The final LATAM stop

For my last stop on the Latin America part of my trip I chose to visit Guadalajara - one of the largest cities in Mexico alongside Monterrey and Puebla (but far off from the grandeur of Mexico City!). Throughout my travels I had heard how full of culture Guadalajara is - being the home of Mariachi music in the state where Tequila originated.

The flight from Puebla to Guadalajara was a short and easy one. I went straight from the Guadalajara airport to my Airbnb to drop off my bags, then headed out to explore the city. I found some cool street art and art galleries while meandering, and got a great tip on some places for dinner from Eric, my tour guide from the central america part of the trip, who is from Guadalajara! 

Day two was all about exploring the city. I went on two different free walking tours, saw a bunch of cool sites, and explored their large market. Mercado San Juan de Dios is huge! It has about 3-4 different stories with vendors offering anywhere from souvenirs and toys, to giant pots for menudo, cowboy boots, leather wear, knock off brand clothing, and tons of food stands. It had an absolute blast just browsing through the different stalls and levels, taking in the smells, colors, and everything in between. 

For day three I had booked a bike tour around the city. It was a really good ride covering different parts of town and pointing out some good restaurants and hangout spots along the way. We even spotted a family on low-rider bikers! That same evening after getting some rest at the airbnb I headed out for a bar crawl. Since it happened to be just me, the guide and his friend, we got to customize the tour to whatever we chose. So, we opted for a mezcal hangout, a super neat speakeasy, a clubby type place (where we had an intense and interesting conversation about mexican masculinity), and a final spot for a nightcap where I learned that tequila + coke + salt is a drink called a Batanga. Who knew?

Day 4 was a Sunday so my new friends and I joined up to ride the closed off streets. It’s a thing. Every Sunday some of the main streets are closed off from about 8 am to noon-ish for cyclists, joggers, rollerbladers, etc. to enjoy. After our short ride we went to grab breakfast. The guys took me to a torta shop known for their “tortas ahogadas” (aka soaked sandwiches). O.M.G. that was SUCH  a good sandwich! White baguette type roll filled with carnitas and smothered in a creamy chipotle sauce. YUM! I would go back to Guadalajara just for that! 😅 

That afternoon I took a bus to the cute town of Tlaquepaque. It was suuuper busy but I had a good time wandering the colorful streets and checking out the different bougie stores. Some of the highlights for me included a super tasty Hierbabuena sorbet, finding a little pottery and tile workshop, and watching the Pollo Pepe mascot dance it’s heart out 🤩 

Day 5 I had booked a tour to the town of Tequila. We had a fun group and made a bunch of different stops at different distilleries, had time to explore the town, and capped the tour off with a visit to El Guero, known for their Cantaritas: mixed drink with squirt, lime juice, tequila and salt. YUMMM!

And just like that, the LATAM portion of my trip has come to an end. I can’t explain how amazing it was. It was such a gift to myself, full of incredible experiences, vibes, colors, food, and so much time to reflect. I'll have to let it sink in a bit longer before I share all the learnings I get to take away from it. But for now I can say: I am unbelievably grateful and happy.

Hasta pronto :)

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