Tlaquepaque, GDL

This weekend was great, I got out of work at 3pm on Friday and went grocery shopping (I am ashamed to admit because I am not a fan of large American corporations invading other countries and profiting immensely), but I went to Walmart and got everything I need to be comfortable in my new apt- from qtips to a mattress! Yes I am all set. It was an adventure getting there since I didn't have a tren ligero map or a city map- but I asked some nice people on the streets and walked a little ways and made it. Then on the way back with my 70 bags of new sheets, ranch dressing and chips, I sat in the front seat of this taxi with a very nice older man (or de tercer edad) who talked to me about all the wonders of Mexico and his paisanos as he called Mexicans. It was a great conversation and he said I speak very well and that I should make sure to go to the beach for sure while I am here. He said he doesn't like my country but I could tell he respected me. He also was talking about Mexico (or DF/ Mexico city as they call it) and said he will never go back- too much pollution and people and they think they are better than GDL. It reminds me of SF and NYC- a little rivalry. But we all know CA is better...:)

Then my nice neighbor, Pablo, who I met the day I moved in took me on a tour of the city in his 80s VW bug- there are of lot of them here. Its funny to see old beaten up cars here next to new ones that people in recent generations are buying from the US because they are more affordable now. So we saw Zapopan a neighborhood, Chapultepec where all the bars/cafes are, some of the Plazas and Galerias, and ended up at a fun bar called scratch where there was some bluesy jazz music playing. Very fun for my first Friday night in GDL!

Saturday was great, my new mattress arrived and then I met my friend Susana who is from GDL and we took the 275 bus (which is crazy, I was definitely holding on for my dear life with the way people drive here and with the pot holes- wow) to Tlaquepaque which is in the city and is known for being the artsy area. They have great hand made nechlaces, wall hanging, weaving, dolls and much more from all over Mexico. I will definitely be back. Susana doesn't speak english so it was great for me to continue speaking spanish all day. She cracks me up...we had a good time going from a Chela of Victoria (beer) to coffee to an ice Jamaica drink throughout the day while walking around. Here are some pics: