Cablevision

When we first arrived, we had to set up all our services. Electricity, telephone, gas, internet and cable, etc. The cable provider we went with was Telecable. We're not huge TV watchers so the hundreds of dollars we'd have to spend to set up a satellite dish didn't seem worth it. If you like to watch a sitcom every once in while Telecable is more than ok. We get close to 100 channels, 20 of which air English programs and movies. We get shows like Grey's Anatomy, How I Met Your Mother, MTV & VH1, John Stewart's Daily Show, etc. What we DO miss however are stations like A&E or TLC. The only all English stations are CNN and BBC. So, they have several offices around town. One is a booth near the cashiers inside of Walmart (on Calzada La Huerta) and the other is at the Manuel Nuñiz (@ Nicholas Bravo) entrance to Comercial Mexicana. We had to pay MXN$250 for installation and our cable package costs MXN$225/month. Cheap! You can also get your internet bundled with the cable through them, which ranges in price from MXN$329-654/month, depending on your desired speed.

A Mistake We'll Only Make Once

47 Leon Guzman. See comments for all the gory details.

Hit the Links

Morelia is not what I would consider a golfer’s haven. I know of 2 courses that are open to the public: Campestre Morelia and Tres Marias. Both courses require a caddy, who will charge MXN$70-240 for 18 holes, depending on their experience. Caddy fees are paid each and every time you play. Both courses are closed on Monday's.

Since my arrival, I have been a member at Campestre. It’s a tree-lined 9 hole course that's been around since the 60's. It's well manicured, fairly flat & plays at a lightning fast pace. I play 18 alone and usually finish in just over 3 hours. Oh, and did I mention there are trees on it? Hundreds of trees to keep a round interesting. A monthly membership will run you MXN$1410 & entitles you the use of all club facilities. This includes a gym, pool, tennis & squash courts & soccer field. The club also has a hair dresser and a restaurant. If you wish to pay by the round, the cost of 9 or 18 holes will range from MXN$340-560. The course is located south of Plaza Las Americas on Del Campestre.

Tres Marias, located in the eastern hills of Morelia , is a Jack Nicklaus designed championship 27 hole facility that hosts the LPGA’s Corona Championship and the Nationwide Tour's 2008 Mexico Open. This course is quite a bit more expensive than Campestre and is of a very different style. There’s basically no trees, lots of forced carries over gorges and water & is extremely hilly. I feel so bad for the caddies who have to walk that course! Monthly membership is roughly MXN$4700 (which includes cart), while the cost of an individual round will range from MXN$1500-2000 depending on the day of the week.

There are two other courses that are under construction. Montana Monarca is a new facility and currently has 3 holes finished while Erandeni has been under construction for 15 years.

It's Show Time! - Cinepolis

When I first arrived it was surprising to me how nice yet cheap movie theaters were. Release dates usually lag behind Canada & the US by a couple of weeks but really - who cares. There are 3 Cinepolis locations in Morelia. "Centro" is located on Santiago Tapia (which runs parallel about 2-3 blocks up from Madero (on the north side), "La Huerta" is beside the Walmart on Calzada La Huerta & "Plaza Morelia" is located on Paseo de la República No. 5030 just east of Plaza Las Americas. Prices vary between each theater but is minimal. At "Centro" an adult ticket costs MXN$43.00 (Wednesday is cheap night at MXN$26.00), matinées are MXN$26.00 & kids under 12 & those over 60 are MXN$33.00. The snacks are well movie theater snacks so still kinda gross but allot cheaper. A Spanish or dubbed into Spanish movie will have the letters "ESP" or "Doblada" after its title. Sometimes they'll show the same movie on 2 different screens with one dubbed and the other with only Spanish subtitles. For obvious reasons all kid-y type movies are dubbed. The rating system is different here - AA is suited for kids under 7, A is suited for kids under 12, B kids must be over 12, B-15 kids must be over 15, C is for adults over 18 & D is naughty adult only.

Bougainvilleas

These pink, magenta, purple, red, orange, white or yellow flowers are most everywhere in Morelia. You'll see them hanging down from highway overpasses, climbing the wall of a private garden or as a manicured shrub in a public space. Originally from Brazil, bougainvilleas flourish thanks to Morelia's warm climate and drier conditions.

Costco

That's right. We have a Costco membership. Never did when living in Canada. Didn't need 5L vats of olive oil I guess. Still don't but Costco is one of the few places you can get good olive oil along with nice cheeses, frozen berries, ok quality dog food, cheap "agua con gas", etc, etc. You can also get hard-to-find items like pine nuts or vegetarian veggie stock (no English books or mags though). Plus it is the ONLY place I've found "fresh" tofu (aka: not in a Tetra pak tofu). I've never utilized these services myself but I've been told the photo print shop & ophthalmologist are pretty good too. The one year membership was approx. MXN$400.00 for 2 cards. Any additional card cost an extra MXN$100.00 I believe. The application process only took about 10 min. and was relatively painless. However, you must have some "officially" looking ID with you when you apply. The drive is about 15 min. from Centro & there is always lots of free parking. To get there head south down Juarez (away from the cathedral). When you get to the roundabout t-intersection thing-y at the end take a right onto Camalinas. Somewhere along the way Camalinas changes its name to Periferico Independencia so don't panic. Costco will be on your left about 5-10 min. later (depending on traffic). Click here for the Costco Morelia web page. Happy box store shopping!

Gaspacho (not the cold soup kind)

In honour of our blog namesake click here for our gaspacho recipe.