¡Oh! Mexico, what do you have in store for me?

April 17, 2008 3:35 PM

I'm going to Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara for 12 days and I'm looking for recommendations of things I absolutely must do/see...

I'm a hardcore museum & gallery junky, a bit of a foodie, and I'm interested in architecture. I'm not really into outdoor activities [beyond reading on the beach] and I'd like to avoid the other tourists as much as possible [growing up in a tourist town left me with some as yet unresolved frustration].

embarrassing truths: I will have next to no money and I speak no Spanish.

posted by rhinny to travel & transportation (5 comments total)

Go see the Orozco murals in the center of Guadalajara, and the museum next door.

Eat at least one lunch at the food court at the big central mercado (Mercado Libertad/San Juan de Deus), which is a short walk from the murals (the market is something like four or five stories of unrestrained small-scale commercialism, and the food court covers a good portion of an acre).

If you are into tequila, you can take the train (or bus) to the town of Tequila and try both the cheap and the good stuff.

If you like the artisanal shopping experience, Tlaquepaque and Tonalá will keep you busy for days.

The wikitravel page lists other museums.

The Basilica of the Virgin of Zapopan is a short bus ride away, and is a major religious icon in Mexico.
posted by Forktine at 3:49 PM on April 17

I really wanted to suggest that you check out Yelapa (I am in shock that they even have a website!), but given that you're not really into the outdoors, and that you don't speak Spanish, this might be difficult for you.

What I will suggest you do is eat a copious amount of fish while on the beach. Several times an hour, one of the fishermen will walk down the beach selling grilled "pescado." When you buy one, the fisherman will likely thrust a stick into the sand, impale the fish on the standing stick, and give you lime to squeeze over it. It is so simple, and so delicious; the fish just sort of flakes off into your hand.

Be careful of wiping any lime juice on your bare skin, though, if you're out in the sun. My brother and I made this mistake while down there, the ensuing discoloration had us convinced that we had ringworm. It lent itself to lots of laughter when we later figured out what had really happened.

Oh, and please please please please please drink as much Victoria Cerveza as possible. It is my favorite beer of all time (and is only available in Mexico - Modelo refuses to ship it to the states! Boo.).
posted by numinous at 7:24 PM on April 17

great pv info here
posted by domino at 6:39 AM on April 18

I spent about a month and a half in Guadalajara last Spring and became relatively familiar with the town.

The Mercado Libertad is not to be missed but I can't say I'd recommend eating in the food stalls unless you have a strong stomach. If you like Converse, you will be blown away with the selection - top floor, towards the back. In my opinion, all of your shopping can be done in this place. Tlaquepaque and Tonala are very pleasant but specially designed for tourists.

You shouldn't miss the major attractions:
Hospicio Cabanas
Palacio del Gobierno
Catedral

But all of these are in the main plazas - if you spend a day or two walking around, you'll be satisfied. The city center is very compact.

For more offbeat things and events like live concerts, etc. pick up a copy of Ocio which comes out on Thursdays, I believe. It's a city paper that has event listings.

Finally, do the ultimate not-tourist thing I can think of:
Every Sunday, major major arteries around Guadalajara are closed to traffic in the morning and you can rent a bike for free and bike around. Anyone should be able to point you in the right direction - just make sure you get there early or you'll wait in line all morning.

I found Tequila kind of boring, but then I was alone so getting slammed didn't seem like that much fun. It's also very touristy (buses, etc.) and you have to take the bus out of the old station, which is a mite shady - not sure about your travel tastes.

Food you must try (these are all native to Guadalajara and surrounds):
Birria - goat stew
Torta ahorgada - pork sandwich "drowned" in sauce (you add the spicy yourself but be careful - it's very hot, that's why it's on the side, even in Mexico)
MICHELADAS - I miss these so much. Essentially, spicy beer over ice. It sounds bad and looks worse but they are addictive. Don't miss out - have them make yours with Sol.
Pozole - corn ball soup, of sorts - I had mine homemade, can't speak for the quality of restaurants and such...

I never went to Puerto Vallarta. Instead, I ended up at the paradise that is Barra de Navidad which I cannot recommend highly enough - I want to retire here if it is humanly possible. About a four-hour bus ride from the city.

The Lonely Planet guide to the city will tell you anything else you need to know.
posted by AquaAmber at 9:03 AM on April 18 [1 favorite]

AquaAmber is spot on with her suggestions. Here are my additions:

For Architecture sights, Downtown Guadalajara is full of colonial buildings, my suggestion is taking a morning walk in Plaza Tapatia and you'll see most of the Centro Historico

Another suggestion for an afternoon: Take the bus to Downtown Zapopan (Zapopan and Guadalajara are now parts of the metropolitan area and since Zapopan's limits are huge you will be in Zapopan almost everytime you leave Downtown Guadalajara, however I´m talking about the old Zapopan downtown, which is nice and can be easily seen in a couple hours):

The Basilica, as Forktine mentioned, is home to a very important religious icon - The Virgin of Zapopan. Afterwards you can check out MAZ, then you can have a traditional mexican dinner at Gabina Escolastica's¹ (please do not eat anything from street vendors or market food stalls unless you have a really really strong stomach), and cap it off by sitting at the cafe/bar that strikes your fancy over at the Arcos of Zapopan (all the places I mentioned are in a 10 block radius that is mostly pedestrian-only)

Also close (but not walk-there close): The local fair (Zapopum) will take place in the next couple of weeks, so there will be concerts, bars, and general partying to do at night.

As for Puerto Vallarta, It is pretty much full of tourists and vendors, so you may not like it that much, The Malecon (boardwalk) is worth a visit and a walk, plus there are tons of bars and clubs there. There are some very good restaurants in PV but most are expensive

To avoid the tourists you can stay in Bucerias which is a little town (pretty much a suburb of PV now) about 10 km from Vallarta. A bonus is that the beach has much finer sand than in PV, where it is full of rocks.

Barra de Navidad is also a great recommendation (and is much cheaper than PV)

Well sorry for being so long winded. I'm a local, so please email or mefimail me with any questions and i will be happy to answer

¹Fonda Doña Gabina Escolástica
Address: Javier Mina #237, Centro. Zapopan, Jalisco.
Between The Streets: 5 de Mayo and 28 de Enero.
Telephone: [phone]
posted by fjom at 2:58 PM on April 18 [1 favorite]