Our Journey to Guadalajara

Any trip of significant duration begins with the purchase of tickets from one of literally dozens of bus companies that operate throughout the country. These are apparently regulated to serve specific routes. The two largest of them all are Primera Plus and ETN. These companies take their cue from the airlines (except that they run on time and never lose your bags!). They are large, tour-type luxury coaches that have only 24 seats per bus. The seats recline to nearly full horizontal and the bus provides films, and music along with what they refer to as “Snack.” In our week of touring we took four of these busses and “snack” consisted of 4 different types of sandwiches: 2 slices of wheat bread and a slice of ham and cheese; a semi-sweet croissant with a slice of ham and cheese; a hamburger bun with 2 slices of cheese; and another two slices of wheat bread with one slice of cheese! Each sandwich had mayonnaise on it, but you were also given the additional condiment of jalapeno jelly to spread over the offering. It was actually quite good. A soft drink or water was also provided along with a piece of candy that usually was of a color not in nature.

On Saturday, February 2nd, we caught a cab at about 7 am to the Puerto Vallarta bus terminal, located about 10 miles north of PV, near the airport. At 8:45 am we left for the large city of Guadalajara, about 5 ½ hours away. It was non-stop and about 2:30 pm we arrived at the second of Guadalajara’s two bus stations. There, through a very efficient and honest system of payment, you buy a ticket for a cab based on the distance you need to travel to get into town. We were staying about 3 blocks on the central square of Guadalajara, right downtown. For about $10 were there in 30 minutes (time was really due to traffic, not distance). We checked into the Hotel Universo. I had reserved this sight unseen based on an obviously blind travel critic for Frommer’s. It was pretty awful! The building was a cross between old Soviet government and bombed out Lebanese architecture. It obviously was sustained by being the destination hotel for low-budget Mexican tour packages. Not only could people check into the hotel with pets, I think there was actually a place in the basement for goats, and burros! However, our room, while possessing only one working drawer, was clean and it was an ideal location for seeing the heart of the city. And as we always say, how much time do you spend in your room. In this case, very little!

The center of Guadalajara is organized around a central mall that really begins, as most things do in Mexico, at the Cathedral to the west, all the way down to the Instituto Cultural Cabanas to the east. The total distance is probably just under a mile. Between these two landmarks are a series of elaborate Colonial government buildings, plazas and a kind of shopping mall. It is the heart of activity for the people of Guadalajara who seem to stroll endlessly from sun-up to the late hours of the day.







On Sunday, our second day there, the Plaza de Liberacion, was devoted entirely to a live concert that was apparently televised. Thousands gathered for the band and large screen TV’s were set up for others to enjoy the music.

At the east end of the Plaza was the Church of St. Augustin. This Greek revival building was located right where the street from our hotel joined the mall and was about halfway along the promenade. Beyond that was a series of arcades with a variety of small businesses and restaurants.




The mall was also decorated with a wide variety of sculptures, many representing moments of significance in the city.




Fountains were also included in this stretch of the city. Among our favorites was the one of 4 little boys, being “little boys.”

There was also water included in a number of other displays. They were quite elaborate and often were set to operate in such a way as to provide variety in terms of water patterns and timing, often luring young children close to the water, only to soak them by surprise.




I have tried to provide some sense of this part of the city both during the day and at night.









Polley and I did discover one very good restaurant, the Restaurant San Miguel. It is set in an airy indoor patio of Guadalajara’s oldest convent. The food was excellent, and the ambiance and service very nice. We so enjoyed the place that we went back for a brunch of traditional Mexican offerings on Sunday morning. Sunday evening was, I am sad to admit, devoted to a Spanish broadcast of the Superbowl!



However, I did make that up to Polley by catching a cab the next morning out to the little artists village of Tlaquepaque. This is a charming Colonial town filled with upscale shops and restaurants. It feels a little like Ashland, without the Bard, of course. We just wandered the streets on a beautiful sunny day, stopping to buy some leather goods and having a terrific lunch at a highly recommended restaurant (and rightly so) called Restaurant el Patio. It too is set in, as you might guess, a delightful courtyard patio, under some shady old trees.





Polley even found a cat in Tlaquepaque


After an afternoon of shopping, sun and good food, we returned to downtown Guadalajara for a last night of strolling. We had a glass of wine at the Restaurant Rinconada, an old style Profirian building (One built during the period of José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori, President of Mexico. He ruled from 1876 to 1880 and from 1884 to 1911). The bartender seemed to take a liking to us and kept feeding us small appetizer, including some delicious cucumber and jicama that gets lightly sprinkled with chili powder.


What was amazing was that when we went in for a glass of wine, the streets were jammed with Mexican families. At 8:30, on a school night, suddenly all was relatively quiet.

Polley and I found a place for dinner and then got ready for our journey on to San Miguel de Allende.

I must confess that despite the less than ideal hotel, we came to really love Guadalajara. Called by some the most Mexican of cities, it has non of the tourist feel of PV or even a little town like Tlaquepague, which now has been enveloped into the larger city. There are very few tourists, almost no English is spoken, and when one visits, one truly has to adapt to the Mexican way of life. After only 3 days there, Polley and I have definitely put it high on our list for next winter. Ideally, taking a month in a coastal town like PV would be a perfect match with a second month in Guadalajara.










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