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Guadalajara and Other Unexpected Travels
Our last post was written while on a bus to Guadalajara, having survived the hurricane that wasn’t.
A lot has happened since then.
Guadalajara
Guadalajara provided a lovely respite both from the heat and from the island fever (beach fever?) of living in a tourist town.
Having never been there before, our decision of where to stay was highly based on cost (hello, Marriott points!). The hotel was new and lovely, and provided a comfortable base. That said, Guadalajara is BIG. As the second largest city in Mexico, it has a population of 1.4 million, with a metropolitan area -population of 5 million. We only had 5 days there, so instead of mastering public transit, we user rideshare services to maximize our time.
The old Centro of Guadalajara is full of history, grandeur, and echoes of its colonial past. The Cathedral, the State Government Palace, the Historical Center, one of the primary public markets, and the Teatro Degollado all surround an interweaving series of public plazas. Our first experience in this area was in the evening, as the sun was setting. It was packed with people. But the majority of them weren’t tourists- they were families out for the evening, people grabbing food after work, folks shopping from street vendors and market stalls….
There are many lovely things about Puerto Vallarta, but an expansive collection of classical music is not in its repertoire. Thus, we were in Centro to go to the symphony at the historic Teatro Degollado. Prior to the concert, we enjoyed a lovely dinner with an even better view of the Cathedral.
Guadalajara has a handful of decent museums- nothing like Mexico City, but enough to satiate that desire to wander through places full of art. There are also several parks surrounding the primary neighborhoods. We spent a lovely afternoon in Bosque los Colomos, wandering the trails through the trees and hanging out in the Japanese garden. The garden was filled with young women doing photo shoots for their quinceañeras (we didn’t take any photos of this, because--- you know--- creepy older white guys taking photos of 15-year-old young women isn’t okay.).
Honestly, we spent a large chunk of our five days just wandering the city. Guadalajara struck us both as highly comfortable, and easily livable. It is a very low city and seeing a building with more than 20 stories is rare. I think this aids the city in feeling more like a series of small communities strung together, rather than like the metropolis it is. We found ourselves wandering through neighborhoods for hours. Therefore, the trip was less about the things we did and more about the feelings we experienced during our time there.
But of course, we did eat. Carne en su Jugo is the regional dish of choice, and is rich, juicy, and both decadent and comforting at the same time. And of course there are tacos. There are always tacos.
Unexpected Travels
Our time in Guadalajara, though fun, was marred by worrying news from Minnesota. Mother LaTour had been fighting some health issues, and while in Guadalajara, she was admitted to the hospital. Reports from Brother LaTour indicated that she was safe and receiving great care, and he and the LSILL (Lovely Sister-in-law LaTour) were visiting constantly.
Despite these reports, as we bused back to Puerto Vallarta, we decided to head north.
24 hours later we arrived in the Midwest of the United States.
Three Weeks Later
Five days after we arrived, Mother LaTour was able to come home, and we’ve been hanging out since- allowing her to recover her strength and stamina. All of the locals tell us how lucky we are to be here in such “warm” weather. Suffice to say, we have a very different definition of “warm” and have had to purchase a few new pieces of clothing.
The most exciting news is that just as Mother LaTour has been getting stronger, we received news that a long-awaited spot in a lovely senior community has become available. So, we’re staying on a few more weeks, helping Brother LaTour and LSILL to get her fully moved in.
We anticipate returning to Mexico in early December. We missed Dia de los Muertos this year, but look forward to celebrating El Navidad and Año Nuevo in Mexico.
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