Top 5 Things to Do In Guadalajara
Written by Kyle on Tuesday, March 18, 2008 in Mexico
Feelin' excited
..Or top 5 things that we did in Guadalajara. We didn't do everything per se, but we got a pretty good layout of the city and here are our favorites. Drumroll, please...Feelin' excited
1. Look at Old Buildings
Ya, ok, that doesn't sound that cool, but it really is. They are almost all constructed in different styles so it's not as if seeing one old building means that you have seen them all. There are also not too many buildings as to become overwhelmed and feel like you have to spend weeks just looking at old stones all day. If you want to see more of the city, check out our virtual tour at http://www.bessieandkyle.com/map/virtual-tour-guadalajara-mexico/4
2. Catch Mariachi Fever
There are other places to see mariachi, mostly touristy restaurants with some young guys in clean, slick outfits playing on shiny new instruments. Not here. In the Plaza de Los Mariachis (the birthplace of Mariachi music), the old guard is here, playing the same mariachi songs they have been playing for more than 30 years, wearing slightly beat up outfits, and bearing the experience of many years of playing music outside. This is the non-glossy version and, man, is it awesome. Where else can you have 10 guys playing music only for you?
3. Eat Birria
A local specialty, Birria is basically a goat meat stew. We were able to get some excellent, slow-cooked Birria at a place called Birrieria Las 9 Esquinas (The 9 Corners Goat-Stew-Making-Place) that came with a tasty selection of sauces, limes, and onions (plain and pickled). Note: Birria is on the far side of the table in the picture below.
Incedentally, birria also was a part of one of a memorable conversation with a taxi driver. Talking to a taxi driver, we were wanting to ask him if he liked the Guadalajara soccer team, Chivas ("Goats" in English). Sometimes when you don't speak a language totally fluent, you get fun responses...
Us: Te gustan Los Chivas?
Do you like The Goats? (We were trying to ask about the soccer team)
Driver: Chivos?
Goats?
Us: Si, Chivos.
Yes, Goats.
Driver: Solo en birria!
Only in goat stew!
4. Look up at some murals
I haven't been to the Sistine Chapel, so I guess I haven't seen the mural to end all murals, but there were some pretty impressive murals in Guadalajara buildings by José Clemente Orozco. For government buildings, they were quite provocative!
5. I can't think of a 5th
Sorry, Guadalajara is a cool town and all, but 2 days was enough time. Plus, Top 4 Things didn't sound like a good name for a post. If you go there, maybe you can give me a fifth one.
Comments on "Top 5 Things to Do In Guadalajara"
#5 would be Omar and Addi live there....(lindsay's "exchange" student brother and his wife)...glad you're having fun.
Next time we pass through, we'll ask for Omar and Addi. Surely there can only be one of each in the city.
if you are headed there again maybe i can hook you up.....unfortunately they were in puebla With a seriously ill parent. So you will have to take my word on them being worthy of #5....
I will take nobody's word for nothing! Until I meet these "Omar and Addi", I will assume they are a figment of your imagination.
What page was that in my Guadalajara history textbook? (Hmmmm.....looking....looking)
The Sistine Chapel is a visual masterpiece that filled Dad and me with awe and a strange degree of peaceful reverence.....especially remembering what "Charlton Heston" went through to create it! It appears as if Guadalajara's mural was equally difficult and although the images are more abstract, equally facinating.
I have ALWAYS felt Strongly that ART is, first and foremost, a form of self-expression. And what you have pointed up in your recent experience demonstrates that very clearly. Thanks for sharing some of Guadalajara's architecture, music and visual art. The Voice of its People!
by Mumsie at March 23, 2008 10:31 PM