August 24th, 2000

It was a clear and nice day. The sun was shining so strongly on the buildings of Guadalajara International Airport. But, once we stepped in a shadow, it was quite dry and pleasant. We were happy to see the sun because the weather forecast was for rain.

There was a bus stopped in front of the exit of the airport building. It was covered with dust and completely brown. In front of the bus, there was a hand written destination, "Aeropuerto". We figured that it must have come from the city and perhaps go right back there. When we asked the driver, our supposition turned out to be true. We got in and paid 5 pesos a ticket. The current exchange rate is about 10 Yen per peso. After sitting about for a while, the bus started off for the city at 3 pm local time. Our journey began with this bus. Soon after it turned into a divided road off the airport, a great big sign welcomed us to the silicon valley of Mexico. We did not know that it was the silicon valley of Mexico !!

The bus ran through the suburbs of great Guadalajara. There were many houses made of brick. There were many streetside beer stands proclaiming to have ice cold beer. We were trying to figure out where we were. The map of Lonely Planet was the only guide for us. However, more big signs started appearing welcoming us to Guadalajara in spanish. These signs are on the top of huge structures straddling the lanes of both directions of traffic. The scenery outside the bus was becoming more crowded with tall buildings. As we were trying to follow the cross streets we must have looked somewhat lost. A woman asked us in English if we would like to go to the "centro" - meaning the historic zone of Guadalajara. We nodded affirmative. She suggested that we get off the bus at the next intersection and take another bus in the direction of the centro. We decided to follow her suggestion.

Outside the bus, everything was so shiny. The cross street's name turned out to be "16th of September Avenue". Later we found many streets, places, buildings, monuments and such were named with calendar dates of their history. As we got to the bus-stand and looked at the map to locate our position, we realised that we are close enough to walk to Corona Avenue where our hotel was. We decided to walk.

It was about 4 o'clock. People in business suites were actively walking and talking on the street. As we walked for 10 minutes, we reached to a plaza. There were horse-drawn carriages waiting for tourists. Smell of chicken and tortilla started to fill the air. We were finally in the center of Guadalajara.



Soon after we we checked into our Hotel, we went outside to explore the city. There are a lot of cathedrals in Guadalajara. But, there is a signature cathedral in the heart of Guadalajara. It has two conical bell towers and two domes over prayer halls. There are four plazas surrounding it. Each plaza had fountains and benches. School boys and girls were out and about in all of these plazas.

There were many Shoe polishing stands in the plaza. All of them carried the name "Mural" in big letters. We found out that Mural is the name of a daily newspaper in Guadalajara. The patron climbs the stand and sits in a seat that looks more like a high throne. There are two foot rests in front. The show polishing man ― there were very few women doing it ― hands the customer a newspaper and begins washing the shoes with soap and water as the first step to a multi step process. The finished shoe, finely buffed with cloth, smells distinctly of naphtha. It takes a day of airing out for the shoes to lose their smell.



The next thing that we paid attention was snack stands. Country women and kids were selling potato chips and other snacks. Some were sitting on the ground and some were actively visiting the people on the benches with a basket. We soon came across a great number of people were selling various kinds of things on the plaza - roses, pens, flower stands, snacks, e.t.c.

We then wandered into the Mercado Libertad. It was a big brownish building. Countless number of small shops were selling all sorts of things. There were handicrafts, foods, dry goods, and even musical instruments. Some shops were even specialized in chili peppers alone. Some shops were selling leather jackets. Some were vegetables. Once we got in and walked a bit, we lost our direction. All the smells were mixed together and people (and bees) were buzzing. Some shop owners were practicing the guitar.

Guadalajara is famous for mariachi and tequila. It is said that Guadalajara is the most Mexico within Mexico. People love music and dance. We were planning to enjoy them later during the trip.

Beer and green mangos



Because of the dry weather, we were so thirsty. We decided to step in a bar and restaurant. It was about 7 o'clock. But, it was not yet dinner time for the locals. We ordered Bohemia beer. The waiter brought us two beers each and a bowl of slices of green mangos. First we thought that we made a mistake in Spanish. But, we learned that it was apparently it still the local "happy hour" with a two for one deal in beer. We squeezed lime into the beer and enjoyed the taste. The slices of green mangoes were somewhat sour and somewhat sweet. They were good appetizers.

No dinner?

At around 9 o'clock, we went to a restaurant for dinner. The restaurant was full of local people who were enjoying conversations with friends and co-workers. I ordered an enchilada with three-color sources. I soon found that not many people were actually eating. They were just drinking coffee. People in this country enjoy big meals at lunch time. So many people may not eat at night. We learned that some do and some don't. We also found that people really like eating ice cream and frozen yogurt. People eat them in the evenings and enjoy nice breeze in plazas in stead of eating full meals.

August 25th, 2000

"Cuteness rules"

We slept late and skipped breakfast. We watched a TV show and talked about attractive figures. All the girls in the show were European looking and talked very fast. They all had big breasts and small waists. They were trying to be sexy, but at the same time they were trying to be cute as well. "Cuteness rules", we concluded.

When is lunch time?

We finally got out of the room and looked for a restaurant for lunch. Behind a theater, there was a restaurant called La Rinconada. It was a high priced posh restaurant. The restaurant was in an old colonial building with a central courtyard open to the sky and rooms all around. We were seated in one of the outer tables of the central courtyard. The time was 1 p.m. There was a couple with coffee cups quietly talking to each other. The waiters were still making some of the tables. We ordered beer and lunch. A big group of Americans came to the restaurant. They argued rather loudly which table they would sit at. The two kids in their group ran between the tables. The couple with coffee cups seemed surprised by the sudden commotion and got up to leave. Most of the Americans were in T-shirts and short pants. They were carrying big bottles of water. When finally they settled down in their three tables and the waiter asked whether they like something to drink, a few of them said that they would drink their own water. The next group of customers was also Americans. They seemed to be dressed in local style. We thought they may be living there, but they didn't use Spanish at all.







I was wondering when Mexicans eat lunch. At two p.m., finally a grand family of Mexicans, in dresses, came there. There was a graduation ceremony of the University of Guadalajara. They were celebrating the daughter’s graduation. People seem to have lunch sometime between 2 and 4 in Mexico. Many people go home for lunch. It must be unbelievable in Japan or in the US, but that's the way in Mexico.

Light and shadow ― Spanish style buildings



We went to the tourist information office just near from the cathedral. It was a colonial building. The building itself was like a museum. There was a patio in the center. It was receiving the sun. The rooms, on the other hand, were dark and cool. The building was well designed and it suited so well to the dry weather. We enjoyed looking at the ceramic pots and the full display of tequila bottles.

 

August 26th, 2000



Today we decided to go to the regional museum and later go to a stadium in Zappopan and watch a professional soccer match.

We went to the Jalisco regional museum. It was a recent building, but it was built like an historical building. It had a display of the invasion by the spanish. Clay dishes and dolls. After the Spanish ruling era, the majority of display was religious paintings. A group of boy scouts were looking at the displays. But, they were more curious about us than the display.

Soccer is a very popular sport in Mexico. In just Guadalajara, there are four teams. The most popular team is Chivas (Univeristy of Guadalajara). Each team has enthusiastic supporters. Jose, a bell captain of the hotel, was one of them. He showed us a key chain with the logo of Tecos. He said, “Tecos is my team”. His team, the owls ( Tecos ) of Autonomous University of Guadalajara was to play the Morelia team called Monarcas ( The Butterflies ).

He suggested that we ought to get to the stadium early so that we may get good seats. We went to a stadium called "3rd of March Stadium". Once again, some important calendar date of their history !! The stadium was not as big as Jalisco stadium, the stadium of Chivas. We paid 120 pesos for two ( about 12 dollars) and got good seats in the shade. We had about 40 minutes to go for the scheduled 5 pm start. Even without the game, there was much to watch in the stadium. A great number of vendors began walking up and down the stands. They kept this up a bit more discretely ― so as not to block any views for too long -- during the entire game. Beer, coke, sandwiches, candies, cotton candies, flags of teams, trumpets and whistles. Suddenly the PA system came alive with music. A team of girls clad in white leotards and red wrap skits went to the central circles and began a group drill to the music. The best part about this entertainment was that it was so far away from view. The Morelia team was already on the field warming up. About 10 minutes to 5 the local team came into the field to the great excitement of the group of fans in the team colours seated in the hot stands under the direct sun. They were making a lot of noise with trumpets and drums. The game started a few minutes past 5 pm. The game was really interesting, but that was not a day for Tecos. Apparently in this Winter-2000 tournament they had been unbeaten in the first four games. They lost for the first time during the season with a score of 3-0. When we came back to the hotel, Jose was still there hanging about in the entry lobby. He said "ahh" and rolled his eyes in disappointment when we told him the result.

August 27th, 2000

We woke up (relatively) early. That was for going to see the "Ballet Folclorico". Every Sunday the University of Guadalajara stages a grand performance at the Teatro Degollado. It started with a pre-Hispanic dance. Men with huge headdress danced to the sound of a single musician with a drum and a flute. It reminded me of American Indians' Pow-wow. They continued on with many regional songs with dances. There was also the music of current day with dances one might see in parties. Some were with marimba notes and some were with Mariacchi songs. Girls with huge skirts, kidked the hem up, caught it in one smooth motion and made big swooping circles as they moved their hands in the dance. The colorful circles seem to leave a trail behind the dancers as they moved about the stage. Two hours passed by so quickly.

In the afternoon, we went to a small town, Tonala. That was about 40 minutes bus ride from the center. It was famous for their street markets on Thursdays and Sundays. Tonala has many manufactures of glass wares, ceramics and crafts. It is a popular Sunday outing for Guadalajara people. When we arrived there, the town was full of people and small shops on the roads. We enjoyed looking at pots, crafts and staples sold on the streets. The air was full of smell of various local foods. People were looking at the goods, thinking if they were suitable for their houses and talking to each other. We bought two trompos (Tops) and two bags. It would take a full day to explore everything.

Music and evening breeze - happy time



Every evening Plaza de los Laureles was full of people. There is a kiosk in the middle. Concerts were held there. Sitting at the benches and just standing, people were quietly listening to the music and enjoying the evening breeze. Kids were running about or sitting with the parents.

There was a lot of sitting and relaxing by local people with their whole families on those nice benches under the shade trees. They sit and watch the world go by within the plaza..or they join in the walkers and entertain those other sitters. Another plaza, Plaza de la Liberacion, was filled with joyful voices of kids. They were playing with balloons. There was a statue of Father Hidalgo, who freed the Mexican people from Spanish, in the plaza. He was tearing a chain by his hands. The face was serious looking, but I thought that he must be happy now. Kids are playing and people are enjoying the time freely around him.







August 28th, 2000



Time passed really quickly and we had to go home. This morning we went to Cafe Madrid for breakfast. It was about 10 AM. The waiters were dressed in white jackets with long lapels and black bow ties. They were working diligently and their coffee was really good. I ordered "Hot cake". Since "pan" in spanish would mean bread, "'ot cake" seemed the default name for the dirsh. They served three thick pancakes that were more similar to Japanese pan cakes than American ones. The "hot cake" was really good. People were enjoying coffee, a few were reading tabloid newspapers and others had someone along to talk to.



Love of parents

We returned to the Liberty market again. We were looking for a straw hat. They were all nicely made. We also enjoyed watching the show windows of dresses. There are so many dress shops along a street for wedding, for the 15th birthday of girls, for the first communion of children as well as for babies. There were many well dressed children in the plazas in the evening. They looked rather proud of their outfit. They were somewhat proud of their dresses. In general, the children looked very healthy and well fed all over town. We could see how parents love their children. Dresses are not cheap; but they are willing to pay for them. Next to our hotel was a shop for cloth that was always crowded with women. Perhaps tailoring clothes for children is probably much more reasonable. We also saw many children in school uniforms that were well colour matched and nice looking. Perhaps parents would like to send their children to private schools.

It was time to return to the airport. We said "good bye" to Jose and promised to comeback. The sky of Guadalajara was just blue and the sunshine was strong. We went to the airport in a taxi. Along the way the large signs that we had seen on arrival had more to say on their backs !! They wished us good journey and hoped we shall return back soon. We decided that it would be a good idea to take them up on their invitation once again.


Go to Guadalajara Photo Album 1