Wow, wow, great weekend. Met our friends: Didier (and his dog, Chanel), Bob, Rosa, and their son, Earl, and drove to Ihuatzio (Place of the Coyotes) for a hike above, around and back to its pre-Columbian pyramids. We hiked part of the Camino Real (an ancient walking path connecting Ihuatzio to Tzintzuntzan) to the top of a small mountain for a beautiful view of Ihuatzio’s twin pyramids, Lake Patzcuaro, the isle of Juanitzio, and the mtns beyond. Five minutes after we left our parked cars, I lost mi esposa. Most of us took a fork in the path (right), but Becky was so moved by the scenery and photo opportunities that when she came to the proverbial fork in the road…she took it (left). Bob and I waited for her on an incline while she descended towards stone fences and no one waiting below. We waited and she waited and we waited and she waited, and then I walked back for her, calling: “Becky!” And she finally replied: “I’m down here!…where were you…why didn’t you wait on me?!” (Some time passed.) Then we shared the beautiful vista with everyone. Small plants were collected, I mean saved from certain ruin. Then we all hiked across gorgeous farmland between stone fences up to a pine forest populated with agave plants and beautiful wildflowers. The smell of pine perfumed the air. We walked thru curious rock formations caused by ancient volcanic eruptions, more stacked rock fences, and small rock dams designed to prevent erosion, then we hiked down thru farm lanes and past a farmer working his fields with a horse and plow. Down to the highway for orange drinks at a tiny market and a long walk back thru Cucuchucho where we saw four men in a walled area carrying a giant hog with a knife in its heart. Then it started raining. Becky was feeling funky so when a friend of Didier’s happened to drive up, we asked if he would give us a ride back to Ihuatzio. He kindly agreed and drove us to our car. Then it really started pouring. So we drove back for our amigos; everyone piled into our little red Element, and we headed home. Checked on our doggies back in Patzcuaro then drove down to Casa de la Real Aduana for a hearty, delicious meal of hamburgers, fries, a killer salad, and black Agave mescal served in British silver laced shot glasses. Malbec made an appearance, as did Aduana’s secret weapon, Gemma. All enjoyed in a beautiful dining room full of exquisite furniture, crafts, corkscrews, and walls lined with Cindy Sherman, Joel Peter Witkin and Didier Dorval photographs. All set to good tunes and good stories followed by yummy chocolate mousse. Afterwards, the women escaped the men and returned to their respective casas while the guys stayed up late watching Chinatown with cervezas in the media room full of Rufino Tamayo, Judith Deim, Dali, and Walker Evans. Pinch me; surely I’m dead or dreaming. I walked home inspired across a Plaza Grande filled with live music and festive people, turned right on Doctor Cos past Once Patios, over and left and and up the heart-pounding super steep Calle Naverette, then right on Calle Lerin past the carniceria and the parked trucks with crazy great toppers, left on muy rustico Calle Claviero into Casa Brawner Sur and everyone sleeping. Aaah. ZZZ!
Sunday, we met Bob, Rosa and Earl in front of Patzcuaro’s museum where the pastry folks set up. Great place to meet up in case anyone arrives late. Yum. Didier and super cute, wrinkley Chanel met us there to see us off. Sadly, they couldn’t join us but we had a good chat and a donut. Then we all set off for Morelia’s flea market and were almost immediately separated from one another, then reunited, then separated again, but not before finding lots of bootleg cds, yummy eats, torn comic books, and albums featuring funny men sporting sombreros and mugs of beer. The Sunday fleamarket in Morelia is a maze of covered streets full of people shopping, selling and eating. I’ll always regret not buying a medical mannequin that spilled its plastic guts. Becky and I had a couple of yummy popsicles then reconnected with Bob and Rosa who had lost their son. After awhile we pretty much gave up on ever seeing Earl again so we all decided to enjoy a delicious comida at the Hotel Vierrey’s sidewalk cafe. (Some time passed and Earl miraculously reappeared). Then Becky and I drove home to find two dogs very upset we’d left them behind.
