After moving in..... 12/9/14 to 12/14/14

Church in Arocutin, my village.  The tall structure in front of the church is a decoration from the Day of the Dead.  It's covered in marigolds which would have been bright orange for the celebration.

No sooner did I get settled in  at my casita on Tuesday the 9th than I set off to walk to the village of Erongaricuaro (usually referred to as Eronga) to meet up with Charles Dews, who had promised to take me shopping in the village so I could start to stock my pantry.  Rick Davis, a gay American expat who had sent me a welcoming message when I posted my personal introduction on Michoacan_Net, has a lovely Mexican craft store in Patzcuaro.  I had stopped in there to say hello when I first arrived, and he had connected me to Charles through Facebook.  What a treat to be making connections with the local community so quickly! Charles, another gay expat from Texas, gave me a tour of his lovely home on the outskirts of town and then we walked to the plaza and had a tasty lunch at a little restaurant looking out at the market stalls.  After lunch Charles took me through the weekly market set up on the plaza, a panaderia that makes whole wheat tortillas, the supermercado (a big little store) and a little store with a good fruit and vegetable selection.  Loaded down with goodies,  I took a combi (shared van) home to Arocutin.

Local fruits I get to enjoy: papaya, pineapple, granadilla, banana, grapes and mango.

The next day my landlady Georgia was going in to Morelia, the capital city of Michoacan, and had invited me to go along.  We did some shopping (at Costco!) and she had a doctor's appointment, and then we met up with some friends of hers and went out to eat at a trendy burger joint where I had a delicious lamb burger with a Thai side salad.  The highlight of the evening was attending a delightful free concert by the University of Michoacan's Chamber Orchestra.  I loved the Grieg Suite Opus 40! After the concert we walked around a bit and I got a chance to see  some of the beautiful colonial center of the city - I definitely need to go back to see more.  Here we are with the top of the cathedral's towers behind us:

Nancy, Val, Georgia, Jim and me.  Mark took the pic.

After dessert,  coffee and conversation at Val's,  Georgia and I headed back to Arocutin, arriving after midnight.

Right behind where I live in Arocutin is a 12-suare-mile wilderness area called Mal Pais (Bad Country) which was covered in lava in 1460 when twin volcanoes erupted.  It's a rugged landscape with a wide variety of plant species now.  On the morning of Thursday the 11th I ventured in - paying close attention to the trail, as everyone says it's easy to get lost in there.

As I headed in, encountered this guy bringing out firewood.

Lichens on a tree branch

One of the twin volcanoes.

That afternoon I walked to the village of Jaracuaro, accessed by a road through wetlands  where I saw lots of birds:

Black-Necked Stilts

Little Blue Heron (I think)

Little Egret

Merlin

White-Faced Ibis

And loveliest of all, a Vermillion Flycatcher

The wetlands themselves were lovely:

Horses drinking

And I wandered a bit through the village:

The main street of Jaracuaro

I figured I should do as the locals do, so on Friday the 12th I cooked beans - which takes a long time at this elevation (about 7,000 feet).  I've been having meat and fish only when I eat out, so rice and beans will be a staple while I'm here.

That night there was a fundraiser for the midwife program of Mujeres Alidas, a non-profit serving the needs of local women - an interesting documentary on their work, a fun time chatting with nice people, tasty guacamole, great music by professional soprano & bass singers, and I won a door prize of a framed photo by my new friend Charles Dews. Plus in the silent auction I got a $21 dinner for two at a nice restaurant for less than $10 and a 1 1/2-hour shiatsu massage for $7. An evening well spent!

Most Saturdays there's a hike organized by the expat members of Friends of  Cerro Blanco, a large hill on the outskirts of Patzcuaro.  I joined them on the 13th for a walk on the flanks of Cerro Blanco and through farmlands to the village of Tsurumutaro, where we ate breakfast (for me it was actually lunch).

Layered Mountains

Flowers in the road

Stone walls and mountain views.  Were we in Vermont?

Along the plaza in Tsurumutaro

I got good news that day: the price of Mexican pesos is falling.  When I arrived the American dollar got you about 13 pesos.  It went up to almost 15 - but is now back down to about 14 1/2 - still a good deal for this frugal traveler!

This Macillivray's Warbler has been flying up against my bedroom window every day.  I think he sees his reflection and is trying to protect his territory.

 

 

On Sunday the 14th I took a long walk on nearby country lanes, letting them take me wherever they wished.  Here is some of what I saw:

One of the country lanes

Evergreen with mountain backdrop

Little cactus against volcanic rock

Little Egrets in a Field

Multi-Colored Fields

I've really enjoying the longer days here: today's sunrise was at 7:15 and the sun will set at 6:12.  Here's a recent sunset pic, taken from my balcony:

I need to get out into the sunshine now - will try to get this up to date soon!