A new year of good things.
Adelante.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
My Lush Floripondio
The Floripondio/Datura in the garden flourish. The sap is said to contain scopolamine. I content myself with inhaling the scent of the blossoms that trails heavily through the night air. I love my garden.
My Noche Buena/Poinsettia for Christmas.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Night of the Dead
In the Lake Pátzcuaro region, Noche de Muertos / Night of the Dead is observed on the night from November 1 to 2. The ritual is steeped in the beliefs and traditions of the indigenous Purhépecha. Most of Mexico observes Day of the Dead. A visit at night to the cemeteries of the pueblos around the lake is a poignant experience of sight, sound and scent.
Night of the Dead slideshow on Flickr.
About Night of the Dead.
A quiet villa in Pátzcuaro.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Around the Plazas
“Trick or Treat” from El Norte has trickled south to Pátzcuaro. Only in the last couple of years did one see children around the plazas asking for moneditas (small coins) for their calabacitas (little pumpkins, plastic or real). The adopted custom has morphed into something more local. There is no trick, just treat. And the children get far more mileage from the activity than in El Norte. They run around the plazas with their calabacitas for days—and nights—on end.
Someone whom many of you know, so I will not give a name, has a quirky sense of humor. I saw three children come up to him. He smiled broadly, dipped his hand in a calabacita and fished out a few coins. “Gracias,” he said, pocketing the coins, to the children’s speechless shock. When they found their tongues, they finally chorused “No, no….”. He laughed and returned the moneditas.
Another favorite activity of ours is eating. Today we breakfasted at Café Gourmet San Diego on Calle Ramos, between Plaza Chica and Farmacia Guadalajara. They serve as early as 8:30 AM and I have yet to see a foreigner present.
They have several fixed menus, starting at Pesos $35. My breakfast was fresh-squeezed orange juice, huevos a la mexicana, refried beans, and a basket of bread including rolls with whole wheat that were, I am sure, from Rivepan. The café is Nescafé. We modified our order and I asked for hot milk with my coffee. To my pleasure, I received a cup with frothy steamed milk to which I added Nescafé. When we left Pesos $10 was added for each of us for our special coffee order, which was fine (in my experience, a charge is added for any modification to the fixed menu). I am an aficionada of good, dark roast coffee, which I make with an espresso machine but I go to Café San Diego for the breakfast, having already had my first cup of coffee at home. A good almuerzo for a total of Pesos $45 per person.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Altars and Offerings
Altars and offerings for Noche de Muertos / Night of the Dead have been set up in many in public and private places, an integral part of the rituals that precede November 1st and 2nd in the Lake Pátzcuaro region.
More about Altars & Offerings.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Las Flores –The Flowers
The flowers (zempasúcitl / marigolds) and their fragrance fill Calle Serrato next to the Basílica. Don’t miss a stroll along this street where people go to buy flowers for Night of the Dead / Noche de Muertos. The flowers will be used for decorations, altars and at the cemeteries.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Folk Art on the Plaza Grande
The tianguis were up yesterday on Plaza Vasco de Quiroga and during the night wares streamed in with the artesans and vendors. The plaza should be in full swing today presaging observance of Noche de Muertos/Night of the Dead.
The two biggest celebrations in Pátzcuaro are Semana Santa and Noche de Muertos. It is an indulgence to peruse and enjoy arts and crafts from all over Michoacán—and beyond—gathered in one place.
Typical Tianguis on Plaza Grande
See Callejón del Sol, just two blocks from Plaza Grande.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Harbingers of Noche de Muertos
Night of the Dead will soon be here. The earliest harbingers are the confections, los dulces, which have just appeared on Plaza Vasco de Quiroga.
We sit under the portal. Sugar and chocolate skulls fix on us with vacuous eyes from their display tables. Deep in their conversations, local warlocks congregate thickly at tables of six and eight, elbow to elbow with the sweet and bedecked skeletons and bones. Few women are here this evening at 7:00 PM.
Sweets for the Night of the Dead
Near Plaza Vasco de Quiroga
Friday, October 7, 2011
The rains have passed…
…and myriad flowers regale our eyes. I stand and drink in the fields of Cosmos as their faces follow the sun.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Bus from Morelia to Austin
This summer I traveled on an Omnibus Mexicanos bus from Morelia to Austin, Texas. The whole trip is on the same bus with no changes. It departs from Morelia at 3:00 PM and from Morelia to Austin the trip takes approximately 23 hours. Traveling northward, the bus made several stops in the Bajío of Guanajuato; it also stopped in San Miguel and San Luís Potosí. We stopped for 30 minutes for comida around 9:00 or 10:00 PM on Hwy 57.
To enter the U.S. one got off the bus and claimed one’s baggage from the hold. First passenger documents were checked, then bags were scanned. The total process for all the passengers took approximately 30 minutes. All buses crossing the border into the U.S.—and there was a line of them—were scanned by a large vehicle that pulled up beside each one and slowly scanned the whole bus through the top. As I recall, this process took another 30 minutes. Passengers stood waiting on the U.S side. We were never more than a few bus lengths away from our bus. Most purchased coffee and tacos at a small restaurant right at the bridge. We then re-checked our bags, boarded and the bus was on its way.
The bus ended up only half full, it was roomy and it had a bathroom. Caveat: take a jacket, a small pillow, water and ear-plugs for the movies.
Cost: Pesos $1270 one way Morelia-Austin. Only 5% discount is given for an INAPAM card on this international route. You can make reservations in Patzcuaro. A small deposit is requested and you are given a voucher. One must then purchase the actual ticket before boarding in Morelia, where credit is given for the deposit.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Buén Provecho Salad
Just look at this mouth-watering assortment of tasty greens complete with edible flowers, ready for a dressing of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. At Patzcuaro’s Buén Provecho Mercado at Posada Yolihuani on Friday mornings, Gaby sells her home-grown, hand-picked, washed and disinfected salad greens, packaged and crisped, ready to place by the handful in a salad bowl. This effortless salad was a taste bud treat.
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