other colonial cities in Latin America

[DonJuane]

Yes I have visited Antigua four times in the past 10 years because I do enjoy visiting there. Still I don't believe I would want to live there because it to me is a bit of a false facade as far as a genuine makeup of a Latin American city. From the city's history, it was abandoned after an earthquake and to me gives the impression of an aura similar to Real de Catorce but on a much grander scale of course, where the tourist industry has reclaimed a ghost town after it was abandoned but at the same time done their best to mask that fact to the point it is not obviously unappealing. You can't beat the architecture of the buildings and monuments but the overall authenticity doesn't run much deeper than the buildings which frame the touristic commerce that now flows here.

Still I believe you absolutely should visit Antigua - I would highly recommend it. (To be my most sarcastic I would call San Miguel de Allende a place where wealthy North American parents release their 14 year old girls to go shopping and Antigua to be the same for 14 year old girls of French descent. But to be my most non-sarcastic, I would say these are two cities that are a lot of fun and highly worth visiting at any reasonable cost.)

First of all, however, if I were you I'd take the reasonably priced 4 hour bus ride from GTO to Morelia and stay there a few days (timing for the weekend if you enjoy fireworks that they have on Sat night.) (Note there is supposedly now a new toll road that goes directly to Patzcuaro that takes only 2.5 hours to travel there but I have not been that way yet.) If you are here now (this month) then while visiting Morelia you might consider taking a tour to one of the Monarch butterfly reserves as a side trip. If you can afford to pay a little more and you enjoy hot springs, try to find a private guide instead of a van service, someone who will also take you by the hot springs at Los Azufres near the reserves after your early morning visit to see the butterflies. The area of the hot springs is very difficult to reach via public transportation and there are several facilities there from theme-park-like to stinky mud mineral, so have a close look at each and choose the right one for you before you make the final exit from your tour guide's auto.

And of course Patzcuaro will be only an hour away from Morelia and too close to miss when visiting there if you have the time and budget. I'd not hesitate also to take the second class from Morelia there as well because it offers a birds eye view of the terrain that makes up the unique geography, which to me is extremely interesting as well. Try to land a window seat and one where you can open and close as desired while you snap any photos out of it and can regulate the chill in the process. The area of Michocan has perhaps the richest soil of anywhere in Mexico and it's refreshing to see all that grows there (or to think what might be growing back in the woods LOL).

Then if you have a little more time and budget, to finally round out the trip you could visit Uruapan and even optionally take a horse ride or long hike down to the falls in the national park there. Funny thing about Uruapan is it's like buying fish in Alaska, the avocados sold there seem to come off the same truck that delivers them from unknown parts to GTO. The ones that are grown in Uruapan are all too large and fine of a commodity to be sold locally and are mostly designated for the US, just like the delicious fish caught in Alaska and shipped elsewhere.

Patzcuaro offers additional charms and again if you have the time, hopping on the many buses that circle around the lake can be rewarding as you encounter villages that specialize in pottery, copper, textiles and other crafts that are made at the various villages. You might also enjoy catching one of the big boats that go out to the quirky island which is made like an ice cream swirl of curio shops, bars and restaurants.

And if you like the beach and wish to further distribute your hard earned money among the well deserving citizens of Michoacan, you can take another 4 hr bus continuing westward to encounter the charming, yet glowingly overpriced but still affordable, Zihuatanejo.