Carpe Diem: From Coastal Desert to Mainland Mountains

We started our adventure on the Baja in the beautiful Todos Santos. It was a lovely ten days that felt very much like a vacation with sandy beaches and palm trees. We had a sort of whirlwind tour of Baja Sur, in that time traveling up north to see the whales, back to Todos Santos then up to La Paz for a few days. We were in La Paz last eight years ago, and it is just as nice now as it was back then. Unfortunately, this was also a place where we said our goodbyes to our hosts, Donna and Dal, and some new friends we met through them. It was time to head inland toward our next destination.

We flew from La Paz to Guadalajara on a short and rather uneventful flight. It was easier than expected and an even easier to get a cab toward El Centro where our hotel was. Hotel Frances was really amazing. At 375 years old, it maintains a historic feel with carved wood and marble. An enormous chandelier hangs from the ceiling and a wood staircase wraps it's way up three floors. If you don't want to climb the stairs, there is even an ancient cage elevator available if you can figure out how to make it work.

The hotel was located in a beautiful plaza with a theater on one end and a church on the other. Although it is a very large and bustling city, I wouldn't mind spending more than a day in that part of town.

From Guadalajara, we hopped a bus to Guanajuato, where we will be spending the next four weeks learning spanish. We found our little casa rosa without much trouble and have spent the last few days walking and exploring the city. Many of the streets are small alleyways that twist and turn invariably leading uphill at some point. This is definitely a walking city. Many streets are also pedestrian only because a car wouldn't be able to fit. There is an incredible amount of spanish influence in the buildings with beautiful colors and potted flowers on nearly all of the balconies. This is a city of rich culture and history. We have already found the roasted chicken, farm fresh fruits and vegetables, hand-made tortillas, and locally roasted coffee. We have a kitchen in the place we are staying, so we will be eating delicious and local. I look forward to our time here.