March 17, 2009 - Gracias a Dios - Estoy en Tlaquepaque

On Sunday, I tried to take a Tapatio Bus to Guadalajara. Because of road closures (due to fiesta in Guadalajara) the story kept changing about what time the bus would depart. I gave up and found other things to do.

Today, I was down to my last four possible days to tour Guadalajara. Decided to skip my second class and leave school at 11:00am. Hurried to the bus stop where the Tapatio Bus stops. An information person told me that "Today the bus will not stop there!" I had to hurry several blocks to another possible bus stop. Ah, bus was there ....but, no driver. Met up with some Americans who said that the bus was scheduled to leave at that moment. Fifteen minutes later, we were on our way taking in the views from the open second level of the bus. I was prepared with a hat and sunscreen. Not too bad when we were moving. The Tapatio bus is an "On and Off" bus. You wear a paper bracelet which entitles you to get on and off until 8:30pm. There are two buses and routes; one for Tlaquepaque and one for Guadalajara. You can go from one to the other or take time to sightsee in between.

I got off at the exchange location which was the historic center of Guadalajara. Had not a clue where I was. Each map was a little different. Within ten minutes I was oriented and fortunately had been walking towards my destination - Hospicio Institue Cabanas, a world heritage site. This museum once was a House of Charity and Mercy run by nuns, is now known for its collection of murals and other art work by Jose Clemente Orozco.

I have always enjoyed the work of Mexican muralists....such as Diego Rivera.....but, the work of Orozco does not appeal to me at all. In my opinion his pallet was limited and his figures were not at all warm and friendly.

On the positive side.....the museum was free today and they had a very pleasant cafe. I sat out in the patio in the shade and slowly ate while reviewing Guadalajara maps and touring suggestions. I was their only customer....after all who else but an American would eat as early as 1:00 pm.

Teatro Degoiado seemed to be closed to tourists. The exterior was being renovated. Took a walk through the Mercado San Juan de Dios. For me, it was just another market.

Everywhere there seemed to be a lot of traffic and a lot of people. Nothing negative....just a fact. It was hot in the sun...and not much cooler in the shade. Did not have the inclination to walk to other sites. Hopped on the Guadalajara Tapatio bus and listened via earphones to the narrated tour.

Much to my surprise and disappointment, I did not think that Guadalajara was a beautiful city. The heat of the day may have played a part in this. Also, all the streets are torn up to bury power lines. Would I return to Guadalajara or recommend the city to others?? No, not at all. I felt very safe there. People were pleasant. I just did not like all of the traffic, noise, and congestion. Mind you, I travel to cities all over the world and enjoy them. So it is not that I do not like cities.

So, I am very happy to be back "home" in Tlaquepaque. All feels good here and I do not mind the heat!

What cities of Mexico would I recommend? I have enjoyed some small cities such as Oaxaca, San Cristibol de las Casas, Puebla, Guanajuato. My friends highly recommend Merida in the Yucatan. I was there briefly and did not have much time to get to know the city. I like Mexico City. The Museum of Anthropology is one of the finest museums in the world. I have visited art musems, the Theater of Fine Arts, plaza of the Mariachis, many parks..... My sister and I had a wonderful visit there one December when the city was preparing for Christmas. The holiday decorations and Christmas Market provided a wonderful back drop. We did not hesitate to take the Metro to outlying areas of the city. The Metros were interesting as they took the illiterate into consideration. Metro stations were marked with a name and symbol. If you could not read, you knew that the Eagle Station comes after the Pyramid Station and so on....