UNFORGETTABLE

That’s what our trip to Michoacan was! And unbelievable. Here’s what happened.

Bill and Onja came for their second visit to Mexico.  And that part was great!

We spent a day wandering around Ajijic, where there’s almost always a party going on, before heading out to the state of Michoacán where monarch butterfly migrations are in full swing.  This was the motivator for our trip.  A six hour drive on beautifully positioned toll highways took us to our first stopover of Zitácuaro.  This city of over 185,000 sits halfway between Mexico City and Morelia, nestled in the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains at about 6300′.  It is a bustling city of friendly people, huge food markets, busy schools, and a large, active central plaza.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Tuesday was our much anticipated butterfly adventure with J & M Butterfly tours (jmbutterflybnb.com) in the tiny and secluded mountain town of Macheros.  With a population of 315, Macheros sits at around 8000′.  Ellen (originally from South Carolina) came to these mountains from LA several years ago and partnered with Mexican husband Joel to create this “Biosphere Reserve” community, dedicated to conservation of the monarch butterflies.  They run a funky B & B with a good restaurant and a small gift shop.  We chose the Cerro Pelón tour and left by horseback at 10AM.  How romantic!  Riding up into the gorgeous mountains where monarch migration from Canada to México was first confirmed by the scientific community.  That was the good part.

This narrow, rocky, dusty trail was actually not fun at all.  Especially for our friend Bill who ended up with food poisoning from our meal the night before, while I suffered the power of a habanero chili.  Added fun, right?  Even though the guide was great, the trail was difficult and sometimes a bit scary.  10,000′.  An hour.  Into clouds.  OK, no.

As the mist moved in we realized we weren’t going to see any “flight behavior”, other than the occasional flutter of a dying participant.  Those dark clumps in the trees are clusters of butterflies.  Too cold to flutter around.  As for me, altitude sickness hit me like a brick and I was nauseated, dizzy, and short of breath.  This scrawny white hound dog sat right in front of me, showing me how to relax and breathe deeply (thanks for that observation, Ben).  Young guide Angel handed me a small Coke – water just doesn’t do it – and I rested against a tree until we were ready for the short trip back to the meadow.  Too distracted to really appreciate what I was seeing, though the profound silence was surely a treasure for me AND the butterflies.  After a quick, delicious, homemade lunch we headed back down the grueling, endless trail.  Ben asked to walk, did so briefly, sprained his foot, and ended up on the horse of one of the guides.  So many times I wanted to say – How much longer?  Cuánto tiempo más? – but in the long run I realized it didn’t matter.  I was on this horse for however long it took.  So I remained quiet and held on.  (The pain came later, when I tried to sit down, on a hard bench.)

After treating Ben’s foot with arnica ointment, ice, compression, and Healing Touch, we both woke up feeling better and ready to move on to the next leg of the journey.  Pátzcuaro.  We loved it there in August and couldn’t wait to show it off to our friends.  That meant facing a three hour drive in pouring rain in unfamiliar territory.  And Ben’s foot wasn’t ready for that.  I hate driving in the rain but the toll roads are great and Bill and Onja proved to be the perfect street by street navigators getting us out of the early morning bustle of Zitácuaro.

Thought I knew the highway into “Patz” but it had all changed, construction everywhere. Our trusty navigators led us to our beloved Hotel Casa Encantada where Luis and the staff greeted us warmly.  Sometimes you can park right in front, but this time they were too crowded and directed Ben to a nearby parking facility.  With ticket and cash in hand, off he went.  It’s always an adventure driving through a Mexican town with it’s one way, narrow streets and wide delivery trucks and/or buses.  He did well.

Lovely Pátzcuaro was cold and cloudy, coats required.  Luckily we brought layers.  I’m a mountain girl so always happier when it’s cooler.  And when the sun’s out.  Mañana?

Our lovely evening of wandering Patz sent us off to bed exhausted but happy to be in familiar territory.  Next morning we met Ben’s friend Sydney, fellow retired jeweler from Nebraska, who often makes her way to Mexico.  After months of corresponding with her, it was good to meet her in person.  Both of us love travel photography and writing.  Delightful meeting.  Hang with her and you’ll soon know every good restaurant and shop in town, as well as the owners.

Afterwards we wandered the streets briefly before Onja announced that she wasn’t feeling well and finally had to head to the room.  (We were in a different hotel at this point due to a reservation mix-up.  La Casa B & B.  A different experience.  A different parking lot.  Lots of one way streets.  Thanks again to Bill who helped us find it.).  Pharmacies (farmacías) are plentiful in Mexican towns.  You won’t find basic medicines or medical supplies in convenience stores like in the States.  A box of Antiflu-Des tablets ($7) set Onja on the path to recovery.  No prescription required unless you’re asking for opioids, antibiotics, or psychotropics.  The rest of us enjoyed sight-seeing and dinner.  We managed to hit 2 of our 3 favorite restaurants during our time in Pátzcuaro and enjoyed an unfamiliar one sitting next to a warm fireplace on our last night.  The overload of this evening meal led me to ask for “para llevar” – take out – with the idea of finding someone on the street to give it to.  It didn’t take long to find a thin, disheveled man making himself a bed on the covered sidewalk near a storefront, though this hasn’t been a familiar site on the plaza.  Señor, quiere la comida?  I hope it warmed him a little.

Onja started feeling a bit better by morning so we all ate a quick breakfast at our hotel – 43 degrees.  Packed up, paid, and sent Ben off to find the car.  The concierge, Jaime (hi-me) had to walk with us to find the parking lot the day before.  A little easier this time, except for those one way streets.

Time to go.  Tired and weary, not up to par, we piled in the car and hit the highway toward Guadalajara.  Even exhausted we knew that the adventure we’d just had had been nothing like what we expected, yet it had filled us with new stories, new ideas, the value of friendship, and an enlarged view of México.  In the end I realized that the main issue had been our busy schedule before and after this trip.  And that slowing down, crawling even, through all the sights and sounds of our new country is REALLY OK.  This trip was unforgettable.  And I am grateful.

I wanted to include what’s called a “feature image” at the top of this post, but WordPress has baffled me once again.  So I leave you with the wide open range instead.  Safe travels!  Viajes seguros!