Guadelejarra
Tanto si piensas que puedes, como si piensas que no puedes, estás en lo cierto
"Whether you think you can, or you think you can´t, you are right"
So here´s the funny thing, and bear with me:
1. Guadelajarra was totally disappointing.
2. Guadelajarra was totally worth it - fantastic!
No, I am not losing all my marbles, but I found an interesting contradiction in terms this weekend - the city did not live up even close to its billing of vibrant nightlife, many marriachis and the birthplace of tequila bla bla bla... I found the nightlife ordinary, the marriachis non existent and the Tequila very similar to the other places I visited... and the festival, where the governer came onto the balcony overlooking the square for 40 seconds and had us all shout "Viva Mexico!" 4 times along with thousands of other locals... hehe.... that was cool, but did not blow my hair back.
So if the party itself was disappointing, the nightlife was dreary and the city itself no great shakes, why did I enjoy it so much? The quick answer is the other backpackers in the hostel. After several weeks of primarily interacting with Mexicans or other Spanish speakers, I was not prepared for how much I needed some down time, English speaking company and familiarity. All this was provided in spades by different groups of people that drifted in and out of the hostel, to wit...
Scott from New Zealand: It was great to have a good old rugby debate, but as is my fashion we eventuallly digressed into the areas of politics, moral obligation of nations and repatriation of lands to locals... great guy, great fun and it was so good to talk rugby!
The US Student crowd: Bunch of pisscats, they were loud, obnoxious and great fun. Spring break in Guadelajarra or some such, they were very entertaining and had some good looking girls hang around them from the same school, so I thoroughly enjoyed their company!
The Poms: A whole gang of poms also swept in on day 2, good looking girls interesting blokes and had some more good conversations...
The Irish: Had a great lunch with Kerry and her Austrian friend-with-the-pink-hair-who-rescues-sea-turtles Michelle, and later on her friend Claire, who I really enjoyed - interesting person with some attractive dreams and someone I could have easily spent more time with...
So there were big days filled with nothing but endlessly entertaining conversations, and I must admit, it was hard to leave. A high-energy environment with loads of young people on really cool personal journeys, it was what a backpackers is all about...
So here is the bottom line folks: Even if the place is not all that, the people you see it with make all the difference...
Tanto si piensas que puedes, como si piensas que no puedes, estás en lo cierto
"Whether you think you can, or you think you can´t, you are right"
So here´s the funny thing, and bear with me:
1. Guadelajarra was totally disappointing.
2. Guadelajarra was totally worth it - fantastic!
No, I am not losing all my marbles, but I found an interesting contradiction in terms this weekend - the city did not live up even close to its billing of vibrant nightlife, many marriachis and the birthplace of tequila bla bla bla... I found the nightlife ordinary, the marriachis non existent and the Tequila very similar to the other places I visited... and the festival, where the governer came onto the balcony overlooking the square for 40 seconds and had us all shout "Viva Mexico!" 4 times along with thousands of other locals... hehe.... that was cool, but did not blow my hair back.
So if the party itself was disappointing, the nightlife was dreary and the city itself no great shakes, why did I enjoy it so much? The quick answer is the other backpackers in the hostel. After several weeks of primarily interacting with Mexicans or other Spanish speakers, I was not prepared for how much I needed some down time, English speaking company and familiarity. All this was provided in spades by different groups of people that drifted in and out of the hostel, to wit...
Scott from New Zealand: It was great to have a good old rugby debate, but as is my fashion we eventuallly digressed into the areas of politics, moral obligation of nations and repatriation of lands to locals... great guy, great fun and it was so good to talk rugby!
The US Student crowd: Bunch of pisscats, they were loud, obnoxious and great fun. Spring break in Guadelajarra or some such, they were very entertaining and had some good looking girls hang around them from the same school, so I thoroughly enjoyed their company!
The Poms: A whole gang of poms also swept in on day 2, good looking girls interesting blokes and had some more good conversations...
The Irish: Had a great lunch with Kerry and her Austrian friend-with-the-pink-hair-who-rescues-sea-turtles Michelle, and later on her friend Claire, who I really enjoyed - interesting person with some attractive dreams and someone I could have easily spent more time with...
So there were big days filled with nothing but endlessly entertaining conversations, and I must admit, it was hard to leave. A high-energy environment with loads of young people on really cool personal journeys, it was what a backpackers is all about...
So here is the bottom line folks: Even if the place is not all that, the people you see it with make all the difference...
posted by Pieter G at 6:02 PM
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