I recently spent two weeks touring through Peru, revisiting a few places (Lima, Aguascalientes, Machu Picchu, Cucso) and seeing some for the first time (Ollantaytambo, Puerto Manldonado / Tambopata, Puno / Lake Titicaca, and Arequipa). Like most trips to Peru mine started in Lima. And the agenda for my first full day on the ground was a combo food & history walking tour of Lima's centro (and the barrio chino to an extent). I love a good walking tour and street food, so I was looking forward to this. It did not disappoint.
Since the tour was in the centro and I was staying in Miraflores, I first had to take an uber downtown. The ride took about 45 minutes and my uber cost ~$10 USD. Not unlike what I'd probably be looking at for a ride into the centro area of la CDMX. I arrived with some time to spare before the tour so I did a lap around the blocks adjacent to the meeting point and perhaps unsurprisingly felt that the vibes of the area were familiar. Lot of traffic, lot of people, hole-in-the-wall food joints, and blocks of small businesses selling similar items, making it easier for shoppers to pick up all their lighting products on one street, musical instruments on another, packaging materials on a third, etc. Reminded me of home.
Once our group had assembled the guide kicked us off with some context of what lay ahead. It's a busy area and the atmosphere may not be everyone's comfort zone. If you embrace the chaos and realize that while the surroundings are modest they are not particularly dangerous, then you're on the path to enjoying your experience. Our group was pretty game. It was me and two couples in their early 30s if I had to guess. One from Holland and the other from Canada.
First stop was a classic: Choclo con queso.
It was from a little stand near the intersection of Jirón Cusco & Avenida Abancay that seemed to be doing pretty good business.
This was a simple, tasty way to begin. Describing food is not really my strong suit. If you haven't had Peruvian choclo I'd say it's like regular corn, but meatier. There is a density to it that you don't get with 'standard' corn, or even Mexican pozole corn best I can recall (side note: there was a period here where we binged pozole, as we lived around the corner from Potzocalli, but now it's been a few years since we've had a bowl. Maybe we're due. 'Winter' is starting, so the time is about right.) I did not snap a pic of the salsa picante they offered along with it, which was very nice. Had no problems getting salsas with heat and flavor as I traveled around Peru.
Our guide led us eastward on Cusco toward the next stop, which was for papa rellena.
Strong 1-2 punch to kick things off here, and right in my wheelhouse. The papa was filled with some carne, onions, olives, little huevo duro. Good stuff. And some salsa for extra flavor and moistness. Plus a touch of lettuce to keep things fresh.
With a nice base of choclo y papa in the first 15 minutes, we ventured further east into the market and the Chinatown area. Would have enjoyed some time browsing / shopping everything that was on offer, but had to settle for a few pics and video clips.
Our next destination was Restaurant Cevicheria Renzito. Very much a local place where most of the group enjoyed the ceviche. I chomped a few plantain chips with my chicha morada and let them split my share of the fish & crab.
From there we navigated deeper into Chinatown. First passing through an impressive indoor stretch of hardware, lighting, and other miscellaneous goods ...
... before emerging out on Jirón Paruro, which was lively.
Where we tried a ... min pao. Which is a type of dumpling that I think I have previously just referred to as 'dumplings'. I went with the pork option, which was a little dense and not super flavorful. Soy sauce saved it somewhat.
Maybe I ordered poorly and there were better options to be had. But for me this was a miss. Very cool exploring the area and whatnot. But from the food perspective, meh.
Onward to the Mercado Municipal, where we got some background on the mercado itself, the alcoholic chicha drink, and tasted a lucama smoothie before being released on our own to explore for 10-15 minutes. I took a few pics and found a coffee stall where I bought a medio kilo of what was supposedly the closest thing to a robust french roast.
I'm drinking the coffee now and it's a little milder than I expected, but pleasant. I'm happy with it. Those $/56 soles per kilo calculate out to about $280 MXN / kg, which I think is a touch higher than what you'd pay for something like the Cubano roast at El Jarocho, for example. But it was generally in line price-wise and my suitcase smelled of coffee for the rest of my trip. So I consider it a good purchase.
We exited the market out to the intersection of Jirón Huallaga & Jirón Ayacucho, where you'll find a slew of mobile food stands selling anticuchos, picarones, and more. Anticuchos refer broadly to Peru's answer to the kebab. But our tour was going to try the beef heart version specifically, so I passed. Did take a pic of the stand, though.
The picarones -- donut-like treats made from pumpkin and sweet potato dough! -- were more up my alley. Good stuff.
Our last stop was at Bar Cordano, where we enjoyed a fairly standard ham sandwich and some fruit that the guide had picked up back at the mercado.
It was a good stop to sit down, make use of the bathroom, and recap the day, which was overall a great and worthwhile experience. I continued on with the history-focused extension of the walking tour, which I'll probably just leave for a few pics on instagram. But I will include this snapshot of a dog snoozing comfortably in front of a government office.
I was hoping to complete all my posts about our most recent visit to Michoacán before leaving for my trip to Peru because I knew that would then become my primary blog focus for a while. I did get a few done, like the review of El Eden Boutique Hotel, a new favorite taco place in the food tianguis, and an overdue visit to local Panteón del Cristo. With the rest of the shots and notes I have I'll throw together a grab bag post that will touch upon the following:
* La Feria de la Catrina in Capula
* Various slices of staying in Pátzcuaro during the days leading up to Día de Muertos
* And our adventure getting home with a new custom made display piece for our shop
In Capula, we always spend some time strolling the main drag, taking in the town's efforts decorating for the holiday.
(This ATV w/ casket was new this year. And that dog is not the average perro callejero that we see in Capula. Wondered who he belonged to.)
We also take a look at the artisan stands in case we see some pieces that we must bring home with us.
This year in Pátzcuaro it seemed the town was downplaying the decorations, but they pulled through just before we left and got the main plaza gardens done up in style.
(Look closely and you'll see Judy hiding in the O above)
Enjoying a meal at one of the restaurants lining the plaza is also a staple activity for us. These shots are from the night we ate at Pasta y Pasto. If you want to fully participate in the experience be ready with a supply of candy for the kids who come around asking for something for their calabaza.
Before leaving we picked up a custom-made 'trastero' for our shop in the city. We had previously ordered one for our apartment where Judy keeps a lot of her baking stuff. It now serves as a focal point of pride in the kitchen. This year we thought it would be a good addition to the store for featuring smaller pieces like especieros, tequileros, etc. Turned out great and I managed to tie it down on the car all by myself this time.
Due to the road closures from angry corn growers, we were stuck at a dead stop in traffic for ~ 3 hours.
But ultimately we did get it back to the city and positioned in the shop. Now just need to get some lights installed for the full effect.
Usually when we head out to Michoacán on one of our pottery runs we stay at Casa Encantada. During this last trip, however, we came out a little closer to actual día de muertos dates, and Casa Encantada was already booked by the time I got around to reserve our accommodations. This gave us the opportunity to try a new(ish) place that opened across the street from Casa Encantada in the last 2 or 3 years I think: El Eden Boutique Hotel.
I have held off on trying it for a few reasons:
* We like Casa Encantada
* Casa Encantada is normally priced lower than El Eden
* The rooms didn't appear to have much in the way of ventilation
However, given the circumstances our hand was forced a bit, so we stayed with them for 3 nights, from 10/28 - 10/31. On the whole, our stay was fine. I do not have any complaints. But I would still look to stay at Casa Encantada first, when it's available.
My takes on the key elements of our stay, with an eye toward comparing them against our standard (Encantada):
Service / attention - very good.
Communications through Booking.com were good and quick. The man who greeted us upon arrival, Rafael, was very helpful in allowing me to use their load/unload only parking space for two full days. He also procured a fan for us to use in the room. Anything else we needed or wanted during our stay, Rafa and the rest of the staff were there for us. Service at Encantada is great, too, but I'll rate this aspect a tie.
Room quality.
Solid, with some relative strengths and weaknesses. Bed was pretty comfortable, a bit softer than what we're used to at Casa Encantada. Bathroom was spacious, but the water pressure in the shower was not great. Maybe 5/10. Ventilation was indeed a concern. We had a deluxe room and it had one small window that opened up onto the interior courtyard. It helped a little bit, but I cannot imagine it would be great during warmer weather. Rafa provided us with a medium size fan, which was good for us. But the property really should consider ceiling fans.
Oddly I did not snag any pics of the room itself. But you can check out their website or see them on Booking.com and get an idea of what they offer. Overall the slightly more comfortable bed at Eden does not in my mind outweigh the superior shower and ventilation at Encantada.
Breakfast
Our first breakfast was served in the small, homey dining room, which was nice and cozy.
The next day we ate in the common area between reception and the rooms, which is nice but also a little cool.
Food was tasty and service was warm. But Encantada's dedicated and spacious breakfast / kitchen setting offers a more pleasant overall experience. Also, we noticed they use Talavera serverware from Puebla, rather than the local pottery from Capula. Odd choice. I'd think they would support the local artisans rather than pay the premium to bring pieces in from Puebla.
Common areas / design.
Eden is smaller than Encantada, which has a couple of well-designed common areas / courtyards featuring plenty of plants and artwork, providing an open oasis-like feel. Eden's design is well-done, too, but by the nature of the property it is darker, more closed, and includes a lot of religious artwork and symbols (I didn't make that 'Eden' connection until seeing the pieces all around the hotel).
They put forward some great, creative work in decorating for the holiday. We witnessed the work in progress and saw the full picture come into focus during our stay.
Both Eden and Encantada offer elements of a traditional, colonial style property where clear attention is paid to the details. While I prefer the layout and aesthetic of Encantada, I'm sure others will have more appreciation for Eden.
This year was our 12th consecutive visit to Pátzcuaro & Capula during Day of the Dead season. For our first few visits we made sure to come out during the busiest dates, which tend to be 10/31 - 11/2, as the primary reason for the visit was to experience the holiday traditions. Over time our visits evolved, and the primary purpose of the trip was to pick up pottery orders in Capula, so we might come out on the 25th or 26th and see the very beginning of the town's preparations to receive the thousands of visitors it hosts each year. This year our visit spanned 10/28 - 10/31, which was pretty perfect. The first couple of days we were able to get all of our partner visits done and then enjoy the night of 10/30 in the center of Pátzcuaro as the energy was ascending into the coming weekend.
During our first few visits we made sure to visit some of the local cemeteries in the evening. It's a special atmosphere to experience. I'm struggling to find some pictures from those earlier years. I remember that the Panteón Tzintzuntzan in particular was pretty incredible the first time you walk through it at night. That was part of an organized tour we arranged through the hotel we stayed at, which was Casa Encantada. The following year we decided to venture out and DIY it ourselves. I forget how I learned about the Panteón Arocutín, but I was glad we went to experience that as it was my favorite by far. This pic below if from that visit.
In recent years we have focused mostly on the pottery / shopping, with shorter, goal-oriented trips. This year we had a little more time during our 3-night stay. So when Adriana from Tacos el Cuñadito Juve suggested we check out Panteón del Cristo we decided 'why not?'.
Normally we spend ~90% of our time in Pátzcuaro withing one block of Plaza Vasco de Quiroga, which is very much the center of town. We definitely spend 99% of our time within 2-3 blocks of the center, with occasional passes by the area up via the northeast salida from the center, toward Basilica de Nuestra Señora de la Salud. You can find a smedium-sized tianguis of sorts out there most days, so we sometimes drift through there in case we see something new and exciting. During Día de Muertos this area becomes Cempasuchil Central, as various stands set up along a few hundred meter stretch on both sides of the street with heaps of the vivid orange flowers. Piled up on the ground, on Costco-style folding tables, in the bed of their pickups, wherever and everywhere. It's a sight we always enjoy. Below you can see what I mean.
So ordinarily we will pass through here and then loop back to the center, never venturing further. Now, every 4th or 5th trip Waze might send us home via this 'back' way on Gral Benigno Serrato toward route 14 / 14D for Morelia. And when we've done that we have unwittingly passed by Panteón del Cristo, which you can see indicated by the red pin on the map screenshot below. It also clicked in my little brain that the Cempasuchil set up was conveniently located on the route toward the cemetery. How about that?
On Adriana's recommendation, we made the 20-minute walk from the center to check it out. For some reason Google Maps sent us up around the back of the cemetery first, not to the main entrance. Kind of inconvenient, but resulted in a couple pics from that POV that I would not otherwise have taken, like this one.
We doubled back around the front and did a lap. This was 10/29, so stil a couple days before the holiday. It's always a bit poignant to see the spectrum of graves, from those where relatives have clearly put in a lot of time and effort decorating for their loved ones, to those that have received less attention.
While the pics tell a story, a little video provides another layer of what the atmosphere feels like.
