Highlights of my last 2 weeks in Mexico

Resting on a hike.

The last few weeks always fly by - and I was busy, so that contributed to the speed of time.  I did lots of hiking, often near the casita in Arócutin or from Eronga, but sometimes from Patzcuaro.  Here are some shots of scenes in Patzcuaro:

Fountain with statue of Bishop Quiroga in the Plaza Grande

The old El Sagrario Church and arched wall - probably the most photographed spot in Patzcuaro.  Lots of wedding parties pose here. Construction of the church began in 1693.

Interior of the nearby Jesuit Church (Templo de la Companña), built 1540 to 1546, attached to the former Jesuit College.

Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe, near the market

View from El Estribo volcano of the Sanctuary, with the twin-towered theater and the library (formerly a church) nearby on the Plaza Chica).

I was just winding down from a morning hike and shopping trip on Feb. 8th when my friend Francis invited me to join her and her handsome botanist friend Bruno (whom I had met the previous week) for an evening walk in Mal Pais. How could I refuse?

 Nearly-full moon rising by a blooming agave plant.

Bruno and Francis in a little gorge that Francis showed us

Bruno studying plant life in the gorge

On the 10th I explored a new road up on a ridge east of Erongaricuaro. I was hoping it would take me up and over to a plateau I was familiar with, but it turned the wrong way and petered out. Coming down I took other very pleasant woods roads to get back down to Eronga.   I was tired after 6 1/2 hours of walking!

I followed and passed a young guy herding cattle up to their pasture on the ridge

Flowers along the road

Mexican Dartwhite butterfly

Road leading down the ridge

Hut by the road.  I wonder if it's for rent....

Looking across colorful wetlands toward Aroócutin.

On Feb. 11th,  Francis and I finally made it into Mal Pais for the rising of the full moon - along with 6 other folks. We walked into the edge of Mal Pais as the sun was setting and climbed up on a ridge of volcanic rock for a great view of the moon in a penumbral eclipse.

The moon rose pink.......

.......and then turned gold.

We stayed until dark and then walked back to Francis & Rodolfo's place for an international pot luck dinner.. We had Mexican chorizo and tamales, salad with American dressing, kimchi and sauerkraut, and Belgian fries cooked by a Belgian - with Mexican beer and Mexican wine (rather sweet, but good)

My friends Basil and Henriette and I continue to take longer hikes, preparing ourselves for the 300-mile Peace Walk in central Europe this summer.  On the 12th we did a 14 mile hike up to the plateau above Eronga, over to Zarzamora and then back down by the old dirt road - and then had lunch at Doña Mary's.

Up on the plateau

Basil & Henriette heading back down toward Eronga

On Feb. 13th, I took Bruno on a hike through Mal Pais on the trail with lots of bromeliads that Francis and I did a few weeks ago:

Bruno pointing out agaves growing in an oak tree

Triple treat: upright and hanging bromeliads blooming.

As the dry season progresses,  locals burn off their fields as well as the old reeds in the wetlands. Luckily the wind was only occasionally blowing in the direction of my casita.

On the 15th, ten of us went out to the town of Cuanajo to check out the possibilities for a group hike there. We enjoyed a great hike, but decided it was too steep and rocky for our Saturday morning group.  As we returned to the town, we encountered this local man with a team of young oxen, probably heading up into the forest to drag down logs.

On the 16th I hiked up onto the ridge above the pueblo of Napizaro with my friend Francis.  Here's the view from the railroad tracks as we headed back to Eronga:

And here are some of the flowers we saw on the hike:

On the 17th I got a photo of a Canyon Wren.   I often hear these little guys singing outside my casita, but they're elusive and it took me months to finally catch one on "film".

That same day, I hiked again to the top of El Estribo, the small volcano on the edge of Patzcuaro.  They're redoing the eroded cobbled road up to the outlook pavilion and I wanted to check it out.  I'm hoping their work doesn't damage these great trees that line the road.

They put in a temporary road for driving up to the pavilion while the work is being done.  The new road is an ugly scar that hopefully will heal before too long - but as it wraps around the back of the mountain it does provide lovely views. On a group hike several weeks before, we had hiked through the avocado grove below this mountain and through the woods down to the corn field by the lower right corner.

View of Lake Patzcuaro and the islands from the pavilion.

From the pavilion, I climbed the 417 stairs up to the top of the volcano. This photo was taken at about step 350:
 

Green cacti against red wall on the road back down to Patzcuaro.

On the 18th, 34 of us took a boat ride for the opportunity to stroll around the islands of La Pacanda and Yunuen in Lake Patzcuaro with the  hiking group.

Luckily, this is NOT the boat we were taking

View from the boat of the church in Ihuatzio

We passed by the island of Janitzio, with its huge statue of Morelos

Our boat, docked at La Pacanda, which we explored  after a lovely ride on the lake.

Church on La Pacanda.

Colorin flower on  La Pacanda,  The island had good-sized colorin trees; previously I had seen them more as shrubs.

Church on the smaller island of Yunuen. We bought vanilla and zapote nieve (sorbet) cones from a vendor outside the church.

Mural on the community building on Yunuen. Next to this building is a new zip-line to the island of La Pacanda. Maybe next time.....

On the 19th I took another “training hike” - about 11.5 miles - with Basil and Henriette up onto the ridge across the valley. We even followed red arrows - as we will on the European Peace Walk - for much of the way:

On the 20th, I took a leisurely stroll on lovely lanes to Eronga and back, to have lunch with my friend David Haun at Doña Mary's:

One last look at one of my favorite "country road" views.

Gateway to Uricho and the Mountains

Skull on a wall with cactus and mountains

On the 21st, I enjoyed this view during my last breakfast on the terrace.  That afternoon I was heading to Mexico City to catch my flight back to the States. I was going a day early so that I could visit the  amazing pre-Columbian ruins of Teotihuacan - so there will be one more Mexico post,  about that adventure.

My lovely breakfast view on my last day in Arócutin.