Morelia

Morelia is a city in Michoacán, Mexico.

Hitchhiking out

North Towards Salamanca, León

Take a combi Naranja number 2 or 3 (the small VolksWagen vans running through the city, look for the ones with an orange -naranja in Spanish- stripe, 7 pesos as of Nov. 2014), be sure to ask the driver that he's driving to "la carretera a Moroleón", which means the road to Moroleón, and ask him to drop you at the furthest gas station ("la última gasolinera" in Spanish).

There are three or four gas stations along this road. The traffic is way too fast on this road, so you're best bet is to ask around at the gas stations or to thumb at the exit of these gas stations. The last one (pretty far up north though, not sure if any combi goes so far) is one for truckers.

So two strategies here:

• Ask for a ride to Moroleón, in the best case your ride is going further up north, in the worst case at Moroleón it's fairly easy to get a ride more up North
• Ask for a ride to the following gas station (Spanish: "siguiente gasolinera") until you reach the one with all the trucks, and ask truckers for a ride, if you're aiming long distances

West towards Uruapan, Patzcuaro, Tzintzuntzan

guaka walked down on the La Huerta street, which is also Route 14. As there is a "side road" with lots of local traffic, and no easy place to stop on the main part of the road it's not a great road to hitch, plus there are street vendors. And guaka talked to a guy who had been trying to get a ride for about 2 hours. Finally at some on ramp further down the road the third car stopped.

At second though the part where the side road starts might be a good spot, around 18 de Marzo.

Once you get further out of Morelia the road looks great for hitching. If you go to Tzintzuntzan (with some interesting temples) you might want to start walking into the little town at the cross roads. guaka talked to some guys who dropped him off further towards Tzintzuntzan.

Sleep

Sleeping on the sidewalk in the downtown area is relatively calm and peaceful. The main cathedral, the aqueduct, and the plazas surrounding them are relatively abandoned after 23:00, and should be quiet enough as long as you do not sleep right along the traffic heavy Madero Street (15D). Asking people where a good place to sleep outside for the night might even get you a place to stay. Outside of downtown are many abandoned buildings (often without roofs) and open spaces along the main roads that are perfect for sleeping. Parks or government land within the city are also viable options. Many people camp, squat, and build on government land in Morelia, often in incredibly creative ways. Neighborhoods of these houses, known as casitas de carton (cardboard houses) can be found throughout the city. trash:Morelia