Tag Archives: mexican travels

Centro Historico

Posted in Guadalajara by

In the heart of Guadalajra, lies its history. With buildings lying along the axis of a cross, with the Cathedral of Guadalajara in the center, here in Centro Historico (Historical Center) you will find:

Plaza de Armas has an ironwork gazebo made from Paris.

This faces the Palacio de Gobierno (Government Palace). The clock will always remain at this time due to a stray bullet aimed at the president, who was visiting at the time. The bullet hole is still visible and lodged in the workings of clock.

On the east side of the Cathedral is the Plaza de Liberacion, where protest demonstrations are held. Teatro Degollado faces this plaza. It is the oldest surviving theater that still holds performances.

Behind the theater is the Fuente de los Fundadores (Fountain of Founders). This is the exact spot where the city was founded by Cristobal de Onate.

If you continue walking from the fountain along Plaza Tapatia, you will come upon Hospicio Cabana. This was founded as an orphange and homeless shelter in 1810. Now it is a museum.

Walk towards Calle Dionsio Rodriguez and look for vendors selling leather goods. Squeeze in between the shops and you will discover Mercado Libertad, known as Mercado de San Juan de Dios to locals. Here you can shop for jewelry, leather goods, candy, and fake name brand items. I was in awe at this place because you generally only find this in Asia. 

Tejunio

Tejunio is a popular drink from Jalisco’s neighboring state, Colima. It is made out of corn dough mixed with water and piloncillo (cone shaped unrefined brown sugar). It is boiled until thick and then fermented. It is served cold with lime juice, sprinkle of salt, and a scoop of shaved ice. You can find this concoction sold by street vendors. I bought mine in front of Instituto Cultural Cabañas.

How to Travel from Puerto Vallarta to Guadalajara

Posted in Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta by

There are many ways to travel from Puerto Vallarta to Guadalajara. The fastest and most expensive way is to fly. You could also rent a car and drive the 4.5 hours. However, I chose to take the bus since it took the same amount of time as driving but without the stress of navigating in unknown territory. The three bus companies that operate from PV to Guadalajara are: ETN, Primera Plus, and Vallarta Plus. The stop is located at  Carr. Fed. Tepic Km 9.5, Col. Las Mojoneras, 48292 Puerto Vallarta, Jal. Mexico. I found that none of the websites listed where the bus stop is. I told the taxi driver to go to the Primera Plus bus stop and hoped for the best.

I went with Primera Plus because it was the cheapest at 441 pesos. I was very impressed with their service. Before you board the bus, they hand you a packed lunch and a drink of your choice. The bus is very spacious; the one I boarded only had 5 passengers. Each seat comes with a TV. There’s also wifi and it’s fast! There’s also a bathroom on board.

Sit back and enjoy the ride. Before you know it, you’re in Guadalajara.

Pancho’s Takos

Posted in Puerto Vallarta by

This place is a steal! 12 pesos for al pastor tacos. For those that don’t know, al pastor is pork marinated in spices and cooked in a rotisserie. The meat isn’t shaved off until you order. 

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Look at the beauty of the tacos fresh off the grill. They also come with a slice a pineapple (in the picture above it’s on the rotisserie above the pork). These were flavorful and delicious! 

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Don’t forget to add lime and salsa! They offer three different salsas. The one the top right was spiiiiiccccyy!

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They also offer tacos with different types of meat and quesadillas but these ranged from 20-30 pesos. I just couldn’t pass up on the 12 pesos al pastor tacos.

This place is a bit difficult to find as the streets do not have signs and the restaurant doesn’t have it’s name out front.

The name is all the way in the back of the restaurant.

Below is a link to the google map. If you follow it, you should have no problems. To get here, I walked along the beach. Once you’ve reached Oscar’s restaurant, walk 5 blocks, turn left and three stores down on your right is Pancho’s Takos. Look for the popular taco spot and the staff with Pancho’s Takos t-shirt. 

(Calle Basilio Badillo 162, Emiliano Zapata, 48380 Puerto Vallarta, JAL)