RETIRING TO MEXICO: PART 2
THIS PART BEGINS WITH THE FIRST DAY OF MY FIVE-DAY VISIT TO DISCOVER IF GUADALAJARA MEETS MY FIVE CRITERIA.
DAY ONE IN GUADALAJARA — IS THERE EVIDENCE OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADVENTURE?
Something awakens me. Is it the birdsong from the tree outside my window, sunlight through the ecru lace curtains at the foot of my bed, the sound of a street vendor´s tinny bell, or is it the sweetness in the air from a nearby panaderia? I’m not sure what. Anyway, I’m up, dressing and in search of evidence for my first criterion, “add adventure to my life”. My goal today is to explore La Plaza de Armas complex. It’s the central gathering place in the heart of Guadalajara’s four hundred-year-old historic center, El Centro.
My suitcase yields a lightweight lavender tee and dark blue cargos. I´m out the door in thirty minutes, standing at the busy street waiting for my Didi (an Uber-like cab).
Less than half an hour later, I squeeze out of my compact back seat and onto a side street near town center. A narrow sidewalk starts me on my journey to El Centro. The target for this sojourn is the fountain at Plaza de Armas. A deep breath sucks in a fragrant mix of brewing coffee, vehicle exhaust, and grilled corn on the cob.
I meander along, in step with a steady stream of brown-toned pedestrians and a scattering of pale whites like me. Some hold snack food or drinks or the hand of wide-eyed child. Because Mexico is familiar to me, it is no surprise to see the citizenry outfitted in the styles of clothing I know exist in any California mall: colorful tee shirts, short skirts, loose-fitting pants, polyester blouses, torn jeans, and shorts of varying lengths.
Suddenly, I stop and gawk…then approach on cat feet. My eyes focus. Before me, a multi-colored array of elegant horse-drawn carriages blocks my path. Like well-oiled wood, the glorious animals glisten in the noonday sun. I stare at their sculptured bodies and imagine stroking their pendulant, ebony manes. Each statuesque animal waits, motionless, hitched to its own elegant landau. I admire the beast in front of me. He snorts and flairs his nostrils. Flies scurry away as his tail sweeps the air around him.
More splendiferous than most of the surreys, are the gold and white wedding carriages. The exterior paneling of these creations is encrusted with gold and silver motifs. Nearby, I hear parents call out to their children, “¡Vente!” as they hurry them toward another group of elaborate carriages, romantically-themed surreys. These valentine-red beauties display ruffle-trimmed heart motifs worked into the designs of their doors and side panels. The trusted steeds and their conveyances encircle the Plaza de Armas. At each tiedown, a young driver entreats passersby to step into his creation for an elegant horse-drawn tour of this remarkable, historic city.
I turn away and continue my journey. At one corner, I glance down a narrow side street. Within eyesight, a young woman clothed in dark jacket and purple skirt sits on the sidewalk. She leans her back against the stuccoed building wall. Her right hand cradles the limp fingers of a childlike girl resting against her. Their eyes fixate on a tin can resting among the folds of the woman´s skirt.
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I move on. The heat of the midday air is punctuated by vender´s calls: “aguas frías, chicle, dulces”. Peddlers of all ages call out their wares. Some braid among the sauntering members of the throng. Their voices mingle in the air as they advertise their twenty-peso candies and single cigarettes. On corner tables, umbrellaed merchants hawk bottles of iced water, cups of fresh melon, and enticing crystalized sweet potatoes, squash, and yams of several colors — orange, yellow, red
A drift of sweetness crosses my path and directs my attention to a makeshift sidewalk table. There, dollops of fried dough, each glazed with fresh honey, lure passersby. I remain stationary for a moment to gaze around me. A clutch of colorfully-dressed, teenagers catches my eye. For a few moments, I watch their gesticulations. I’m fascinated by the rhythm they create with their bodies while they wave their arms and hands in animated conversation.
As I continue my stroll into other parts of the expansive El Centro area, a grand promenade expands before me. A hint of cotton candy sweetens the air. To my right and left as I walk, smaller plazas splay off in other directions. Blocks of shops, cafes, restaurants, and department stores nestle along the streets and alleyways. From inside their prime locations, each is vying for the public´s attention. Familiar to me are the names Liverpool, Parisina, MacDonald´s, and Starbuck´s.
Ahead of me, an incessant beeping and the sound of hordes of shuffling feet assault the airwaves and give rise to a jam-packed pedestrian crossing. Overseeing it all, a forest of traffic control lights blinks yellow, red, green; yellow, red, green. Desiring to watch, I detour into the shade of a corner edifice. Its two canopied walkways intersect behind me. Their massive arches now block the afternoon sun.
My eyes fixate on the pageant unfolding before me: hundreds of human beings negotiate two lines of bumper-to-bumper vehicle traffic. The crosswalks are a rabble of scurrying humanity. The sidewalks resemble airport people movers. Like escalators, each ribbon of concrete carries to its destination a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd of preoccupied shoppers, leisurely meanderers, and wide-eyed tourists.
To my right and to my left, for as far as I can see, towering commercial buildings, like dedicated soldiers, march into the distance, unimpeded — a confluence of ancient and modern at one frenzied intersection.
The rich-roast aroma of fresh coffee comes from behind and beckons me to enter a nearby coffee shop. “Irresistible!” I say to myself. A courteous young man seats me at a handcrafted wooden table fronting one of several ceiling-high plate glass windows which open onto the arched arcade. I again gaze at the throng of human diversity streaming before me.
In step with the throng are hand-holding couples: male/female, female/female, and male/male — diversity on parade!
While sipping my latte, I pull out my cell and Google “Things to see and do in Guadalajara.” The resulting list fills me with delight: tianguis (weekly flea markets) selling fresh fruit and vegetables and a myriad of other things abound. Mexico´s second largest zoo is here. The city is frequented by world class entertainers. In the Plaza de Armas, celebrations and free entertainment materialize weekly. A modern rapid transit system connects outlying areas with El Centro. There is abundant Uber, taxi, and Didi cabs available to serve the city. There is a public aquarium. Within an hour’s drive, historic Pueblos Magicos and other one-of-a-kind attractions mesmerize travelers from all over the world.
I down the dregs of my latte and punch in a call for Didi to return me to my rented apartment.
I’m satisfied that Criterion One is met.
