El Centro, Parte Uno

The first adventure we went on once we were settled into our houses was into "El Centro." We weren't really sure what El Centro would be like; to us, it was just a magical place where everything cost under a dollar, mariachis serenaded la gente (people) at every corner, and all the food would swoon that creepy French critic from Ratatouille. In actuality, very few things are less expensive than they are in the United States, with the leaders in great deals being shoes, toiletries, and clothes. Las Galeries (the mall near our house in Zapopan), is a conglomerate of expensive stores. One could easily buy clothes for ridiculously high prices without looking for too long, and dine at Applebees or Hooters to satisfy the hunger that developed while shopping. Gringo-American is everywhere in Guadalajara, apart from the very poor barrios (ghettos) that we wondered into breifly looking for a bus home; we saw a few fellas who looked like that had killed one or two people in their day so we headed back from whence we came. As a testiment to Americanism in Mexico, I offer this picture of an Uncle Sam monument proudly displayed on the side of a plaza which contains a starbucks and neighbors a Burger King.

We took a bus into El Centro, following the direction of Rosi y Paco. Buses in Guadalajara kill a surprisingly low number of people. They are about 100 degrees when filled to 50% capacity, break nearly every traffic law that exists, and the drivers have an awful realationship with their clutch, constantly abusing it and testing the balance of all their passengers. Nevertheless, riding the bus is a great experience, a way of seeing large portions of the city at 5 pesos (less than 50 cents) per ride, and a Godsend to our weak, tired, gringo-feet.

The first order of business when we arrived in El Centro was to get some food. We wanted some authentic Mexican cuisine, so we avoided anyplace that looked very commercialized and flat out rejected anything displaying a hint of "el otro lado" (the United States). We arrived at a little hole-in-the-wall place in the middle of a bustling market with a density of pedestrians that caused traffic to be redirected. As people hollered out the prices of their various fruits or garments, we feasted on some very mediocre chilaquiles (breakfast dish, but I wanted Korey and Richard to try it) and I introduced Korey and Richard to micheladas (a Mexican beverage: beer dashed with salsa and lime.) I was introduced to this wonder at my brother's wedding in Cancun, and it took 9 or 10 of them to win me over, but now all other beverages just seem to lack flavor. Korey and Richard, after two attempts at appreciating micheladas, will most likely not venture a third. More for Stu.

We then roamed the city looking for interesting things until it started to get dark. On the list of interesting things are a host of churches and cathedrals, the Governmental Palace of Jalisco (the state in which is Guadalajra), some markets, statues, and some very interesting looking people. We even briefly crashed a wedding. We wanted a picture of all three of us, so we asked the largest, most imobile-looking lady we could find to reduce the risk of somebody absconding with our camera.

The mariachis were not what we had imagined. Very few played on the street, but one pair of hombres--one with an accordian and the other with a guitar--wandered onto our bus and serenaded all the passengers. All the Mexicans were very clearly irritated by their presence, but Korey and Richard insisted on showing appreciation, even applauding them and inspiring an encore (which provoked the guy behind us to call us gobachos, a vulgar word for gringos; I told him in Spanish that we couldn't help it, white people just love bad music and he laughed and we chatted until the end of our ride.)

More to come later. For now, we are going to get some dinner, some chelas, and some peliculas (movies and drinks.) I leave you with these pictures, and expectations for entries that will elaborate more on El Centro (for tomorrow), classes (for tomorrow), and the tale of our train ride to Tequilla that we will be taking on Sunday (for Monday). Also, here is a picture that displays nicely the incredible mix of modern and colonial that exists in Guadalajara.

Hasta luego (until then),


buenas suerte y salud.