MadDog Mike's Platterful of Pupule - Boar Tusk - Other Crafts

M MadDogMike Grand Member (8 years) The Anvil of the Sun Joined: Mar 30, 2008 Posts: 11045	M MadDogMike Posted posted on Sun, Jul 1, 2012 3:35 PM Henrik, great idea! Headed for the glaze store tomorrow to see what I can find. Wendy, H10T and ATP ~ thanks. My brother and his family graciously invited me with them on a 2 week trip to Mexico and we got back today. I was a little apprehensive about traveling to Mex in light of current events but it turned out great. I didn't take very many "scenic" pictures, there are plenty on the internet better than I could take. I did take some pictures of "unusual" things, more on them later :D We spent 5 days in Cancun first, it was very nice - wet but warm. Of course the Caribbean beaches and turquoise waters are stunning. The jungle was lush and green but not as tall as I had envisioned, the tallest trees were only about 20 feet tall. It was also very invasive- it didn't take the jungle long to reclaim even uninhabited houses. It was awe-inspiring to stand in the plaza at Chichen Itza, to touch the stones carved by the Mayans so many centuries ago! Public transportation was great in Cancun and there was lots of public art in the form of sculptures in the road medians and Mayan inspired stained glass. Next we went to the state of Michoacan, the winter home of 250 million Monarch Butterflies What a beautiful area, not at all like the rocks and cactus of Northern Mexico I'm accustomed to. The people were all very friendly, even the 16 year old Federales with machine guns at the checkpoints and roaming the highways in pickups. The people may be poor but they seem content. We drove 800 miles in Michoacan and the roads were all in good repair. It's mountainous country with pines and live oaks. Plenty of rain in fertile valleys growing corn, strawberries, squash, avocados, and pastures full of cows, horses, and burros. With Purepero as our base, we checked out the state. The 1870s church of Tlazazalca. The crystal clear spring-fed lake of Camecuaro surrounded by cypress trees. The island of Janitzio in Lake Patzcuado when we climbed up into the arm of the 130 foot tall statue. The ruins of Tzintzuntzan are located on the shores of Lake Patzcuaro ~ more primitive than Chichen Itza but still impressive, especially when seen in a thunderstorm. Here's one tourist shot of me at the Parque Nacional Barranca de Cupatitzio in Uraupan, just to prove I was there (that really is me, I shaved off my mustache and goatee for the trip so my snorkel mask would fit :D ) Overall a great trip, but not for the faint of heart - there was a paramedic assassinated in Uruapan a couple of days before we visited. I've got some pictures of "That's not Tiki!" projects that I'll post this week along with some interesting things that make Mexico a world away.

Henrik, great idea! Headed for the glaze store tomorrow to see what I can find.
Wendy, H10T and ATP ~ thanks.

My brother and his family graciously invited me with them on a 2 week trip to Mexico and we got back today. I was a little apprehensive about traveling to Mex in light of current events but it turned out great. I didn't take very many "scenic" pictures, there are plenty on the internet better than I could take. I did take some pictures of "unusual" things, more on them later :D

We spent 5 days in Cancun first, it was very nice - wet but warm. Of course the Caribbean beaches and turquoise waters are stunning. The jungle was lush and green but not as tall as I had envisioned, the tallest trees were only about 20 feet tall. It was also very invasive- it didn't take the jungle long to reclaim even uninhabited houses. It was awe-inspiring to stand in the plaza at Chichen Itza, to touch the stones carved by the Mayans so many centuries ago! Public transportation was great in Cancun and there was lots of public art in the form of sculptures in the road medians and Mayan inspired stained glass.

Next we went to the state of Michoacan, the winter home of 250 million Monarch Butterflies What a beautiful area, not at all like the rocks and cactus of Northern Mexico I'm accustomed to. The people were all very friendly, even the 16 year old Federales with machine guns at the checkpoints and roaming the highways in pickups. The people may be poor but they seem content. We drove 800 miles in Michoacan and the roads were all in good repair. It's mountainous country with pines and live oaks. Plenty of rain in fertile valleys growing corn, strawberries, squash, avocados, and pastures full of cows, horses, and burros.

With Purepero as our base, we checked out the state. The 1870s church of Tlazazalca. The crystal clear spring-fed lake of Camecuaro surrounded by cypress trees. The island of Janitzio in Lake Patzcuado when we climbed up into the arm of the 130 foot tall statue. The ruins of Tzintzuntzan are located on the shores of Lake Patzcuaro ~ more primitive than Chichen Itza but still impressive, especially when seen in a thunderstorm. Here's one tourist shot of me at the Parque Nacional Barranca de Cupatitzio in Uraupan, just to prove I was there (that really is me, I shaved off my mustache and goatee for the trip so my snorkel mask would fit :D )

Overall a great trip, but not for the faint of heart - there was a paramedic assassinated in Uruapan a couple of days before we visited. I've got some pictures of "That's not Tiki!" projects that I'll post this week along with some interesting things that make Mexico a world away.

Post #642406 by MadDogMike on Sun, Jul 1, 2012 3:35 PM