Back in GDL

Recent weather reports caused me to question an immediate return to Colorado, so instead I opted for a return bus trip to Guadalajara, along with Ella. Nevada had also wanted to visit GDL, so we decided to meet here and tour GDL for a few days. We met up with our Spanish teacher, Paulina, and our friend, Oscar, giving Nevada a chance to hang with the locals as we have done! Nevada left this morning to begin his journey back to the U.S. on his motorcycle, but Ella and I will stay here for a few more days.

One night, Nevada and I visited Bariachi, a local restaurant that offers traditional entertainment, like Jarabe Tapatio (traditional Mexican dance), and a mariachi band. Very fun!

Feliz Navidad

Feliz Navidad from Nuevo Vallarta!

Trent's brother, Nevada, rode his motorcycle down here from Denver and arrived last night. The kids opened their presents on the beach this morning, where a palapa was a perfect substitute for a Christmas tree!

Nuevo Vallarta

On Sunday, we took a four-hour bus trip from Guadalajara to Nuevo Vallarta, which is about 40 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta. The bus is definitely a convenient way to travel around Mexico, as it was very comfortable and allowed us to see the Mexican countryside along the way. I might add that they even fed us sandwiches on the bus, which is more food than I have gotten on any four-hour flight in recent memory!

We are staying at a resort here called Marival, and it is very nice. Our suite is quite large, with one big master bedroom, living room, kitchenette, and two bathrooms. This is certainly a better value than what we have experienced in the Riviera Maya, although I think I prefer that area to this one. Then again, maybe we won't appreciate any resort as much as we would have before experiencing Guadalajara like we did. It sure doesn't feel like it's December, and I'm thrilled to be spending Christmas on the beach!

GDL Sculpture

The city of Guadalajara is filled with art, particularly many sculptures, which are located throughout the city: in parks, roundabouts, plazas -- everywhere. Many times I was reminded of the big controversy in Loveland this year about "Triangle", as no one here is very concerned about how politically correct the art is. It is what it is, and people accept it. (For those of you who are not from Colorado, Triangle is a sculpture that was placed in a roundabout in Loveland, and there was an outcry by a few vocal individuals questioning the appropriateness of this piece of art. The sculpture depicts three nude figures — a man and a woman holding up another woman, and it is meant to symbolize unity and how we must stay together to survive in society. The sculpture was eventually moved to another, more discreet, location.) In the Plaza in downtown GDL, there is a sculpture of four nude boys, and I thought about how those same people in Loveland would likely call such a sculpture pornographic, even though it is far from that!
The sculpture of the tree with the two lions is the symbol for Guadalajara, and you see this depicted throughout the city.
A small sampling of other sculptures we've seen:

Nos Vemos Guadalajara

As I write this, we are preparing to leave to catch the bus to Puerto Vallarta, but we are not saying adios to Guadalajara, but rather nos vemos (see you). We have fallen in love with this city and its people and have every intention to return at our first opportunity. Keep checking in with us, though, because I have several entries on our adventures here in GDL yet to post.

Iztépete

On Sunday, we visited a site containing several ancient pyramids that very few visitors to Guadalara realize even exists, Iztépete. It lies near the city's periferico, so none of the archaeological sites near Guadalajara is more accessible than Iztépete. A pre-Columbian stone construction, ceramics found at Iztépete suggest that occupation here stretches back at least to the fifth century A.D., but it is unknown who built these pyramids.

Breakfast at the Mercado

On Sunday, our friend Oscar invited us to visit the market where he buys produce for his cafe. When I picture a produce market, I see just that: produce. And while there were fruit and vegetable stands as far as the eye could see, there were also little mini-restaurants throughout the mercado. We have gotten very brave about eating at random places here in GDL, so we ate breakfast here, and it was fantastic. I realize that people hear about the food and water not being safe here in Mexico, but everyone uses purified water (the Mexicans don't drink tap water, either), and we haven't had any problems with the food. I think about how much great food we would have missed out on during our time here if we had allowed ourselves to be afraid of eating at all the little taco stands and such. My advice to anyone traveling in Mexico is to throw caution to the wind and enjoy it in its entirety -- within reason of course: if the mere sight of a place grosses you out, then don't eat there, but we haven't had that experience anywhere. My favorite thing that morning had to be the juice stand, where you could order any kind of fresh-squeezed juice you can imagine. They squeezed the juice right there in front of you: it was so fresh it wasn't even cold! And the price couldn't be beat -- a huge cup for 10 pesos (about $1).

Instituto Cultural Cabanas

On Saturday, we paid a return visit to downtown Guadalajara, which is now completely decked out for Christmas. This time, we toured the Instituto Cultural Cabanas, which was originally a shelter for widows, the elderly, and orphans, and it now houses art exhibitions. The main chapel is filled with murals, 57 in all, by the famous Mexican social realist painter José Clemente Orozco (1883-1949). The murals were done in 1938-39, including The Man of Fire, considered to be his masterpiece. Orozco was from the state of Jalisco, where GDL is located, and he specialized in bold murals focusing on the theme of human suffering.

Canelo's

On Friday night, the principal of the school the kids have been attending, Veronica, and her husband, Guillermo, invited us out for dinner. We went to a restaurant called Canelo's, and had a fabulous time. Like many of the restaurants in GDL, it is not fully enclosed, so it's like eating outside -- I feel so spoiled to be dining outdoors in December! (My apologies to those of you who are living in colder climates right now; I don't mean to rub it in -- ok, maybe just a little!) This restaurant had two bands that alternated: one was playing mariachi, and the other was playing marimba. It was very entertaining to listen to these very different styles of Mexican music being played back and forth.

Carne Asada

A few nights ago, we were invited to a Mexican-style barbecue. First, we have to get the terminology right, because around here, when a group of people gets together to grill some meat and drink some beer, it's called a "carne asada." This particular carne asada was held at the home of Pepo, who works at the HP call center. Everyone was also there to watch Guadalajara's soccer team, the Chivas, in a playoff game with Cancun's soccer team, the Atlantis. Since the only television was in Pepo's bedroom, everyone piled in there to take in the game. In case you're interested, the Chivas lost, 1-0, but a fun time was still had by all.

Tlaquepaque

On the southeast side of Guadalajara lies San Pedro Tlaquepaque, also known as Tlaquepaque or simply San Pedro. The name Tlaquepaque derives from Nahuatl and means "place above clay land," and the area is famous for its pottery and blown glass. We had heard that people come from all over the world to shop here, so we decided to check it out on Sunday.

Tlaquepaque features El Parián, a large plaza surrounded by restaurants and bars, and at the center is a large gazebo where mariachi groups play. The main square in the city center is known as El Jardín ("The Garden"), where there are two churches, El Santuario de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad (The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Solitude) and San Pedro (Saint Peter), and the Benito Juárez market. The entire place has the feel of a historic Mexican village, and there are plenty of restaurants, galleries, and several museums, as well as many street vendors selling food and crafts.

More "touristy" feeling than many of the other places we have visited, Tlaquepaque still had a certain charm and appeal to it. Many of the shops are set up like galleries with beautiful furniture and artwork; again, I would have bought lots of things if I could get them home!

One editorial note: A few people have asked us who is posting to the blog, Trent or Denise. Trent did the first three and the one about what Trent has been doing, and the rest have been me, Denise. I have given myself a separate login to the blog now, so you will be better able to tell who is writing.

Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara (FIL)

On Friday, Paulina took the kids and me to FIL -- "What's FIL?" you're probably asking. I found this description on www.fil.com.mx. :

"Founded in 1987 by the University of Guadalajara, the Guadalajara International Book Fair —FIL— is the largest market in the world for Spanish language publications. Over 500,000 people visit during the nine days of FIL, immersing themselves in books and taking advantage of one of the most important cultural festivals in Latin America. A few statistics will give you an idea of FIL's importance: 26,000 square meters of exhibit space, with more than 1,600 publishers representing 39 countries; a cultural program offering over 600 hours of events, which averages about 50 activites per day; and nearly 300 book presentations. In all, FIL brings over $10 million dollars in economic benefits to the city of Guadalajara."

When FIL was first mentioned to us, I wondered what would be interesting for us at a book fair for Spanish language books. Well, this is no ordinary book fair, and we found plenty of reasons to be interested at FIL! First, I have never seen so many books in one place in my life, and while the majority of the books there were in Spanish, every other language was represented, as well. Each of the larger publishers had booths the size of retail stores, and there were also countless booths with smaller publishers. Then there was the FIL Ninos area, which was entirely dedicated to children's publishing and educational materials. We bought a storybook/CD, which was narrated by the woman in the photo with Ella and Maisy. Yes, I'm a sucker: Dress up like a fairy and pose for a picture with my kids and I'll buy whatever you're selling.

The Bus

Today, the kids and I took our first bus ride in Guadalajara. To anyone who has lived in a big city, this may not sound like a big deal, but this is a huge city where we don't speak the language well, and we don't know the city or the bus routes -- we could wind up god-knows-where. Our Spanish instructor, Paulina, however, is a native here and has the bus thing down, so she offered to take us. If you have the time (and can figure out which bus to get on), this really is the way to travel! Maisy and Ella were free, and it cost 4.50 pesos each for Addison and me. That's about 90 cents to go where we want, which is way cheaper than a taxi. And just in case the crazy GDL drivers start to freak you out, you can take comfort in the fact that every bus is equipped with an image of the Our Lady of Guadalupe or the Virgin Mary to watch over you. Of course, I had to photograph the experience, and I suspect everyone else on the bus was wondering what was so cool about the bus that this gringo lady had to take pictures.

The Happy Fish

I have found my favorite little roadside taco place in Guadalajara thus far, The Happy Fish. It's located on the other side of Univa, where we take our Spanish classes, so today I also snapped a few photos of the campus as we passed through on our way to eat lunch. I'm including a picture of my burritos de camaron (shrimp), but the picture does not do this meal justice. They prepare your food order on the grill while you watch, and then you take your plate over to a condiment bar (for lack of a better term). Now this is no ordinary condiment bar, as it contains four different salsas, chipotle sauce, aguacate, grilled jalapenos and onions, cole slaw, cucumbers, limes, and a whole host of chile sauces. So I don't know if the fish are happy, but we sure are!