last set of pictures

Last day of Michoacan photos. 

 There are a few dishes that are touted as local specialties in the Michoacan guides.  One is called corundas, which are kind of tamale-like triangles, only un-filled.  The corn is a bit sweeter and more coarsely ground.  In this case, they're topped with rajas.  Quite good.  More after the break.

 One Saturday nights in Morelia, there's a dramatic ceremony at 9pm where they light the cathedral and light off fireworks and have music.  Wouldn't it be rad if Sac had something like that?  An event once a week where everybody gathered at the town square and hung out and there were a few fireworks?  There were also strolling foxy musicians dressed like medieval troubadors.  Cute.

 The whole town was decorated for Mexican Independence Day, which is September 15th.  Until this visit I was ignorant of the fact that this was such a major holiday in Mexico, and I plan to visit sometime during the holiday.  I'm sure it' s a superfun, huge party.

 Here's another one of the local dishes, Tarasco soup.  As I pointed out yesterday, Tarasco is the name for the indigenous peoples, but not really one that they prefer.  Like corundas, it's kind of a poverty-type cuisine: a pureed bean soup.

 Here's a carnitas window that was on the same street as the hotel.  Like I said, most carnitas places seem to be named Carmelo.  I went to the window shortly after it opened and the guy apologized that I had to wait while fresh tortillas were made.  No problem, dude!

 They always put the carnitas on these wooden palettes.  I told the guy I liked the liver and skin

 He really took me on my word and gave me a chunk of liver that was too big!

 Then I took the bus to Uruapan.  They showed a dubbed version of Sister Act on the bus.

 One of the big reasons I wanted to go to Uruapan is because it's known for its coffee.  At this point in the trip I had suffered through a lot of cinnamon-flavored Nescafe.  I ordered this as soon as I got into town - Uruapan style!  I was so stoked.  Uruapan style coffee is similar to Turkish.  It was strong as fuck with fine coffee grounds in the bottom.

 I also drank a lot of micheladas on the trip.  There are so many different styles, but this was the best one I had despite the fact that it was made with Indio beer, which is nasty.  It was  huge and had jicama and cucumber in it.

 Here's the cafe where I got that coffee.  It's off the main square.  It's filled with elaborate carved wood, which you see all over the nice buildings in Uruapan.

 I bought some to take home.

 Uruapan also has a market called the "Mercado de Antojitos", so kinda like "snack market".  It's an open-air area with booths serving all kinds of food.  It rules!

 Uruapan's big claim to fame, besides the nearby volcano, is its national park.  It's rad, and of course, Mexico-style, there are booths serving tasty food here and there.  It's nice to stroll through a park eating a fresh coconut doused in lime and chili.

 Here's a trout farm that was in the park.  There's a booth that serves trout, prepared in various styles, right by the farm.  I regret that I was not hungry at this point.  I don't know if it was the high altitude or what, but I rarely got really hungry on this trip.  I would have a little bit and be ridiculously full.

 This is like the only kitty I saw! It was playful.

 Uruapan had a lot of bakeries, which Morelia did not seem to have.  This lady at the bus station was selling some corn-cake stuff that I am dreaming about right now.

 This is back in Morelia, one of the fancier ice-cream parlors near the cathedral.

 This is guanabana sorbet.  Amazing!  Sweet/sour and had big chunks of fruit and big black seeds in it.

 On the last day of the trip I started craving non-Mexican food and a torta was as close to an American sandwich as I could get.

 This is just a picture to show how hoppin' the main square was, even on a Monday afternoon.  Morelia is a super lively, bustling city.

 Well, that's all the pictures. Michoacan is an interesting state, and there's lots more to it that I didn't see.  There's a stretch of coastline that I'm intrigued by because it seems to be very beautiful and unspoiled.  If I go back, I'd like to spend time in Patzacuaro and I'd love to have a rental car to drive around the lake for a couple of days to stop here and there, and I'd like to check more ruins, the volcano, and the coast.  This area is unfortunately suffering through an upsurge of drug cartel violence so right now it might not be safe.  But I'm hoping that the next presidential election in Mexico will improve that.