Guadalajara kind of grew on me. I can’t point of anything in particular. I think it’s a function of my lack of motivation to travel as long term as I have in the past. It is only a matter of time till I plunk down somewhere. As it is, I’m fine hanging out for at least a while wherever I am, almost. I could have stayed in Guadalajara. with 4 million people, as it certainly has everything. It’s not real crazy like Mexico City. A lot of it is fairly safe. The weather is good. I just liked it there, whether it was about Guadalajara or me, or both, doesn’t make any difference.
That said, I’m still on the move. Going is still at least as attractive as staying. Myung seems to be getting closer to getting rid of the lease on her shop in Chongqing. She almost had a deal this week, but the guy backed out. When she eventually joins me (“eventually” is the key, unknown variable), I doubt she will want to backpack for long. So, my thinking is I may plunk down with her, maybe by the winter. If that’s coming, I don’t want to become stationary, then burn out on that and want to travel again, just as she gets here hoping not to travel for long. By waiting, we might be on the same page.
In most ways I can tell, Guadalajara isn’t all that special. It has appeal. I liked where I was staying. There are the usual majestic buildings….
… and plazas…
… street life …
… and interiors …
It’s been awhile since I cared about the names of the particular buildings, like the 19th century legislative chamber to the left, or even the particular local culture. Things like the mask dance above are interesting to watch. Do I need to know, much less remember, what they are? Not really. I enjoyed them in the moment. I’m going with what strikes my fancy day to day. The nice thing about a big city like Guadalajara is it’s busy with things to notice, and that occupies me.
I had a poster in my room when I was maybe 12. It was of Lucy from the old comic strip “Peanuts”. She is sitting in her 5 cent therapy booth, chin in hand. The caption is, “Who says you are supposed to accomplish anything? I thought you were just supposed to keep busy.” I think I’m satisfied with traveling because at least it’s better than watching 5 hours of TV a day or being a wage slave/tax donkey. For what, a perfect lawn? Personally, for me it’s a choice between bus fare to the next place or the latest Roundup applicator. My addiction is my computer. So, I can be a couch potato, a serious one at that sometimes. Now, almost all the places I stay in have wifi and a TV which often show American programs. I could pay almost as much for my internet/smartphone/TV in the US as I currently do on rent, without any contracts. Or do this. It’s a good life. I am glad, though, that I already satisfied my inner mommy by accomplishing stuff when I was younger.
Okay, people who know me know all this anyway, so back to the travelogue. I have a few pictures of an area of Guadalajara called Tlaquepaque. Guadalajarans like it because it’s a little quaint still, like old Mexico. Old Mexico is still old Mexico in most places, but this is right in town.
It’s interesting how big city people in most big cities in the world like to visit their roots. Tlaquepaque is where cosmopolitan Gaudalajarans go for the evening,, or even a weekend, to feel “at home”. Guadalajara is hardly a foreign tourist center, and most of the attractions and things going on are for Mexicans.
They may be all cool about it, like, “this is us”, but you can be sure Mexico is modernizing along the same path as the more developed counties. Chains and uniformity are taking over everything. Like Texans, Mexicans can be all hat and no cattle, for sure.
I don’t want to imply Tlaquepaque isn’t nice. It is, even if it’s become an upscale retreat. I was a little surprised when I left Guadalajara on my way toward the coast. Lonely Planet talked up a “charming” town in the mountains, Tapalpa. I said to myself, “Charming is good. I’m all about charming towns with cobblestone streets and preserved preserved historical centers. I’ll stop by there.” It’s three hours from Guadalajara, so I didn’t expect it to be a weekend retreat for Guadalajarans, but it is, and even more upscale. It is nice, but not particularly photo-worthy (not that my redundant photos are photo-worthy anymore). It is even more upscale that Tlaquepaque. I couldn’t find a hotel for less than 100 dollars/night anywhere near the center. I carried my pack for maybe two hours and down and all around. By then I felt like I had seen it all before, so I just went back to the bus stop and continued on to Colima.
I don’t generally like to get into a city after dark, but hostelworld.com had a good looking hostel with plenty of vacancy. Mexico can be very sketchy at night, so I just showed up there via taxi from the bus station. And here am.
I don’t know how long I will stay in Colima. It’s a pleasant capital of Mexico’s smallest state by the same name, with a population of about 140,000. It’s not sketchy and the people seem really nice. I’m not in that big a hurry and I really like this hostel I’m staying, so maybe I’ll just hang out for a while. Somewhere near the end or shortly after, I’ll blog about it. Till then, be well, all of you.