Extended Stay in Pátzcuaro

We extended our stay in our campground here in Pátzcuaro to a full month. Last week was a bit hectic as we had a friend fly in and visit. My buddy took the week off from work, which made me realize how much work I actually do while he's working. My own work began to feel a bit overwhelming. I realized I put in a lot of remote hours without thinking about it. 

Last week was our vacation from our vacation. We visited local sites, ate amazing meals, took taxis all over the place, and generally felt the need to fill the time with worthwhile activities, even though our visiting friend was taking remote classes for half the time.

Now we're in a new phase, the phase of just living here. It's best characterized by a couple things. First, I went nuts at the grocery store and bought $100 worth of groceries so we could eat in more. We eat out about 70% of the time. To get to a good restaurant in town requires a cab ride, which means it's a bit of a production to get a meal. 

The meals are usually great, but doing this every day, perhaps a couple times a day, can get tedious. When I was here five years ago, we stayed at one of the central hotels, which made eating well a breeze. We've had intestinal issues this trip and my boy wants nothing more than to sleep in more often and have mac & cheese for dinner (he complains if I put real cheese in it).

Second, I'm thinking more about goof off stuff here in Mexico. I bought a couple sets of lights for my truck this morning and they'll be installed tomorrow. One set fits in the front grill and the second set above the rear bumper. They can light up white, amber, or flash in a ridiculously bright and annoying pattern. The two pairs of cheap, Chinese lights cost me $30 and the three hours of labor will be $25. There are times the truck is sitting in the middle of the road with the trailer, and having more visibility would be nice. Everyone here lights up their vehicles like a Christmas tree. The police ride around with their lights flashing for no reason other than it looks cool. 

My buddy who drove down in his bus is flying out on Friday for ten days and it will be just Rocco and myself. We'll be on our own, and to prove we're capable of doing stuff, I've got a list of things that might be fun. These range from a couple archeological sites to going to the movies in a Mexican theater. 19 out of 20 movies are in English, so I'm guessing it won't be that different.

Stuff to Do:

• Zona Arqueológica Tingambato (40 minutes)
• Zona Arqueológica de Ihuatzio (37 minutes)
• Friday market day
• Movies
• Petroglifos Zacapu (90 minutes)
• Paracho (guitar town) (2 hours)
• Tacámbaro (70 minutes)