We had left Guadalajara wanting more. So we decided to return for the best part of a week, this would be the last stop on our travels, before heading back to CDMX to settle down for a few months.
We left the coast to drive through the striking Sierra de Manantlan, in a bid to see more of the Jaliscan countryside as we wound our way back to Guadalajara. It was on this dramatic and precipitous route that the wet season officially started; the heavens opened – it was so powerful the only thing all the cars on the road could do was stop. This initial deluge was a huge relief for the surrounding nature and people – the wet season is later and shorter each year, and unlike the UK, the rains are truly welcomed and celebrated. We arrived to a soaked and very refreshed Tapalpa – we relished this coolness, but it wasn’t long before the sun shone again on this beautiful old mountain town.
We drove into Guadalajara on Saturday evening and went straight to a gig with ‘flag lady’, also known as Aprylle who we are delighted has now become a friend. The gig was bonkers, they were a Oaxacan punk-rock-electronic trio called La Bande-Son Imaginaire – it was all very theatrical, very Mexican and the crowd went berserk, including us too. It was great to be back in Guadalajara.
One appeal of Guadalajara is the proximity to nature, not only is the coast close, it is surrounded by mountains, lakes and forests. In fact the city itself sits on top of a canyon – Barranca de Huentitan. Whilst in the city, you can be completely unaware of this fact but a short trip north from the centre to a park and suddenly you are aware! The canyon unfolds beneath you as you gaze into its awesomeness, truly breathtaking and a real surprise to be only moments from the city centre. Also bear in mind the whole landscape completely transforms over the wet season, with everything becoming deep and varying shades of green. Despite daily downpours it was still very hot and so we couldn’t explore the surrounding countryside via the numerous hiking trails on offer, so we did some driving tours instead, including to the eponymous Tequila distilling town of Tequila!
We met a lovely couple in Guadalajara who took us under their wings – she was a Oaxacan entrepreneur and an all-round Creator, and he was a Galician mural artist. They helped open up Guadalajara for us and very generously gave up a couple of days to show us the creative, industrial and manufacturing corners of this city – it is a creative playground, and very very inspiring…..
It was time to leave, time to stop gallivanting around the country and go back to CDMX. We wanted to use these 6 weeks of travelling around to discover new areas and simply observe; each place we learnt more about what we were looking for and what we weren’t looking for. Over these 6 weeks our love for Mexico deepened as we discovered more of its many layers – instead of reducing our options, it seems to have expanded our desires and fuelled our imaginations!
Then off we drove for 6 hours to settle in Mexico’s biggest and most dynamic city for 2-3 months – we want to explore what roots we can lay, and what shoots can bud in this time. We are excited to be staying still for now, to nurture all that we have taken in.
It’s anyones guess what will happen next.