Revenge of the Late Night Taco

After a short hiatus caused by a malevolent taco, I am back on track. How could our young heroine be taken in by a nefarious latin sandwich? This particular taco temptress was drenched in my new favorite sauce, barbacoa. Trust me my friends, if God eats tacos, they are covered in barbacoa sauce. The Lord Almighty, however, had nothing to do with the three tacos I purchased from a restaurant on Juarez street on Monday night...

Let us pause for a moment and consider some of the basic facts here. Juarez Street is the main street in historic Guadalajara. This is not a shady place. It makes no sense that I would get sick from these tacos, when just two nights before I ate tacos from the Mercado Liberdad. Seriously?! Even the Mexicans here say not to eat at the Mercado! I eat there. No problemo. I go to a real restaurant and I can't get out of bed for a day! Really? Really!

...although I did spend a great deal of time praying while laying in bed all day Wednesday.

But that's all behind me now thanks to my caring hubby and and infinite amount of water and chicken soup. Spanish classes continue to go well. I missed the field trip, but Barrett and I had plans to go to that town together again anyway. We got out for some sight seeing today, and I've had a lot of requests for pics, so here's a quick tour of the historic center.

The main landmark is the cathedral. It's very pretty and ornate on the inside. It is clear from the time you walk in the doors that people take great care and pride in every aspect of the church. Some things might seem garish to our American eyes, but the devotion of the people cannot be questioned.



The holy item not to miss is definitely Santa Inocencia (Saint Innocent). The relics are the hands and blood of a child saint. According to the posted texts. This young girl was one of the first martyrs during a time of Catholic persecution in Mexico. You have to wait if you want a close look because she is always surrounded by people. Now...I've studied my fair share of relics as an art historian, but no matter how many I've seen in pictures, the real life ones can still give me the willies. If you look closely in this snapshot, you can see that people have brought pictures of their children to place with the relic.



This is the inside of the Palacio Municipal (City Hall), a really beautiful building with a super scary mural of the founding of Guadalajara. Apparently if a guy named "Bloody Guzman" is the founder of your city, it is no bueno to be a native.




This beautiful place is not a landing spot for an alien spaceship. It's a monument to the illustrious sons and daughters of Jalisco (the Mexican state that we are currently residing in).



This is the regional museum. I can't wait to go in there! Nerd attack...giggle, snort, push up glasses...



This is the fountain in the Plaza de la Liberation and the gorgeous Teatro Degollado. Barr and I are hoping to get tickets to the Philharmonic there. The Teatro was recently spruced up, and the inside is supposed to be absolutely opulent.



There are lots of places to stroll, shop, and lounge in the city. You can't throw a stick and not a hit a gurgling fountain of some kind once you're in this area.



Believe it or not, Barrett and I have managed to make friends of some fellow travelers (a photographer and a writer, go figure), so the weekend promises fun in the form of salsa dance lessons, dinner with new friends, and a trip to the town of Tequila.

Let me leave you with some well thought out medical advice: If you believe yourself to be suffering from a stomach ailment caused by a type of bacteria or "bug," the most direct way to kill said bug and sanitize your stomach is to pour tequila directly into the affected area. We've done a survey, and nine out of ten margarita drinkers believe this statement to be both correct and medically sound. We'll let you know how the field study progresses.

Cheers,
Megan

PS Here's a photo of the duck that bit me. Que pato malo!