Back in Arócutin

Where I eat many of my meals, looking out over the valley

On December 4th I returned to the lovely casita that I rent from my friend Georgia Conti, for a second 3-month stint in the beautiful valley of Lake Patzcuaro, Mexico.  The casita has received a few upgrades while I've been gone:  a fresh coat of paint -

a big new refrigerator -

and a lovely gas fireplace, perfect for reading by on a chilly day -



As soon as I got back, I was eager to get out to catch what I could of the last of the orchid bloom, which mostly happens in the fall.  So on my first morning back I headed out into the wilds of Mal Pais, created by the eruption of twin volcanoes back in the 1500s.  The lava that  covered the area then has since broken up and a great forest now covers the area.

Wild orchids among the volcanic rocks

Close up of orchids growing on a tree.

I was delighted to find several clumps of wild orchids that morning and have since found many more, though now their season is passing and their colors are fading away.

But of course I don't hike in Mal Pais just to see orchids.  There's the forest itself:

Love this eye-of-the-neeedle oak tree as well as the stone walls on the edge of the forest

And other flowers, like this wild Dahlia:

 And these bright red flowers that are all over the area:

 As are copious amounts of beautiful wild marigolds:

And on the way to the forest I often pass blackberry bushes growing wild (I think they escaped from the adjacent estate) and can treat myself to some plump, juicy berries:

As you can see, they're huge!

When I enter from the other side of the forest, I walk down this lane with its great views:

Grassy lane - with calf.

And sometimes I'm greeted with a line of cattle egrets in  the tree tops, basking in the morning sun:

I always enjoy walking by this giant "planter", part of an estate that was started but never got beyond stone walls and foundations:

On my way to and from Mal Pais - and on other hikes - I get to see varied and beautiful butterflies, mostly in the more open areas.  Here's a sampling (with thanks to friend Doug Taron for identifying them):

Mexican Silverspot

Buckeye

Marine blue

Chisos Banded Skipper

Juno Longwing

White Checkered Skipper

  I also get to see some spectacularly-colored dragonflies on my walks:

And sometimes I don't even have to leave home to see these beauties.  This one I took whie sitting at my desk:

Magnificent Swallowtail.

As well as this one of a Hooded Oriole:

Sometimes the view from my casita is crisp and clear.

  And sometimes it's foggy and mysterious:

The island of Janitzio, seen from my terrace on a foggy morning (with a bit of zoom).

I like it both ways!  And sharing the views with me this year is this little frog who lives in the plant on the terrace:

Shortly after I arrived I headed along the causeway out to the former island of Jaracuaro, whose inhabitants are known for making hats from the lake's reeds. 

View from the bridge on the causeway

 In town I found a chapel well-decorated for the holiday season:

And I found what I was looking for:

This is the more formal one I bought that day; later I went back and bought another one for hiking, with more ventilation holes.

Some say that the huge reduction in the level of Lake Patzcuaro over the past 40 years was caused by the covering of a huge spring when the causeway to Jaracuaro was built.  I don't know how much water that theory holds, but the lake covers way less area than it used to.

All this agricultural land, with its great geometry of fields, used to under Lake Patzcuaro.

In addition to huge areas of tillable land exposed by the shrinking of the lake, there are also extensive wetlands which provide great habitat for birds, with lots of opportunities to see them from the Jaracuaro causeway.

Great Egret

Great Blue Heron behind the horses (lots of pastureland in the former lake bed as well).

White-faced Ibis

I like to hike around the village of Erongaricuaro (aka Eronga), and the trek out to the old train station is one of my favorites.
 

The station ruins.  Now only freight traffic passes by.

On the way up I pass a site where last year men were working grading the land and building retaining walls.  My friend Charles and I had speculated that some rich guy was building his McMansion to take advantage of the gorgeous view.  Turns out it was the town building a sports complex, with basketball and soccer courts, a playground - and the best playground view I've ever seen:

At the end of the hike I stopped in Eronga for a tasty lunch of a chicken leg, cheese enchiladas covered in salad, fried potatoes and carrots, all washed down with a bottle of apple soda (by Coca Cola, no less) - for the hefty price of $2.65.

Of course I don't spend all my time out in the countryside.  I head in to Patzcuaro occasionally to go to the market, take in a movie, have a meal at a restaurant, or see a bit of art.

Patzcuaro's Plaza Grande, decorated with lots of poinsettia plants and a Christmas tree.

I like to sit out under the arcade at Restaurante Surtidora, sipping a coffee, looking out on the Plaza Grande and watching the world go by.

Patzcuaro is known for its well-preserved colonial center, as seen in this side street.

On Christmas day I went for a nice long walk after the fog that covered the valley was finally clearing.  I wandered down dirt roads and grassy lanes

out to the end of a side valley, to some ancient (but no one seems to know how ancient) petroglyphs in a pasture:

Sparals and a human figure.

 

A winged human figure.

Along the way, I encountered a bird that provided a bit of holiday color

Vermilion Flycatcher

as well as some Mexican-variety mistletoe.  Unfortunately no one was with me to kiss!

And there was a great view of the village of Uricho:

After the hike, I showered and changed and walked just down the road a bit to Campestre Aleman, the friendly local German Restaurant, and had a delicious Christmas dinner of Macadamia-encrusted trout, carrot salad, German potato salad, and extra vegetables (by special request), all enjoyed with a glass of German white wine.  Then I topped it off with some apple strudel and a cup of good coffee.  Not bad for under $16.00, tip included.

I've also hiked a few times with the local expat hiking group, Friends of Cerro Blanco.  Yesterday we hiked around the base of that Cerro Blanco and through woods and open fields:

We wound our way around to the village of Tsurumutaro, where we enjoyed a hearty brunch at El Camino Real. 

Now Christmas is past and I'll look forward to more adventures in the new year.  Meanwhile I think I'll go sit out on the terrace and enjoy the view of the white pelicans:

And then take in the beauty of the clouds at sunset:

End of Last Summer's Stay in Ecuador

Because I came down with a nasty cold at the end of my stay in Cotacachi, Ecuador last summer, I never did post about my final few weeks there.  And while I'm back in Vermont I'm busier because of seeing my Senior Companion clients, so I didn't post during the autumn.  So now that I'm back in Mexico and have plenty of time, here's an update on my time in Cotacachi - and I promise to post about my return to Mexico soon!

On August 26th, my landlady, Rosa Elena, cooked me a culinary highlight of my stay:  charcoal-grilled guinea pig (cuy) - an Andean specialty.  Cuy is traditional for fiestas here; for a wedding, Rosita's family cooked 100 of them! She prepared her home-raised guinea pig the day before, spicing it with coriander and lots of garlic.

Roasa and her mother grilling the guinea pigs (only one was for me) over the coals

Mote (corn kernels) boiling over the fire

The guinea pig was served with the mote,  tomatoes, boiled potatoes and a delicious sauce made with ground squash seeds.  It was a tasty treat, enjoyed with a glass of white wine.  
 

Ready to eat...

I ate it with my fingers, as I eat chicken - which, you will not be surprised to hear, it tasted a lot like.  Since Rosa Elena suggested it was a delicacy, I ate and enjoyed its walnut-sized brain, which was creamy and tasted like mild liver.  Muy rico!

On August 28th I did another hike around  Cuicocha (Guinea Pig Lake) with friends Dennis and Elin.  We took a taxi up to Cuicocha  and walked the up-and-down trail around the lake - with amazing views.

Wind stirring the surface of the lake

Solar calendar site above the lake

Lake peninsula

As usual, we saw great views, flowers and interesting plants along the trail.

Colorful trumpets

Me in front of huge flowering plant

Orchid

Lower slope of Mount Cotacachi; the peak was in the clouds.

After hiking around the lake we then walked back down to Cotacachi for a total of about 8 hours of hiking.  A wonderful trek - and we were exhausted!

As my time in Cotacachi (for this stint) was coming to an end, I realized that I hadn't posted photos of the town itself, so I took a few representative pics:

The main plaza with La Matriz, the main church (each of the many parishes has its own smaller church).

Band marching past one of the older buildings on the main plaza.

La Matriz

Calle 19 de Agosto, also known as Leather Street, lined with dozens of shops selling a wide variety of the town's specialty. Last trip I bought a great hooded leather jacket; this time, just a wallet. As you can see, for the most part the town's architecture is nothing to write home about.....

.... but there are some lovely buildings, too.

Calle Suarez has several ex-pat oriented businesses like Serendipity Restaurant, Trebol Bar (with good pizza) and Prana store (with great coffee, chocolate and wines).

Calle Bolvar, with shaded benches for resting - and some of the ubiquitous graffiti.

On the morning of August 31st - as on many mornings - there was lots of smoke blowing by my casita:

People here burn off their fields - and with the strong winds, things sometimes get out of control.  My friend Martica's lovely home had a wall of fire approaching it at one point.  When she called the fire department, they said they were sorry, but both firetrucks were busy elsewhere!  Luckily the villagers came running and got the fire under control in time.

But also on the morning of August 31st, when I was feeling a bit down with that nasty cold I mentioned at the beginning of this post, this lovely yellow grosbeak stopped by to cheer me up:

And on September 2nd, as I was walking back from buying brownies for a farewell dinner with friends, I spotted this beauty on the sidewalk:

West Coast Lady butterfly

On September 3rd it was time to fly back to the States.  From my seat on the plane,  I could see the gray ash cloud from the erupting Cotapaxi volcano. Luckily the winds generally blow away from the airport, so we had no problem taking off.  (And lately the activity has died down)

So after a night in Toronto I was back in Vermont on the 4th, ready to enjoy what turned out to be the most spectacular fall foliage season I can remember:

Autumn view from the little house in Vermont