Apr. 19, 2014
Mexico City to Guanajuato
Due to limited time and safety concerns, I decided to only check out Zocalo and around in Mexico City. The 3rd largest public square in the world was packed with tents for some events and Zocalo looked quite small when I actually saw it. The nearby Catedral Metropolitana is magnificent but no entry was permitted when I was there. The Templo Mayor is very small and can be seen from outside the gate.
I spent most of the time at Palacio Nacional where Diego Rivera murals are really impressive. The courtyard itself and the small museum are worth seeing as well. I entered as they opened at 9:00 a.m. and there were not a lot of tourists yet.
Checking out my hotel room, I headed for the northern end of Metro Line 3 – Indios Verdes. Outside Exit J there are buses for Teotihuacan. Contradictory to the Rough Guide, these buses are local buses and actually take longer time (more than one hour) to reach Teotihuacan.
It’s a weekend and I waited 20 minutes to get a ticket into the historical site. The piramides are monsters and people line up to climb one by one. I was not particularly interested in that but had some good walk on Calzada de los Muertos (Causeway of the Dead) – also good for people watching.
It didn't take me too long to get to another bus back to Mexico City. This time it’s an express bus and took less than one hour to reach Termnal del Norte, from there I bought an ETN bus ticket to Guanajuato.
The ETN bus is very comfortable with wifi on board. It took only 4.5 hours to reach Guanajuato. I took a taxi from the bus station to the town center (50 pesos) and was amazed immediately when it hit the town.
Guanajuato is very unique from other Mexican cities I've seen. Houses are dotted on the hills and roads are almost all made of stones. In fact, most roads are one-way and there are many tunnels due to the lack of space for roads on the ground. To reach the family hotel I booked “Casa Bertha” (a nice and clean room with shared bathroom for only 220 pesos), I had to get off the taxi at Teatro Principal and climbed the small alleys uphill.
I found people in Guanajuato are very nice, from hotel staff to cafe owners. After dinner I decided to walk around and soon found the famous callejoneadas. Although I don't speak Spanish, I could feel the atmosphere, and the music was nice!
Apr. 20, 2014
Guanajuato to Guadalajara
I spent a few hours exploring the little historical town of Guanajuato and it didn't disappoint me. With beautiful churches, relaxing plazas, amazing tunnels, what else can one expect? The short ride on the funicular to Monumento al Pipila is cool and the view from there is superb. Wandering around the alleys is an unforgettable experience, and seeing Callejon del Beso takes your imagination to the next level. Guanajuato has it all!
Since it's the last day of the Easter week, the direct bus to Guadalajara from Guanajuato at my desired time was sold out. I took a bus to the nearby industrial city of Leon and from there changed to another bus to Guadalajara.
Leon is famous for its leather products and you can feel it as soon as you get off the bus. The only shop inside the waiting area of the bus station is a leather shop. 90% of the shops near the bus station sell leather products. And there are two shopping malls not too far from the station with more leather shops. People in Leon are really smart!
The ETN but takes 3 hours to reach Guadalajara from Leon. Local bus 616 is frequent and takes you directly to city center but it's slow. Expect to spend at least one hour on the way.
There are not many things to see in Guadalajara. Two major sites, the cathedral and Palacio de Gobierno are around Plaza de Armas, the major plaza in Centro Historico. Palacio de Gobierno is famous for Orozco murals. There are less murals compared with those at Palacio Nacional in Mexico City but the Orozco murals are of different style and worth seeing.
Another historical building is the nearby Frances Hotel with over 400 years in operation. Dinner was at the famous La Chata Restaurant. I did wait for about 20 minutes to get seated. Platilo Jalisciense (Chicken with Side Snacks) I ordered cost 89 pesos. Service was very quick and food not bad.
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| Mural at Palacio de Gobierno, Guadalajara |
Apr. 21, 2014
Puerto Vallarta and Mismaloya
To reach Puerto Vallarta from Guadalajara is a long journey. I got up early and hired a taxi to the bus station (120 pesos) to catch the 8:00 a.m. ETN bus. The bus departed on time and climbed some mountains on the way. There was no obvious delay and it arrived at Vallarta 6.5 hours late (not the 5 hours mentioned in both Lonely Planet and the Rough Guide).
Puerto Vallarta is very hot. Frequent buses stop at the bus station heading for Centro and passing the airport on the way. The famous resort town looks a little bit over-developed to me and the two major “sites” in the town center, Los Arcos and Temlo de Guadalupe, don't impress me too much. I walked past Isla Rio Cuale to Playa Olas Altas, a not-so-impressive city beach in the town center. Not too far away from the beach is the starting point for buses to Mismaloya.
The beach at Mismaloya is much better and more relaxing. I sat down at an open restaurant on the beach and ordered some “Avocado” to kill my last couple of hours in Mexico – not a bad idea at all.
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| Mismaloya |
Overview
Central Mexico is not the most visited part of Mexico but it's still worth seeing. Mexico City is not as bad as one can imagine, while the second largest city Guadalajara is a safer and more relaxing place to stay. Don't miss Guanajuato, a very unique historical town on the hills between Mexico City and Guadalajara. It's the only highlight in this trip. Puerto Vallarta is a major entry/exit point for Mexico (unlike Mexico City, there is no immigration/customs at the airport) but the town is overdeveloped. Spending more time at nearby beaches is advisable.
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