Patzcuaro

We've been in Patzcuaro, staying on a hill above the lake with an ethnobotonist, Jeremy. Jeremy's been sick with a parasite, so while he spends every night at his girlfriend's place, in the same apartment complex and with TV, we stay in his house like it's ours.
It was a big change to descend from the woods, to stay somewhere with electricity and water. I was ready to make dinner over a fogata. But this place is very tranquil - only a 10 minute walk from the centro, but so removed on the hill and with such a beautiful view of Lake Patzcuaro.

And to have a kitchen! Where we can buy whatever we like at the daily market in town and cook whatever we want! The food in the bosque was getting to me, if I haven't already mentioned that. So we've made sopesitos, mole enchiladas, and mexican fried rice from delicious, fresh, and cheap ingredients, and shared it with Jeremy and his friends. We've also fallen in love with corrundas, Michoacan-style tamales, but super fatty and with cheese and chile inside - we just look for a pot overflowing with corn husks... mmm. Even worse, we seek out the women who usually wander around the plazas selling gorditas de nata, ay! Biscuit shaped, sweeter than pancakes, the texture of a marshmallow, always hot and soft.

On the more touristy side of things, we had to make a trip to Isla Janitizio - an island in the middle of the lake, cram packed with houses, no roads but steep and narrow walking paths and steps that take to you to the top of the island where the gigantic statue of Morelos looks out over the lake. We climbed the spiral stairs inside his body to get to the scarier spiral staircase that goes up into his fist, where you can stick your head out of a small gap between his thumb and fingers and look out over the whole island and lake. While we were there it seemed to be water day, where a bus-boat stocked to the brim with jugs of water, and another full of empties, slowly circled the island providing the residents with drinking water. Literally everyone on the island was sending down their kids with 3, 6, 10 empty jugs. And the hike up to the top with the full ones seemed awful.

Yesterday we made a day trip to Santa Clara del Cobre... you might have guessed it, this is the pueblo world-renowned for it's copper work. I think any and all copper in the region comes directly from this small town. We got a couple small things, since we have no room for souveniers at all, and a couple regalos for Jeremy and Chava. But what really made the day was finding the shop where you can watch them form copper in the back. It was the same place I visited with the group in highschool. They fired a piece and shaped it while explaining that there's only one minute that they can pound it before they must return it to the flame so it doesn't break. They let us hammer a cooled piece that was ready for designs. Apparently, children start apprenticing at about 7 years old - all the small pieces like bracelets and ashtrays, and the little designs on the pots and things are done by the children. The adults do the big jobs and heavy hammering.


We really like Patzcuaro, it's a happenin town but still very quiet and relaxed, and the market is huge and goes on everyday - a fun place to wander and get lost in. Tonight we're moving to a campsite a little closer to the lake, and then... one of Jeremy's archaeologist friends has invited us to stay in his apartment when he leaves it on Tuesday for Paris. He's paid the rent till the end of the month, so we can stay there for the last 5 days of it for free! Muy chido!