Re: LITTLE SHOP ROAD TRIP Juego Spanis Game Hack
Anfos Sin
This trip marked our second visit to the state of Jalisco, a region known for its incredible food and drink, and I knew I wanted to dedicate a large portion of this trip to trying local specialties. But of course, we needed to find things to do to fill our time between meals (sadly my stomach is not a bottomless pit). I spent a significant amount of time reading other travel blogs, searching the local subreddit, and browsing hashtags on Instagram to create an itinerary full of historical sights, cool shops, and naturally, the best bars and restaurants.
Both the Catedral de Guadalajara and Templo Expiatorio del Santsimo Sacramento are stunning from the outside and inside. If the doors are open, stop in to see the soaring ceilings and stained glass windows, and perhaps explore a little if a mass is not currently in progress (and if it is, why not join in and listen?). Perhaps my favorite part of our visit to Templo Expiatorio was the little apostles that appeared on the bell tower to mark the hour, and the incredible market going on outside.
I love combing through a good concept store, but often the styles are just a bit too far outside of the kinds of clothes and accessories that mesh with my cohesive wardrobe. Oxen Concept Store carries a really cool selection of streetwear but instead, we went with a new piece of local art for our home.
It is not recommended to drink the tap water in Guadalajara, but many hotels and rentals have filtration systems in place. Ours had a demi-john, so we were able to easily brush our teeth and refill our smaller water bottles before heading out for the day. When dining out, choose your destinations wisely: the stuff ice is made of and produce is washed with is, of course, water!
Hopefully, this is a moot point by the time you read this post, but at the time of our trip, we were required to submit a negative COVID test result within one day of our flight home (at the time of publication, the U.S. no longer requires this). We made an appointment online at our neighborhood Farmacias del Ahorro, although we saw people manage to obtain a test by simply walking in and purchasing one. The cost for our two tests was approximately $37, plus a tip for the test administrator. We received our results in less than fifteen minutes and uploaded them to Delta shortly afterward.
Hi Alyssa,
Great info. My wife and I are hoping to visit Puebla, Oaxaca, Mexico City and Guadalajara before spending a few weeks in Nuevo Vallarta.
Do you think 2 weeks in Guadalajara is too long. We will most likely stay in an Airbnb and will have no car. We are open to day trips from Guadalajara
Cheers,
Dan
I guess you could call it a visit to the Terre Maya, as opposed to the Riviera Maya. (Haha get it?) Although I did make sure to fit in a day at the beach at the end of the trip, just for good measure.
Connecting the dots, I ended up planning a big loop around the Yucatan, mixing up ancient sightseeing with visits to Mrida and Campeche. Since I only had 8 days, I decided to drive rather than rely on public transport. (See below for the logistics of renting a car in Mexico.)
Spoiler alert: Once I arrived, I found myself wanting to stay immersed in the Mexican countryside and the world of the ancient Maya. I did visit Mrida, but only for one night instead of my planned two. I skipped Campeche altogether and instead headed to Xpujil via Hopelchn.
I think this was for a few reasons. One, it was just the mood I was in, wanting to relax and contemplate rather than stimulate. Two, I was driving by myself, and navigating the streets of large and unfamiliar cities sounded like a recipe for stress at best and accident at worst.
A note on prices: Sometimes I quote them in U.S. dollars, sometimes in Mexican pesos. a Mexican peso currently holds about 6 percent the value of a U.S. dollar. To do a quick conversion in your head, halve the pesos, divide by 10, and add a bit.
Already, I was feeling that Mrida was too big and busy for my mood. I decided to make the most of my time there, though, and headed to a simple seafood restaurant, El Marlin Azul, for an early dinner. I ate some delicious shrimp fajitas served with freshly made salsas.
The best was still to come. The House of the Governors, atop an acropolis-like hill a few hundred yards away, is often named one of the finest extant examples of Maya architecture. Even today, a thousand years after it was built, it held me utterly in its thrall. The abstract stone carvings on its frieze achieve a kind of jumbled symmetry, calming and a little upsetting all at once. This contrasts with a plain and serene lower level of smooth walls and angled doorways.
Shortly before the site closed at 5 p.m., I hit the road for Oxkutzcab, about 45 minutes away, because it would put me in good position to explore some smaller sites in the style of Uxmal the next day.
Unfortunately, the system proved unsustainable long-term: Mayanists believe the reason most Puuc cities had been abandoned by around 1,000 A.D. is because their population exceeded what could be supported through rainwater harvesting alone, perhaps combined with a prolonged drought.
This was the night I was supposed to spend in Campeche. But given my experience in Mrida, I decided to swallow my non-refundable hotel reservation there and instead stay in the countryside amidst the ruins. I headed instead to the isolated agricultural town of Hopelchn, about 90 minutes from Santa Elena.
Apparently relations between this new population and the native Maya are cordial but not particularly warm. I could sense a low level of tension even from casual observation: Little social intermingling seemed to occur between groups.
Tabasqueo (free) lies two kilometers off the highway at the end of a rough dirt road. Honestly, the road was more than I probably should have attempted in my little Chevy Spark. I ended up parking the car about half a kilometer from the entrance, when the road got really rutted and bumpy, and walking to the entrance gate.
The site was deserted except for a couple of groundskeepers who politely asked me not to climb on top of the main temple palace. The temple itself featured the trademark monster/god-face entry door. I noticed the extreme narrowness of the stairs. If Maya priests or nobles ever climbed them, they must have stepped very daintily indeed.
As I pulled into the hard-scrabble town of Xpujil (pronounced Shpoo-heel), a dusty one-road strip out of a Hollywood Western, I had plenty of left-over energy, so decided to explore a couple more Maya sites before checking into my hotel.
Ropes dangle from the stairs of Structures 8 and 9, inviting you to climb, but confusingly a sign in front of Structure 9 forbade climbing. So I only climbed Structure 8, at the top of which you can closely examine the delicate curved walls of the towers.
More than any other site I visited, Becn felt like a city used not just for ceremony but for everyday living. I could picture people bustling through its streets, going about their business. It was for this reason that it turned out to be one of my very favorite sites.
The ruins lie entirely within the Reserva de la Biosfera de Calakmul, an enormous expanse of jungle extending to the northern border of Guatemala. You drive about 45 minutes west of Xpujil, then another hour or so due South to reach the site. You pay one entry fee at the gate to the bioreserve, and another at the ruins, for a total of about M$280.
Arriving at the Calakmul site around 9:45 a.m., I was a bit disappointed to see the small parking lot full. Oh well. It had been worth taking my time on the drive in to gawk at the animals and enjoy the greenery.
I was reflecting on all this, walking down a deserted path through the forest, when the unexpected highlight of my Calakmul visit occurred. A cracking of tree branches above alerted me to a family of spider monkeys: two adults and an adorably small kid, their rubbery limbs carrying them from one limb to the next. I sat on the ground and for a good 20 minutes watched them tangle and loop their way through the canopy. Their movements were an endearing mix of awkward and graceful.
On the way, I stopped to see Kohunlich (M$62), an important Rio Bec city. It was a surprisingly big site, again marked by the delicate white-tile facades associated with this corner of the Maya world.
Huge, leering god faces festooned one of the pyramids, toward the rear of the site. Climbing the stairs, I could imagine the intimidation and sense of awe these would provoke in anyone (priests? sacrifice victims?) allowed to ascend to the temple.
I spent the late afternoon and evening on the beach, which was about a 1.5 kilometer walk away. Basically, in Tulum you can either pay a ton and stay right on the beach, or pay a lot less and stay in town.
Car. The rental car and gas were the largest expenses. The rental cost US$223 for the 8 days, including all necessary Mexican insurance. (Long story short: The Mexican government requires separate insurance even if your credit card covers you for international rentals.) Gas cost about US$3 per gallon, somewhat higher than current prices in the U.S.
Alternate route. Another tip: Many tourists do a similar route to mine but skip Calakmul to visit the more famous and by all accounts gorgeous site of Palenque instead. This is something to consider as you make your journey. Are you wanting more classic ruins? If so, pick Palenque. Or are you wanting a glimpse of some jungle wildlife? If so, pick Calakmul.
Season seven isn't the first time viewers see Arrowhead Mountain. The Children of the Forest create their first White Walker in its shadow in a flashback during season six. But the freestanding Icelandic mountain makes an appearance as the backdrop to Jon Snow, Thoros, Beric Dondarrion, Sandor Clegane (better known as the Hound), Gendry Waters, Ser Jorah Mormont, and Tormund's stand against the Night King. Offscreen, it's a magical place to watch the Northern Lights and the most photographed mountain in Iceland. Added bonus: you won't have to keep an eye out for any zombie polar bears if you visit in real life.
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