January 28,2023
I had originally planned to head out of Patzcuaro today, but with an exciting possibility coming up on Jan 31-Feb 1 here, I decided to take more time in this area. I signed up for a trip to the site of the Paracutín volcano that erupted about 2 hours east of here in 1943.
I got up early for a walk around town and to enjoy my favorite coffee shop.
I made sure I got back to the hotel for breakfast, and I learned that I’ve really been missing out on great conversation by people with amazing experiences. Many of them have extensive histories working in development and health throughout Latin America, including the Peace Corps. Bruce Hobson is an elder with such experience, and currently lives in Guanajuato. I’m going to be sure to connect with him more extensively tomorrow as I had to leave prematurely for my trip to the volcano.
The van stopped by at 10 am at the main plaza and I hopped in. Inside were 7 other tourists, 6 from Mexico and one from San Diego. It was a pleasant group. The van stopped first at the Urúapan national park. The sandbags and machine guns at the entrance to the city were a little concerning, and later I learned that it is a dangerous area. Fortunately nothing happened to us.
From the park we headed back on the highway, but after about 20 minutes, the traffic came to a stop. There was protest, possibly by agricultural workers and no traffic could go through. So we had to wind around a circuitous back route , up and over a mountain, and along very bumpy dirt roads to get to our destination. It was already 3:30 pm by the time we arrived. Lava field surrounded us with twisted piles of dark grey lava many feet high everywhere. Some trees and other plants have begun to be able to grow in the moonscape.
I returned home glad to be home safely, determined not to take any more long tours involving hours of sitting.