Stage 16: Playa Maruata, Michoacan – Pátzcuaro, Michoacan via Playa Azul
May 24-30, 2013
Leg 1: Playa Maruata – Playa Azul
2.5 hours, no toll
Leg 2: Playa Azul – Pátzcuaro
4 hours, Cuota MX$634.00

In the morning, I loaded two extra bodies into my Odyssey and headed to the beautiful Pueblo Magico Patzcuaro. I was sad to be leaving my little slice of heaven but Chava was pretty tickled, riding in style on the platform bed with Luna as his bunkmate and Alan rode shotgun. They were excited to have a ride but they were a bit puzzled by my musical library, Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen… In truth, they weren’t impressed so rather than road trip to music we laughed and talked. They had heard about Playa Azul, something about a movie having been made there. Maybe it was Y Tu Mamá Tambien, I’m not sure, but for us it was just a sweet lunch stop. This is where I learned that many restaurants make ceviche with catsup (yuck, I hate catsup) and they often serve it with saltine crackers (again, yuck, give me totopos any day, or better yet – banana chips!).

The drive from Playa Azul to Patzcuaro was a long four hours, punctuated by a stop at a roadside pulque (agave wine) stand. Chava was so excited to see the stand that we had to stop for a sample. The boys loved it. Me? Not super crazy about it. I guess it just wasn’t my food day.

Founded sometime in the 1320s, Pátzcuaro is a beautiful Pueblo Magico of nearly 100,000 people. Originally it was the capital of the Purépecha Empire, and later became the ceremonial center. The Spanish settled in 1538 and attempted to make it their capital of the Michoacan Province. It is the market hub of the region and is known for their Dia de los Meurtos (Day of the Dead) celebrations. In an attempt to maintain the traditional colonial-indigenous look, most of the buildings in El Centro are white and brick-colored adobe with red tile roofs and cobblestone streets abound. It is easy to be transported back to the 16^th century when the Spanish settled in the area.

The town was hopping when we arrived and we felt lucky to find a hotel on the main plaza. After a day of ceviche and micheladas (beer and spicy tomato juice) on the beach, pulque, and a long drive, we were pretty tuckered out, so we found a simple restaurant on the plaza and hit the hay. The following day my new friends departed for parts unknown and I searched the town for new lodgings. Happily, I hit the jackpot with an absolutely delightful hotel, where I made another new friend, Nel Finberg from Vancouver, BC, Canada!