The next stop of this fairly unfruitful “finding a decent teaching job” trip is Guadalajara, Mexico’s second city. With about four million people, this is a big place, but is a lot calmer than the capital.
Strangely enough, Guadalajara reminds me in some ways of Toronto in the summer. Wide streets, warm weather, grey buildings… there’s not any real reason for the comparison, but I feel it nonetheless.
Guadalajara is an interesting place. I wouldn’t exactly call it beautiful – glorious historical buildings compete for space with ugly concrete ones. It’s big, but I wouldn’t really call it a metropolis. All in all though, it has a good vibe and feels like it would be a nice place to live. (Unfortunately, it seems like plenty of other people have come to the same conclusion, so it doesn’t look like there’s any good teaching jobs to be had, so I’ll be moving on tomorrow.)
Anyways, Guadalajara is sometimes known as the “gayest city in Mexico.” It certainly lives up to its reputation: this definitely seems like a good place in Latin America to be openly gay. I actually saw a taco stand called “Taco Gays.”
My friends and I are staying in a hotel in the middle of the gay district, so plenty of hip and very busy gay clubs are around every corner. Despite our conspicuous heterosexuality, we decided to check one out since we wanted a feel for the city’s nightlife. Besides the most horrible michelada I’ve ever had (practically seawater), the place was lively, played great music and filled with happy-looking young people. A fun place to be.
Today, with beautiful sunny skies we took to the streets in a great mood. Guadalajara is a nice place to explore on foot, especially around the University of Guadalajara. There are cool (and odd) sculptures and art installations aplenty, and interesting looking buildings. The cuisine is great, with sidewalk cafes selling food combining Mexican and international flavours.
Like any big city, I sort of wonder whether I’d really get a feel for Guadalajara without living here or at least having a cool local to show me around. But I get the sense that there’s at least plenty to discover here, and hopefully I’ll get the chance to come back and do just that.
Guadalajara’s cathedral:
Weird statues at the University of Guadalajara:
Cow climbing up a wall:
Plaza in central Guadalajara
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