Details in Mexico

I'm going to be wrapping up my coverage of my trip to Mexico on Monday. Before I do, I want to give you all a little bit more of what caught my eye while I was down there. Here are some my favorite pictures that I have not yet posted.

Statue of Pope John Paul II outside the very popular parochial church in Tlaquepaque

Outdoor seating at an El Parian restaurant in Tlaquepaque.

The outside wall of an artisan's workshop in Tlaquepaque

One of the amazing carved doors in Tlaquepaque

Part of a tile mural on Avenida Juarez in Tlaquepaque

Bilingual sign at the Liberty Market in Guadalajara

A very colorful restaurant and shop in Ajijic


Visitors on the shore in the town of Chapala

Tempting your tastebuds before dinner

First of all, thanks for the entries in my first giveaway! I will be announcing the winner of the folk art chicken later tonight! As for the other Mexican treasures, I have decided to wait a bit longer - once more people are back from vacations - to tell you about the items and have the drawings. So stay tuned!

There are so many things I haven't documented about my trip to Mexico yet, and one of which is the food! Here are some favorites:

This was my first meal of the trip, at El Patio in Tlaquepaque. I had squash blossom soup to start out, and it was divine. The waitstaff brought a host of items to the table before I even got that: greasy (but delicious) tortilla chips, various salsas, bread and butter, and a plate of cucumber, mango, and lime slices. I had fresh-squeezed lemonade to drink.

This place was good, and it featured performances by female mariachis. However, they didn't give me my bill after I asked for it several times over the course of 45 minutes!


Wednesday's breakfast at Casa de las Flores was Eggs Florentine. The eggs themselves were just gorgeous! Stan showed us how to poach them in plastic wrap.


After our aborted trip to Tequila, at least my new friends and I were able to have a great lunch. This is the table at Casa Fuerte in Tlaquepaque. I loved the elaborate guacamole display. And check out the pats of butter in the upper left corner wrapped tamale-like in corn husks!


This was one of my most favorite meals, at the Secret Garden cafe in Ajijic. French toast stuffed with cream cheese and pecans and the most divine fruit salad: succulently ripe mangoes, papaya, and red grapes.

Mmmm...it was a delicious trip. An interesting thing about Mexico is that, like in Spain, they eat their main meal at lunch, between 2 - 4pm. I got used to that, and with the bountiful breakfast in the morning and the dessert in the evening at Casa de las Flores, lunch was the only meal I purchased each day!

Ajijic - at the other end of the backpacker spectrum

I just got back from a day trip to Lake Chapala, where I visited the towns of Chapala and Ajijic (ah-HEE-heek). The lake is about 45 minutes away from Tlaquepaque, so it made a very nice trip.

First Luis, who was our driver for the trips earlier in the week, took me to Chapala. This town of about 10,000 inhabitants is the more Mexican of the two. On the shore of the lake, I watched as people set up food and souvenir stalls. Mexican tourists walked down the pier to wait for boat rides.

Then Luis took me to some of the neighborhoods in Chula Vista, between Chapala and Ajijic, where a number of Americans and Canadians have retired. I was amazed by the grandeur of a these villas and their fabulous views.

Finally, we went to Ajijic, a town of about 5,000 residents, where I was able to have a bite and walk around. This place is so relaxing! Imagine the conveniences of a backpacker town in Latin America (cafes and small restaurants with international menus and ambience geared toward Americans and Canadians), but yet more upscale because the clientele are retirees with money. Ajijic is artsy and whimsical and colorful.

The residents take pride in keeping it clean, as you can see signs all over town reminding people not to litter.


By the lakeside, there are an array of tables and grills for picnickers.

It was great to just relax on the pier, where there was a donkey at the bar for some reason!

There were some more fabulous villas right in town.

I stopped briefly at the Lake Chapala Society´s beautiful gardens.

I only had a few minutes before Luis was going to pick me up, but I did get to speak to a very friendly woman there. She had been a business owner in Granada, Nicaragua (a place I visited in 2005) for four years, but now she is in the process of moving here. She told me how much friendlier the people are in this area. And the society is a great community center. Apparently, there are up to 100 people meeting and visiting in the garden on any given morning. It certainly was a lovely place.

Finally, Luis returned me to Casa de las Flores. I got to meet his wife and four children.

It´s hard to believe that my vacation is coming to an end. There have been so many wonderful things I´ve seen and done here. But I will be VERY happy to see my husband soon!

Once I get home, I will post some more detailed information about my trip, so you can plan one of your own, should I have whetted your appetite for Mexico! I will also be posting more pictures, and of course, I will have my giveaway drawing! I hope to hear from you soon!