Adventures in Mexico with a Toddler (part 1)

Traveling to Guadalajara with Benny was easier than I thought.

But that's only because I was with a large group of relatives (including my parents and both of my sissies) who helped me TREMENDOUSLY with carrying, entertaining, distracting and playing with him.
Pushing Benny's stroller in downtown Guadalajara (where we stayed) was a whole other challenge in itself since there are very few stroller/handicap accessible ramps to walk up the many historic sites, which were mainly built in the 1500s.

The city of Guadalajara though, is pretty charming.

I hadn't been there since 2008 but it felt like not many things had changed.

Guadalajara is the capital of the state of Jalisco, which is my dad's birth state. 

It's the birthplace of Mariachi and Tequila and the land of "birria"-- the delicious Mexican dish, made with goat meat & adobo spices, often served in a stew...So delicious!

The first part of our Mexican voyage was spent in Jalisco.

We planned it that way in order to attend our annual family reunion from my paternal grandmother's side of the family, the Jara family.

We spent our first four days in Jalisco enjoying family time and exploring Guadalajara and neighboring towns...and then we headed off to Mexico City to spend time with my mom's side of the family (more on that tomorrow).

Here are some pictures of our time in Jalisco.

Thanks for reading!

An all-female Mariachi band greets patrons at a restaurant near Guadalajara.

The Guadalajara Catholic Cathedral is considered by many, one of Mexico's most beautiful structures.

A local vendor quickly approaches Benny to see if he's interested in a "Farting Flea" or Pulga Pedorra, a balloon-type toy with a whistle, sold for about fifty cents each,

Once Benny selects his colors, the vendor does a demonstration. He's on Youtube if you want to check him out, just type "pulga pedorra"...LOL!

Near Guadalajara is the town of Tonala...a wonderful little shopper's paradise with hundreds of vendors, selling the most amazing items, knick knacks and Mexican crafts you could ever imagine.

One of my faves was a store in downtown Tonala that focuses on products for Dia de los Muertos.

Local artisans were my biggest weakness while shopping near Guadalajara! Who could ever resist these cuties??

A popular dessert in Guadalajara is "nieve de garrafa" or barrel ice cream. We enjoyed plenty of it and posed for a pic with a statue of "El Chavo del Ocho", one of Mexico's most famous TV characters.

Benny loved hanging out in Tonala, especially if it meant, stepping out of his stroller to enjoy the freedom of running around and tasting refreshing treats like this cucumber slice with lemon juice!

During our trip, we visited the home/ranch of Vicente Fernandez, one of Mexico's most beloved musicians. His ranch is named "Los 3 Potrillos" or The Three Foals after his three sons.

At the musician's home, we were allowed to check out his guitar-shaped swimming pool...

And his amazing horse stables, which Benny absolutely loved!

Then we traveled to Lake Chapala...once the principal water source for Guadalajara.

Local artisans in the town of Tlaquepaque weave colorful bags. The ladies told me it takes an entire day to complete a large bag.

Here, Benny chose a few flower-shaped gits to take home to grandma,

En español

Viajar a Guadalajara con Benny fue más fácil de lo que imaginé.

Pero eso se debió a que iba con un grupo grande de familiares (incluyendo mis padres y mis dos hermanas) que me ayudaron enormemente con transportar, entretener, distraer y jugar con él.

Para empujar el cochecito de Benny en el centro de Guadalajara (donde nos alojamos) fue otro reto en sí mismo, ya que hay muy pocas rampas accesibles para subir a los muchos sitios históricos, que fueron construidos principalmente en los años 1500.

La ciudad de Guadalajara, sin embargo, es bastante encantadora.

No había estado allí desde 2008, pero sentí que no mucho había cambiado.

Guadalajara es la capital del estado de Jalisco, que es el estado donde nació mi papá.

Es la cuna del Mariachi y el Tequila y la tierra de la "birria" - el delicioso platillo mexicano, hecho con carne de chivo y especies, comúnmente servido en caldo... Es delicioso!

La primera parte de nuestro viaje a México estuvimos en Jalisco.

Lo planeamos de esa manera con el fin de asistir a nuestra reunión anual de la familia Jara, de mi abuela paterna.

Pasamos los primeros cuatro días en Jalisco disfrutando de tiempo con la familia y la explorando Guadalajara y pueblos vecinos ... y luego nos dirigimos a la ciudad de México para visitar la familia de mi mamá (más sobre esto mañana).

Aquí hay algunas fotos de nuestras experiencias en Jalisco.

¡Gracias por leer!