With 2 Canadians and a German fluent in Spanish we managed to hop off the bus from Puerto Vallarta to Guadalajara before the station and take the metro into town. It was easy and fast until we went up and out of the subway into a sea of people. It was Saturday afternoon and Gudalajara’s birthday.

Having missed Carnival in Mazatlan I think this was a close second. There was so much going on everywhere. We managed to get to the hostel quick and drop the bags. It was bank, food and beer in that order right away.I did feel out of place with no hair jell shaping my doo and if an old man comes up to you in a park with candy, don’t worry he just wants to sell you some.

Guadalajara is big but very manageable and safe. It is a good walking city and many of the major sites were near our hostel. The main market is also close and it’s full of just about anything you want. It is not quite as good as the markets in SE Asia as far as selection and price, but it was still impressive.

If you are in Puerto Vallarta or Sayulita for a couple weeks I highly recommend you pull yourself off the beach for a couple of days and go to Guadalajara. This is Mexico. If you can plan for a weekend then even better as the place is buzzing and the bars are full. Many more shopping opportunities pop up in weekend markets and a Saturday football game with Chivas as the host would be magic.

I did manage to do a fair amount of exploring by foot but decided to hop a bus to Tlaquepaque. A Brit and myself did take the wrong bus but managed to get a 50 peso cab ride to the right place. Tlaquepaque is a very tony town within the city that caters to artists and fancy restaurants. It’s cool and worth a couple hours for sure.

My two new Canadian friends went back to Puerto Vallarta and I am heading to Leon with two new friends, a Brit and an Aussi. That is the way it works when you are backpacking and staying in hostels. You meet so many other travelers that there is never a dull moment. In Leon I am looking forward to a visit with an old housemate of mine that lives there. All in all I will give Guadalajara two huge thumbs up.