Almost halloween in mexico

October 28, 10:45 AMNY Women's Travel ExaminerPhyllis Stoller

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The candy is coming off the shelves and admittedly into our mouths before Halloween. If you are a Halloween lover and want a special experience check out Mexico. Another way to celebrate this truly odd pagan night is on November 1 and 2: The Day of the Dead or Dia de los Muertos aka All Souls Day in the Christian world. Despite its name, the Day of the Dead is  happy, as Mexican familites sit around the graves of their relatives,remember and reconnect with them. Many families will go as a group, and decorate graves with tokens of their deceased relatives lives. The grave of a tailor might have scissors, swatches of fabric even tiny clothes. A cook might have doll house sized pots and pans and a child might have toys and candy. It is all done with a whiff of nostalgia and a lot of love, not necessarily with gloom and tears.

The bestl place to observe this occasion is Patzcuaro, Mexico, a mostly indigenous town dating from the 1400's with cobbled streets historic homes and gardens.  terraces with cascading flowers, charming courtyards, restaurants and craft shops and totally friendly people. Besides participaing in the Day of the Dead  on nearby Lake Patzcuaro, spend a day in the town: Mexican colonial churches are fascinaing. Look for the ears of corn and other Indian motifs that were incorporated into church decor, to make the "sale of religion" easier for newly arrived priests.

Definitely go to the covered market and definitely do not buy the  sugar skulls which are sold for the holiday. They will melt! However, fun are the bamboo or metal skeletons dressed as priests, cowboys, women in ball gowns and  even  geeks with computers on their laps. Most stores and restaurants will have life sized skeletons standing around with ghostly grins to greet you.Cash is king.

The nearest airport is Morelia. However flights are cheap into Mexico City and first class buses to many areas are safe, clean and even show movies. There is a first class bus from the Mexico City Airport (MEX) to Patzcuaro, distance is 200 miles so think about stopping somewhere en route. There are a variety of boutique hotels in town and most of them will be comfortable for American tastes. Air conditioning will not be necessary as this area sits on the Central Plateau at 7,000 ft.

On November 1, you will need to go to the shore of Lake Patzcuaro and  buy a round trip fare on one of the many boats to Janitzio, the island with ancient graves. Besides you, there will be approximatelly 100,000 other people jockeying, so you must pre-book all arrangements with a reliable tour operator. Do not pay the boatman until you return at 3 or 4 AM. You will get wet climbing into the boat, you might feel chilled on the island. You will never have enough film. Don't just observe, talk to people and ask about their families. Ask permission to photograph them. And always back off and apologize should you receive a no.

Use a Mexican tour operator for the full experience and to make sure you actually get to the island. Rick@Nativetrails.com is professional and reliable and will help you with a fuller itinerary and good hotels.Start organizing for 2010, this is the super bowl of skeletons, skulls and sugar in Mexico.