Vaguely east – Day 101 ( 8891 miles)

After telling you in the last post that we had to get a move on we are trying to keep focussed and head east.  Oh but it’s hard, we’ve heard a few tales of those who come to Mexico for a month and end up staying a year and it’s quite understandable.

Indeed.

Flora and ……

Fauna at our Patzcuaro campsite.  It’s a nice little town and our campsite is in a quiet spot a few Km’s out of the centre.  Little Combo buses (just like Juanita) whiz around all the time so easy to cover ground quickly for a few pesos.

The town has a great market and we got carried away with fruit and veg purchases before realising we would be carrying them around for several hours.  Oh well we’re not getting much in the way of exercise!

It also has a huge square one of the largest in the country and as it was a Sunday the area was buzzing with artists selling their work and lively entertainment to enjoy.  John and I both fell in love with some paintings by one of the artists.  But a purchase would  have meant expensive shipping home and doesn’t fit with a more minimalist lifestyle ethos we are trying to cultivate, eh Will?  Very pleased to say we resisted.

Within minutes of the above photo the rain was pouring down and the square cleared as everyone dived for cover under the sheltered walkways around the edge of the square.

I thought this scene was reminiscent of a Saturday night TV talent show with the panel of judges deliberating on the talents of a hopeful performer.  I think the outcome may have been “No the Gringo’s clothes are boring, he’s too tall and his dancing’s not up to much.”

The rain kept coming, when we eventually braved it and crossed the road we were ankle deep in dirty water.

The next day we boarded a boat for the small island of Janitzio.  First ones on but….

Soon there was standing room only and the obligatory sellers of various confectionery plus live music complete with amplifier!

Glad we weren’t on this one.

Excellent repurposing, plastic bottles joined together to make a down pipe.  If we need new guttering when we get home this may be an option.

 

This it’s the inside of a 40m statue of Jose Marie Morelos y Pavon one of the rebel leaders in the Mexican war of Independence.  The murals all the way around the spiral staircase depict the gore and drama of the war.  The climb took us up to a viewing window just below his raised fist in the pic below.

Great views from the top of the statue.

We been in Mexico weeks, there had to be a Chihuahua pic!  This little fella lived above the terrace of a hotel we stayed at in the town of Taxco.  A very pretty place,  which was established as a silver mining town in the 16th century.

The view from our hotel terrace.  You may just be able to make out an illuminated statue at the top right side of the hill.

The next day we thought we’d go up to the statue and check out the view.  Taxco is a town of narrow hilly streets and hundreds of Beetle taxis that chug slowly up the hills and seem to be able to turn the most amazingly tight corners and perform death defying hill starts!  All the Beetles are two door so the front passenger seats have been removed to allow access to launch yourself into the back seat.  The pic above is our view on our taxi ride up to the statue.

 

Pretty amazing views.

We also stopped at cascada, just to get our feet wet!

 

The view up the hill.

 

 

Above pics are of the Temple de Santa Prisca built and donated to the town by a bloke who made a fortune from silver mining in the 18th century.  Apparently it nearly bankrupted him, shouldn’t of been such a show off then, should he.

Beetles everywhere.

We had fun in a hairdressers with our poor Spanish and their non-existent English.  Lovely ladies and John came away with the cut he wanted, not a perm or hi lights luckily.

Bye bye xx