URUAPAN Michoacán MEXICO (BEST THINGS TO DO)

Hola! Bienvenidos! Welcome to beautiful Uruapan! Buenos dias! Good morning Country Collectors and welcome to Uruapan, Michoacan's second largest city. It's known for its incredible lush National Forest, bustling avocado industry and much more! We can't wait to show you around before we get started make sure to hit that subscribe button and ring the bell so you don't miss out on any of our future adventures. Uruapan is located in the center of the state of Michoacan about 100 kilometers west from its capital Morelia. If you are driving or hopping a bus from there the journey should take an hour and a half to two hours. Now that we're here let's check out where we're staying. This lovely open love features a king-sized bed, double sofa bed, dining room, full sized kitchen, bathroom, balcony, Wi-Fi and smart TV. It is centrally located just two blocks in the Zocalo and six from the national park making it the perfect spot to explore this city. Before we jump into the video let's learn some quick history. So prior to the arrival of the Spanish in 1522 this region was home to the indigenous Puerpechas. But after the conquerors invaded the Purepecha Empire and began persecuting, killing, and looting they fled into the mountains to protect themselves. In 1533 Juan de San Miguel a Spanish Franciscan Friar arrived founding the city convincing them to return to their regions. He then organized them into communities and assigned each one a patron saint. Which is how the original nine neighborhoods of this city were formed. We are starting our day here in the center of Uruapan in the large and long Plaza de Martires. Like all squares in Mexico it's a nice place to come down and take a stroll or break on one of the many benches in the shade of the trees. This past weekend we spent time down here just watching the world go by. Families were out enjoying themselves. Children were feeding the birds. There was this little lawnmower powered tram making its rounds. I thought that was really neat. Mexican Ingenuity at its finest. Down here in the park you can find Plaza Morelos with this monument dedicated to Jose Maria Morelos, a hero of the Mexican Independence whom before joining the cause was a priest here in the city. And here in the plaza they are getting ready for their Dia de los Muertos celebrations. You can see they just planted these cempasuchil, those beautiful orange flowers. We celebrated last year in Oaxaca if you would like to learn all about it we will put the video right up here for you. Surrounding the plaza you can find many shops as well as the colorful Uruapan letters which as you know is a great place to snap a photo. And on the north side of the plaza you can find some very notable buildings like this one right here Parroquia San Francisco. On the outside you can admire it's Colonial architecture which dates back to the founding of the city. This church is dedicated to the patron saint San Francisco de Assisi. Inside you will find some more contemporary elements and murals. Located next to the parroquia is the House of Culture and as you can see we are surrounded by beautiful unique art here. A lot of paintings and portraits from local artists here in the city of Uruapan. And in the center we we actually got to see them making some of the Calaveras or the big skulls for their Dia de los Muertos Festival. This is so cool. And just outside is The Pedestrian walkway known as Garcia Ortiz and this place right here, Cafe la Lucha. Every time we walk by it is packed with people and the aroma from the coffee just makes my mouth water! Let's run inside and grab a cup. It is no wonder you can smell from the street because behind me here they're actually processing the beans. We just went inside and we saw that they are roasting them and then they're sorting them you know picking out the bad ones, bagging them and I'm guessing they ship them off and sell them. It says over here this has been a tradition for a hundred years which is really neat! Outside there's some huge machine behind me which I don't know what it is it looks like a torture machine but it's probably where they roasted the beans! And there is art all over here as well it's kind of like a little museum. I'm just kind of like blown away right now. There's an orange tree behind Adam! This is really neat and I know Adam is just dying to try a cup of this coffee so let's do that! Oh yeah baby! This looks so good. I went with a cold brew for 70 pesos. Inside has this nice relaxed kind of vibe. They have a ton of really delicious looking desserts. I almost got a slice of cake but I knew Heidi would not be happy with me since we haven't had breakfast yet. It's just packed in there and it's nice because at home I feel like we do have coffee culture ish but it's like Starbucks. Here this place has been here for over a hundred years. You can see some older gentlemen inside and when I say older I mean refined. They probably have been coming here for their entire life, getting coffee. They're just sitting there enjoying having a little conversation. Let's try this baby out! It is so dark. Wow! That is like Rocket Fuel! It has a super robust flavor and I already feel the caffeine like it just got to hit the back of my throat and I'm like WOO! Absolutely delicious you should definitely come down here and try it out. All right let's keep this day moving! Just east located on the north side of the plaza you will find Museo Indigena Huatapera. If you like history and culture this is the place for you! The museum contains a complete collection of handicrafts and art from the various indigenous groups in the state relating to their daily, religious and artistic lives. It's open Tuesday to Saturday and admission is free. Wow this day must see! I definitely have a lot deeper appreciation for the state and the region! And what I loved the most was seeing the traditional dress from the four different indigenous groups from Michoacan because as we've been walking around we've been seeing these ladies wearing the exact same thing. So it just like kind of all came together right now. So definitely recommend coming here. And something else that I read was that this place was first established in 1533 as a hospital. The first of its kind in Latin America. Wow! I know. And just out front there's a tourist information booth where you can pick up a map and get some information about the area. And alongside the museum is the Church of the Immaculate Conception which is beautiful both outside and in. All right I think it is time for a food break. That caffeine has Adam chomping at the bit back here. Behind the church and the museum you can find Mercado de Antojitos or a snack market. So let's go see what delicious treats we can find! We found ourselves at La Estrella de las Carnitas. And normally we would browse around and see what there was to offer but when I saw the Carnitas here I could not pass it up! If you know Michoacan it's actually the Carnitas Capital of Mexico. I went with the surtido torta. It's a mix of the fat , the meat and the skin all put together on this beautiful looking sandwich right here. I cannot wait to jump in! But first you know what a Mexican pig is called? Porque! Good one! And he didn't mean sandwhich. He meant torta. I did mean torta! That is humongous. It looks so good! Wow and the flavor is also huge. Absolutely perfectly prepared. The pork has a nice little crisp to it from the skin. There's also a tenderness to that meat and I added a little spice to it to kick it up a notch. Definitely a winner. And Heidi got the Enchiladas de Adobera. Which is this cheese right here. It's a traditional Fresh Mexican cheese made from cow's milk. It's warm so it seems like they grilled it. It reminds me of halloumi a bit. And then under here are the enchiladas filled with that same cheese. It has some lettuce, tomato and onion on top and some papas with some salsa. It looks so good! Let's taste it out. Oh I made like a little tower with the cheese, the enchilada and then the papas. Let's try it! It's like exactly the comfort food that I was needing today. Super delicious. As you can see I am thoroughly enjoying this dish right here. This cheese is super mild on its own but when coupled with the salsas this dish just becomes very bright! And at the beginning when we were ordering they made sure to tone down the spice level for me without asking. And then they asked and they said, "do you like it spicy or not?"" And I said mild. So you can come here, just ask them you know tell them what you want and they'll take care of you. They are super considerate. But yeah definitely everything here has been fantastic. All right it is time for a nap and I know just the right place. It might be a bit of a tight squeeze especially after all that food but I think we'll fit! Come join us! What's that sound? It's a Tortilleria. All over Mexico there are so many unique sounds and I feel like when we first got here it was really hard to figure out what they were. And now we can sort of pick them out. Like when the ringing the bell it's the garbage man. When you hear the squeaky little wheels like this it's the tortillas that are just going on the conveyor belt around and around. It's such a cool thing when you stay someplace long enough that you can start to pick up on these little nuances. It really makes you feel like you're part of it. Absolutely! Thank you! Oh he's gonna give me a little hot sauce too. Once again, Mexican hospitality is like no other! That's so nice. Put a little hot sauce on there. Oh yeah! Let's try this out. Wow that is so fresh and hot. Absolutely delicious! Oh my gosh. I just love those experiences. That was so nice. They saw we were making a little video and he was like try our product! And let me tell you these are delicious. I mean some of the best I feel like I've had. It was just so funny when I walked up and I was like a little apprehensive and I put up my camera and he's like, come on in come on in and get some video! That hospitality. Just incredible! What's that sound? It's the garbage man like I was just saying. They ring the bell and everyone brings their trash out. At home they come to you here you go to them. Welcome to La Casa Mas Angosta del Mundo. Do you know what that means? It means this right here is the most narrow house in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Inside it measures 1.42 meters wide and 10.2 meters long. It was constructed in 1985 and given the title in 1999. On Sunday we were able to take a tour of this house with Jorge the owner, resider and builder of this incredible little house right here. Upon entering we were wowed with the amount of cool things inside. The walls are covered in pictures of visitors in their little knickknacks everywhere. Towards the back of the first floor is the kitchen where he would prepare his meals and coffee. Up the ladder to the second floor brought us to the first cozy room. The bed was a tight squeeze but we made it work. Across from it and over a plank you can find the bathroom. This is the narrowest part of the house. Adam had a lot of fun here pretending to shower on the toilet! One more floor up is where the second bedroom is featuring a nice open balcony. This is also where Adam and Arnie had a pumping iron face off. I'll say ended in a tie. One more flight brought us to the rooftop and beer garden. What's a visit to the narrowest house in the world without enjoying a nice big brewksi? What a fun tour. It costs 30 pesos. We really wanted to say thank you to Jorge for opening up his home to us and sharing this unique place with the world. We have another unique place just down the road we want to show you so let's go! And while you're walking around make sure to keep those peepers peeping people for details like this. Some of the paint has peeled away on this building and you can actually see it's made out of mud, hay, rocks and some sticks. It's just so cool to think that this was constructed so long ago this is how it was and then there is this other city that's grown up around it. It's such a wonderful place to definitely come and check it out. iIf you continue south from the narrow house on the same road it'll dead end and this is what you will find! The old factory of San Pedro. This textile mill was constructed in 1787 during the Industrial Peak here in Uruapan. Nowadays you're able to come in and admire the architecture. You can even see a 150 year old looms. And this place is actually still functioning. They are still making products using those looms. It is also a spot where they hold events such as weddings. And up over here is a gallery as well. But what I love is this yard I mean check out this grass. And if you can hear that that is the river flowing to our side here. Cupatizio is the name of it I believe. And what's really interesting is back in the day that river is what provided the electricity here. So yeah it's a really cool place to come down and enjoy. Admission is free. And what I really love is people taking care of this place and restoring it so we can still feel that history for years to come! And while we are here enjoying the grounds of this very lovely historic place we would love to give a shout out to our newest patrons: Frances, Keisha, Leba, Jim, Bill, Brenda, Pam, Michelle and Ella! Thank you so so much for being a part of this community. It means the world to us that you are with us every day and helping to make this incredible adventure happen. Yes, you make our hearts beat just a little faster! We just yeah we appreciate the heck out of you so thank you so much again. If you would like to join our Patreon community we will put the link in the description below. Well who is ready for some more nature? You are? I am! On the west side of the city there is a national park I believe it is the second most visited in Mexico. So let's head over! We'll see you there. Welcome to Parque Nacional Barranca Del Cupatizio. It's only about a 10 to 15 minute walk from the park we showed you this morning. We just purchased our tickets it's 30 pesos each to enter so let's go see it together! Upon entering you will see a beautiful fountain as well as some vendors selling some nice treats and this map right here. Which you should definitely check out because it will show you all the best spots to go in the park. Another traveler tip the only bathrooms are here and at the exit so if you gotta go you better go now. I'm gonna go right now! All right I'm back! Let's go explore. So this is actually our third time coming to this park. We love it that much. Adam came here yesterday and got a guide which turns out I mean he came home and was just full of knowledge that he's gonna fill you in with a little later. So we definitely recommend that. But what's really cool is all along the in the park they have these signs here that talk to you about the different species, flora, fauna you know animals you can find. I actually read there were over 495 species of plant and 213 terrestrial vertebrae so keep those eyes open! One of the first things you're probably going to notice when entering the park is the amount of water everywhere. In front of me there's two waterfalls. There's this stream coming down here. There are water features everywhere. And all this water guess where it goes into? That river that we showed you at the factory. It actually begins here in the park. We're gonna take you to that point in just a little bit but I hear a large waterfall over here so let's go chase it! All right TLC! I know you can hear it. It is so beautiful check this out! WOW! I feel like this is our own private waterfall. No one else is around. And look at the green here. I am so impressed with this place. It's definitely one of those places that kind of gets into your soul and kind of brings you back to the basics. It is absolutely gorgeous! You should come down here and snap a photo. So like Heidi mentioned I took a tour yesterday. My guide Jesus was wonderful it was 200 pesos he took me to all the best spots. And he also showed me a couple of little tricks around here. Like these berries they're called Nispero berries. He said you could peel them or just bite right into them. So I'm just gonna go for it. Oh it has like a little pop. It does have a little pop to it. There's some seeds inside so be careful. It is a little bit bitter at first but then it gets sweet on the back end. They're absolutely delicious. But don't bite the seeds you might break your tooth! Oh there goes one. And don't eat berries if you don't know what they are. That is a great point. Do not put anything in your mouth that someone hasn't said it was okay to do. Just up a little bit from those berries is this beautiful green leaf it's called Hoja Santa or the holy leaves. If you've ever been to Oaxaca this is actually something that they eat there with their tamales. You take your hand like this you rub it together nice till it warms up a little bit. And it smells like black licorice! Oh I can smell it over here. I know! And the best part is you just tear off a little bit of the leaf, chew it up and it tastes like black licorice! Very cool! Behind us here is Rio Cupatizio. It is so clear and beautiful. And we actually learned that it provides all of the drinking water to the city and the surrounding regions. When we were in here the other day we saw people just drinking from the fountains. And you know like being in Mexico you're always worried about the water because you don't want to get sick so that was kind of just like you know a red flag came up and we were like don't do that! Then we talk to people and they're like no it's clean it comes from the spring right here. So we got to do it as well. And I don't know I think that's one of the coolest things about this entire city. And it tasted so good! Amazing. Right around the corner is our first fountain here. It's called the Rainbow Fountain. Something that we learned that is so cool is that besides that fountain when we first walked in all of these are naturally powered from the pressure of the water and gravity. Wow that's really interesting! I know you're welcome! Thanks for taking the tour! The first first time we came here was on the weekend and it was I wouldn't say packed but there was a lot more people here. Look at today! We are the only ones. I haven't seen anyone else walking around. It's really amazing so definitely come in the weekday if you want a bit more like serenity. And a little tranquility! Right up here is my one of my favorite little walk-throughs. But watch your step! Ready? Ready? Ready? Hop scotch! Boom! 6 points! Look at this over here. It's like a nice zen waterfall wall. All of these plants just growing. Check out how big the leaves are too! Honestly I kind of feel like I'm in an Indiana Jones movie and we're trying to find the Lost Temple and there's all these like little walls and stuff behind it. And I'm trying to not get hit with one of those little poison darts! Or Legends of the Hidden Temple the game show! That was a good one. Oh my favorite! Come here! Come here! Oh what do you got ? What do you got? I found like a little romantic corner down beyond this tree right here. And look at this waterfall! Wow! We always say it like right around every corner there's something equally or more exciting. And I feel like this National Park is just kind of like a microcosm of Mexico in general. It's so beautiful! And as you come around the corner you will find one of my favorite places in the park. It is so beautiful. There are three fountains right here. You have my Girlfriend's Veil over here. The peacock fountain over there. It kind of looks like the peacock feathers. And the best one up here this fountain has a 160 spouts in it as well as this incredible mural that flows along the top that is of the indigenous people. You know what I'm feeling a little parched. Let's go up and grab a sip! Conveniently there are all these little spouts that are coming out, My wonderful guide Jesus gave me another big tip: If you're going to drink the water, don't use your hands because they might be dirty. You just gotta go for it! Wow it's so cool and refreshing. and it's some of the best tasting water I have ever had. You know what? It's so good, one sec! I'm taking some home with me! I love it. Oh yeah. Natural refillment. And when you come here you may even get lucky and see the clavadistas or daredevil divers. You can see this platform behind me here. The other day we got to see them diving off into the water below which is only six foot deep. Which is just crazy to me! So definitely tip them if you're gonna watch them because they are endangering their lives for your enjoyment. We also heard on Dia de los Muertos for the festival they will jump at night with torches which sounds pretty awesome as well. And something that stuck with me from my tour with Jesus was that he said this park was made by the hands of man but the nature was made by the hands of God. And it just kind of like struck me that you know like as much as we can create ourselves with all of our technology and all the things we can do we can never do this. How incredible to be here sharing this with you! As you're walking around you're going to see these springs coming out of the side of the mountain. There are 360 that they know of and even more that they don't. They kind of flow underneath where we're walking right now and all come together that go to the river. Another gorgeous waterfall right here. This is the waterfall of the sun because as you follow it up it looks like it's actually flowing out of the sky. It just kind of gets lost in Infinity. And if you're here at the right time of the day you can actually see the sun streaming through. Absolutely incredible! About halfway through the park you will come to a trout farm. Unfortunately it's closed right now because we're towards the end of the day but if you come a little bit earlier you should definitely go in and check it out. You can buy food and feed the trout. They have between 50 and 80,000 trout in here in various stages of their life and sizes. It takes nine months for them to get big enough to sell. Which is about a half a kilo so one pound. But you know what? You can buy it here for 145 pesos per kilo. And then bring it over to one of the kitchens that you passed along the way and they'll cook it for you for 70 pesos. So you can come here and have some lunch! That's right talk about some fresh fish! And we recommend wearing some nice supportive shoes because the entire park is pretty much this like rocky cobblestone. And it can be a little bit slippery so you want to make sure that you're secure and they have some great handrails you can hold on to along the way just to keep you safe. We care about you! And if you're craving some adrenaline they have a zip line here for you. It costs 56 pesos it's only open Friday, Saturday and Sunday and on holidays. And also if you continue down along here it'll take you to a very nice viewpoint of the waterfall. Absolutely gorgeous! Definitely recommend it. Earlier I told you that the river, the Cupatizio River began here. And this is the spot! This is the actual spring. So there is a local legend here. Back in the day the Purepecha were suffering from a massive drought so they went to the friar, Juan de San Miguel and asked for his help. So he gathered everyone up and they came to this spot and performed a mass. It is said when he threw the holy water at these rocks right here the smell of sulfur came up and the devil came out. He ran up the ravine and he tripped right over here. And this spot here is called Rodilla Del Diablo, the devil's knee because it said that he made an indentation here. When he ran out ever since that moment the spring came up and the water started flowing again and everyone was happy! Pretty neat story. I think we can all agree just to us how special this place is and I'm so happy that the locals have the spot to come to. I'm also happy that we have this spot to come to. Like Heidi said this is our third trip here. It's just so serene and beautiful and calming (and centralized) and the water is delicious and free! Yeah that's true. Well talking about drinks I am a little hungry and I know just the spot so come along! We were walking by here the other day and all of these avocado offerings caught my eye. If you didn't know this city is actually known as the World Capital of Avocados. And Michoacan produces half of all the avocados in the world coming in at 5.5 billion pounds per year! That is incredible. Let's head inside and try some avocado deliciousness! This has to be one of the most unique restaurants we have been to. I love the menu. You can see there's little avocado symbols next to all of the items that have avocado in them. There's so many options, I'll be honest we haven't chosen our food yet. But what we did choose was our drinks. Adam went with this avocado beer. He got the blonde ale. And I went with a smoothie. It has avocado, chocolate and mint. And boy is it delicious! And what's not to love? They give you free guacamole to start. Mmm. As I mentioned we had a hard time deciding so we went with three things. We got the Carpaccio de Trucha Salmonado which is like a salmon trout. It was really interesting. Very delicious. It had a little bit of spice to it so just be careful there. We also went with the Guacatas which is basically rice and avocado mashed up into balls and then fried. And it comes with a salsa de maracuya, or passion fruit which really makes a nice balance there. And then we went with Crema de Aguacate which is avocado soup. You can imagine exactly what it tastes like. Tastes like blended avocado that's hot. All very interesting. Definitely not stuff we would eat every day but when you're in Avocadoland it's a must! What another wonderful day with you. Thank you so much for choosing to spend your time with us we know how valuable it is. Absolutely! And for us this place has just been really special and shown us another side of Michoacan that kind of like touched us in the heart the way that Oaxaca did. Absolutely yeah we were talking and comparing Oaxaca to Michoacan. Oaxaca like had this craze I feel like it still does right? A lot of people are going there and enjoying it because of its offerings but I think Michoacan offers the same or even more. Oh man! Food, culture. We had some great coffee. The best avocados in the world! I mean they have so much here. The landscapes. You know the Lake Patzcuaro. The art, the music, the dancing. Yeah so definitely don't overlook Michoacan. I think it is overlooked quite often. I just think people don't even know about it! So we're telling you come and visit Michoacan. Or you know people have been writing to us and telling us like, it's dangerous, don't go there. Or asking us more so like isn't it dangerous? Why are you there? And from our personal experience I have felt safe the entire time we have been here. We are cautious about things you know. We don't go out at night and stuff like that like late but that's everywhere! Absolutely. Yeah so definitely put Michoacan on the list. But thank you again so so much. We would have had nowhere near as much fun if you hadn't been here to share it with us. If you enjoyed this video give us a big thumbs up, comment, subscribe and don't forget to... DLING, DLING, DLING, DLING the Avocado! We'll see you, next time! Adios!