Guadalajara
2/16/2009
In an effort to heed the warnings about driving in Mexico’s largest cities, we decided to capitalize on the convenient location of our new station in Villa Corona and take a day trip on the bus to Guadalajara. Two different bus routes are available to Guadalajara, one to the old terminal in the center of town and one to the new terminal about ten kilometers south of town, closer to Tlaquepaque. Both are caught along the main street in Villa Corona from a bus stop, which is attended by a ticket salesman. Wanting to explore the historic areas of downtown, we chose the old terminal destination.
Although less than forty miles from Villa Corona, the bus trip takes about an hour and fifteen minutes and is worth the 28 peso fare. There are vendors both selling snacks on the bus and heading to their target markets for the day. We were fortunate enough to encounter three fellows selling some sort of long cooked potato item that they graciously let us sample. Muy rico!
Upon arrival in town we made our way approximately fifteen blocks to the north to the area surrounding the Catedral de Guadalajara and its associated plazas. Along the way we could not help but notice the abundance of commercial and retail services – everything from sewing machines to shoes, in mass profusion. Deceived by the reports of spring-like temperatures at the 5,200 foot elevation of the city, we donned long pants and quickly regretted it. Seeking a tree lined town square shade and a snack, we found ourselves on the north side of the cathedral, adjacent to the “Rotunda of Illustrious Men” from where we noticed an open air bus tour. Somewhat overwhelmed by the size of the city, we hopped on board the Tapatio bus and were shuttled all over both Guadalajara and Tlaquepaque. The history of these areas is quite fascinating and well relayed in the multi-lingual narration provided on the bus. This provides either an excellent overview of the city for short time visitors or a preview for those wishing to find particular areas to explore in more detail.
Rotunda of Illustrious Men
On the Bus
Plaza de la Bandera
Catedral de Guadalajara
Plaza de Armas
Telephone Company – this building was moved 12 meters while remaining fully operational, with the employees inside – hence the pushing man statue
Universidad de Guadalajara
Glorieta la Minerva
Los Arcos Del Milenio
Templo Expiatorio
Plaza de Armas
In an effort to heed the warnings about driving in Mexico’s largest cities, we decided to capitalize on the convenient location of our new station in Villa Corona and take a day trip on the bus to Guadalajara. Two different bus routes are available to Guadalajara, one to the old terminal in the center of town and one to the new terminal about ten kilometers south of town, closer to Tlaquepaque. Both are caught along the main street in Villa Corona from a bus stop, which is attended by a ticket salesman. Wanting to explore the historic areas of downtown, we chose the old terminal destination.
Although less than forty miles from Villa Corona, the bus trip takes about an hour and fifteen minutes and is worth the 28 peso fare. There are vendors both selling snacks on the bus and heading to their target markets for the day. We were fortunate enough to encounter three fellows selling some sort of long cooked potato item that they graciously let us sample. Muy rico!
Upon arrival in town we made our way approximately fifteen blocks to the north to the area surrounding the Catedral de Guadalajara and its associated plazas. Along the way we could not help but notice the abundance of commercial and retail services – everything from sewing machines to shoes, in mass profusion. Deceived by the reports of spring-like temperatures at the 5,200 foot elevation of the city, we donned long pants and quickly regretted it. Seeking a tree lined town square shade and a snack, we found ourselves on the north side of the cathedral, adjacent to the “Rotunda of Illustrious Men” from where we noticed an open air bus tour. Somewhat overwhelmed by the size of the city, we hopped on board the Tapatio bus and were shuttled all over both Guadalajara and Tlaquepaque. The history of these areas is quite fascinating and well relayed in the multi-lingual narration provided on the bus. This provides either an excellent overview of the city for short time visitors or a preview for those wishing to find particular areas to explore in more detail.
Rotunda of Illustrious Men
On the Bus
Plaza de la Bandera
Catedral de Guadalajara
Plaza de Armas
Telephone Company – this building was moved 12 meters while remaining fully operational, with the employees inside – hence the pushing man statue
Universidad de Guadalajara
Glorieta la Minerva
Los Arcos Del Milenio
Templo Expiatorio
Plaza de Armas
My wife and I are really enjoying your travels. Especially Guadalajara; my father before he passed away was planning on retiring there but unfortunately never got the chance. Sandie and I leave for Mazatlan Mar 4; we have just retired and have a house rented in Centro for three months - we'll see if long term and/or Maz is for us. Keep blogging - the stories are great!
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