Semana Santa Escape

Want to go in the opposite direction from everyone else this Semana Santa?  Want to let others have the beach for a few days while you explore other parts of Jalisco.  Guachimontones ruins, Tequila, Magdalena opals, Guadalajara, Tonala, Tlaquepaque.  Pick up in Melaque or Manzanillo or call or email for options.   Tour with Mex-ECO Tours

Jocotepec on the way to Tonala

Glen's GPS wanted us to take the along the Lake Chapala route rather than heading straight into Guadalajara on Lopez Mateos. We obediently obeyed without questioning why and will never know. Glen hadn't seen the new Jocotepec Malecon and I hadn't seen the newer work done there. It gave us a chance to stretch our legs and grab a beer.

The first thing we noticed was the lake level was way down. That tour boat that is usually tied up to the Malecon was a couple hundred yards away and the other little pier off to the left had a new extension.

They've added some nice touches to the park with much more grass, raised the level behind the walkway that used to flood, added a beach front walk, a kids playground to the far left and replaced all the water sculptures they removed for the Folklorico Festival they had a few years ago. Very nice job.

Tour boat

Pier extension

New fountain and bridge

Replaced water sculptures

Tonala for a few days

A little disappointed with the quality of the artenesia but glad we went. We had two choices for hotels and we went with the less expensive Hacienda del Sol which turned out well. The other option was the Casa de las Palomas for about 100 pesos more. Hacienda del Sol was 450 pesos for 2 people, had a nice restaurant in the lobby and large indoor parking. Both are close to downtown and the Art Tianguis.

We had planned on staying 3 days and seeing more of Guadalajara but we found Tonala not very interesting and lacking decent restaurants and a taxi to Guad Centro was 150 pesos. Didn't want to deal with buses or park downtown. Walked a lot Saturday and did the Artisania Tianguis on Sunday morning. The tianguis goes on for blocks and blocks but I found very little was special. The shops that are there every day are not real easy to find. I'm sure we missed a few good stores but maybe another time

Sunday afternoon we took a taxi to downtown Guad, walked alot more and took one of the Tapatio tour buses around the city center. More on downtown and the tour on another post.

Casa de las Palomas

Hacienda del Sol

Hacienda del Sol restaurant

First church on the Tonala plaza

Opposing church across the plaza

Upscale artesenia shop

The endless tianguis (market)