Michoacan Day 3: Patzcuaro

We woke up today feeling horrible! I can honestly say that my body has never hurt like this before. I never knew THAT many muscles were required to ride a horse. I hurt all over...no part of my body has been left alone. Even the muscles in my hands...

Anyways, we left our hotel to get on the bus to the National Park in Uruapan. Our hotel was pretty nice! The rooms and bathrooms were nice, and one of the best parts was the television! We watched "No Te Lo Pongas" (What not to Wear!) and music videos all the time, so it was pretty nice. In our house, we don't ever watch television. The breakfast at the hotel was also pretty amazing. We had chilaquiles every morning, eggs with ham, quesadillas, fruit, yogurt, bread, french toast, pancakes, cereal, and more. It was so delicious.

It was Father's Day today, so there were plenty of people at the National Park! I loved everything at the park; it was so beautiful. When you think of Mexico, you don't really think of forest, vegetation, or flowers. Some of the first things that comes to mind is dryness, desert, and dirt. Well, here in Michoacan, that stereotype was definitely broken for all of us. The National Park seemed like a tropical rainforest! Small waterfalls everywhere, beautiful flowers and trees, and we felt like we were in some other country. Here are some pictures:

my favorite flowers. these hung from the trees upside down, facing the ground instead of facing the sky

vegetation...

waterfalls

In Patzcuaro, there were many stores, markets, and parks full of artesan stands. We were given 2 hours to walk around, eat, and shop. I decided to go shopping first, but didn't buy anything but earrings and a bracelet. Everything that they were selling were really traditional Mexican products (clothing, housewares, etc.), so I didn't buy much. It was very interesting to look at though, to see what kinds of things are really important in their culture. Here are some pictures of the center of town:







I was walking around and shopping by myself, so I caught up with some friends for lunch. I don't remember what the dish was called, but it was really good and only 35 pesos! The presentation was really nice too...

Michoacan Day 1: Waterfalls

Things started off perfectly today: NO CLASS!!! On the downside, we had to meet at Jardín Cantador super early for the bus ride. After 4.5 hours, we finally made it to Uruapan. We didn't go to the hotel first though; we traveled directly to the waterfalls, Tzaracua and Tzaracuita. After waiting forever to let the girls change into their swimsuits (that included me...it took forever because we had to find a bathroom! And in Mexico, they have a habit of making you pay 3-4 pesos to use a public bathroom. After much debate, we just changed on the bus), we finally set off to the waterfalls.

It had started off as a pretty cool morning, but it quickly turned into a very hot day when the sun came out!!! We had to climb up and down hills and stairs the whole time, so when we arrived at the first waterfall, the mist felt so good on our face! This was the biggest waterfall called Tzaracua, and they didn't permit anyone to swim in it. It was really beautiful though, and we took plenty of pictures (of course!).

my friend noelle and i went across the water

After seeing Tzaracua, we continued hiking to get to the smaller waterfall we could swim in, Tzaracuita. We didn't know that we had to hike that far! By the time we got to the waterfall, we were exhausted and very sweaty. They told us the water in the waterfall would be freezing cold, so I was afraid to get in (if you know me, I really can't swim in freezing cold water! I'd rather have it be a little warmer...like how water feels after it's sat in the sun all day in 90-degree heat). This time, however, it didn't matter to me at all! We were soooo hot, so by the time we got in, the freezing cold water felt perfect! Swimming in the waterfall was one of the best things I've ever done, and it really was liberating.

yes, we swam in this waterfall

We really didn't want to leave the waterfalls. I could have spent my whole day there. By the time we got back on the bus, we were all exhausted! It was so amazing...