I left my friends in San Antonio to hunker down in Guadalajara to prepare to watch the US election. I had picked the Hotel Casino Plaza, mainly because it said it had cable and satellite TV. I wanted to make sure I could watch the election results come in in English. Another good thing about the hotel is that it is downtown in the historic district.
When I arrived they had a nice welcoming gift waiting for me 🙂
Exploring Guadalajara
The next day I set off to explore Guadalajara. Several people had recommended I go to the Chapultepec area. It just so happened there is a Starbucks there too 🙂
I got my morning coffee and started walking. There was a beautiful walkway in the boulevard.
At the end there was a huge traffic circle with a monument of some sort in the middle.
On either side of the street were lots of bars and clubs. Not much was happening but I am sure on a Friday night the place is hoping and a great place. Right now it was quiet. So I headed off to see the Templo Expiatorio del SantÃsimo Sacramento.
Like most cities in Mexico the church is the focal point and can be seen for miles. This was no different.
Next to it was the University of Guadalajara.
I then walked past my hotel and down a plaza towards San Juan de Dios. This was another place recommended to me. Now this place I loved! It was filled with people and there were beautiful historic buildings everywhere.
At home people complain if the government “wastes” money on art in the city. Here it is a priority over even basic infrastructure maintenance. It does make the city more interesting and beautiful.
I am not sure what this was all about. Perhaps a Spanish speaker can tell me.
US Election
It was now time to watch the US election. I am a political junkie. I enjoy the strategy and policy positions. I have to admit though that this election was different than most and the rhetoric was a bit disturbing. In my view, both candidates were flawed. Surely the US has better people out there. Of course I have my own opinion about who I wanted to win. But I am Canadian so my opinion really doesn’t matter much. It is up to the American’s who they want on their Supreme Court and what kind of healthcare they want. It is their choice.
However, the US is the world’s economic and military power right now because of that, some of what they do effects me, Canada, and the rest of the world. So I do care about the economic impact the decisions of the next President will have, and perhaps even more important, how the decisions of the next President will effect world peace.
Everything seemed to point to a Hillary Clinton Victory. As the night wore on it was going to be much closer than first thought. By midnight it looked like a Donald Trump victory. I stayed up until 2 am though because there was a chance Clinton might pull it off. It wasn’t to be.
Hillary Clinton was the “predictable” choice in that she had a long career with a track record. If she had won you could predict with reasonable certainty what she would do. Donald Trump did not have a record in any sort of government. I don’t think anyone knows what he will eventually end up doing. Interesting times are ahead.
Zapotlanejo
The next day I was to meet a former classmate of mine at Royal Roads University, Lisa, in her now home town of Zapotlanejo at 10 am. It was only about 45 minutes outside of Guadalajara.
I left the hotel at 9 am thinking I had plenty of time. I wasn’t counting on all the construction and detours in Guadalajara due to the building of a new transit line.
Eventually we met up 🙂 and went for coffee. Zapotlanejo turned out to be an awesome place. There are lots of clothing stores, a beautiful plaza and main street.
It was so much fun catching up with Lisa and meeting her kids. So cute! The kids I mean. Well Lisa too ha ha. She and her husband have a really nice place on the outskirts of town. A nice big yard, sheep, goats, chickens and even a small soccer field.
Thanks Lisa for your hospitality and taking time away from your writing. Lisa is a writer and has several books. Check them out on Amazon here.
My Route for November 7, 2016
The Location of my Exploring in Guadalajara on November 8, 2016
My Route to Zapotlanejo on November 9, 2016
