On Sunday morning, Marty was up bright and early, checking on places for breakfast. Unfortunately, the mall was still closed and didn't look like it was going to open any time soon. Anxious to be on our way, we decided to load up the car and drive to Tlaquepaque. Unable to find a proper map, we were relying on a tourist map, written in Spanish, from the hotel lobby next door. Not exactly high tech but we were confident we could figure it out. Four mature adults, eight sharp eyes and no extreme hangovers. We were all pretty hungry though so food was in the forefront of everyone's mind as we set out.
I knew, from looking at the "map", that Tlaquepaque was south and east of our location so we headed in that direction, towards downtown Guadalajara. Marty reminded us that the date was November 20 or El Dia de la Revolucion (Day of the Revolution) and if Guad was anything like PV, the streets would be crowded with people in the parade. We were partly right. The streets were busy with some kind of bike-a-thon and there were detour signs everywhere. We were constantly thwarted by the police, sending us north when we wanted to go south. Finally, we turned right, somehow bypassing the mess downtown and headed towards the suburbs.
Tlaquepaque is essentially an arts community, located on the southern fringes of Guadalajara, next to TonaLA (accent on the last syllable). Tonala is where they make a lot of the touristy-type crafts (i.e. junk) you see for sale in Vallarta. I found it to be a bit more rustic and industrial than Tlaquepaque and therefore, not as pretty. So when I asked my travelling companions where they wanted to go, they all voted for Tlaquepaque! We went past a huge seafood market and then found a bus with the word "Tlaquepaque" written in the front display window. So we followed that for awhile, past some HUGE palm trees (at least 10 stories high!) and then finally located Ninoes Heroes which took us right to Calle Juarez which disects central Tlaquepaque.
Wonders of wonders, we found a parking spot right away and a restaurant open, serving breakfast across the street. Service was slow and the food was mediocre but once sufficiently satiated, we grabbed a few necessities out of the car and headed towards the main square. A couple of yards from the car and the restaurant, I spotted a sign hanging over a green metal door that said "La Media Luna B&B". Since I had done a bit of research before the trip, it sounded sort of familiar. It didn't look like much from the outside, but I encouraged my friends to walk in with me and look for someone in charge. I met the owner, Josephina, who informed me that she had two rooms available for a cost of $320 pesos (one bed) and $550 pesos (two beds). We were interested, so she called one of the young men working there to take us up and show us the rooms, which were in the process of being cleaned.
The larger room overlooked the main square ("El Parian") and had two beds in two rooms with a TV, closet and bathroom. We decided to take the rooms so I paid for them in cash and we left to enjoy our day, promising to return after lunch when the rooms would be ready. We had read signs on the way into town that there was an expositon of Latin American artists at the Refugio so we headed there with Josephina's precise directions. After paying the $10 peso coverage charge, we entered into a huge congested hallway, lined with artesans and their crafts. There were colourful wool sweaters from Equador, silver jewellery from Columbia, woven fabrics, clay pottery, wrought iron lamps, blown glass decanters, handcarved wooden figurines, straw handbags, cotton hats, stone sculptures, etc.etc.etc. As the morning progressed, the crowds grew larger and passage became almost impossible through the narrow hallways.
We bought our few treasures (Peruvian pottery for Heidi, Ecuadorian sweater for Missy, woven change purse for me, iron key holder shaped like bull horns for Martin) and escaped out into the afternoon sunlight. Martin offered to take our packages back to the B&B while we continued shopping. We thankfully dumped everything into his willing hands and headed out to Calle Independencia, better known to me as the pedestrian mall. This street is a "walking street" with traffic only at intersections running north and south. The street itself stretches for five or six blocks and is filled with art galleries, decorator shops, and stores selling jewellery, leather, clothing, tequila, glassware, stoneware, iron works, etc.etc.etc. I found a chiminea (small chimney for burning candles) for only $90 pesos!!! Missy bought a beautiful cotton embroidered top for $160 pesos.
Marty eventually found us without too much difficulty (I think he just followed our squeals of delight) and we all agreed that shopping is very hot and thirsty work. So we ducked into a really cool bar/restaurant/shop on the corner and ordered something cold. The girls had margaritas, I had a tequila ceasea and Marty had a beer. The place was very nice (wish I could remember the name) and they had a HUGE bar with many, many tequila selections. In addition, there was a BIG chair in which we all posed. After drinks, we headed back to the hotel and I was tired so I laid down for a while. The other three went out to tour around the Parian and listen to the mariachi. After about an hour, they returned and we changed to do out for dinner. It had cooled down substantially and after a stunning sunset, we wandered back outside and over to the pedestrian mall for dinner.
My last time in T.P., I ate at El Patio but I didn't particularly enjoy it. The food was mediocre Mexican (the kind they feed to tourists who don't know any better), the place was crowded and noisy, they had birds in cages in the direct hot sunlight with no water. I spent more time "watering" the budgies than I did eating! So I nixed El Patio and we kept walking. We found a jewel of a restaurant called Casa Fuerte (www.casafuerte.com). It is a Mexican restaurant but the menu contains authentic Mexican cuisine from all over the country, including many dishes from colonial times. Add an excellent wine list and we were all extremely pleased with our choices for dinner. Although the restaurant was closing shortly after our arrival, the service was attentive and expeditious without making us feel rushed.
After dinner, we strolled back to the B&B slowly, savouring the sights and sounds of this beautiful place. We had some wine with us (coincidentally the same wine they served us in the restaurant!) so we popped that open and sat outside on the terrace at the hotel, talking about the weekend. The other guests started rolling in and most of them were exhibitors from the craft show. The night wound down and we retired relatively early. I slept like a dead person and woke the next morning refreshed and hungry. Breakfast was served outside, on the same terrace we enjoyed the night before and consisted of coffee, fresh juice, fresh fruit and french toast. We ate, tipped, loaded up the car and left for our drive back to Vallarta.
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