Teacher Protest

How is this for ironic? While walking through el Centro (downtown Guadalajara), we stumbled on a teacher protest. Guess what they were protesting? That's right: The privatizing of public education in Mexico. Could it be that the Thompson board majority is getting their ideas from the Mexican government? :-)

Feliz Dia Del Amor!

The Best Way to See GDL

One of our favorite ways to tour Guadalajara is the Via Recreativa. We have shared about this before, and were thrilled to learn that it still takes place. For those who may not have read the post from several years ago, each Sunday, an entire network of streets in and around Guadalajara is closed to vehicular traffic to allow people to experience the city by any non-motorized means. A city of this size can be intimidating for a pedestrian, particularly since traffic laws seem to be mostly a suggestion around here. The Via Recreativa is the most relaxing way to experience Guadalajara, and we took full advantage by walking eight miles of it on Sunday. Here are some of the sights from that day:

Con cuidado (be careful)! No telling if this was live. . . we decided not to find out for sure. . .

We concluded our travels with an ice cold Coca Cola at the Oxxo convenience store nearest Paulina's house (there seems to be an Oxxo on nearly every corner around here). It's no wonder that Mexico consumes more Coke than any other country: we paid about 40 cents for each one, which was less than the cheapest bottle of water. Go figure.

Feliz Cumpleanos, Carla!

Paulina's niece, Carla, turned 9 the other day, and we were invited to join her family at Taco Land at the nearby mall to celebrate.

Alas, the dusty delivery motorcycle in the parking lot belied the demise of Taco Land: it is no longer.

We opted instead to eat at Los Arcos, a seafood chain, and I think we lucked out on this one! 

Ceviche

Camarones Diablo

Sea Horses

Addison's meal - tortilla stuffed with shrimp, fish, and octopus, then fried, covered in a cream sauce, and topped with bacon bits.

Ahh, the birthday sombrero. 

Evidently, they see so few Gringos at this place that the manager paid us a visit and gave us a set of logo glassware as a welcome gift.

One of the simple cultural things I love about Mexico is that it is completely improper to place your purse on the floor. Here, Carla's brother, Josue, poses with the purse stand they bring to your table as you are seated.

Gabi, Carlos, Denise, Addison
Carla, Cristina, Josue, Paulina

Saturday Morning in GDL

After a great first night's sleep, we were greeted with this view of the garden. Ahh, February in Guadalajara. . .  Our apologies to our friends in Colorado - we're really not rubbing it in. Ok, maybe just a little.

Paulina teaches Spanish as a second language at the university here, so we started the day with a private lesson over coffee.

Next, we took a short walk to a juice stand for some bionicos (fresh fruit, cream, and various toppings such as coconut, granola, wheat germ, etc.) and fresh-squeezed fruit and vegetable juices. Everything is so fresh, I'm sure the calories don't count.

Here is the gated entry to Cristina and Paulina's condominium complex - very secure, but only when people actually close the gate, which doesn't always happen!

Addison and Denise Regressan a Guadalajara

Colorado's recent sub-zero temperatures had me longing for some relief, so what a great excuse to take a mother-son trip to visit our friends in Guadalajara. 

Paulina, and her mom, Cristina, picked us up at the airport, and we went directly to. . . 

. . . what else? A street side taco stand!
Addison ordered one of each kind. . .

. . . then two more for dessert. YUM.

Here we are arriving at their house. All of the trees and flowers in bloom instantly lift one's spirits.

Right away, we were introduced to their newest family member - a Chihuahua, of course! A recent rescue, Chaplin has exactly two teeth, an eight inch tongue that hangs out of his mouth (with no teeth to hold it in there, what else is there to do with it?) and only a portion of a lower jaw. Somehow, all of these features actually make him adorable. 

After a long day of travel, and with bellies full of tacos, it's off to bed!