South of the border: A tale of 2 cities

I got back from my first trip south of the border on Sunday night and I am no worse for the wear.

No Montezuma’s revenge and no really bad security stories (although taking the sippy cup that was filled with bottled water from the airplane after we got back to Atlanta is a bit much).

My family and I went to my sister-in-law’s wedding in Guadalajara, Mexico and had a great time.

Guadalajara is an interesting place. It is the second most populated city in Mexico and is filled with a rich history and a wonderful culture.

For instance, I found out that Guadalajara was the site of the Mexican War of Independence in the 1800s, led by Father Miguel Hidalgo, whose face is everywhere down there. In many paintings and statues he is breaking chains and reaching for the sky, as if to rally his people. He kind of looks like Kane from “Poltergeist II” and eventually his picture from this incredible mural will be the screensaver on my cellphone. It’s just a wild picture.

While some of the sights blew me away, like the way the light hit the domes of the cathedral and looked entirely different at various times throughout the day, Guadalajara is also filled with some terrible poverty and some not so pretty sights.

As we zoomed along in a taxi from the airport to the hotel, we saw neighborhoods that looked similar to those in the film, “City of God,” which is about a poor and dangerous section of Brazil. The broken-down houses were very close together and it looked a bit creepy.

Things got better as we got closer to the hotel. We began to see some of the beautiful architecture that graced the postcards of Guadalajara at the airport, and seeing the bustling population gave us a sense of the soul of the city. There was a palpable energy as people swarmed the streets with shopping bags and children in tow.

As we passed through the plaza we saw the Teatro Delgallo, the Government Palace and the cathedral at the center of town. Our hotel was located near all of these hot spots, so I knew a walking tour and shopping at the stores and carts along the plaza was in our future.

We took day trips to Tlaquepaque (pronounced ta-la-ka-pa-ka), which is a nearby town filled with restaurants and stores filled with pottery and other things made by artisans, and Tequila, which is the home of many of the world’s largest tequila factories, and also enjoyed nights on the town and a super wedding. Seriously, it rivaled my wedding, and my wedding was awesome.

There were lots of great things about Mexico, but for every four or five great things, there were one or two not so great things.

For instance, we had a delicious meal in Tlaquepaque. A mariachi band wandered around the plaza and Colin played with my new brother-in-law’s niece, dancing to the music and eating chocolate, but every now and then a kid, some as young as 6 or 7, would wander around begging for money. Some of them were trying to sell candy or gum, but others would start singing or offer to shine your shoes, despite the fact that many of us were in sandals or sneakers. I’m used to the beggars around Atlanta, but I’m not used to seeing kids, and it was really sad.

On our walking tours around the center of the city we would see fantastic sights. Many people lounged with their significant others in parks or around the fountains. I have never seen a city where people were just hanging out so much. Their was no real destination for many of them, other than to sit around and watch the sights of the city go by. It was amazing and then I turned around and saw a man with no legs lying in a box and shaking a tambourine.

During our walking tour of the city, we saw amazing murals in the Government Palace (the Hidalgo mural, google his name and you’ll see it) and the sights inside the cathedral were breath-taking and yet many of the storefronts in the city were shuttered with steel or bars and most, if not all, were emblazoned with graffiti.

I did not know much about Mexico before my trip. I never learned Spanish and I haven’t had many meaningful encounters with Mexican people in general. Basically, all I ever heard about Mexico was “Don’t drink the water.”

While down there, I heeded that advice, which was no problem because there was bottled water everywhere, and I used my Mexican restaurant Spanish, which came in very handy, and I know a bit more about the country and Guadalajara now and I must say I’m impressed.

Things were fairly inexpensive in Mexico, and because the going rates was around 10 pesos for every dollar, I felt like I was getting a great deal a lot of the time, especially when dining out. I also fell in love with the music that teemed throughout the city. In fact, I was still dancing to the songs that remained in my head all weekend long while standing in a super-long line at the airport on Sunday.

People have asked me if I would go back to Mexico, and I had to think about it. This trip was fun because there were lots of familiar faces around, and the tours we took involved lots of Sabine’s family members and friends. If we were on our own, I’m not sure if we would have had such a good time.

While Guadalajara is a familiar place now and I feel I could get around town, I’m more interested in seeing other parts of the country, particularly some areas with ancient ruins and possibly some coastal towns.

I feel very fortunate that I am able to travel so often and see the world and I think it gives me a good sense of the world in general. When most thoughts of the Mexican population go directly towards feelings about immigration to the United States, it is interesting to relate what I now know about at least one city in that country to that topic.

Given my druthers, between Guadalajara and the U.S. I’d want to live in the United States as well. If I didn’t have a great job or I had better opportunities waiting for me across the border, I’d want to go there too.

Guadalajara is a wonderful place to visit with beautiful sights and sounds, but I’m sure that for some people it is a city full of struggles.

If you ever get a chance, I would recommend spending a few days south of the border. You’ll come back with a lot of great stories and a song in your heart, and maybe some different opinions than you had going in.