jug of Ginger Beer.

Restored by this contact with "home base", we launched into the Sunday final stretch with renewed vigor.

But a minor social crisis loomed over us. Both my wife, Susan and I had separately accepted invitations to two different comidas a half mile or less apart. We gave the original one priority, and enjoyed a terrific mole made by Señora Carmelina, as well as a tasty sopa seca de arroz. That was at the house of young Sra. Irma and her husband Sr, Ramón, just down the street.

By eating wisely (for once!), then excused ourselves with thanks, to walk up to our second fiesta at the house of Sra. Paz and Sr. Daniel. We made it inside even as freshet of rain broke upon us. We were greeted by more salutations and familiar faces, including those of Rubén and Isabel. I accepted a beer, but Susan couldn't eat anything. Various guests came and left, and then our hosts seated themselves in front of us, and we learned the various family relationships of people we knew and those new to us. This subject requires long and laborious study to fully grasp, assisted by a Cerveza Corona or two.

La Señora Paz made sure that we didn't leave her house empty handed. After we went out and admired their garden, she brought us a substantial bowl of mole de pollo and arroz, topped with a few tortillas.

Now we can rest from fiestas and comidas, with the exception of next Saturday, when we will fire up the charcoal grill in honor of El Día de La Independencia de Los Estados Unidos, and welcome back our neighbors, Geni and Larry.

Then we have a month to prepare for the fiesta and comida we will host for the community in celebration of our two years living here and in appreciation for their amiable kindnesses. It will be a pizza party plus. No mole. I leave the making of that to the cocineras expertas.

For you ladies, here are instructions from another website as to "How To Dress For A Mexican Fiesta". You can take these with several granos de sal.

¡Menudo Free Delivery!

2008-06-14T08:46:00.003-05:00

Our ranchito in Michoacán, México gets quite a few vendor vehicles serving the area with bread, tortillas, fruits and vegetables, cleaning supplies, and groceries in general. They usually have taped spiels (Sometimes intelligible, more often not) accompanied by music. It's very charmingly old fashioned.

Just now was a first for me. I heard the music and announcement of a loudspeaker. I went out to see what it was. Our landlady, Sra. Chucha, was buying menudo de becerro (Calve's tripes in chile broth) from another woman who had it in a large pot in the trunk of her car. The customers bring their own containers. The actual tripe pieces, rather gray and unattractive, sat off to the side in a large bowl. I don't know what it cost, as it didn't ignite my appetite. I didn't particularly like the smell, either. But it was the first time I'd seen Menudo Free Delivery out here in el campo.

My previous posts on "Confronting Menudo" are here.

(Today's menudo wasn't as attractive as that in the photo above.)