La Nacional

I like going to this bar. I went three times last week. I like sitting outside, being able to hold a conversation, the music and I know some of the people that tend bar there. It doesn't hurt that it's pretty affordable too.

Juan Carlos and I went to La Moresca on Saturday, which reminded me of a non-sushi version of Drunken Fish in the Central West End. Because this is Semana Santa, the week before Easter, it wasn't as busy or there wasn't as much traffic as usual. This is when a lot of Mexicans go on vacation.

Speaking of vacation, last week I put down a deposit for an apartment three blocks from the beach in Puerto Vallarta. I am going to live there in May and half of June, before I start my Mexican road trip. I'm really excited. Until then, I'm going to continue to enjoy Guadalajara, which isn't hard to do.

Colomos

Yesterday after eating at Pollo Chicken again, I went to Bosque Colomos (Colomos Forest) in wealthy suburban Guadalajara. It was much wilder than I expected, considering it is in the middle of suburbia. It cost less than a dollar to park and enter.

View of the park.


It borders a major thoroughfare...


Yet this is what it looks like just feet from that fence.


It is prime real estate around the park, so houses (big houses) are literally feet from the fence.

More of the park.


A garden ("Mexican Garden" is the name) in the park.


More of the park.


Close to the entrance.


You could rent horses for about $4.50 for an hour.


Look at this residential tower next to the park! It looks like it is from outer space.

Leo

Leo (spelled lío) is "mess" in Spanish, and that's exactly what Leo was yesterday. He was standing too close to the barbecue and his fur on his neck got singed. That's what you get when you're too eager to catch some scraps.

Celida, with whom I am staying, celebrated her birthday yesterday and her family and friends came over. There was a barbecue which luckily Leo survived.

Federal Police

There's nothing like being a passenger in a vehicle that gets pulled over by the federales at 3:00 in the morning. Fortunately, it was over in less than 60 seconds, though I was asked to exit the vehicle and was patted down. With no drugs or guns, they lost interest in us quickly.

Bumpers and Chicken

A few days ago I was in a parking lot, I didn't see a 1-2 ft. post, it caught my bumper as I reversed, and I ripped half of my bumper off. Good news? Cost less than $10 to have someone put it back on and it is barely noticeable that I did anything stupid at all.

I went to Pollo Chicken today for lunch. I had been dreaming of going back there. I had no idea that Tuesday is special, and I got six tacos and a drink for less than $2. Chicken tacos al Pastor style.... mmmmmm. Apparently I parked in a no parking zone and got a ticket. It's in Spanish so I haven't tried to figure it out yet.

Culture

Today I was speaking with someone about Mexico and the U.S. She said she didn't care much for U.S. Culture. I said that I've noticed that Mexicans focus on their history and their past while Americans seem to focus on the present. She responded by saying America has no past and no culture. Sounds harsher than it came across in person, but I thought about it, and I don't agree. Mexicans are forever tied to the colonization by the Spanish (and to a lesser extent, other countries over the centuries). The Mexican state would not exist without the mixing of races and traditions, forming a unique identity that many are justifiably proud of. However, I think we have a history and a culture too in the U.S., though its more individualistic and personal than nationalistic. I reject that we are a melting pot - more like thousands of pots cohabitating simultaneously. Nearly no one from the U.S. can trace their ancestry in our country for more than 300 or so years. But we all generally know where our ancestors came from, how recently our families have been in the U.S., etc. Also, though its not centuries old, cities like St. Louis have a lot of history and have something unique to offer, depending on what interests you. So I have to say, the strerotype of American culture, McDonald's, Wal-Mart and the like; not something you want to associate with your culture. But if you dig a little deeper, we have a culture unlike any in the world. That being said, I appreciate a lot, already, that I have seen of Mexican culture, and it's helped me appreciate a few things about the U.S. as well. Flag waving done. Back to enjoying Mexico.

Hospicio Cabañas

Yesterday Genaro took me to the Coldplay concert here in Guadalajara. It was pretty good, since they played a lot of their older stuff (Parachutes, A Rush of Blood to the Head) and went easy on the newer songs. It was held in a soccer stadium at one of the local universities.

Today I went to Hospicio Cabañas. It was an orphanage built in the early 1800s in downtown Guadalajara that is now a World Heritage Site or something along those lines. It is used for art exhibitions, though today there were none. Though there wasn't much to see, I got some good photos of the building itself. I had to pay to get in, and I didn't want to pay full price, so I got the student discount by showing the woman an unused Metrolink ticket I had in my wallet (I don't have my old student ID on me). She accepted it, though I'm not entirely sure she believed me. Afterwards I ate lunch in the Paseo Hospicio, the plaza in front of the building, and had some great chicken fajitas for $3.

This is Plaza de los Mariachis, near the Hospicio.


A church in the Plaza de los Mariachis.


Apparently last year the Hospicio is where Barack Obama, the president of Mexico and the Prime Minister of Canada met. It says, "In this place, the third meeting of the leaders of North America is celebrated with the presence of the following dignitaries:"


Inside view of one of the many courtyards in the Hospicio.


Interior view of the Hospicio.

One of the murals inside the main part of the Hospicio. Apparently after it was no longer a orphanage, the governor of Jalisco state commissioned artist Jose Clemente Orozco to paint these in the late 1930s.

This explains the who/what/when/where/why of the murals.

More murals.

Another interior view of the Hospicio.

Closeup of the bells.

Birthday Party

I was invited to a belated birthday party for Omar last night, and I picked up Diego and we went to this little house downtown. There were some familiar faces as well as new ones and everyone was friendly and welcoming to me - which has been the case everywhere in Mexico so far. Chava, a friend of theirs, brought his DJ equipment and played music all night on the rooftop. It was a lot of fun. It's not often I go to a birthday party on someone's roof.

Colonia Americana

Juan Carlos and I walked around his neighborhood this afternoon and I took some photos. This is so far my favorite place in Guadalajara. The neighborhood is called Colonia Americana. It's close to Av. Chapultepec and the majority of places I have been visiting while I've been here.

This is a house on Calle (Street) Jose Guadalupe Zuno. This is Juan Carlos' great aunt's house, though she recently passed away.


This is a house designed by Luis Barragan, apparently a very famous architect from Guadalajara.

Front door of the Barragan house.

This is why you always get lost in Mexico. The sreet signs, if they exist, are on the sides of buildings. And sometimes they look like this:

Apparently this was the home of a former governor of Jalisco state, Jose Guadalupe Zuno. The street is named after him. It's beautiful...

View from Av. Union.

Close-up of one of the columns.

There is a lot of mid-century infill in the nighborhood as well.

A house-turned cafe/restaurant/bar.

Ditto.

Where Juan Carlos' mother and other great aunt live. He has an apartment behind the house.

A Japanese-influenced home on the street.

Another view from the entrance.

Job

I inquired about a job in a call center yesterday, because it would be nice to make some extra money here. However, the salary for part time is approximately $223 a month for 20 hours a week. I am leaning towards no, but I do have an initial meet and greet scheduled for 5pm today. Questions (most of which I believe to be illegal in the U.S.) on the application they gave me include: how old you are, marital status, who you live with, who depends on you economically, your health status, any health issues, if/how many children do you have, do you have a car, do you have life insurance, etc. Yeah, the more I think about it, the more I think I'd rather just continue exploring and enjoying my "sabbatical."