From Guadalajara, it was a five-hour ride by ETN bus to the city of Guanajuato, the capital of the state of the same name. The city is located about 370 km northwest of Mexico City, at an altitude of 1,996 m above sea level. The city with colonial architecture has a prosperous history thanks to the amount of silver found here by the Spanish in the sixteenth century. Guanajuato has traffic tunnels under the city that were originally built to channel excess water out of the city.
I stayed in a hotel at the central Plaza de la Paz, which includes the yellow cathedral that defines the cityscape. From here I walked through the winding streets and narrow cobblestone alleys (callejones). Notable buildings include the white building of the university, the Mercado Hidalgo in a building once built as a train station and the beautiful Juarez theater. I visited the mummy museum, which exhibits hundreds of mummies. By cable car I went to the statue of city hero Pipila. From here I had a wonderful view of the city. In the (cold) evenings, I was entertained by the Callejoneadas. I followed these groups of traditionally dressed musicians (estudiantinos) who make traditional folk music while moving through the alleys of the city.
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I went on an organized tour to Tequila, about 60 kilometers from Guadalajara. With an international group of 12, we first visited a distillery in Amatitan for a small tour and tasting. Then we made a stop for drinking a Cantaritos (tequila cocktail in stone pot) among fields full of blue agave. Then lunch was consumed on the flanks of the Tequila volcano. Here we had beautiful views of the village of Tequila in the valley.
We spend the afternoon in Tequila. First at the distillery of the famous brand Jose Cuervo. Then we had time to explore the village on our own. In the busy evening rush hour we returned to Guadalajara. By Vallarta Plus bus, I travelled in about 5 hours from Sayulita to the Zapopan terminal in Guadalajara. There I took an Uber to my hotel in downtown Guadalajara. This city is located in the state of Jalisco in the highlands of western Mexico. With over 5 million residents, Guadalajara is the largest metropolitan area in Mexico after Mexico City. The city, where Mariachi music originated, actually consists of several small towns that have grown together.
During my first day in the city, it only rained. Still, I walked a lot I the area around the cathedral; theeye-catcher of the old town. Fortunately, the next day I also saw the city in sunshine. I visited the Cabañas museum (in an old orphanage) and took the subway to the colourful village of Tlaquepaque, a "Pueblo Magico" within the Guadelajara metropolitan area. I took the local bus from Sayulita to San Pancho. This small quiet village lies on a beautiful long beach a few miles north of Sayulita. From the bus stop on the "highway" I walked down the main street straight to the beach. Other than a little walk around the village, I spend the entire afternoon on the beach enjoying the waves, pelicans and sunshine.
I took an Uber to go 45 kilometers north of Puerto Vallarta to the village of Sayulita, in the state of Nayarit. The number of surfers, hippies and gringos is quite high here, but there is still a relaxed atmosphere in this so-called "Pueblo Magico". The liveliness takes place mainly in the central square and the streets around it.
The beach 'Playa Sayulita' was not very clean, with too many surfers in the sea and a crowded beach packed with beach beds and vendors. A little further north (Playa Norte) was better to me: less people and fewer buildings. At the end of that beach, I climbed over some rocks to take a short hike to virgin Playa Malpaso. Just south of Sayulita, I also visit the beaches Playa de los Muertos (next to a cemetery) and the quiet Playa Carricitos. |
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December 2023
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