The Visit, Guadalajara

“Why not continue from where we left in Texas?” Am I thinking to myself when Mads is giving me 3 difference options for dinner. I have no doubt about choosing the option with the steak house, La Artesenal, where they are serving a 500-gram entrecote for only 160 pesos.

After we have giving our order, can we hear the sound of the beaf be laid on the grill while we are sitting at the tares in this small restaurant. We are having two locals’ beers, and when I’m seeing the beef do I know that the taste only can be good. My filling is right, when the knife is cutting easily through the meat this thursday evening.

The first Bridge

Before I went out of my door in Mexico City did Mads advised me to take some trainings close with me cause as he said, “we might need to walk a bit”.

This Friday morning when I’m walking down and looking over the landscape of Barranca de Huentián, which is located in the northeastern part of Guadalajara. When I’m looking over the valley can I see a river 700 height meter below us. It is the river “El Rio Grande Santiago”. Mads and I are slowly starting our climbing down to the river. The road is good but steep. The sun is making sure that we will get some color doing our trip. The few people who we are meeting on our way are on their way back. They are breathing loud and heavy. Even though the road not is to steep can we still see that the way back is going to be hard, the further down we are coming.

The way down into the Valley is famous for the possibility to see a railroad. When we are turning on a corner, can we see the wire and the tracks. The wire needs to be strong because the tracks is making a road which is even steeper than the way we are walking. With the silence around us and seeing the tracks cutting through the landscape is impressive.

The sound from the river is coming closer when Mads and I are getting closer to the bottom of the valley. There is still no people so it fills like having everything for us self which is a privilege we can’t complain about. We are following the riverside for about 1,5 km before we can see a bridge in the horizon coming closer. The Bridge is the “Puente de Arcediano” we can see. When we are coming closer can we see a policeman standing at the bridge. He is explaining us that the original “Puente de Arcadino” was build in 1894 to connect the two sides of the river “El Rio Grande Santiago”. At this time was it the first bridge in Mexico and the second in Latin America. The bridge we are standing on is a copy of the original one that was destroyed in 2005 and rebuild in 2013.

With the mountains on both our sites are we starting the 700 hight meters claiming back up to the nivel where we started. We are taking a different road back up, which should be faster but where the steps should be higher and harder. When we return to the top, do we understand why the people we meet at the beginning had a heavy breathing, the closer they were coming to the top.

I see you falling

Guadalajara is the second biggest city in Mexico, established in 1531. Guadalajara is especially famous for the historical centrum with the famous Cathedral and the Building Hospice Cabañas, which is a part of UNESCO World Heritage site since 1997. It is especially famous for the paintings by the artist José Clemente Orozco.

This sunday afternoon when I’m taking a walk through the city is some traditional dancers performing at the square in front of the Cathedral. Around them is there a circle of people, who is looking at their performens. At this time can I really see and fill that this is a different city en comparison to Mexico City. The city seams to be more traditional and smaller but on the other hand is there a lot of motorbikes on the streets which all are making a lot of noose so you can’t miss seeing them, while they are passing by you.

The dancers on the square are in traditional closes and seams to being enjoying their time. The traditional is what I also was witnessing the day before when Mads was showing me the area Tlaquepaque, which is known for its main street Calle Independencia where there is a lot of shops with art and design or alternative decor.

5 people are sitting in 10 meters height in front of the church. They are ready with a rope around their hips to let them fall out and rotate around the stick while the only thing that’s keeps them alive is the rope. They have made the rope tight around the post before they are letting them fall and flying around it in the air as if they were sitting in a “carousel”, as one of them you see in a Tivoli. All are warring traditional closes and is flying in the air, as this is the most normal thing to do for them.