Gary’s Birthday 7 – 1/2015

September 13, 2015

It’s been a long 70th birthday celebration, but I hope you have enjoyed the mini tour of some of our favorite places in Mexico. There was one more area we had to visit on our way home, so bear with us.

Our first stop was Pátzcuaro in the State of Michoacán on the lake of the same name. The town was founded sometime in the 1320s and has retained its colonial and indigenous character since then. It has been named both a “Pueblo Mágico” (Magic Town), and one of the 100 Historic World Treasure Cities by United Nations. The Pátzcuaro region is well known as a site for the Day of the Dead celebrations. It’s also famous for the Tarascan Indians or Purépecha (as they call themselves) who still use a butterfly-net to fish, at least for the tourist cameras.

Pátzcuaro has many memories for me. It was in the summer of 1975 that my then girlfriend Joy Gerlach, (who dreamed up The Turtle Expedition, Unltd. with me), and I decided to rent a small house and spend a few months off the road on our way to South America. It was there that I wrote the first Turtle Expedition article for Off-Road Magazine, CHOOSING AND PREPARING THE ULTIMATE MACHINE, our 1967 Land Rover aka The Turtle I. The lead photo was published in January’s Off-Road Magazine in 1976. The arched walls of the Templo Sagrario in Pátzcuaro made a perfect backdrop. The Editor wrote back asking, “When’s the next story coming? In the years to come, Monika and I spent several months exploring the area and visiting the surrounding Tarascan villages.

Being a Historic World Treasure City, little has changed since my first visit. The open market and food stands are still amazing and it’s not unusual to see men on horseback or with burros carrying a load of firewood.

Pátzcuaro is a center for handcrafts and art. Just off the big plaza, Once Patios, (Eleven Patios), has displays and workshops of some of the artists. The beautiful hand woven fabrics that are seen throughout Michoacán and Jalisco are made here. We have used them for years at home and in our trucks. A visit to the factory was enlightening. Some of the old machines belong in a museum. The owner lamented that because of the bad press Mexico has received, the number of tourists has declined drastically and he has had to lay off many craftsmen who have no skill other than the one they have been plying for their whole lives.

A short drive into the nearby hills brought us to the town of Santa Clara del Cobre where coppersmiths hammer out masterpieces from blocks of copper with amazing skill. We visited our old “Green Grocer” friend Rigo Cruz (from back home) and his family there, and knowing we were coming, Lorena prepared a huge pot of fresh tamales. What a treat!

Another nearby town we had to stop by was Tzintzuntzan, the pre-Hispanic capital of the Tarascans. The name Tzintzuntzan comes from the Purépecha language, meaning “place of the hummingbirds. Designated a Magic Town in 2012, it has two sixteenth century churches, and an amazing grove of 500-year-old olive trees in front of the Franciscan convent. The craft market specializes in straw goods and ornaments, elaborately carved wooden beams, and examples of the many different local pottery styles.

Time to go home, but you can easily see why it took Monika and me over nine years to finally escape the friendly country of Mexico and make it to South America, and even today, the country south of the border still tugs at our heart strings.

Stay tuned for our return to the long road of the Trans-Eurasian Odyssey. I’ll explain more in the next blog.

: Off-Road Magazine, January 1976, the beginning of the chronicle of a 40-year travel and adventure Odyssey around the world, and it’s not over.

: A walk down memory lane: At the end of the street you can spot the arch used in the lead photo for the first story in Off-Road Magazine almost 40 years ago.

: Together with Joy Gerlach, I dreamed up The Turtle Expedition, Unltd. in South Lake Tahoe, a journey that has now lasted 43 years and is still very Unlimited. We parted ways in 1976 and she died on 8/8/88.

: Our morning alarm clock, the Basilica of Nuestra Señora de la Salud, the most important church in Pátzcuaro, was just across from our hotel.

: This church was built by Vasco de Quiroga over a pre-Hispanic ceremonial site to function as the Cathedral of Michoacán.

: Coffee on the main plaza and even some wake-up music.

: Pátzcuaro is a colonial town where you can still see men on horseback or with a burro carrying a load of firewood.

: At an altitude of 2,140 m (7,020 ft), the comfortable rebozo is a common part of a woman’s dress.

: Filling the arched north wall of the Public Library there is a magnificent Juan O’Gorman mural titled “The History of Michoacán”, completed in 1942.

: We could always pick up some fresh fruit for breakfast. People sometimes ask us what people eat in Mexico. The answer is “everything only better’!

: The huge, fresh, ripe 1/2 papaya on the lower right cost $1.13. Can you afford that?

: When we lived in Pátzcuaro the fresh vegetable stands would be a daily stop.

: “I would love to buy some meat, but we don’t have a kitchen in our hotel room.”

: There is always a good selection at the Pátzcuaro open market, even if you don’t need a pig’s head or a few chicken legs for soup.

: Fresh pork skin cracklings, most likely made that morning.

: Beans, garbanzos, chilies, squash seeds, cinnamon sticks, and little bags of ready to cook soup mix.

: Flowers for every occasion.

: Piñatas are still a favorite part of a Mexican celebration.

: A typical street restaurant in the evening offers tamales, pozole, tacos, sopes and tostados, all made fresh.

: Once Patios, (Eleven Patios), had displays and workshops of some of the artists. Pátzcuaro is famous for its art and crafts.

: Monika tries on a beautiful embroidered dress at one of the Once Patios shops.

: The pretty handwoven fabrics that are seen throughout Michoacán and Jalisco are made in Pátzcuaro.

: A visit to the factory where the handwoven fabrics are still made was enlightening. Some of the old machines belong in a museum.

: Children anywhere in the world always make fun photos.

: Tzintzuntzan, meaning “place of the hummingbirds”, has two sixteenth century churches, and an amazing grove of 500-year-old olive trees in front of the Franciscan convent.

: The Tzintzuntzan craft market specializes in straw goods and ornaments, the perfect place to find that special hat.

: Rigo Cruz, our old “Green Grocer” friend from back home, (left, his son Ulises on the right) now owns a little grocery store in Santa Clara del Cobre, the town famous for its coppersmiths.

: Rigo’s wife, Lorena, prepared a huge pot of homemade tamales for us because she knew we love them.

: Lorena’s homemade tamales were a very special treat.

: It is quite amazing to watch the process of taking a chunk of solid copper and slowly forming it into a beautiful work of art.

: Santa Clara del Cobre is all about copper.

: Part of any visit to Mexico is about the great food. We spotted this little roadside café just in time for a luncheon of soup and handmade tortillas.

: A slight detour on our way back to Guadalajara took us to the amazing Lago de Camécuaro National Park.

: Lake Camécuaro is surrounded by magnificent ancient cypress trees and picnic grounds.

: Lake Camécuaro is fed by crystal clear water from several springs.

: Thanks to everyone for all the nice birthday cards, Facebook messages and emails. I think my wonderful 70th birthday celebration is finally over…..