This year I took an overnight Turistar to Guadalajara. I arrived early in the morning and headed to the Jardin Hidalgo. The shops surrounding the square were just opening up as were the vendors’ stands. It was very peaceful and I have missed this pastime.

Next I went to Jahanve, a coffee shop I used to frequent. It was great to see Claudia again and I enjoyed a sumptuous breakfast.  My friend Steffie was visiting from Switzerland and we hadn’t seen each other in three years. Another friend, Monica, also joined us.

That night I stayed with my friend Pedro, a former student, and his family. Pedro and I used to get into sparring debates in Conversation Club, and it was great to converse once again. Here is a photo of Pedro and his wife Mary.

The following day I headed out to Parque Mirador, my favorite place in all of Guadalajara. The canyon is amazing, and I have spent hours gazing out at the beauty of this marvelous creation of nature.

That night we headed to Indio Rock to hear my friend German’s band play. Barbershop is an awesome band with fabulous renditions of 60’s and 70’s English rock. The guys posed for a photo before their performance.

The next morning found me on a bus to Ocotlan, where I met my friend Omar. We went grocery shopping and then headed to his home in Tototlan. We enjoyed a traditional turkey Christmas dinner, visited,  watched movies and relaxed.

We also ventured out around town on his moped. We had a delicious lunch one day near the plaza. Omar has a large family and we visited with his aunt and several of his cousins. We then headed up the mountain to the temple and the view of the town was spectacular.

All too soon I was headed back home to Mazatlan. The days had flown by far too quickly. It was indeed a Merry Christmas.