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Zeb

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Hmmm, you say 3 or 4 days and not in the heat.  I first thought of Mazamitla or Tapala, but you could see those places in a day.  Why not head over to Pátzcuaro, much higher elevation than Chapala, it should be nice and cool there, and it would take 3 or 4 days to see everything there.  You will have several places to visit to see archaeological ruins full of pyramids (several locations along the lake), the city of Pátzcuaro is worth at least two days minimum to see it all.  Then you have all the cool little pueblitos along the lake to explore, with each specializing in a different and unique handicraft.  A two hour trip west ward is the city of Uruápan, that is the avocado capital of the world and they have the most cool and gorgeous tropical rain forest park, full of awesome man made waterfalls, right in the heart of the city.  In fact its the largest tropical rain forest type park inside any city in México.  A very cool and unique destination in my opinion.  And if you need more colonial stimulation than Pátzcuaro, which I doubt it, since Pátzcuaro is equally beautiful, but there is always Morelia, which is just another two hour drive away, and it is probably, one of the most gorgeous colonial cities in all of México, and is considered a hidden gem by many, since very few international tourists ever even make it there. 

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To follow up on Dichosalocura's post... I guess it's what you're looking for. If I wanted to chill out, I'd go (not on a weekend) to Uruapan and especially if I only had four days. The hotel, in the link provided, is very nice and the food is(was) excellent and the service was (is) impeccable. It is also located at the headwaters of the river that flows through the National Park and has a gate entrance to it. We spent two days wandering around the park and still didn't cover it all since it's 471 hectares in size. Some of the water arrangements are fascinating and very impressive. The weekends are very crowded so during the week and the mornings are best to enjoy the tranquility. And the hotel often does weddings on the weekend and you know what that means. Be sure to ask if any are booked during your stay.

https://www.booking.com/hotel/mx/mansia3n-del-cupatitzio.en-gb.html?aid=357016;label=gog235jc-1DCAsooAFCF21hbnNpYTNuLWRlbC1jdXBhdGl0emlvSDNYA2igAYgBAZgBCbgBBsgBD9gBA-gBAYgCAagCA7gC1vra6AXAAgE;sid=373d1f215ef4de07483f0345c8b97aaa;dist=0&keep_landing=1&sb_price_type=total&type=total&

This is a blog about the Parque written by Hotel Mansion Iturbe in Patzcuaro... also shows some of the sites in Patzcuaro. And Santa Clara del Cobre is also not far from Patzcuaro. Whole town is copper artesans but do get off the main street and perhaps you will trip over a forge in action. It will certainly make you appreciate how hard it is to make anything out of copper.

https://mansioniturbe.blogspot.com/2011/06/national-park-in-uruapan-parque.html

And, Zeb, thanks for the trip down memory lane.

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3 hours ago, Ferret said:

To follow up on Dichosalocura's post... I guess it's what you're looking for. If I wanted to chill out, I'd go (not on a weekend) to Uruapan and especially if I only had four days. The hotel, in the link provided, is very nice and the food is(was) excellent and the service was (is) impeccable. It is also located at the headwaters of the river that flows through the National Park and has a gate entrance to it. We spent two days wandering around the park and still didn't cover it all since it's 471 hectares in size. Some of the water arrangements are fascinating and very impressive. The weekends are very crowded so during the week and the mornings are best to enjoy the tranquility. And the hotel often does weddings on the weekend and you know what that means. Be sure to ask if any are booked during your stay.

https://www.booking.com/hotel/mx/mansia3n-del-cupatitzio.en-gb.html?aid=357016;label=gog235jc-1DCAsooAFCF21hbnNpYTNuLWRlbC1jdXBhdGl0emlvSDNYA2igAYgBAZgBCbgBBsgBD9gBA-gBAYgCAagCA7gC1vra6AXAAgE;sid=373d1f215ef4de07483f0345c8b97aaa;dist=0&keep_landing=1&sb_price_type=total&type=total&

This is a blog about the Parque written by Hotel Mansion Iturbe in Patzcuaro... also shows some of the sites in Patzcuaro. And Santa Clara del Cobre is also not far from Patzcuaro. Whole town is copper artesans but do get off the main street and perhaps you will trip over a forge in action. It will certainly make you appreciate how hard it is to make anything out of copper.

https://mansioniturbe.blogspot.com/2011/06/national-park-in-uruapan-parque.html

And, Zeb, thanks for the trip down memory lane.

Uruapan is in the throes of a drug gang control war right now, so be careful when you are in the area.  A few weeks ago 10 people were killed in a gunfight in the Colorado neighborhood not far from the Cupatitzio.  My compadre said he counted 50 federal police trucks down on the plaza last week: 

If you do go, Tzararacua Falls, Lago Zirahuén, Janitzio, and the ruins at Tingambato are all must see places.  And eat your fill of carnitas and corundas, they are the best in the west.

Uruapan isn´t  two hours from Patzcuaro, as I drive it in about 30 minutes all the time on the cuatro carriles

Forgot to mention it, but don´t go there unless you can pronounce it…….PARANGARICUTIRIMICUARO, one of those words that the maestras used to love to throw out for you to learn in school years ago.  It´s the pueblo that was buried in lava in the 1940´s with a new volcano that sprang up in the middle of a milpa.

It´s not Spanish, but a word from the Purépecha lingo meaning "hard to spell and even harder to pronounce":D

 

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2 hours ago, slainte39 said:

 

It´s not Spanish, but a word from the Purépecha lingo meaning "hard to spell and even harder to pronounce":D

 

I´m not sure that the Purépecha were spelling words a long time ago, and I´m not sure that it would be hard for them to pronounce.  But for us extranjeros o foresteros, it most definitely is.  Wow!  What a name!  Interesting post, Slainte! 😅

Oh, by the way, I can´t quite figure out why my emojis are now in black and white.

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9 hours ago, slainte39 said:

Uruapan is in the throes of a drug gang control war right now, so be careful when you are in the area.  A few weeks ago 10 people were killed in a gunfight in the Colorado neighborhood not far from the Cupatitzio.  My compadre said he counted 50 federal police trucks down on the plaza last week: 

If you do go, Tzararacua Falls, Lago Zirahuén, Janitzio, and the ruins at Tingambato are all must see places.  And eat your fill of carnitas and corundas, they are the best in the west.

Uruapan isn´t  two hours from Patzcuaro, as I drive it in about 30 minutes all the time on the cuatro carriles

Forgot to mention it, but don´t go there unless you can pronounce it…….PARANGARICUTIRIMICUARO, one of those words that the maestras used to love to throw out for you to learn in school years ago.  It´s the pueblo that was buried in lava in the 1940´s with a new volcano that sprang up in the middle of a milpa.

It´s not Spanish, but a word from the Purépecha lingo meaning "hard to spell and even harder to pronounce":D

 

The name of the volcano itself is a little easier to pronounce, lol. Paricutin.

image.jpeg.13485c4d572bc867d12b506e23010376.jpeg

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9 hours ago, slainte39 said:

Forgot to mention it, but don´t go there unless you can pronounce it…….PARANGARICUTIRIMICUARO, one of those words that the maestras used to love to throw out for you to learn in school years ago.  It´s the pueblo that was buried in lava in the 1940´s with a new volcano that sprang up in the middle of a milpa.

It´s not Spanish, but a word from the Purépecha lingo meaning "hard to spell and even harder to pronounce":D

 

No wonder they call it the Paricutin Volcano in English guide books. 🤣

Funny story: We bought a painting in a coffee shop located on the main square in Patzcuaro. The artist provided the artwork on consignment to the coffee shop, so they called him to come and collect his money and sign a bill of sale. In talking to the artist, we asked about where or what it represented. He said it was the front of the main church in PARANGARICUTIRIMICUARO (you bet your sweet bippy that I copied and pasted that). Kind of an unusual painting because, although it detailed the church perfectly, there was an old man with his head in his hands in the doorway.... and on the front of the church were female nudes winding up into the bell tower. Talk about a clash of opposites. But, I gotta tell ya, that painting could elicit so many interpretations and conversation from whoever saw it. So, to make a long story short, my hubby posed in the doorway of the church in the same anguished position as the old man... and I had the photo stuck in the frame of the painting.

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10 hours ago, dichosalocura said:

I´m not sure that the Purépecha were spelling words a long time ago, and I´m not sure that it would be hard for them to pronounce.  But for us extranjeros o foresteros, it most definitely is.  Wow!  What a name!  Interesting post, Slainte! 😅

Oh, by the way, I can´t quite figure out why my emojis are now in black and white.

Yeah, I just made up the interpretation as in reality it´s about two paragraphs long in Spanish.  One of my compadres mother was a Purépecha pura and she spit it out so damn fast you could never learn it from her.  No I don´t think the Purépecha had an alphabet but Don Vasco de Quiroga quickly hispanicized the language and used the Latin alphabet to document the words for posterity.

BTW, all the guide post signs in the Eduardo Ruiz Park by the Cupatitzio in Uruapan are written in Spanish and Tarascan for you folks that want to learn a little more about that language can have at it, just another dialect of Purépecha.

 

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I would also recommend Morelia. We had a short vacation there many years ago, but I doubt little has changed, other than more autos. Look up the Casa de Cultura there, they sponsor so many events, very economical. We attended the International Pipe Organ festival. It was breathtaking. If you are not entertained by what you are seeing, sneak out during intermission, the costs are so low. Across from the Casa de Cultura there is a large plaza, across, on the main street, is a low priced, clean, hotel. This is a central location to so many activities, to civilised rooftop bars and restaurants, to all sorts of heritage buildings. All low, to no cost.

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Unfortunately, Morelia has become a mini-Guad as the traffic is awful and of course the Sam´s, Costco. Walmart, and etc. stores draws the people in from all over the state.  True, all the old historic colonial buildings and architecture are still there, including the beautiful old acueducto but you have to fight to find parking space.  If you are young and/or ambulatory, no problem.

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On 6/28/2019 at 7:17 PM, Zeb said:

We are interested in a short term vacation, about 3 -4 days, preferably not in the heat.  Any suggestions on where to visit within Mexico that would be fairly inexpensive?

Zeb, if you want to check out the places mentioned above, like Morelia, Patzcuaro, Uruapan, Zacatecas, as well as others like Aguascalientes and San Luis Potosi, you can find them on my photojournal blog "Jim and Carole's Mexico Adventure". My wife and I have visited them all and each is good for a several day visit. You can look them up (and more) in the Index of Topics on the right hand side of the blog page Enjoy your vacation! 

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On 6/29/2019 at 11:48 PM, cookj5 said:

Zeb, if you want to check out the places mentioned above, like Morelia, Patzcuaro, Uruapan, Zacatecas, as well as others like Aguascalientes and San Luis Potosi, you can find them on my photojournal blog "Jim and Carole's Mexico Adventure". My wife and I have visited them all and each is good for a several day visit. You can look them up (and more) in the Index of Topics on the right hand side of the blog page Enjoy your vacation! 

I will do that. Thank you for the resource.

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Zirahuen ,Michoacan. 

Beautiful small volcanic lake with lots of cabin rentals all around it. Peaceful , quiet and crystal clear air. Amazing firefly show every evening during the rainy season.

 

 

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53 minutes ago, ea93105 said:

Zirahuen ,Michoacan. 

Beautiful small volcanic lake with lots of cabin rentals all around it. Peaceful , quiet and crystal clear air. Amazing firefly show every evening during the rainy season.

 

 

Anything other activities there?

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1 hour ago, Zeb said:

Anything other activities there?

Walking/hiking, swimming, star gazing and you can rent kayaks there as well. Patzcuaro is close enough for a shopping/lunch day trip , nice drive too.

 

 

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12 hours ago, ea93105 said:

Zirahuen ,Michoacan. 

Beautiful small volcanic lake with lots of cabin rentals all around it. Peaceful , quiet and crystal clear air. Amazing firefly show every evening during the rainy season.

 

 

Same conditions for Santa Maria del Oro, closer and much easier and probably safer, to get to.  Some of the best white fish in Mexico in the form of chicharon de pescado.

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