Mexico’s Fat Tuesday (Martes Gorda?) celebrations may not be as huge or as raucous or as naked as some, however, the annual Mardi Gras parade here in Ajijic did have its moments…
…like this paper mache bull going after parading (intentionally bad) drag queens.
Male paraders traditionally dress up like old men or gaudy women. Sometimes it's hard to tell which look they were going for.
A guy with a long stick with a hook on the end of it had to follow Miss Mariposa and move the many low-hanging power lines out of the way so this her particularly tall float could safely pass.
What’s a parade with banda and some bovine love?
Paraders can choose to give bystanders a face full of flour or a face full of confetti. Either way, squealing and chasing ensues.
A Mardi Gras moment during the parade in Ajijic, Mexico.
Superheroes and Supercharros mingle during Ajijic’s Mardi Gras parade.
This tiny white burro is a fixture of Ajijic and the fancy pedicure isn't just for Mardi Gras. Its owner paints its hooves a different color every week or so.
We headed to Mazatlan as much because of its illustrious past as Mexico’s first truly glamorous beach resort and to see what’s become of it lately. We were pleasantly surprised on both fronts. Yes, Mazatlan’s Zona Dorado (Golden Zone), the main and more-modern drag, is a kind of low-rent Cancun or Fort Lauderdale with high rise resorts of certain era (one 1,000+ room monster is literally called a Mega Resort), lots of restaurants offering buffets or hamburgers and a half-hearted attempt at style. However, the original heart of Mazatlan is still a charmer.
Playa Olas Atlas, just a few blocks from the center of Old Mazatlan, was one of the first resort areas in Mexico.
Located down at the Playa Olas Atlas end of town, the original part of Mazatlan was once referred to as the “Pearl of the Pacific.” John Wayne used to keep a boat here and Ernest Hemingway spent more than a little bit of time in town. The area has long since let go of the last vestiges of its glamorous past and embraced–either out of choice or out of necessity–its decidedly faded present.
The result is an old travel battlehorse so comfortable in its peeling, slightly-crumbling skin that visitors are instantly made to feel perfectly, casually at home as well. A fresh crop of hip bars, a thriving arts scene and a growing number of boutique hotels (we’re talking about you Melville Suites and Hotel Machado) and bed and breakfasts keep the area from lurching into has-been-land.
More on the chic lodgings later. For now, let us stress that Old Mazatlan is also home to some exceptional hotel bargains, like the Belmar Hotel, a faded but still perfectly acceptable budget option (clean, safe, central, functioning Wi-Fi, secure parking) where we got a room with A/C for 200 pesos (about $13). Yep.
The Hotel Belmar was the first resort hotel to be built in Mazatlan. Opened in 1918 it was, at one time, THE place to stay. Now old school, open-air Pulmonia taxis pick up and drop off budget traveler guests at this ramshackle diva.
Old Mazatlan combines the pastels of Miami with the wrought iron and languid patios of New Orleans and many of Old Mazatlan’s original buildings have been (or are being) renovated, giving the area a kind of lazy boom-town feel. Another quirky Mazatlan plus? Free calls to the US and Canada from house phones at most of the hotels–even the penny-pinching Belmar.
The restored buildings in Old Mazatlan bring color and style to the neighborhood.
The sights and sounds of a low-key seaside town like Mazatlan make a seafood meal sound good and we spent plenty of afternoons at Mariscos Tono enjoying wonderfully fresh ceviche and 12 peso cervezas. We were also tipped off about a great taco place called Taqueria Playa Sur. Tender, tender beef and a bustling turnover. Want a tablecloth and live jazz and a wine list and a cappuccino? Restaurants like Pedro y Lola in Old Mazatlan deliver that too.
The heart of Old Mazatlan is the Plaza Machado which is surrounded by cafes and the beautifully restored Angela Peralta Theater.
Street art on one of the buildings in Old Mazatlan is too good to be called graffiti.
The 19th century cathedral in Old Mazatlan.
Though we originally checked into the wonderfully frayed (and equally wonderfully priced) Hotel Belmar we were intrigued by the number of really chic little boutique hotels and bed and breakfasts we walked past on our daily strolls through Old Mazatlan. One of them, the Casa Lucila, is right on the waterfront and has a story as irresistible as its location.
Opened by Conchita Valades de Boccard and her husband Christopher, this stunner is named after her mother and the eight over-sized rooms (many with sea-view patios) arenamed after Conchita’s eight sisters. The restaurant and lounge is named for Conchita’s father, Mazatlan crooner Fernando Valades Lejarza. Conchita jokes that she’s going to have to open another hotel so her five brothers can have rooms named after them and she’s done such a wonderful job with Casa Lucila that we really hope she follows through on that threat.
A native of Mazatlan, Conchita bought the property in 2007 and photos of the building at that time prove that calling it a shambles would have been a compliment. Today the tranquil and stylish two story hotel is properly dressed in Italian stone and windows and doors and plush linens. There’s even a plunge pool and a lovely one-room spa. The sublime custom mattresses are made by hand in Mazatlan by a man who can only be called an artist.
As if to seal the deal, the location of the hotel, on a slight rise above the seawall, provides gratis views down the long, sweeping crescent of Olas Atlas Beach. All in all, Casa Lucila is a wonderful new take on Old Mazatlan.
We’d taken the el CHEPE Copper Canyon train. We’d used our feet. We’d even conquered two of the most dramatic driving roads into and out of individual canyons in order to visit the towns of Batopilas and Urique. All that was left was to drive from one end of the Copper Canyon region to the other.
Many locals had assured us that it was possible to drive across the Copper Canyon region from Creel to El Fuerte (even though the region looked completely roadless on every map we looked at) and that the previous rainy season hadn’t done too much damage to the area’s network of dirt roads. Feeling encouraged, we left Creel bound for Cerocahui and the first leg of our intra-canyon road trip.
The "roads" that traverse the Copper Canyon region of the Sierra Madre mountains are simple dirt tracks. You can see one switch-backing up, down, over and around the mountains in the background.
We left the pavement behind in San Rafael, not long after leaving Creel. Many of the simple dirt roads that eventually took us all the way to El Fuerte were built to give access to the mines in the region and most were not on the detailed maps in our Gia Roji road atlas. The locals and the mine employees all know exactly where they’re going so no one ever bothered putting up any signs either.
The ever-present Virgin of Guadalupe watches over the roads--and the drivers--throughout the mountains.
The route that first day was pretty straight forward, however, and we found our way to Cerocahui via surprisingly smooth dirt roads that followed lazy streams and passed small fields of corn and beans.
After passing Cuiteco the scenery got particularly gorgeous as we drove through pine and oak forests. We were almost sorry when we reached our final destination but we cheered up knowing that we would have the chance to see Alberto and Francia at Hotel Centro Jade in Cerocahui for the night.
Unlike this doomed truck we were heading out of the Sierra Madre mountains down to the Rio Fuerte.
The second day of our intra-canyon road trip got a bit more challenging. The road itself remained in remarkably good shape (though there was still no sign of signs). However, they roads became so narrow in places and the mines create so much big truck traffic that it was slow going. It doesn’t help that the Copper Canyon is a network of different canyons, not just one big canyon, which makes it necessary to drive way up to peaks and passes, then way back down to riverbeds over and over again to get across different canyons. We averaged less than 15mph.
As we crossed over the Rio Fuerte we thought we were done with the mountains but there were still more ups and downs ahead of us before we reached El Fuerte. (Click image for full size panorama)
That faint ribbon of road visible to the right o the bank above the Rio Fuerte is what took us out of the Copper Canyon region toward El Fuerte.
The road followed the Rio Fuerte for quite a while but we passed very few villages. This one was dominated by the picturesque ruins of an old church.
All told it took almost 12 hours over two days to drive less than 135 miles (more than 100 of them unpaved) from Creel to El Fuerte through mountains, valleys and many different environments and climates–when we left Cerocahui it was 60 degrees and forested and when we arrived in El Fuerte it was nearing 90 and desert-like.
Despite the heat shock, El Fuerte charmed us. It’s the most recently anointed of Mexico’s 35 Pueblos Magicos, honored as havens of traditional architecture and religious signifigance.
The colonial town of El Fuerte was recently designated one of Mexico's Pueblos Magicos.
The church on the plaza in El Fuerte.
All of El Fuerte’s central buildings are freshly painted, very well kept and traditional and food stalls in the market serve a mean birria and delicious tacos. When we were in El Fuerte it seemed like half the town was out scraping old paint off the iron benches and metal work in the town plaza as part of one big proud community beautification project as well.
For reasons we're still puzzling over almost all of the lamp fixtures on the outside of buildings in El Fuerte had this same gargoyle design.
El Fuerte also has a fancy Balderama Hotel which has a huge statue of Zoro who, according to a half-hearted local legend, came from El Fuerte. However, we agree with Lonely Planet on this one: a better bet is to check into the Torres Del Fuerte Hotel.
You’ll be greeted by Jesus, who was actually born in what is now room #2 in this eclectically-restored hacienda just a couple of blocks off the plaza. Jesus is dapper and charming and, along with his wife and son, has brought his family’s former home back from the brink of ruin and opened the hotel.
Parts of the property are 350 years old and by the time Jesus started the hotel project it was in pretty bad shape and most of the original furniture and fixtures were beyond help. Out of necessity, Jesus has amassed a collection of period replacements–from antique wood doors and cast iron railings to furniture and tile work–from around Mexico and the US. Jesus’ wife then placed each piece, adding modern touches (sinks carved from solid stone, plenty of sex appeal (massive candles and plushly upholstered couches) and a little bit of whimsy (bright colors and a leopard-print wool rug) as she went.
Add in a sprawling lush garden, an on-site bar and restaurant (that’s a shocking bargain) and, of course, Jesus and we were tempted to spend an extra day in El Fuerte.
The sexy and eclectic open-air lobby of the Torres Del Fuerte hotel.
The Rio Fuerte.
El Fuerte is also known as a haven for more than 60 species of bird and for its bass fishing. We don’t fish but we did take a morning ride in a rowboat down the Rio Fuerte with local guide Chico who was quick to point out osprey, herons and kara karas (which are scavengers like buzzards, but much prettier).
Chico, a guide in El Fuerte, took us on a birdwatching boat trip on the Rio Fuerte.
We stopped along the way for a quick stroll to a collection of rocks covered in petroglyphs. Once located on the top of the highest point in the area, an earthquake knocked the rocks down and they now lie in jumbled piles not far above the riverbank.
Cerro de la Mascara (Mask Hill), near El Fuerte has many Nahuatl petroglyphs.
We were also thrilled when Chico’s son, Sergio, took us on a tour of the Rancho Chinobampo organic farm where he oversees the organic fish project. The farm also currently grows mangos, basil (some of which ends up in Whole Foods), medicinal herbs and lots of experimental plots of staples like jalapenos and cucumbers.
Rancho Chinobampo is one of just a handful of officially certified organic farms in Mexico and it’s taken a unique approach even among that rarified group. The family that owns the farm also owns successful zeolite mines and they’ve chosen to combine the two ventures by using zeolite (a natural substance commonly used in gardening but rarely on this scale) to supplement or even replace soil. Bat guano, harvested by hand, is mixed with it for nutrients. They spray an all-natural garlic mixture instead of pesticide. They also get help from the University of Havana.
Coming soon to a Whole Foods near you! Basil growing in a mixture of zeolite and bat guano at Rancho Chinobampo organic farm.
For a tiny town, Bernal–less than an hour from Querétaro–has a lot going for it, including Peña de Bernal (Bernal’s Boulder or Bernal Peak) which is, according to some estimates, the second largest monolith in the world after Mt. Augustus in Western Australia. At 350 meters (1150 ft) tall it’s also the fourth tallest (or third tallest, again, depending on who you ask) monolith in the world after Mount Augustus, the Rock of Gilbraltar and Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio.
As you can imagine, a pedigree like that attracts a lot of rock climbers. The rest of the scant visitors to Bernal come for the town’s own unique brand of peace and quiet.
Peña de Bernal, seen from the porch of our room at the Parador Vernal, is one of the largest monoliths in the world.
Bernal was designated a Pueblo Magico by the Mexican government in 2005 so it delivers a pleasantly stuck-in-time look and feel with simple buildings, festive colors and a central square dominated by a lively church. Old men sit around and do what old men do while younger men gallop down the cobbled streets. Every once in a while a woman pokes her head out of the shop or restaurant she’s running. It is altogether nap inspiring.
While in Bernal we stayed at the Parador Vernal about a 10 minute walk above town itself. The hotel’s mediocre and poorly translated web site doesn’t do its quirks and charms justice. The lobby is largely populated by big colorful birds in even bigger ornate cages. Our room, #8, had one wall that was painted entirely electric green and featured a huge loosely looped wool area rug that felt like walking on a sheep. The bed was comfortable and the view of Peña de Bernal couldn’t be beat. Some of the hotel’s other rooms (there are 13 in total), however, seemed a bit small and dark so ask for room 7 or 8 if you plan to stay the night. Or just pop up for a bite or a drink in the dining room or outdoor bar with an unobstructed view of the monolith.
Peña de Bernal rises above the tiny town of Bernal.
A wedding at the church of St. Sebastian in Bernal.
Throughout Mexico it seems like we rarely see beer on tap, so we were surprised and delighted when we walked past a pretty cafe with outdoor seating and cerveza de baril on the menu. And that’s not the only beverage surprise the area had in store for us…
Peña de Bernal features a hypnotic light show every Saturday that goes on for more than an hour.
If you don't have a horse you can flag down the Asian-style tuk-tuk that plies the streets of Bernal.
About 30 minutes from Bernal in the town of Ezequiel Montes is the Cavas Freixenet winery complete with tours and wine sales and a kind of manic crowd on weekends that seems intent on downing as much of their newly purchased wine and sparkling wine right then and there at tables and chairs set up in an open-air courtyard.
We missed the last tour of the day so we just wandered around trying not to get between the Mexican couples and families and their wine. Weirdly, there wasn’t a single black bottle of too-sweet Cordon Negro sparkling wine that we associate with the Freixenet brand in the U.S. In fact, none of the wine for sale even had Freixenet on the label–the sparkling wine was called Petillant and turned out to be just as sweet as Cordon Negro.
There's more to drink in Mexico than just cerveza and tequila.
It all started near Guadalajara, where so many good things have happened for us. That’s where we met Pascual and Jakeline who generously invited us to hang out with them in their town, Arandas. A few days later we were there eating, drinking, seeing and enjoying the best that this unsung destination has to offer in the hands of two great guides.
The plaza in Arandas is dominated by a huge Gothic cathedral which looms large over the entire town remarkably like the much more famous cathedral in Chartres, Paris.
Not only were we treated like family (our eternal thanks to Jakeline’s family for being so generoso), but we had our first brush with politics during a hastily arranged meeting with the Presidente, or Mayor, of Arandas who was really nice and accommodating but short on time (he had to hurry off to attend the laying of the cornerstone for a new hospital), just like politicians everywhere.
We ended up in a brief meeting with the Presidente (Mayor) of Arandas. Here's Karen, El Presidente, our friend Jakeline and Eric in the Presidente's office.
Arandas has something of a reputation for exquisite tacos, a food we’ve come to not only love but appreciate having eaten hundreds of the things by now. Jakeline and Pascual took us to Tacos Sanctuario where their buddies worked the grill and the brassier to produce really wonderful tacos. The el pastor tacos we had there were the most unique and most flavorful of any we’ve eaten in Mexico. So far.
We (heart) good tacos and the ones at Tacos Sanctuario are great.
As if there could be any doubt that a visit to any destination is always richer when you’re with a local, Pascual and Jakeline capped off our first perfect afternoon in Arandas with an evening visit to Hacienda Santa Maria which we wouldn’t have even known existed, let alone gained entry to, on our own. Their barn full of pure-breed stallions in training rivals many of the hotels we’ve stayed in. The stalls were so clean and airy we wanted to curl up in them ourselves! And there’s really nothing better than sipping tequila on the tailgate watching newborn foals learn what their legs are for as the sun sets.
A nine day old foal and its mother at Hacienda Santa Maria (aka horse heaven) just outside Arandas.
An evening stroll to the plaza is an excuse to do some snacking and Jakeline took us to her favorite churro vendor, Mario’s Churros where fatter and puffier than usual churros are churned out from the cleanest churro cart we’ve ever seen. Filled with cajeta (a thick concoction that’s halfway to caramel) and rolled in sugar, the things are deadly delicious.
Churros (basically deep fried bread) are found everywhere in Mexico but Mario made the best we've had to date.
Yes, we’re still eating.
Pig, in almost any of its many guises, is delicious but nothing beats good carnitas (except for bacon and braised Berkshire pork belly). Carnitas Jaime's served up some of the best we've had.
A shot of local tequila (more about that in our next post) and a rousing version of “Arandas”, courtesy of one of the Mariachi bands that troll Carnitas Jaime’s looking for customers, helped us digest a half kilo of pork.
Team Mariachi after serenading us with their version of a song dedicated to Arandas while we literally pigged out at Carnitas Jaime's.
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