We said goodby to Villa del Carbon and our cool apartment in the middle of town. It was time to go and the dogs knew it. They’ve seen me packing the car countless times now, and they know what comes next.

I had our route planned and knew the first hour would be winding, but it was two hours of hairpin turns and me zigzagging to avoid jacuzzi sized pot holes in the road. The dogs look miserable and car sick and for a moment I questioned my decision to go to Michoacan. But we got through it and descended into a central valley and it got 10 degrees warmer (F) as we approached the Morelia area.

We saw plenty of corn fields and cowboy on horses with their dogs, herding cattle. And shepherds on foot shepherding their flocks. We passed through a town that had miles of market on both sides of the street, selling tons of plastic junk, pottery, pots and pans.

The toll road from there was pretty good and we made Iratzio on time to meet Julio at the gate. Julio and Emilia own the property where I had reserved an airbnb for a week. He opened the red gate and I drove in to an orchard surrounded by high stone walls.

Iritzio doesn’t seem like much of a town but it’s right in between Morelia and Patzcuaro. Our airbnb is cute and spacious and the dogs love the orchard. There is another dog here and I was hoping she and Viggo could be playmates but so far, she is intimidated by his big size and in-your-face friendliness and doesn’t want to play.

If you’ve seen previous videos you may know that I’ve been thinking of slowing down the traveling for a while and staying in one place for a few months. For the dogs’ sake, and for my own, we need a break. Also, the cost of short term rentals is more than I want to pay for months on end, so I began looking online for long term rental around our next stop: Patzcuaro.

Patzcuaro is the name of the pueblo magico that is on the south side of the lake with the same name, in the state of Michoacan. Other small villages surround the lake, all with a specialty in artisania, making beautiful arts and crafts such as pottery and copperworks. The area is especially known for its celebration of the Day of the Dead on November 1st.

Patzcuaro is also less than a hour from the city of Morelia, which would be great to see and has conveniences like costco for dog food and an international airport.

Tzintzuntzan is an awesome name for a town and was the ceremonial center of the pre-Columbian Purépecha  people centuries ago.  The first day after we arrived I left the dogs to drive there to see a long term 3 bedroom rental. I had seen it on FB a month before and it was still available by the time we got here. $11,000 with a lovely 2nd story master bedroom with a lake view and private bathroom. Maybe I could airbnb that top floor? 

The house was nice and the walled garden was pretty, but I wasn’t sure about the neighborhood. Once out of the driveway you’re on the lake front road with a few houses along the narrow street. It takes about 7 minutes to drive to the central market.  The house just feels kind of alone out there with only one way out. I don’t know. Added costs would be internet, electric, gas, gardener.  Didn’t get a firm answer on how much those things might be.

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In Michoacan, Like in Villa del Carbon, we might get a few hours of sun in the morning and then thunder showers in the afternoon/evening. The area is very green and kind of damp. It is the rainy season in Mexico.

In the evening the soft, silent strobe of fireflies came out among the pomegranate and fig trees and thrilled me. Oh yes, this is Michoacan where millions of monarch butterflies come home to roost, and the earth is humming with life.  There are no fireworks and not much traffic noise. It’s much quieter here, which is good for Olive.

Honestly, the terrain in Michoacan reminds me of the lushest parts of Hawaii. Dramatic forested mountains ascending into low flying clouds. Every shade of green, russet colored earth, and flowering vines. The soft feel of humidity in the air, but temps that only get into the 70’s.

The next day I went to see a house for rent about 35 minutes from Patzcuaro. I couldn’t believe it when I saw the ad on facebook. A beautiful little 2 bedroom cottage overlooking the gorgeous lake. The monthly cost was $10,000 pesos, and I couldn’t believe no one had jumped on it yet.  I hadn’t had the chance yet to explore Patzcuaro or any of the area really, but I went to see the house. It was lovely with a beautiful view. Even a washer and drier. And a fireplace, and a space heater. And starlink internet included.

The owner, Alex showed me around. She’s a fast talking, petite and fit 70 year old with a sophisticated grey bob. And her husband is Henri. They were originally from Mexico City but living here over a dozen years.

Alex wants to get to know me and keeps calling me hermana, sister. I like how direct she is as she explains that if the dogs damage anything I’ll be paying for it. She doesn’t want a formal lease, she says we must rely on mutual trust.

Temo, the gardener and house cleaner is part of the deal. She explains that she cannot take his work hours away from him so it will be up to me to pay $104 USD extra per month for Temo, who will clean my house once per week, wash my car, and do the gardening.

That brings the total monthly cost to $625 USD (at today’s exchange rates) plus I’d have to pay for gas and electricity. From what I hear, that’s not a lot for one person.

My concern is that it’s too far out. It takes 7 minutes to drive to the nearest town, and there’s not much there (not even a gas station). But it’s beautiful and if I want to stay for a few months, I don’t want it to be in the busy town of Patzcuaro. I drove through there and it was jammed with people and traffic.

With Alex and Henri living right next door, will it be too close for comfort?  I wanted to say something like “I’m a very private person”, but what would she think? The house, terrace and garden are very private, but would the owners be stopping by all the time?

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I finally made it to Patzcuaro to check out this pueblo magic. Somewhere in my travels someone had told me that Patzcuaro is the next Ajijic, meaning there are many foreigners there I guess.  I did not see that. 

It’s a bustling little city but I found parking close to the center, and set out on foot. I had no real plan, just wanted to check it out. I quickly found myself in an outdoor market. The produce looked really good! At first it was just people selling fruits and vegetables from their trucks but before I knew it I was deep into a more permanent market of hundreds of stalls selling everything from baskets to shoes. It was quite busy but I didn’t know if it was market day (Monday) or if it was always like this.

Patzcuaro is one of the pueblos especially known in Mexico for their celebration of Day of the Dead. Apparently it gets a lot of foreign tourists then, in November, but I heard nothing but Spanish spoken around me. 

Nothing gets me tired faster than shopping so I made my way over to the fine and elegant Plaza de Quiroga, a large central park with colonial mansions and courtyards surrounding, and had a cappuccino at an outdoor cafe. I noticed the beautiful copper spoon that came with my coffee, and then the other copper around me. I love copper and I can hardly wait to go to the nearby town of Santa Clara where that is their specialty!

There is a lot to explore in this area of Michoacan, and if we stay a while I could investigate all the surrounding villages and the Day of the Dead celebrations, and Morelia. 

Should we stay here for 4-6 months? Or longer? I’m giving myself another day to think about it and explore.