Sam And Saundra's Year Long Adventure - Part 78

Sam And Saundra’s Year Long Adventure – Part 78

Mexico 

3/20/09 - Guadalajara – Tour

This is our last official tour of this trip!  We have already seen the ‘last’ ruins.  We have enjoyed every one of them, and they are some of the main reasons we came on this type of trip. But we are happy that this is our last official tour.  We bound up and get to the office area where we wait for he bus.  We don’t mind waiting, since we can look for more rocks.  The bus comes and we meet our last guide.  He is an architect by trade and a licensed guide for fun.  He is very nice and easy for us non-bilingual, hearing challenged, people to understand.  He points interesting things out on our way. Our first stop is at a statue of a herd of running horses.  Of course we get pictures.  We are next to a glorietta that has the month, day and year ‘written’ out in colorful blooming flowers.  It is changed every morning at very, very early, so that it is always correct.  That’s cool. A little obsessive, but cool.

Action Figures

Different Shapes

Our guide points out all of the different buildings from an architectural influence perspective – duh.  He makes it very interesting and we both enjoy seeing the various neighborhoods.  We are dropped off in the main plaza, abutting the large cathedral.  We have time for coffee and find a pastry shop.  We also scurry around for batteries for the camera so I can take my usual hundreds of pictures.  Next we walk to the cathedral and tour as much as we can.  Although no mass is being held at this time, there are a few other functions going on.  A very nice church, with fabulous artifacts. If the US has any like this, they must be in the musty part of the country – they are not in Oregon. Just when I was trying to get a picture of a picture – we are called outside of the cathedral to watch another clock thing where the lifelike saints come out and around a track when certain hours are ‘tolled’.  Very interesting – but way high up.  We get back in the bus and see a remaining gate of the city that is very old and Sam rushes to take a picture of the ‘sexiest’ statue in Guadalajara.  It was a female warrior – fully clothed – so it must have been the helmet. Or maybe it was the other statue of a female that was next to an obelisk.  That picture is kind of blurry.

Cathedral

Clock

We toured another government building that was located in an old building that was once an orphanage.  The murals in this building are amazing.  It is still strange to see fabulous artwork painted right on to the walls.  We go on to yet another government building – where there is a meeting going on.  (The meeting reminds me of Multnomah County commissioners meetings).  We bypass them and go upstairs to see more mural artwork.  We get a mini lesson, but unfortunately, I did not listen – I was taking pictures. We later pass a building where the siding is pretty blue and white tile. We walked around the downtown area, seeing great fountains, statuary, buildings and people.  I was getting pooped. Sam pronounces that this is one of the prettiest cities we have been in.

Wall Murals

Street scene

Various Thrones

We got on the bus and went to the town of Tlaquepaque for a late, late, lunch.  The restaurant featured female mariache bands, where trumpets were used. The restaurant was packed, the food and music were good.  We had a little over an hour to shop around in this very unique-styled artsy area.  Then off again on the bus. 

Waterfront Sign

Sunset

This time our goal was to view the sunset.  One of the most fabulous works of art mankind will ever know.  This one was typical of that ‘fabulous’.  We were taken to Chapala on the Laguna de Chapala – a huge body of water.  Huge, huge, huge.  Very big.  We wandered aimlessly around the park-like area that is located between the village of Chapala and the shoreline. You cannot see the other side of the laguna.  It is huge.  All sorts of fishing is going on.  We walk and goggle, and walk some more, until the sunset spectacle begins.  Then we watch and take pictures and hold hands and think that we are so lucky to be able to take a trip like this and have these experiences to treasure for a lifetime. We both wish you were here.