Well, here we are in our hotel room in Tonala/Guadalajara - MUCH nicer place to be at than the one last night. :) It seems only fitting that as we leave Mexico that we should go through one of my favorite places in the world - Guadalajara! This is my 11th trip here, and even though it is a big city, I just love the areas of Tonala, Tlaquepaque and downtown Guadalajara. Of course, again, we are limited by the animals, but I already went out as soon as we got here and walked through Tonala enjoying the items that the many artisans have for sale and remembering many great times here with friends and clients who became friends.
So.... today started by looking for coffee (should have somehow packed that coffee pot!), getting fueled up and hitting the road. We are listening to books on @audible.com and are currently listening to a Joel Rosenberg book that Bob's daughter got her for Father's Day. Fast action, suspense and intrigue! It tends to make the drive go faster (and sometimes the driver as well), but at the same time, I find myself pleasantly distracted by all that goes by us. We noticed the scenery getting greener and greener...and then it started getting steeper as well - lots of beautiful greeeeen mountains, curving roadways - and again, LOTS more tolls! 747 pesos or $59.00! A lot of the way was 2 lane roads because they were working on them, so passing was treacherous and often the 2 lanes became 3. Fortunately, the shoulders were plenty wide to accommodate us all. One tidbit of info: If you are on a toll road in Mexico and something happens to your car - broken window or a breakdown caused by something on the road - you show them your receipt and they will pay for repairs to your vehicle. Sweet!
Along the highway - in several places - we saw these little "tents" of sorts. 4 poles connected to 4 poles on top and a cloth covering. Almost every one of them - sometimes 10 in a row - we selling Camarones Seco (Dried Shrimp) 8x100. Have no idea what the 8 stands for - 8 bags? 8 kilos? - but there was a LOT of it for sale! They almost always had mangoes stacked there for sale as well. I have pics on my phone, but no connector right now.
We also passed through the area of Tequila - fields and fields of the bluish green agave plant cover the hillsides along the roads contrasting with the black basalt rock that surrounds them...really quite dramatic. Definitely big business!
Really happy here in the room - this time the bed actually has a top mattress on it. Last time I slept on box springs!?!?! I guess they thought it was a great deal when they got 2 mattresses for the price of one?
So...goodnight all.
Oops! Forgot about our arrival to Guadalajara. Oh yeah - don't wanna miss this. Took an early Tonala exit - it wasn't right, so got back on the freeway (like driving in LA!), then missed the next exit and ended up not being able to get off the freeway to turn around. Good news, we got fuel and stopped at a subway for lunch/dinner. Bad news - no where to turn around. Good news - found a place, finally - literally a tunnel underneath the ground, under the highway that took us back the other way. Bad news - it didn't put us back on the highway. Good news - we got close to where we needed to be on surface streets. Bad news - The roads were like a war zone - when we got closer, roads were blocked off for some fiesta, and a guy sent us to the left and we ended up at a dead end and could barely turn around. More bad news - had to back track the entire way (several blocks) going the wrong way down a one way street. Good news - finally made it to the hotel. More good news - couldn't help but laugh through the entire ordeal.
Was the hotel okay with your dogs? Or did you have to pay extra? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThis hotel was fine with the dogs - they just ask that they not bark. There really isn't a good area to walk them, though - pretty much, just on the streets, which tend to be quite busy with traffic. This is a great hotel, though - we have stayed here for years.
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