Monday, November 2, 2009

ROAD TRIP - Tizapán el Alto and Cohumatlán de Régules Oct 2009


Retail Therapy And The Prettiest Church In All Of Mexico!

The town of Tizapán el Alto, for some very strange reason unbeknownst to me,
has more than it's share of used and closeout American clothing shops.
I nearly always find treasures there, new bathing suits,
capri pants, blouses, sport shoes. . .they have it all.  And then some.

For those of us who live full time in Mexico, finding good American clothes
is not easy!

If you are not put off by the grungy look to the place, take a drive over to the south shore of Lake
Chapala and visit Tizapán.  When coming into the town on the highway, turn at the light, and drive up into town a block or 2 and park.  On the east side of the street is a funky looking shop with an inventory the size of Macy's.  Well, maybe not THAT big, but they have LOTS of stuff!

Here is their front and sign:



I have a couple of other stops in this town as well. . .
The daily produce tianguis has great stuff, fresh as can be 
(this is an agricultural town and area) also meats and other foods.  
This is my favorite vendor:



And her husband:



They used to live in the central agricultural valley of California and really know their produce.  Good stuff!

Lots of other American clothing shops around el centro to look through too. 

If you have a vehicle with high clearance, you might want to venture back
into the valley behind Tizapán, it's cultivated with mostly onions and string
beans, sliced in half by the La Pasión river that runs from the 
mountains, through town, and into Lake Chapala.  
Spectacularly beautiful.


Next stop. . .lunch!  
There is a comfortable and handy restaurant with very good seafood just up
from the church.  To get there, walk up the main street into
town and you will soon reach the plaza.  The produce people are over on the left.
The church is over on the left too.  To get to the restaurant, take a right at the plaza.  
The restaurant is only a couple of doors down. 
Sorry I don't know the name and didn't get a good pic of it, but you can't miss it.
Look for equipale furniture.


This time we decided to eat somewhere else for a change, and I knew
of a good restaurant down-the-road-apiece, so we headed out east towards 
Petatan - where the pelicans get fed, but that's another story. . .

El Barquito has GREAT food!  It's on the right side of the highway,
about a 5 minute drive east of Petatan. 




After our shrimp feast, and on Barb's recommendation, we drove into the little
town of Cohumatlán de Régules, and discovered the prettiest church in Mexico.

See for yourself:
 (Click on photos to enlarge for detail)










Impossibly ornate, marble everywhere, not a speck of undecorated wall, gorgeous wood,
and with more gold than Ivana Trump's jewelry box, I guarantee even the most ardent "church
tourist" to be impressed. 

So, if you are in the Lake Chapala area, have a look-see and a fun day of exploring!

Buen Viaje

3 comments:

  1. The church would certainly qualify for a Rococo Overload Award.

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  2. Gee, almost worth a side trip to the Valley of the Gringos....

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'll say, Rococo Overdose.

    Come on over! You can dodge gringos if you stay on the west side or the south side. Actually, we're pretty cool here on the westend. . .

    ReplyDelete