Return from Guadalajara

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Spent a five-day weekend in Guadalajara (GDL) and returned on Vallarta Plus last night at midnight. I like GDL in the least but it was great to catch up with a few old friends, which is why I went at all. Hope they soaked it up because am not planning on returning anytime soon.

During my visit I was bothered by teeny-boppers to pose for snapshots, stayed at the newly opened Black Sheep Lodge, ate rose petal flavored ice cream and coconut pastries, had a steam and massage, bought a copper bracelet, imbibed many martinis at Chai, and, at long last, toured Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum of curiosities.

Most curious of all was that not much has changed: Same beggars----no, seriously, the very same vagabonds from eight years ago----are still schlepping and begging...and in the very same spots. Dios mio! I mean, get a positive mindset and go make a goddamn life already! The buses still lurch to a halt but zoom otherwise; skateboarders congregate in Parque Revolucion; clueless girls continue to be employed as cashiers, and (closeted) homos cruise the magazine stands in Sanborns. Of the changes I did notice the AM/PM gas station mini marts are now 7-11s and the city  has an express bus service similar to Mexico City's. And there are far more Chinese buffets than necessary.

As shared on a previous post I am fond of coconut. In fact, I bought a baby coconut just this evening. Anywho, no panaderias in Vallarta make coconut muffins like the Danes bakery in GDL so I brought a couple back for tasty souvenirs! As for the rose petal ice cream, the confection is made from actual rose petals and, hot damn, tastes just like a silken flower; and it's pink, too. You can find the family run ice cream shop (nieveria) at the corner of Av. Alcalde and Manuel Acuna, one block from the federal immigration building. 

Since patronizing the Twisted Palms I've developed a palate for martinis which led me to the two Chai restaurants in town to take advantage of the $29pesos martini specials. They were made with vodka, Oso Negro no doubt, but at twenty-nine pesitos I drank 'em down and dared not complain. Exxxcellent. 


The Ripley museum was worth the admission. When I came to GDL years ago admission was $25pesos. Now it costs $50pesos. But am glad I went; stared at every artifact and read nearly every exhibit. But most of all am glad to be out of Guadalajara and back home.