At the suggestion of one of my oldest web site visitors I stayed in town an extra day to visit the Isla de Janitzio (thanks Ben). Boats leave regularly so I went and bought a ticket for 40 pesos round-trip and hopped on board. It was well worth the trip.
After a short ride on the murky lake the boat docked at a pier chock full of vendors. In fact the (steep) roads leading up to the 130 foot statue of José María Morelos were lined with shops selling just about everything. I was kind of surprised to see just how self-contained the island was. There was a school, an outdoor arena, a church and even a graveyard. One set of power lines brought in juice from the longest unsupported strand of power line I’ve ever seen. Garbage appears to be removed from the island using little barges that stink like you wouldn’t believe.
Up at the statue 6 pesos lets you inside the park area. The inside of the statue was amazing. Huge murals line the wall showing the life of Morelos (he was a revolutionary rebel leader who led the Mexican War of Independence movement). The winding staircase takes you up right into the giant raised fist here you can look out over the town of Janitzio and the surrounding lake.
Weather in Uruapan when posted:
Temperature: 22 °C, Humidity: 49%, Wind Speed: n/a, Cloud Cover: n/a
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Took a stroll around town after class. One of the places I went into was El Refugio. When it was built in 1865 it was one of the largest buildings in the world. Now it’s a cultural center and museum. The museum was free and it was pretty remarkable. The first thing that struck me was just how many items were just sitting on display tables unprotected by glass barriers. Some of the things looked very fragile. It was work from all over Mexico and a lot of it was extremely vibrant and detailed. I would have liked to have taken some pics but they had lots of signs saying no photography.
Finally got around to ordering this gadget from eBay that another touring rider introduced me to. It’s call an immersion heater and all you do with it is plug into the wall, drop it in your water-filled cup and wait for it to boil.
It’ll save me a lot of aggravation in the mornings where normally I’d be struggling to find a place to get coffee and some food. Now I can make my own right in the motel room. Should help save some cash too.
Tomorrow I’m taking a trip out of town to a place called Los Guachimontones. It’s a pre-Columbian archaeological site near the town of Teuchitlan. There are some pyramids along with some other building complexes. Should be fun. It’s through the school so I’ll even have a guide.
Weather in Guadalajara when posted:
Temperature: 14 °C, Humidity: 62%, Wind Speed: 5km/hr, Cloud Cover: few clouds
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