Mercado San Juan de Dios

Mercado San Juan de Dios in central Guadalajara is sometimes called Taiwán de Dios due to it's frantic pace and large size. An average of 20 thousand people pass thru the market every day among it's 2600 businesses. The building is on three levels and covers over 44 thousand square meters. This is a place you spend days exploring.  It has everything a Tianguis has multiplied many times

The current location was founded in the early 1950's but the original market dates back to 1551 and the founding of the city. In 1613, the barrios of San Juan de Dios and Analco were united with the rest of the city by building a bridge and the market was expanded. It was not until 1888 when the first solid construction was built and that was torn down in 1925 for a larger one, then again in the 1950's

 

Outside entrance

Interior panorama

Interior courtyard

Carniceria

San Sebastian del Oeste

San Sebastian del Oeste, Jalisco (located off highway 70) was one the main mining centres in the New Spain during the Colonial period. By 1785, ten gold and silver reduction haciendas and nearly 30 mines had been established there. The small town became a city in 1812, and reached its full maturity around 1830. San Sebastian's productivity was halted by the 1910 military revolution, and soon after, foreign companies in charge of mining works moved to other areas. The last mine was abandoned 1921, and San Sebastian fell into complete oblivion. Nowadays, its main economic activities involve agriculture, stockbreeding, increasing tourism and to a lesser degree, forestry.

UNESCO Historic Towns

Second Annual International Music Festival

May 31 to June 3, 2012

The International Fair of Music (FIM) is a project of the University of Guadalajara, which aims to be an international meeting point and cutting edge with a commitment to enhance the professionalization of the creators and producers of music, as well as promoting Ibero-American musical culture.

In its program of activities, the Fair includes concerts and showcases local artists and international market exposure, exchange and sale, lectures and discussions related to new problems and opportunities in the music world, meetings with stakeholders, workshops and clinic, as well as a sample film.

In its second edition, the International Music Fair Guadalajara will take place from May 31 to June 3, 2012. Its headquarters will be Expo Guadalajara and with subsites at Teatro Diana, Auditorio Telmex, film forum at the University of Guadalajara, Hotel Hilton, forums and different bars in town.

FIM Guadalajara

La Isla de los Alacranes

La Isla de los Alacranes (Scorpian Island - Lake Chapala)

Bill bought a "speed boat" a few months ago and has been working on the steering and controls. He actually just bought the boat and trailer and had to match it up with a motor he had. He launched it a few days ago and it's moored in the Chapala public boat harbor. So because I'm heading for the coast soon he wanted to give me a ride.

Pretty bumpy ride for a light boat over the waves. Most everything else on the lake are heavy pangas that plow thru the waves. Smoother coming back with the wind.

Every little restaurant of about 8 has their own moorage/dock. Someone comes out to help you tie up. They know you want to look around the island so they offer to take your meal order and have it ready when you get back. The island is not very long and is narrow but because of the lake level we couldn't make it to the east end. Meal was just OK but a nice setting.

A few of these signs around the island

Boat docks

Restaurant

A few of these around the island too

The ride back with sailboat and island in the distance

Guadalajara light rail system

The Guadalajara light rail system (Spanish: El tren ligero de Guadalajara), which is operated by SITEUR (Sistema de Tren Eléctrico Urbano, Spanish for Urban Electrical Train System), is a light rail system serving the municipalities of Guadalajara, Zapopan and Tlaquepaque, in the state of Jalisco, Mexico. It is owned by the state of Jalisco, and operator SITEUR is a state authority. Opened in 1989, the system currently has two lines: line 1, running from north to south, with 19 stations, and line 2, running from downtown to the east, with 10 stations.

Guadalajara light rail system

A great alternative when bussing from Melaque or Colima to get to downtown Guadalajara is with Primera Plus and their buses that stop at Periferico Sur and the Metro station.

The stop after Periferico is the Metro station (you will see a Burger King on the right). Get off there, take the pedestrian overpass to the other side of the Periferico, board the train and will be in Centro in about 15-20 minutes. Get off at the Juarez stop, change trains and go one stop east to surface at Plaza Universidad at 16 de Septiembre and Juarez, a short walk from several hotels in Centro, such as the San Francisco Plaza, Francis, Regis, etc. A 6 peso ride with no traffic worries and shaves 25 minutes off the bus trip and about another 20 minutes quicker than a cab ride from Tlaquepaque back to Centro. So at least 45 minutes quicker than going to the central camionera and cabbing it back to centro, if that is your destination.

Station Espana