Re: Zih/Patzcuaro with teens

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Posted by Zane from 66.167.200.106 (h-66-167-200-106.SNVACAID.covad.net) on miércoles, diciembre 10, 2003 at 17:01:43 :

In Reply to: Zih/Patzcuaro with teens posted by Geenance from 216.129.31.125 (gateway-g2.londonlife.com) on martes, diciembre 09, 2003 at 13:20:15 :

The boys seemed to enjoy playing around the pool and the beach at the resort in Ixtapa, but that was wearing thinner after a few days. The parasailing behind the boat is usually $20 USD a pop which was a thrill for the 12 year old. Neither seemed to enjoy the snorkeling on Isla Iztapa, oh well. We all enjoyed the food, except our youngest. Both got into negotiating for the best deals in the Zihua markets for crafts. Personally from experience, at that age, kids are happiest if they can bring along a friend to occupy themselves.

Once we were out and about exploring they seemed to enjoy that, although their attention spans were less than ours . Perhaps a highlight was exploring in and around the Patcuaro plazas and the villages specific crafts around the lake at Lake Patzcuaro. One specialized in cerimonial masks (wild stuff) one was copperwork (http://www.pbase.com/image/23904492) and one was pottery. We picked up a flyer from the tourist office that was located on the main plaza in Patzcuaro that gave good information. Finding any decent maps and road signs was a bit more challenging to the point of near absurdity though we managed to find our way around well enough by instinct and intuition.

Book a car online before you go for the best price or they will try to nail you for $800-1,000 pesos a day or more with $25 USD/day for insurance. It was only Thrifty or Alamo that even had a computer at ZIH airport, so they have to call to verify the internet reservations. Our Hertz Chrysler Strattus had the transmission blow out completely 1-1/2 hours out on the road and the replacement Ford Ikon had doors that wouldn't lock and the engine started stalling out over and over... I suspect there is little difference who you rent from. Ideally, really inspect the car before you drive off. Also if you are driving locally for a day or so before you drive across the remote areas would be a nice precaution if you can. Keep a full tank, Highway 37 up the hill to Patzcuaro doesn't always has gas stations. Also, stay off of the Libre (free) roads as they snake all over the place and the maximum speeds are usually only 60 KPH. The (cobro) toll roads are highly recommended and you can drive up to and past the 110 KPH posted speed limits but there are toll stops repeatedly along the way so carry lots of smaller pesos (11-27 pesos x 8-10 stops).


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