Camping fun in a Desert's Oasis

(To view our trip's album click on either of the pictures above.)

Last week-end we had our first Mexican camping trip. We left Friday afternoon with our friends Moy and Karen and their two daughters Liat and Ariela, who were camping for the first time. For this first outdoor outing I suggested going to Tolantongo, a real paradise in the middle of the Mezquital Desert in Hidalgo, where I had been as a child and teenager.

Tolantongo is located in a semi-desert zone at the bottom of a steep box canyon that has walls as many as 500 meters high. Its main attraction is two grottos at the canyon’s closed end, out of which flows a small volcanically-heated river which follows the canyon floor. The large grotto chamber is about half the size of a tennis court with a ceiling of up to ten meters. Above the grotto is a “tunnel”, a small cavern 15 meters deep in which warm water showers those who venture inside. Around these two openings, warm waterfalls flow down the steep canyon walls.

To arrive at the resort, one must leave the highway and travel down an unpaved road that winds its way down the side of one of the canyon walls. At the bottom of the canyon, the vegetation changes from semi-desert to semi-tropical due to the abundance of water and the humid warmth the river and falls give to the place.

We spent the week-end dipping in hot water springs and having a total blast! It was great to come back to this place I had such great memories from. The place has changed a lot though: back in the day when my parents first went there there was no infrastructure at all, not even a road to get to the bottom of the canyon, you had to hike down or borrow a donkey from the locals. Here's a picture I just got from my mom from when she went there for the first time:



When I went there as a child you could make it all the way down with the car, but the place was totally "wild". Nowadays there's a hotel and cabins to rent, bath and shower facilities, places to eat at (we had amazing food for SO cheap!) and a whole new area midway down the canyon where they've built over 40 little pools on the side of the cliff, surrounded by waterfalls, feeding from five different hot water springs... I have to say, that's not bad at all! It's definitely more crowded than it used to be (my mom told me today the first time they went there they were ALONE!) but we still had an amazing relaxing time and I think the girls had a perfect first camping experience!

Sweet Skulls

(To view our trip's album click on the picture above.)

Last week-end my parents, Tony and I decided to spend the day in Toluca to check-out the Alfeñiques Market, a once a year market where candy artisans showcase and sell their Day of the Dead specialties, mostly sugar shaped skulls and skeletons and other varied candy. It was fun!

After the market we walked around downtown and stopped at the botanical garden, known as the Cosmovitral. From 1920 until 1975 the Cosmovitral's art nouveau building was a market but it was then transformed into botanical garden. The large windows that surround the building on the second level were transformed into stained-glass murals. The murals consist of 71 stained-glass one-story panes containing 3000 meters of colored glass in almost 30,000 pieces in 28 different colors. This is considered to be the largest stained-glass artwork in the world. It was really beautiful.

Before returning to Mexico City we stopped in Metepec, a town renowned for its pottery artists, in particular for its "Trees of Life" and Day of the Dead traditional pieces. We walked around the main street for a while, checking out the stores.

All in all, we had a great day!

A walk in the park, part II

(To view the pictures in the album click on the picture above.)

I am still loving living by the park and try to go out there as often as possible. The other day Tony and I went at sunset and took a couple of shots, following several people's requests for images. I also took some pictures to try out the panorama stitching program Hugin my friend Yuri recommended. I have to say that I like the stitching I did on Photoshop (above) better than the one from Hugin, but I'll keep trying it out...

A walk in the park

After waiting for over two months for a new condo we're getting, we decided to move out of my parents's condo and find a temporary place to stay while we get the other place (I'm sure Tony will blog about this, see his blog!). My aunt Maggie found us an awesome furnished apartment in one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in the city and we get to rent it month to month for as long as we need it! We moved in a week ago and Tony left for Raleigh the next day so I spend last week getting things organized, working and hanging out with my parents, so I didn't explore the surroundings much.

Tony got back over the week-end and as soon as we go home he suggested going for a walk in Chapultepec Park, of which the second section is only one block from our place.

The hill of Chapultepec and surrounding land are now Chapultepec Park, a popular spot both for locals and tourists.

The park covers 1,800 acres (7.3 km) of land, centuries old forest, several small lakes, and landscaped areas with outdoor cafes. Chapultepec Zoo is located here, as well as an amusement park, and the official residence of the President of Mexico, Los Pinos.

Chapultepec Castle atop the hill is the National Museum of History. The park also includes the National Auditorium, along with several other museums, including the Modern Art Museum, the Tamayo Contemporary Art Museum, the Natural History Museum, the Papalote Children's Museum and the large Museum of Anthropology with perhaps the world's finest collection of Pre-Columbian, Mesoamerican art and artifacts.

We walked around the Great Lake (on the picture) at dusk, and it was incredible: great scenery, beautiful lake, perfect weather. This morning I went back for a walk just after sunrise and LOVED it again. I am hooked! I cannot believe I hadn't gone there before!!!

Aluminum Rocks!

My parents have a friend who's a big time theater, dance and music producer and for her birthday she had a private showing of the Aluminum Show, an amazing dance, performance and visual arts company from Israel that uses, yes you guessed it, aluminum in practically every form. It was amazing plus going to a free private show definitely feels VIP!!!! If you're in Mexico, don't miss the show, at the Teatro de la Ciudad, next week-end. If you're not in Mexico, check out their bbc video at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/7546874.stm.

Week-end in Patzcuaro and Morelia

(To view our trip's album click on either of the pictures above.)

We finally went on our first little Mexican trip! We spent the week-end in the state of Michoacan. First we went to Patzcuaro, a beautiful 474 year old town on the shore of Lake Patzcuaro. Walking down the cobblestone streets and admiring the ancient buildings and churches was nice and relaxing. I was afraid of tourist crowds since I'd heard nightmare anecdotes, but it seems those only happen during Day of the Dead, we had a peaceful time!

On Lake Patzcuaro the main island is Janitzio, known for its festival of the dead (in November) and its fishermen, who use butterfly shaped nets to fish for the traditional White Fish, which is very tasty. A half hour boat ride from Patzcuaro (with band included, see the pictures!) got us on the island and after a quick stop for food staring (we weren't hungry so we stared at the food and had a soda!) we walked up the steep narrow streets to the top of the island, where the 150ft statue of Morelos stands proud. I'm sure Tony will blog about the climb up the statue to Morelos's arm, so I'll just say the view from the top was incredible.

Back on firm land we took the road again, heading for Morelia. On the way we stopped in Tupataro, a tiny town I had read about in the Mexico Desconocido magazine. The Church of Santiago Apostol, though very rustic and simple on the outside, has an incredible interior. It was built in the 18th century and it is unique in that prehispanic techniques were used in its decoration. The church's elaborate gilded retablo (the altarpiece behind the main altar) includes sculpted avocados and corn husks, which are rarely seen in colonial churches. Also, the vividly painted wooden ceiling was done using vegetable and insect pigments, similarly to the ones used in prehispanic temples.

From Tupataro we continued on to Morelia, the capital of the state of Michoacan. The city is situated at an elevation of 1,921 meters above sea level (Tony really wanted to know this). Although the city is quite large (over 600,000 people), the downtown area feels really quaint. The historic area houses more than 1000 colonial buildings and churches and is a Unesco World Heritage Site. We spent Saturday night and Sunday morning walking around admiring the buildings and had a memorable dinner at the Mirasoles restaurant.

On a low note though, a few days before we went on the trip there was a terrorist attack in Morelia. Seven people were killed and more than a hundred injured in the center of the city when two grenades went off during the independence celebrations. (You can read an article about it here.) We walked by several groups of people praying on different street corners and lighting candles, and there were police cars and helicopters all over. Aside from that though, the city was calm.

This was an intense, exciting week-end and I cannot wait to plan the next one...

TRIP IDEA: Copper Canyon

Copper Canyon Itinerary
6-8 days (Spring/Fall)

Four times bigger than the Colorado Canyon, this magnificent Mexican landscape serves as the backdrop of one of the most spectacular journeys in the world. With 408 miles of railroad tracks, 86 tunnels and 37 bridges, the Chihuahua-Pacífico train route is regarded as a must for train enthusiasts: it is one of the most important in the world and one of the masterpieces of Mexican Engineering.

Iti’s take on it: My parents did this trip before they had me and I’ve heard about their experience all my life! I’ve never been to any of the places on the itinerary and have only driven by the state of Chihuahua but never really been there. In Sinaloa I haven’t been that far north the coast.

Trip Highlights:

• Train travel
• Mountains and Canyons
• Hiking
• National Park
• Native culture and people (Tarahumaras)
• Hot Springs
• Beach

Itinerary:
-Day 1: Arrival into Chihuahua
City Visit
-Day 2: Train from Chihuahua to Creel
Visit of the town of Creel
-Day 3: Creel
Hiking excursion to the Recowata Hot Springs
-Day 4 (optional): Train from Creel to Barrancas
Barrancas
-Day 5: Train from Barrancas to Bauichivo
Hiking in Cerocahui and Uriqe
-Day 6: Train from Bauichivo to Los Mochis
-Day 7 (optional): Topolobambo
-Day 8: Return Home

Trip Details

• Chihuahua: Capital city in the State of Chihuahua, and the largest state in Mexico. Colonial city with a big industry and maquila development. Pancho Villa’s House and Museum, baroque style Cathedral, Religious Art Museum, Quinta Gameros Art Museum.
• Creel: Main town in the Sierra Tarahumara. Handcrafts Museum, Indian stores, Danish style church. Starting point for many excursions to beautiful landscapes like the Lake of Arareko, Mushroom and Monks Valley, San Ignacio Mission, Recowata hot springs, Cusarare waterfall and full day excursions to the Canyon of Batopilas and the nearly 1,000-feet Basaseachi waterfall (tallest waterfall in Mexico).
• Recowata Tour: 7 Hour Tour. On this tour, there is a strenuous two or three hour hike along with a short 15 kilometer van ride through woodlands and to the summit of the Tararecua Canyon. From atop this canyon you will be able to see south into the Copper Canyon. The trail down to the hot springs starts here, it is very steep and can be difficult for certain people. It is usually a 45 minute hike down to the springs to the bottom of the canyon but a guide will assist you. At the bottom, there are 5 man-made pools, and some are quite large. There is also a spout pouring from the mountain side which is a wonderful natural warm spa. Among the man-made pools are cooler natural pools and a natural rock slide. The canyon is a natural woodland filled with small wildlife, the perfect environment to be in while resting in the hot springs. You will spend a restful 2 to 2 1/2 hour stay in the canyon, during which lunch will be provided. The hike back up to the canyon top is about a 1 1/2 hour hike, but once at the top, your driver will be waiting to assist you and drive you back to Creel.
• Posada Barrancas: Station right at the rim of the Copper Canyon. Impressive views and starting point for many easy walking trails along the rim and look-out points like Piedra Volada, La Escalera, Tarahumara boarding-house, inhabited caves, etc.
• Bauchivo / Cerocahui: The Bauichivo station is 45 minutes from the small town of Cerocahui, a town with a Jesuit Mission, waterfalls and beautiful valleys. Departure point for the Urique Canyon (the deepest of the system) and the Cerro del Gallego viewing point.
• Los Mochis / Topolobambo: Excellent seafood. Visit the Topolobampo bay and make a boat ride through smaller bays, estuaries and mangroves. Many dolphin families can be seen during the ride.