Colonia Americana

Our entrance to Guadalajara was unpleasant to say the least. As we got closer to the city more and more highways merged until it felt like one big stream of cars, trucks and buses flowing into the centre, and as is the custom in Mexico, no shoulder to speak of. We managed to dodge the tunnels and stay mostly on the laterals, and as we neared the centre of the city traffic slowed, making for ideal biking conditions as we wove through semi-stationary cars. Around the roundabouts you just have to have faith - pick your line and trust that Mexican drivers are generally alert to the many hazards on the road and will seamlessly (and without honking!) navigate around you. We started seeing bike infrastructure in the city - although our first encounter with a "Prioridad Bicicleta" street was almost laughable, as we felt the city had gifted cyclists the shittiest, roughest road in the city. Our Warmshowers host Luciano was at work until 5 pm, so we toured through the city, happily stumbling upon old churches and monuments, and quaint plazas and pedestrian streets. Holly bravely entered the San Juan de Dios market, a crazy 3-story 3-block market, while Karl relaxed with the bikes. After arriving at Luciano's and settling in, a crew of his friends came over to chat about an upcoming bike adventure they were planning, discuss recent trips and just generally catch up over beer and pizza. Luciano and 3 of the guys had biked Alaska to Guadalajara 4 years before and his friend Devora had just returned from biking from Mexico City to Argentina. We had fun swapping bike stories and getting a glipse into Guadalajara's bike culture. The next day we dropped by the Casa de Ciclista, a really neat project that provides a space for touring cyclists to stay and for locals to work on bikes and other cycling projects. We wandered around the city some more and looked into taking a Spanish course the following week since we really enjoyed the vibe of the city. That evening, Michel, a cyclist we had met on the street the day we arrived in Guadalajara, who had just returned from biking from Tijuana to Vancouver, invited us to join him and his girlfriend Janette on a trip to Mazamitla, a mountain town about 2 hours from Guadalajara, for the weekend. So after less than 48 hours in the city we hopped in a car and headed out of town with new friends... What a welcome to Guadalajara!Read more