Morelia:
Morelia is 200-miles west of Mexico City; it is the largest city and capital of Michoacan state, with 750,000 people. City is at 6,300 feet elevation; warm days and cool evenings. City was designated UNESCO world heritage site in 1991, due to its well-preserved colonial buildings, and the layout of its historical center.
WED February 2nd:
Woke up 5:00am; walked 1.5-miles to colectivo; mini-bus ($0.50 USD) to CAPU bus station, arrived 7:00am. Estrella Roja 8:00am bus from Puebla to Mexico City ($11 USD). En route, snow-covered, Popocatépetl, visible at 17,800 feet; an active stratovolcano, most recent ash plume in 2020. Snow-covered, Iztaccihuatl, visible at 17,200 feet; dormant volcano. Arrived in Mexico City 11:00am; subway to Balderas ($0.25 USD), checked into AirBnB.
THU February 3rd:
Woke up 5:00am; subway from Balderas to northern bus terminal ($0.25 USD), arrived 6:00am. ETN 8:00am bus, for the mostly scenic drive to Morelia ($30 USD). Watched movie, The Program (2015), based on the book, Seven Deadly Sins by David Walsh (2012), documenting Lance Armstrong’s use of banned substances, and his subsequent fall from grace after stripped of his seven Tour de France titles (1988-1995). Arrived in Morelia past mid-day; colectivo to centro, three-miles ($0.50 USD), checked into AirBnB 2:00pm.
Traveled most of the major Amtrak trains across the United States. Many citizens don’t want trains in their backyard. Often times, when entering a major city, Chicago, for example, it’s an “ugly” experience, and feels as if traveling through the “armpit of America.”
Bus travel feels similar. Few citizens want a bus terminal in their backyard; entering Morelia, feels as if entering through the “ass end” of the city; an observation not a judgment.
First afternoon in the city, like Puebla, was underwhelming, fatiguing, dissatisfying, trying to quickly get a feel for the city; seeking what commodities are available, and at what prices.
Sometimes, trip feels like descending into deeper hell realms. Each AirBnB is worst than the last; how is this possible. Certainly no malfeasance; seems that there are different standards in US versus non-US. Even stranger, is that over time, become completely accustomed to each AirBnB, somehow. It’s amazing how humans adapt and accept. Resistance is futile.
This is the first AirBnB in seven weeks with a television, and a television in my room, and with Netflix, in English. Watched “If Anything Happens I Love You” a 12-minute animated short, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in March 2021.
FRI February 4th:
Went market shopping; Mercado Revolution and Mercado Independencia. Markets are different from those in Puebla or Oaxaca. Here, the markets are large open buildings, like a barn, with merchants in individual stalls. There are no tables, no tarps; there is less selection, and products are more expensive; perhaps, due to further distance from Mexico City.
SAT February 5th:
Walked to bus station, 3.5-miles, 1-hour, to purchase onward bus ticket to Guadalajara. Colectivos don’t run consistently before 6:00am, and wanted to evaluate the route, if walk to bus station on departure day. Sent myself an email and text message in Spanish with travel preference; show email or text message at the ticket counter; mitigates confusion and frustration; agent shows me computer screen at same time while completing the reservation.
Boleto de autobús
Morelia a Guadalajara
jueves 17 de febrero
7:45 manana
Nombre: Garth Monroe
Hablo español como un niño.
Sights:
Similar to Puebla, walked 40-miles in 4-days; good exercise, haven’t been running; explore the city; sometimes pleasantly surprised. Visited historic sights, including: Plaza de Armas, which is one block from the AirBnB; Palacio Clavijero (culture museum); Museo del Estado (state museum); Museo de Arte Colonial, only displaying images or statues of Christ on the cross; Museo Casa Natal de Morelos; Palacio de Justicia; Museo de Arte Contemporaneo Alfredo Zalce, Bosque Cuauhotemoc (lungs of the city); and historic Aquaduct. Avenue Madero, Highway 15, major east-west boulevard that bisects the city, closed on Sundays for people on bicycles, skateboards, and rollerblades.
Walk to Bosque Lazaro Cardenas daily, an exercise park, 2.5-miles away. It’s further away than I would like, but it is the only exercise park in the city; it has a decent set of exercise equipment; on the walk back to the AirBnB, stop at Mercado Independencia for vegetables.
Eating:
Major supermarkets include Chedraui, Soriana, and Bodega Aurrera; front half of the store is a department store; back half of the store is a grocery store. Shopping environment is sterile, and stores often devoid of people. Only buy canned goods, like sardines, or coffee.
Prefer shopping at the open market; seems to be where most locals buy meat, cheese, vegetables, and bulk items, like grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and spices.
Try to ensure that I have pocket full of coins when shopping at the market; easier for me and the merchant, by using exact change, rather than making change by breaking larger bills.
Markets are crowded on Saturday and Sunday, people off from work, and shopping for the week. There is a certain amount of “pushing” due to the crowd density. If you’ve been to China (2008, 2010, 2012), and ever tried to get on or off a train or subway car, you likely have a pretty good idea of pushing, which sometimes feels like a competitive sport. Try not to push children, grandmothers (abuela), or nuns; for everyone else, game on.
These are butcher stalls in the market; entire animals on the counter, or hanging upside down; goats, pigs, chickens, blankets of tripe, maybe the head of a cow. Often smell the fish monger before the fish comes in view. Concrete floor is moist; smell is overwhelming; sight is overwhelming. Not antiseptic like the local Whole Foods Market, where meat is neatly wrapped in plastic on Styrofoam trays. Writer, Michael Pollan, suggests that people who eat meat should go on a hunting expedition at least once, to experience the act of killing and slaughtering an animal. Others suggest that there would be more vegetarians if slaughter houses had glass walls.
However, in defense of eating meat, here in Mexico, meat or animal flesh accompanies a meal, flavors a meal, and is not the entire meal. Further, no part of the animal is wasted, in fact, likely extract greater nutrition by eating the entire animal, for example, bones and hooves, rather than, just eating “chicken breast.”
Usually eat twice a day; mid-morning brunch, late afternoon dinner; don’t enjoy sleeping on a full stomach. Often sprout lentils, which is the foundation for each meal; soak overnight, then allow a second night for the drained lentils to sprout. Makes nutrition more available by reducing phytic acid; lentils are also less “gassy” than other legumes (ie. chickpeas).
To this, will add some type of green, leafy vegetable (spinach, chard, parsley, cilantro), potato, tomato, zucchini, carrot, green onion; some type of seed (chia, sunflower, sesame, pumpkin); will top with either fried egg, sardines, or queso. After chopping spicy peppers, don’t always remove all the capsaicin after washing my hands; turns out to be a bugger when removing my contact lenses for the evening.
Peanut butter is extremely limited here; there is no “real” peanut butter, only “fake” peanut butter with hydrogenated oils; often $5 USD for small jar; representative food prices below.
Books:
Traveling with four books, reluctantly, as they are heavy and bulky. There are few English language bookstores, and prefer not to buy books.
Two books of Zen Buddhist koans; Zen Flesh Zen Bones (1957 | Paul Reps), and Iron Flute (1985 | Nyogen Senzaki). Appreciate that the Reps collection offers limited commentary. Typically, read silently, but reading aloud, for a different experience.
Two Lonely Planet guides; Mexico guidebook (15th edition | 2016), and Alaska guidebook, planning ahead for summer. Lonely Planet guides are useful, in a practical, utilitarian, sort of way. However, sometimes it seems that the Lonely Planet guides make everyplace sound wonderful. After visiting some of these “wonderful places” find myself asking, “where am I” because often times, the place is underwhelming, and less than wonderful.
Retirement:
After living in Mexico for seven weeks, it’s clear that retiring to Mexico could be an affordable strategy for US citizens. Winter weather is dry and temperate, Mexicans are kind, nice, and helpful; and there is adequate housing, transportation, medical and dental care.
Given the 3.5x difference in GDP per capita, living in Mexico is 25% – 35% less expensive than the United States. US citizens may visit Mexico for up to 6-months without a visa; to extend this duration, a person would need to fly out of Mexico and return, which resets the clock. Understand that Costa Rica and Guatemala are also popular retirement destinations. My friends, Ted and Neide, are contemplating retirement to Portugal; another strategy.
Other Thoughts:
In the past year, asked twice to serve as CFO; an early-stage biotech company, and a not-for-profit. Wonder if my only value to the world is as an employee. Hopefully, on this journey, may reveal some type of clarity, imagination, creativity, or vision of sight.
YouTube travel video suggests that “wherever you are is where you are supposed to be.” Is there a sense of peace or equanimity in that statement, or simply being lazy. In Zen Buddhism, there is the concept of “no gaining idea.” In other words, a person does not sit meditation to “get” something. For example, a person does not sit meditation to feel calm.
Maybe I should simply surrender the past, close the chapter, and anticipate a much different future. No classical music, no military, no business, no entrepreneurship. Time to move on.
Guadalajara: THU February 17th – THU March 3rd 2022
Plan to take the bus from Morelia to Guadalajara (4-hours), THU February 17th. Another day in paradise.
garthmonroe 