We are at the beach. It is calling now. In the middle of nowhere. Chacala. Will be back with good blogs tomorrow or Saturday.
Bien dia en la playa.
Mexican Sunset
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
October 27, 2009 - 42 Years
Well, I am now officially 42 years old. I can´t believe it.
It was a fabulous birthday and I couldn´t have been in a better place to celebrate. Caroline and Cory really made it special for the entire day they made it all about me. Unfortunately my sweetie Ken wasn´t here with me. Next year we will definitely be together! As it is he will be joining us on Friday. That is only 2.5 days away. I guess I can live with that. It really hit me that I missed him when we first arrived in Guadalajara and I realized that he wouldn´t get to see and experience this amazing city with us. On the other hand, I am certain he and I will come back here at some point and I can show him around...
In any case, yesterday was amazing. I started out the day with coffee, pan dulce (Mexican sweet bread) and delicious yogurt with fruit, all in the comfort of our own home.
We headed out with full tummies for a day of exploring two little towns on the outskirts of the city... Tonala and Tlaquepaque. These two towns are known for handicrafts and excellent shopping. They also happen to be full of beautiful people. Their plazas and walking streets are very inviting. It actually made me want to stay there and skip the city. In any case, we all did very well with some early Christmas shopping and even shopping for a few birthdays coming up. We tried to find a glass blowing factory but didn´t find it due to very hard to read street signs. All the street names are on small tiles on the side of the buildings on the street corners. It is very difficult to spot them in a moving vehicle. If I had it to do over we would have taken a cab to the towns instead. Driving here is difficult at best. On the way back into the city we were stuck in a crazy traffic jam. At the heart of it was a car stuck to the side of a truck´s wheel well. I was just very gratefull that it wasn´t me. It seems that often there two lanes of cars for one physical lane which can create obvious problems!
When we returned to the hotel we were all starving. We cleaned up a little, put sweaters on... did I mention it is cold here, especially at night? ... and made a bee-line to our favorite La Chata. It was amazing again. And this time I had a margarita too! It seems that drinking really doesn´t agree with me. I was ready for bed an hour later. I guess a belly full of booze and good food will do that to a person.
After dinner we got on a horse drawn carriage and had a tour of Guadalajara. The horse, Vicente, was a caramel brown and of slight stature. He was carrying us in a white carriage with red trim and a glass window in the back with an etched image of Jesus. It was beautiful. I was reminded of my ride with my friend Tricia through New Orleans a couple years ago. The guide we had in New Orleans was like an encyclopedia of information on the city. Our ride last night wasn´t quite as exceptional for a few reasons: my Spanish isn´t so good that I would understand everything our driver had to say, and the traffic around us was so loud it was often very hard to hear. I was really impressed with Vicente and his seeming lack of fear. When we were finshed with the ride we all got pictures with Vicente and our driver. Funny I don´t remember his name. I got a little too close to Vicente´s face when he had his eye blinders on and he gave me a little head butt. I deserved it. He was much more gentle without his bridle and eye shades and even gave us a big smile with all of his teeth showing! I think he was really happy to have that thing off!
After a long day of celebrating my 42nd year I was really ready for some deep sleep. Apparently I slept through drag racing outside the hotel and throughout the streets of Guadalajara! That´s me, the deep sleeper. I guess it was screetching, sirens, whooshing down the street... but no crashes??
Now we are getting ready to leave this beautiful city and make our way back to the beach. We have in mind a few very small towns north of Puerto Vallarta.
I will be back with more adventures when I have access to another computer.
Mas tarde amigos.
It was a fabulous birthday and I couldn´t have been in a better place to celebrate. Caroline and Cory really made it special for the entire day they made it all about me. Unfortunately my sweetie Ken wasn´t here with me. Next year we will definitely be together! As it is he will be joining us on Friday. That is only 2.5 days away. I guess I can live with that. It really hit me that I missed him when we first arrived in Guadalajara and I realized that he wouldn´t get to see and experience this amazing city with us. On the other hand, I am certain he and I will come back here at some point and I can show him around...
In any case, yesterday was amazing. I started out the day with coffee, pan dulce (Mexican sweet bread) and delicious yogurt with fruit, all in the comfort of our own home.
We headed out with full tummies for a day of exploring two little towns on the outskirts of the city... Tonala and Tlaquepaque. These two towns are known for handicrafts and excellent shopping. They also happen to be full of beautiful people. Their plazas and walking streets are very inviting. It actually made me want to stay there and skip the city. In any case, we all did very well with some early Christmas shopping and even shopping for a few birthdays coming up. We tried to find a glass blowing factory but didn´t find it due to very hard to read street signs. All the street names are on small tiles on the side of the buildings on the street corners. It is very difficult to spot them in a moving vehicle. If I had it to do over we would have taken a cab to the towns instead. Driving here is difficult at best. On the way back into the city we were stuck in a crazy traffic jam. At the heart of it was a car stuck to the side of a truck´s wheel well. I was just very gratefull that it wasn´t me. It seems that often there two lanes of cars for one physical lane which can create obvious problems!
When we returned to the hotel we were all starving. We cleaned up a little, put sweaters on... did I mention it is cold here, especially at night? ... and made a bee-line to our favorite La Chata. It was amazing again. And this time I had a margarita too! It seems that drinking really doesn´t agree with me. I was ready for bed an hour later. I guess a belly full of booze and good food will do that to a person.
After dinner we got on a horse drawn carriage and had a tour of Guadalajara. The horse, Vicente, was a caramel brown and of slight stature. He was carrying us in a white carriage with red trim and a glass window in the back with an etched image of Jesus. It was beautiful. I was reminded of my ride with my friend Tricia through New Orleans a couple years ago. The guide we had in New Orleans was like an encyclopedia of information on the city. Our ride last night wasn´t quite as exceptional for a few reasons: my Spanish isn´t so good that I would understand everything our driver had to say, and the traffic around us was so loud it was often very hard to hear. I was really impressed with Vicente and his seeming lack of fear. When we were finshed with the ride we all got pictures with Vicente and our driver. Funny I don´t remember his name. I got a little too close to Vicente´s face when he had his eye blinders on and he gave me a little head butt. I deserved it. He was much more gentle without his bridle and eye shades and even gave us a big smile with all of his teeth showing! I think he was really happy to have that thing off!
After a long day of celebrating my 42nd year I was really ready for some deep sleep. Apparently I slept through drag racing outside the hotel and throughout the streets of Guadalajara! That´s me, the deep sleeper. I guess it was screetching, sirens, whooshing down the street... but no crashes??
Now we are getting ready to leave this beautiful city and make our way back to the beach. We have in mind a few very small towns north of Puerto Vallarta.
I will be back with more adventures when I have access to another computer.
Mas tarde amigos.
Monday, October 26, 2009
My Annual Pilgrimage to Mexico
Livin* the dream in my favorite place on earth!
I arrived in Puerto Vallarta with my best friend Caroline yesterday afternoon after a hectic few days.
It is always good to lose your cash card the day before you are about to travel. People don{t really use traveler{s checks any more, and it would have been too late for that anyway. So, after a meltdown I tried to collect myself and worry about all the other craziness I needed to focus on. At least I didn{t forget to refill my prescriptions before my trip like last year!
Caroline and I arrived at Puerto Vallarta*s shiny new airport. The first thing you get to after immigration and customs (a green or red light determines whether or not they go through your luggage) is a room full of people trying to sell you trips, time shares and the like. It is swarming with young, good looking men and women who are determined to sell you whatever they have to offer. It is quite disconcerting.
We were approached again at the car rental place. He said we could get $150 off the rental car if we just went to a sales talk at some timeshare. No thanks.
Guess what I forgot?! My driver*s license. Duh. We worked it out, but still I could be really screwed if I get pulled over while driving. We have insurance up the ying yang, so I am not too worried. And money speaks all languages down here. Or so I have heard.
After a few beers and some delcious antojitos at the hotel restaurant and a dip in the pool, we headed out to gather our friend, Cory, who flew down from Canada. He had been traveling for over 12 hours and was really happy to see us.
Caroline was reading a newspaper on the way back to the hotel and found an interesting advertizement for a weightloss technique... give yourself salmonela and/or ecoli. Under the direction of a doctor you can shit your brains out, feel like complete crap and when you have lost enough weight the doctor will give you some medication to get rid of the parasites. That is if you don*t die first. Good times.
We had a wonderful dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in Puerto Vallarta. I think this is the 5th time I have been to Puerto Vallarta. I love it. Anyway, dinner was delicious, although Caroline and I didn*t eat much since we had already pigged out earlier. I will definitely be going back with Ken when he gets down here.
Walking back up the malecon (boardwalk) to the hotel was beautiful. It wasn*t too hot, and there was a nice breeze. And a ton of people everywhere. I am guessing they were all watching the soccer game earlier because when we arrived it was so empty I was a bit worried. Not to worry though, there were plenty of people roaming the streets, watching street clowns, artists, food vendors and crafts people do their things. We didn*t see many foreigners but plenty of Mexican*s. Puerto Vallarta is a common vacation destination for Mexicans from Guadalajara and Mexico City, among other places I am sure.
When we finally arrived back at the hotel we lounged by the pool for a while and then I made my way to the room so I would be ready for our big journey to Guadalajara in the morning. It felt great to shower and fall into a clean bed. Caroline and Cory apparently fell asleep by the pool. They didn*t get back to the room for at least a couple of hours. I am very happy I wasn*t drinking because I know I would have had a killer hangover this morning!
The drive to Guadalajara was uneventful... just the way I like it. We stopped in a tiny town for lunch and had very simple burritos and quesadillas. My burrito had refried beans and a mushroom concoction, no meat. It was pretty tasty.
We were probably on the road about 6 hours total. The toll road was about 2 hours. Thank god for the toll road. The free ones take forever.
Driving in Guadalajara is no joke. Not as bad as I imagine driving in Mexico City would be, but a bit scary none the less. Try finding a street sign with a truck or a bus bearing down on you. Fun. We actually found the hotel relatively easily as I had really studied the map at lunch. I was even able to park the car on the street in front of the hotel. Never mind that it was over a shit hole - literally. There are some really nasty smells in this city. The grate over the shit hole would not have kept me and my flip flops from falling through. Nice.
Our room is more like a condo. We have two bedrooms with two double beds each, a living/dining room area, a kitchen and two full bathrooms. No bathtubs though. Bathtubs are hard to find in Mexico. Sorry Ken.
After settling in a little we headed out for dinner at La Chata de Guadalajara. One of the best Mexican meals I have ever had. It is a bright, cheery place with yellow walls, yellow tablecloths, and lots of Mexican pottery and old photos of Guadalajara on the walls. There was an army of waiters ensuring we had everything we could possibly want and then some. It was a perfect eating experience. I had pozole of course!
We are wrapping up the evening with a concert (a Cuban salsa band) in one of the many plazas, a walk through the plaza where masons are chipping away at big blocks of stone, and an hour at the internet cafe. This is a perfect way to end an evening.
More later. Mas tarde.
I arrived in Puerto Vallarta with my best friend Caroline yesterday afternoon after a hectic few days.
It is always good to lose your cash card the day before you are about to travel. People don{t really use traveler{s checks any more, and it would have been too late for that anyway. So, after a meltdown I tried to collect myself and worry about all the other craziness I needed to focus on. At least I didn{t forget to refill my prescriptions before my trip like last year!
Caroline and I arrived at Puerto Vallarta*s shiny new airport. The first thing you get to after immigration and customs (a green or red light determines whether or not they go through your luggage) is a room full of people trying to sell you trips, time shares and the like. It is swarming with young, good looking men and women who are determined to sell you whatever they have to offer. It is quite disconcerting.
We were approached again at the car rental place. He said we could get $150 off the rental car if we just went to a sales talk at some timeshare. No thanks.
Guess what I forgot?! My driver*s license. Duh. We worked it out, but still I could be really screwed if I get pulled over while driving. We have insurance up the ying yang, so I am not too worried. And money speaks all languages down here. Or so I have heard.
After a few beers and some delcious antojitos at the hotel restaurant and a dip in the pool, we headed out to gather our friend, Cory, who flew down from Canada. He had been traveling for over 12 hours and was really happy to see us.
Caroline was reading a newspaper on the way back to the hotel and found an interesting advertizement for a weightloss technique... give yourself salmonela and/or ecoli. Under the direction of a doctor you can shit your brains out, feel like complete crap and when you have lost enough weight the doctor will give you some medication to get rid of the parasites. That is if you don*t die first. Good times.
We had a wonderful dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in Puerto Vallarta. I think this is the 5th time I have been to Puerto Vallarta. I love it. Anyway, dinner was delicious, although Caroline and I didn*t eat much since we had already pigged out earlier. I will definitely be going back with Ken when he gets down here.
Walking back up the malecon (boardwalk) to the hotel was beautiful. It wasn*t too hot, and there was a nice breeze. And a ton of people everywhere. I am guessing they were all watching the soccer game earlier because when we arrived it was so empty I was a bit worried. Not to worry though, there were plenty of people roaming the streets, watching street clowns, artists, food vendors and crafts people do their things. We didn*t see many foreigners but plenty of Mexican*s. Puerto Vallarta is a common vacation destination for Mexicans from Guadalajara and Mexico City, among other places I am sure.
When we finally arrived back at the hotel we lounged by the pool for a while and then I made my way to the room so I would be ready for our big journey to Guadalajara in the morning. It felt great to shower and fall into a clean bed. Caroline and Cory apparently fell asleep by the pool. They didn*t get back to the room for at least a couple of hours. I am very happy I wasn*t drinking because I know I would have had a killer hangover this morning!
The drive to Guadalajara was uneventful... just the way I like it. We stopped in a tiny town for lunch and had very simple burritos and quesadillas. My burrito had refried beans and a mushroom concoction, no meat. It was pretty tasty.
We were probably on the road about 6 hours total. The toll road was about 2 hours. Thank god for the toll road. The free ones take forever.
Driving in Guadalajara is no joke. Not as bad as I imagine driving in Mexico City would be, but a bit scary none the less. Try finding a street sign with a truck or a bus bearing down on you. Fun. We actually found the hotel relatively easily as I had really studied the map at lunch. I was even able to park the car on the street in front of the hotel. Never mind that it was over a shit hole - literally. There are some really nasty smells in this city. The grate over the shit hole would not have kept me and my flip flops from falling through. Nice.
Our room is more like a condo. We have two bedrooms with two double beds each, a living/dining room area, a kitchen and two full bathrooms. No bathtubs though. Bathtubs are hard to find in Mexico. Sorry Ken.
After settling in a little we headed out for dinner at La Chata de Guadalajara. One of the best Mexican meals I have ever had. It is a bright, cheery place with yellow walls, yellow tablecloths, and lots of Mexican pottery and old photos of Guadalajara on the walls. There was an army of waiters ensuring we had everything we could possibly want and then some. It was a perfect eating experience. I had pozole of course!
We are wrapping up the evening with a concert (a Cuban salsa band) in one of the many plazas, a walk through the plaza where masons are chipping away at big blocks of stone, and an hour at the internet cafe. This is a perfect way to end an evening.
More later. Mas tarde.
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