Blogs from Jalisco, Mexico, North America - page 5

The Vida Sana Institute in Guadalajara is not for the faint of heart. My husband and I spent a week there experiencing the Completo package. We walked on freezing cold grass barefoot before the dawn, we were slathered in cold mud and onion water, we were electrocuted, steamed, hosed down with cold water, and magnetized, we were poked, prodded and probed, and drank an array of concoctions all in the name of good health and paid for the privilege. Not to mention that everything was in Spanish and very few of the employees spoke English, but they liked learning it from us. A few comic misunderstandings entertained both us and the staff. The drive from Ajijic took us through the familiar mountains and into the compounding traffic of the big city of Guadalajara and Tonala. When ... read more

Eenmaal aangekomen in Guadalajara is het eerste wat opvalt dat het een hele mooie stad is. Er is veel groen en de sfeer is erg gemoedelijk. De lanen met bomen met oranje bloesem langszij geven de stad een verfrissende sfeer na de betonnen steden die ik hiervoor bezocht heb. De eerste dag kwam ik rond 1 aan in mijn hostel, maar na al het reizen was ik zo moe dat ik die dag niets anders meer heb gedaan dan uitrusten in een hangmat en heerlijke Taco's eten bij Tomate. In die tent kreeg je een bord met een mix van verschillende vleessoorten en een hoop schaaltjes met sauzen. De Taco's kreeg je er apart bij zodat je zelf je Taco's kon maken met iedere keer wat anders. Dat was zo lekker dat ik er de volgende ... read more

Peurto Vallarta Wednesday Breakfast was included at the Hostel Vallarta--5 fruit plate, banana bread, and coffee. A fruit new to us was included, the yabava, a small, yellow sphere, very sour, somewhat like a lemon. We then walked the residential area around the hostel. The stone steps went up and up, winding paths, almost like a forest with flowers everywhere. Very picturesque and a fantastic view from the top. We went down by the ocean, and passed the always present MacDonalds, Starbucks, and even a casino. We took a wrong turn along the way, so our hike turned out longer then expected, but we got back to the hotel in time for checkout. We hung out in the lounge until it was time for the taxi to take us to the airport. We found a corner ... read more

Melaque Monday This morning we took off for a hike to try to find Playa (Beach) Cuastecomatito. Bob saw it on an online map, with a trail close to Melaque. We walked up to the highway and turned west toward the town of Cutastecomates. Before the highway turned right to this town, we took a left on to a road leading up the mountain. We passed a little shack where a guy was fixing his fishing net. He tried to tell to go to Cuatecomates to a beach, but we went left instead. He told us that this beach was gated and we couldn't get down there, but we decided to just check out the view. Apparently the land had been bought and closed off to visitors. The road we followed was good, a little rocky ... read more

Barra de Navidad Saturday We walked up north again to the marina area. Passed by the Crazy Cactus Realty, which had several homes and condos listed. We were surprised that some sold for over $300,000. But others were in the low $100,000s. The expats in this area were very friendly. One lady even asked if she could take our picture for us. Most are Canadians, but we did see a license plate from Iowa. A circular architecture seemed to be popular. There are a lot of gates, wrought iron fencing, and flowering trees and plants. One street was all torn up and filled with water, probably sewer problems. We continued our walk back through town, and down along the lagoon. We ran into the ice cream girl on the street and she recognized us. Behind a ... read more