Guadalajara – Introduction

The next stop on my work avoidance tour is Mexico. This is a place I’ve always wanted to visit. I’m a bit of an archeology buff, so I’m looking forward to seeing the pyramids and the layers of history. First stop, is Guadalajara. I’m staying with some friends, so this should be a good introduction to genuine Mexican life, not the prepackaged tourist version.


To be honest, I really didn’t know what to expect from Mexico. I didn’t know whether it would be a poor country, rich country or what. Luckily, Mexicans haven’t worked this out yet either. The city itself is the second biggest in the country after Mexico City. It’s a large industrial city, with lots of factories, plants and other such things. This means one thing – it’s a busy place!

The city has really boomed over the past twenty years or so, but the centre of the city is well preserved. The centre used to be the main commercial hub, but over the years, this has moved out to other suburbs with better transport and parking. This means the tourists pretty much have the centre to themselves, which is great.

The other thing I’ve been looking forward to is the Mexican food. The “Mexican” food we have in Australia and England is really not that Mexican. It’s what they call “Tex Mex” – a Texan version of the real deal. Food from Taco Bell is not really Mexican at all. On the other hand, talking to some locals, they say they never eat Mexican food, as they like to have their bowels in one piece and not splattered all over the lavatory. Nice.

So far, so good. The streets are mostly clean, the people are very friendly and the sun is shining. What more can you ask for!