Cold beer just tastes better in the sun…

… but the best cold beer is in the late afternoon shade following a lazy day strolling around [[Morelia]].

Today began 2 nights ago at a [[CouchSurfing]] Camp when – sat around the camp fire – Chano agreed to host me. The plan was [[Guadalajara]] but when a Mandarin speaking Mexican invited you round you can reckon good things are in store.

This morning began with someone wandering around the streets with a bell. I have no idea why*, he appears to have been going all night. After a quick email check (and a host confirmed in Guada!) and a short browse on WikiTravel Morelia I headed to the market Chano mentioned for my stable breakfast – Avocado and fresh bread.

* it turns out it’s the rubbish guy, Morelia is a city in which the council don’t collect any rubbish, so this helpful guy (and many others) are there to collect it for you (for a small fee) any time of day… or night.

It didn’t take long to fall for this relaxed, happy and comfortable city. It”s huge (750,000 people) but ths historic centre is walkable and beautiful; and tourist orientated signs and maps abound!

A Wifi-Enabled Plaza and a Very Shiney Church

The first sight I came across was the aquaduct, originally built in the 17th centrury and made of hollowed tree trunks. After some map studying (I managed to forget my compass again!) in the Wifi Enabled Plazas I gleefully followed the aquaduct past the park to Plaza Morleos, who’s main feature is a statue which wouldn’t be out of place along [[The Mall]]. I watched some skaters having a photo shoot and fended off a sales person before heading into the church – >Santuario de Guadalupe.

I’ve been to many astounding churches, but this must be the shinest of them all! The walls and arches are decorated the the usual intricate patterns, however everything here is guilded and sparkles as you walk down the nave. In an interesting contrast, the walls are adorned with huge, entirely not shiney murals. These depict the conversion of the indiginous peoples to Christianity:

• Brave looking explorers carrying a cross scout the hills, as the good Mary watches over them.
• Dark skinned children wearing feather skirts are taught by a veryt pale frair while a church is constructed in the background.
• An honourable guy intervienes at a human sacrifice while his buddy erects a cross next to a falling statue of [[Tlaloc]].
• In front of a pyramid an [[Aztec]] fountain is used as a baptism font for the locals, now stripped of their head coverings hich lay discarded by the side.

As is only natural given the location, it all looks very honourable.

I’m here at a lucky time, the alter is being dressed for a wedding so the mexican red white and green hang from the arches and flowers surround the glistening, limp body of [[Jesus]].

More WiFi and a Dull Cathedral

Leaving, I headed back down Clz. Fray Antonio de Sab Miguel, usually I avoid walking the same path twice, but this was an exceptionally nice path. Wide enough for two lanes of cars but instead clear, clean and lined with trees and benches playing host to couples who are too busy adoring eachother to notice you path. This walkway leads to the mentioned WiFi Enabled Plaza, which in turn leads to Toluca-Morellia. Toluca-Morelliais a very busy street, but the wide pavements and jolly shoppers make you easily forget the road and njoy the central street through town.

I can’t say I’m too impressed by the cathedral, though it would be hard to match Santuario de Guadalupe! It was dark (not that I mind them saving electricity) and much like other cathedrals. So I’ll mention a Mexican difference from England. Statues and shrines here tend to be behind glass or bars, rather than the openness of english churches and cathedrals. It makes them shiney, but more distant.

Next on my list was Museo del Estado. After much wandering and some shamefully bad map reaqding I found it (behind the map). It was pretty good, if small and entirely in Sspanish, but closed at three (20 minutes after I entered).

And so here I find myself, sitting in [[Plaza de la Rosa]] with two beers and a cool breeze carrying voices through the trees and a warm shady afternoon ahead of me.

Now this place is pretty enchanting. I’ve spent about 30 minutes going up and save for a brief glimpse of the curly brown back of someone’s head I’ve been entirely on my own. The sun is out in all it’s gloriousness but thankfully the path is shaded by towering rocks on all sides. That’s not to say this mini mountain isn’t green, indeed it’s as lush as the rest of the Mexican basin. There are several different views from the top.

Take a Look Around…

To the west overlooks the huge man made Lake Avándaro, created with the building of a series of dams for the hydro electric plant called Ixtapantongo. The multi layers of mountain look amazing across the distant water’s surface, this is one high place which might suit Roni as looking down all you see (aside from the vertical cliff face teeming with life which even Attenborough would whip out a camera for) is a miss-match of green and blue perfect gardens of the rich.

To the North and South are forested mountains as far as the eye can see, with splotches of field or hamlets gleaming white in the afternoon sun.

…and Settle in the East

The East, however, is my favourite. Right below me is a wild looking river mouth with half a dozen dingies loosely moored. As the river snakes inland it quickly becomes lost in the urban sprawl which is Valle de Bravo (Valley of the Brave). I can see a church squatting in the middle of a small cemetery, new buildings, old buildings, isolated clusters of houses, bright walls and football pitches all strung together by telephone cables.

And the sounds are even more of a sensory explosion, nothing dominates for more than a second above the tinkering of people selling, children playing, someone is singing, roosters… there are roosters everywhere! Dogs are barking, people calling, busses struggling up the hills with their 20 year old engines and motorbikes cruising around. Birds chirping, musicians playing, roadworks and builders hammers, a lorry stopping quickly, a car honking, a pig squealing.

So Enchanted Was I, I Forgot to Tell You Where I Am…

I’m leaned against a tall black cross with a virgin Mary on my left, a 20 foot drop on my right and some kind of tree which appears both fluffy and dead at the same time. It’s nice, certainly a place to make me happy.

Today was a bit of a last minute plan, one of those which presents itself as the obvious when the original one falls through. Derro was unable to take me to the volcano because he had to study, so to Valle de Bravo I came. After half a dozen hopeful CouchSurfing emails I had a call from a guy called Sebastian, who could host me – but then he couldn’t but his friend Pat could. But then Pat couldn’t so Sebastian put me in touch with Rodrico – who I’ll be meeting in a little over an hour.

A night of coffee, colonialism and [[cerveza]] awaits!