Mummies and Mariachis in Guanajuato

Chris and I just got back (to Irapuato) from four days in nearby Guanajuato. In the photo is a real mummified baby, one of many dead people on display at the mummy museum in Guanajuato. There are hundreds of mummies - large mummies, small mummies (the smallest mummy in the world in fact), hairy mummies, anatomically correct mummies... The mummies are all in glass coffins lining a labyrinth of neon-lit rooms. Add some techno music and it would be a rave gone terribly wrong - except that people don’t bring their children to raves and quite a few families were at the mummy museum.

Mummies aside, Guanajuato is a beautiful city of sorbet-colored buildings climbing up mountains. Because many of the above-ground roads are too small for cars, there is a whole system of roads that run underground, inside the mountain. I’m not just talking about tunnels, I’m talking about a full grid of streets with signs, intersections, sidewalks and everything - all under the city. Since so many of the streets are car free, it is much quieter and cleaner than your average city. Everyone walks and, much of the walking being uphill, it is quite a workout. We found this out on our first full day when we hiked to the top of the Pipila. The good news, everything is gorgeous, and there are plenty of spots where you can use picture taking as an excuse to stop and catch your breath. (That’s Chris looking over the city from the Pipila.)

There are lots of museums, stores, and shows in Guanajuato, but the best thing is to just chill out and people watch. Everyone is very cosmopolitan, young and stylish. There are punk rock teenagers with studded bracelets, skate rats with checkerboard sneakers, little kids in school uniforms with Spongebob backpacks, university students in designer jeans, and exchange students in hippy clothes. (What is it with the skirt over the pants thing? I really want to know.) Occasionally, a tourist will come by. You can recognize the tourists by their pale/red skin, khaki-colored clothing, hideous shoes, and panama hats. They are usually carrying an extra 30 to 50 pounds and resemble an overstuffed beige sofa. We watched the parade of people from several different outdoor cafes and shady park benches. The local students prefer to people-watch from the steps of the Juarez Theater. It’s like one huge stoop.

We treated ourselves to a nice hotel right on the Jardin de Union, in the center of it all. It had a king-sized bed, wireless internet, and what I now consider to be a luxurious bathroom (fully functional, clean and including a hairdryer). From our room, we could hear music from the Jardin (garden) down below. There is a rotunda where bands play every night. There are also dozens of mariachis, who all seem to know each other, and who gather around and talk until someone hires them for a song. You always know which mariachis go together because of their matching outfits, like a life-sized game of Concentration.

That’s us being dorks in a museum in Guanajuato. We are in Irapuato until the 26^th and then its off to Mexico City. (Chris’s blog will tell you a bit about Irapuato, but I want to get more photos (especially of Natalie) before I post. Ciao.

Tequila, tequila and more tequila

That’s me in Guadalajara. I am paying bills, but still happy. Not working is so nice. I’m in a pasteleria (cake shop) right below our hotel and am about to have a mocha and a big piece of napoleon (which will be delicious). They had free wireless and we took advantage as much as possible. When we weren’t eating at the OK Pasteleria, we were usually to be found at La Chata, a restaurant that has been around since the 1940s. They had great cheap food and it was right across the street from our hotel.

Speaking of our hotel - we stayed in a converted 130-year-old mansion. The lobby was beautiful, full of murals and character. The rooms were nothing to write home about, but perfectly adequate. The bathroom was the real treat. It was basically a shower stall with a toilet and sink inside. The good thing is, you could take a shower and take a crap at the same time. (Gotta be careful not to get the tp wet.) The truly talented could also wash some clothes in the sink while they did their S,S & S. How’s that for multitasking?

We stayed in Guadalajara for 6 days. It reminded me a bit of Miami. It’s hot (although not as sticky). There are lots of people, cars, malls and all the other crap that cities have these days. Unlike Miami; however, Guadalajara has centuries-old buildings and mind-blowing murals. Like most Mexican towns, they also have music and exhibits in the plaza every weekend and lots of free (or very cheap) art and entertainment.

The first day we were in Guadalajara, they were inaugurating a new governor and so most things were closed.. We spent the better part of the day chasing down a guitar string and a plug adaptor. (None of the guidebooks mentioned that most places did not have three-pronged plugs.) The next day we went to see the Jose Clemente Orozco murals, the reason for our stop.

This is a picture of one part of the murals, but it doesn’t do it justice at all. We were completely blown away. The murals are in a cavernous, ballroom-sized hall in what used to be an orphanage. Every wall and patch of ceiling (in between stone beams and arcs) is covered in murals about the conquest. To paint these murals, Orozco, who was disabled, must have climbed up a scaffolding at least forty feet high with only one hand and very poor eyesight. Amazing.

After the murals, we saw the cathedral. Inside they have the body of some martyred little girl in a glass case. She was apparently killed during anti-catholic violence. They have plastered her face so that it doesn’t look completely disgusting (at least that’s what I think they did), but she still appears to have a full head of hair. Her hands are repulsive, completely grotesque and gnarly. Creepy.

The highlight of our trip was a tour we took to Tequila. It was the first time I have ever been on a tour, but we decided that, since we wanted to partake in the town’s namesake beverage, it would be better if someone else drove. Turns out the tour was great. Our guide knew everything about everything (or at least made up really good answers). We went to the Jose Cuervo factory. Their tequila is terrible, but the factory is in a beautiful old hacienda. We got plenty of opportunities for tasting (everything from raw agave to aged tequila). As you can see, they made us wear hairnets. The nice thing is, after enough tequila, you don’t care that you look like the elementary school lunch lady.

The night we got back from tequila, there was a blackout. The entire block lost electricity. When we went out on the balcony, we saw tons of smoke gushing past the cathedral and other buildings in the main square. You can see it in the picture. The fire was still smoking the next day when we went by, but our lights were only out for a couple hours. Glad we brought flashlights.

That basically catches you up on Guadalajara. We are now in Irapuato. We have been here two nights and Isela’s family has been incredible. I’ll put up another post in a few days and tell you all about it.

Sad Goodbye to Chacala

That’s Chris on our balcony in Chacala (before he broke a guitar string).

We delayed leaving Chacala for a day. I gave Chris my stomach bug. Wasn’t that nice of me? Luckily it wasn’t too bad.

It was a very sweet and extended goodbye with Lupe and Pablo. Poor Chris stood there and smiled, trying not to fall over. In addition to carrying his two-ton backpack and guitar, he also had my box of books. Yes, I brought a box of books. I know. It’s a little crazy. I figure I will leave them when I finish them. Yeh, yeh. It’s still crazy.

We had to take the local bus/taxi into Las Varas first. (Picture on old minivan blasting mariachi music or love songs). The bus doesn’t have a schedule. It comes “cada rato” or “every little while” so we shlepped our stuff to a restaurant near the main road and waited. Eventually we heard the bus honking and went out to let him know we wanted on.

When we arrived in Las Varas , the Guadalajara bus was already there. We had to make a run for it. Luckily, the Chacala bus/taxi driver was nice enough to carry some of our crap for us and the Guadalajara bus waited.

So that is it for Chacala. We caught the four hour bus ride to Guadalajara, on which we saw the Adam Sandler movie Click (subtitled, not dubbed, thank goodness). The scenery outside went from Southern California hilly scrubbrush, dotted with a pueblo here and there, to golf courses and gated communities as we got closer to Guadalajara. We arrived in Guadalajara on Wed afternoon. We didn’t get a chance to do much yesterday as it was inauguration day for the new governor. More on Guadalajara next post.