Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Summer 2007 Car Trip - 30

Up early and packed, we headed out to the street to grab some breakfast before we took off. As long as we were going to be a few moments, I engaged one of the guys who walks around with a bucket and brushes and who will wash your car for 30 pesos. Since he was at it, I had him detail and vacumn it also. It sure needed it after that dusty drive yesterday! Set me back a whopping 70 pesos, with tip. Car all clean and packed, we all clean and packed, we left Patzcuaro behind and got onto Route 43, the fast tollroad to Uruapan.



It was another beautiful, panoramic drive to Uruapan through the hill country. Our drive encompassed a total descent of 300 meters (325 yards). We entered the town via narrow, dirty cobblestone streets. We were struck by the fact that everything around us looked, well, dirty. The streets, the buildings and even the people. We wondered if there was some kind of water shortage in this town. It was like everything was covered with an old, ground in kind of dirt. Not appealling at all.



We consulted our ever handy Lonely Planet and located a few hotels. Quite near the Parque Nacional Barranca del Cupatitzio. (say that really fast!) I squeezed the car into an available parking spot and waited while B and L went looking at hotel rooms. While they were gone, I watched people moving to and fro and mused about what there was to see and do in Uruapan.



There was the above mentioned park which purportedly had some lovely paths following the riverbank of the Rio Cupatitzio. Mmmm, sounded like lots of walking to me. There was the "world's narrowest house" and a textile mill. In the surrounding area and day trippable, were the waterfalls of Tzararacua with its' 557 slippery steps or an hour ride down on a wooden saddle. No thanks to either. Or the ruins of Tingambato. I'm always up for looking at more old stones but this one didn't sound all that great.

So, after we had checked four different hotels in our price range, we had a group meeting. The concensus was unanimous that we should just cross this ugly city off our list and move on.

3 comments:

Calypso said...

Who is that guapo hombre in the LARGE sombrero?

I am loving this!

But I am serious about the guapo part.

Islagringo said...

Juan: you are so easily amused. You must just crack yourself up constantly.

couzin frank said...

Well...Where do we head next?