So after all the excitement in Vallarta, I decided it was finally time to leave and head on to my next destination, Guadalajara. (I also wanted to get out of that compound in case I ran into the people whose house I tried to break into).
After a nice big lunch with Paty and Gustavo, I embarked on my first Mexican bus experience! All in all it was pretty uneventful, with the only ´exciting´ event being that I couldn´t figure out how to flush the toilets, and thus spent the whole 5 hour journey in discomfort (I did not want to run the risk of overflowing the little travel potty and REALLY embarrass myself). The ride itself was really pretty - the land is speckled with big fields of cool blue agave, which I initially thought were pineapple plantations. They look similar enough.
A bit about Gaudalajara.....Guadalajara is the second largest city in Mexico (Mexico City, or the Distrito Federal, is by far number one). It´s hard to find the exact population, and no one really seems to know for sure, but I´ve heard 4.5 million a few times, so it must be around there. Regardless of exactly how many inhabitants it has, it´s a big city, and thus a lot of fun to explore! The downtown is an interesting mix of old, elegant colonial buildings infused with modern structures housing fast food chains and brand name retail stores. You can be walking on a broad avenue, similar to one you´d find in any large metropolis, and then turn a corner and be facing a tiny little cobblestone street flanked by 16th century edifices. It´s a neat mix.
Being such a large urban center, there´s always something going on. After dropping my bag off that first night, I grabbed some quesadillas from a street vendor and wandered around a few of the main plazas, only to come upon this huge free concert being held in front of the cathedral. While I can´t say that I particularly loved the music, it was incredibly atmospheric to sit there, amongst thousands of people of all ages, listen to music and eat my late dinner. It is moments like these that I find the most joy in Mexico.
My time in Guadalajara was mostly spent exploring the downtown, visting museums and other historical monuments, walking through artistic neighborhoods and making new friends in the hostel.
On Monday night I went out searching with two other travelers for some good mariachi music (Guadalajara is the home of the infamous Mexican music). After unsuccessfully trying every place we could think of (even the plaza called Plaza of Mariachis) all we came across was a creepy drag queen and some men dressed as mariachis waiting for the bus. Oh well.
The really big night of the week was Tuesday - lucha libre night! Every Tuesday GDL hosts a lucha libre, or Mexican wrestling, match. I was skeptical about going, as I´m not really into wrestling, but decided to explore this part of Mexican culture and see what the big fuss was about. And what an experience!!!
As you approach the stadium you can feel the energy radiating through the air. There´s music, kids are running around with the masks of their favorite luchador on their heads, and the streets are overflowing with people grabbing a quick bite and making excited predictions about the outcome of the match. You can´t help but get excited about what´s to come.
After going through security (as a girl I wasn´t checked - which means I could have snuck in my little camera and captured some of the mayhem) we proceeded to the balcony section and found some empty space on a bench. Within minutes the show began - and I say show, because it was truly a comedic, not a sporting event. A very scantily-clad woman comes out, prances around and then leaves. Then the luchadors come, completely masked, accompanied by smoke effects and their very own soundtrack (one even had the Ghostbusters theme, adding to the hilarity of it all). Some posturing and attempts at intimidating the opponent. And then - the cheesiest, most scripted, but completely hilarious ´wrestling´ moves you can think of. A lot of jumping, slapping, kicking in private areas and belly flopping from the ropes on to the poor soul below. A lot of overacting to get the attention (and admiration) from the audience. But to our surprise, it didn´t end when the match was over - it was followed by another match, this time a tag team, then another, then a 3 on 3, and then the final, ultimate match. Which is apparently the showcaser, and in this instance, included a man known as ¨Super Porky¨, a man whose name aptly fits his physical characteristics. With each match the skill of the characters noticeably increased, and there was indeed some impressive acrobatic/gymnastic feats, such as backflipping off of the ropes. Authentic, no. But requiring skill, yes.
However, the real entertainment of the night came not from the luchadors, but from the crowd themselves. Immediately (and I mean immedately) from the start, the two sections in the arena (it´s divided into the balcony and the floor) began to engage in a sort of verbal tug-of-war with each other. Those in the balcony, all perfectly in sync, begin to hurl racy insults at those on the floor, who immediately proceed (all in sync again) to repeat it back at those in the balcony. This goes on for 6 or 7 turns, which is then followed by a brief period of calm, only to repeat itself all over again, all night long. We were laughing ourselves silly at the whole thing, and many times, would be more distracted by the crowd than the actual wrestling. At first we thought it had to do with who they were cheering for - and thus I made a conscious effort to never clap or appear to be favouring one side over the other, for fear of bringing that wrath upon myself. But later, near the end of the night, we figured out what was really going on - the balcony seats are significantly cheaper than those on the floor. So those who sit on the floor are considered ´wealthy´ while those who sit on the balcony are ´poor´. They´re yelling about money - they say things like, ¨hey poor people, go catch your bus¨ and ¨you´re so rich that.....(put your obscenity/insult of choice here)¨. The people on the floor even throw paper money at those on the balcony, and those on the balcony wear shirts and sweaters saying ¨100% poor¨. It was such a funny, surreal and strange experience. I think most of the fun of it comes from not really knowing what is going on. If you ever find yourself in Mexico, I highly recommend you go see one. You won´t be disappointed.
Next on the agenda was visiting a small town an hour or so outside of Guadalajara. It may sound a bit familiar to you all: it's name is Tequila, and it's famous for, you guessed it, tequila! Guadalajara, and Tequila for that matter, are located in the state of Jalisco, which grows the agave plant, the pineapple resembling bush I saw on my bus ride from PV. Agave is the source of tequila, and all tequila in the world is produced in Tequila - anything else is known as mezcal. (Similar to the concept of how all champagne is made in Champagne and the rest is sparkling wine). Being so close to GDL, I thought a day trip to visit the birthplace of this legendary drink was in order.
We arrived in Tequila a bit later than expected, as the only buses that run out there are second class, meaning they stop at every little village and for every passenger waiting on the side of the road. Sometimes we would pick someone up, then proceed about 5-7 meters, where we would stop for another person. I understand the convienence of stopping frequently, but this is a bit much. I mean, couldn't they just have walked and met each other in the middle? It would take at most a minute or two. But I don't create the bus system (or understand it).
So, after taking 2 1/2 hours to travel 45 kms, we arrived in Tequila! A very cute sun baked town where everyone seems to know everyone, and is immensely curious in the foreigners walking about. Thus, it didn't take long before we had arranged to tour 2 different tequila factories - while being driven in this odd, barrel shaped vehicle.
It was actually really interesting and there's quite a bit to it. First the plant (not the stem, as I had mistakenly believed) is steamed for 36 hours at a very high temperature, then it's mashed and grinded to extract the juices from it. These juices (which, if you saw them, would probably make you think twice about ever drinking tequila again) are then mixed with yeast and left to ferment for a while. (This part is really gross - when we came to the fermenting vats it looked like puss or mould growing on top and they were making these crunching noises). The concoction is then refined, refined and refined again. And there you go, you have tequila! The product is either bottled straight away (and is 'white' tequila, a more basic style), or aged in oak barrels for different time periods. There is reposado, which is aged from 2 months to one year, anejo, from 1 to 3 years, and then extra anejo, which can be aged anywhere upwards from 3 years.
At the end of our tours we got to try each type of tequila - but just a pinch of each. Good thing too, because I am not a big tequila fan and definitely a lightweight. At the end, I turned out Tristan, my travel companion, and said that I thought I was getting a bit light-headed. He turned to me and responded with, "but Nicole, you've had less than a shot total." Well, at least I know my limit (in this case).
And so that sums up my Guadalajara trip - lucha libre y tequila!
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