Guadalajara, Mexico: Cactus Dreams and Slightly Questionable Tacos
okay, so. i’m back. and honestly? i’m still processing. guadalajara. wow. it’s… a lot. like, a beautiful, chaotic, slightly overwhelming lot. i was there for, uh, a bit. chasing a vibe, mostly. you know how it is.
I’m a botanist, obviously. Not a successful botanist, but a botanist nonetheless. I’m here to study the local flora, specifically the cacti. Turns out, there are a lot of cacti. More than I ever imagined. They’re everywhere. Seriously. Growing out of cracks in the pavement, clinging to the sides of buildings… it’s a prickly paradise. I spent a good chunk of my time just wandering around, staring at them. I even tried to sketch a few, but my drawing skills are… questionable, to say the least.
I just checked and it’s… a hazy sort of warmth right now, with a slight breeze. Not unpleasant, but definitely not the kind of weather you’d want to be hiking around in all day. I’m talking about the kind of heat that makes you want to find a shady spot and drink something cold. Which, naturally, led me to the tacos.
Speaking of which… someone told me that the tacos at El Turix are legendary. Apparently, you have to queue for like, an hour, but it’s worth it. I tried them. They were… interesting. Let’s just say I’m not entirely sure what was in them. But they were cheap, and I was hungry, so I ate them. I’m still here, so I guess they weren’t poisonous. I did see a review on TripAdvisor that said something about “questionable hygiene,” but I figured, YOLO, right? You can check it out here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g150809-d1876883-Reviews-El_Turix-Guadalajara_Jalisco.html
I stayed in a little Airbnb in the Centro Histórico. It was… charming. In a slightly rundown, “needs a bit of TLC” kind of way. But the location was amazing. I could walk everywhere. And the neighbors! Oh, the neighbors. They were… lively. Lots of music, lots of laughter, lots of shouting. It was never quiet. If you get bored, Zapopan and Tlaquepaque are just a short drive away, both with their own unique vibes.
I spent a day wandering around the Instituto Cultural Cabañas. The murals by José Clemente Orozco are… intense. Seriously, they’ll mess with your head. I overheard a group of tourists arguing about the meaning of one of them. It was pretty entertaining. You can find more info here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g150809-d1876886-Reviews-Instituto_Cultural_Cabañas-Guadalajara_Jalisco.html
I also stumbled upon a little market selling vintage clothes. It was a treasure trove of weird and wonderful things. I ended up buying a sequined jacket and a pair of ridiculously oversized sunglasses. Don’t judge me. I’m a botanist with questionable fashion sense. You can find similar markets listed on Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=vintage+clothing&find_loc=Guadalajara,+Jalisco,+Mexico
“A local warned me about the pigeons. Apparently, they’re fearless. They’ll land on your head if you let them.”
I didn’t experience that firsthand, thankfully. But I did see a pigeon trying to steal a taco from a street vendor. It was a battle for the ages.
Honestly, Guadalajara is a city that gets under your skin. It’s chaotic, it’s loud, it’s a little bit rough around the edges. But it’s also vibrant, it’s friendly, and it’s full of surprises. I’d go back in a heartbeat. Just maybe I’ll pack some extra hand sanitizer next time.
Oh! And one last thing. I found this really cool blog about the local flora. It’s in Spanish, but Google Translate is your friend: https://www.flora-de-mexico.com/
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