Apr 14, 2010

Cancun, Cabo San Lucas, these at the places you think of when you think of spring break in Mexico. For my senior year trip, my pals and I decided to take a path less-traveled. One of my good friends and self-proclaimed Mexican food connoisseur, Joe, is studying Spanish is Guadalajara, Mexico. In a couple of weeks, my amigos and I were able to organize a pretty sweet trip exploring Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, and Sayulita. We packed our bags (BTW- I was extremely proud because I was able to pack substantially less than my two straight travel companions), went across the border, and flew out of the Tijuana airport to start our Spring Break Adventure.GuadalajaraGuadalajara and the state of Jalisco are generally considered to be a lot more conservative than the rest of Mexico. That being said, Guadalajara is the second biggest city in Mexico with a very active gay community. Now I know there has been a lot of hubbub with traveling to Mexico due to problems like drug wars and swine flu. Guadalajara is by no means completely removed from these problems. However, the impact of these issues is substantially less than compared to border towns like TJ and Juarez.The fact of the matter is that the Ciudad de Los Fuentes is absolutely gorgeous and is critical for understanding Mexican culture. Chapultepec is the main street where all the action happens: bars, concerts, outdoor recreational activities, and more. The Zona Rosa or the gayborhood is located on Chapultepec as well. However, even though there is a known gay area within Guadalajara, the scene is much more dispersed when compared to Puerto Vallarta.Accommodations: Posada del Marques We roomed in the Posada del Marques for the first couple of nights of our stay in Mexico. The website for the hotel didn’t prepare me for what I found. What I was expecting was an affordable boutique hotel, but when it was actually a set of budget accommodations that are centrally located within the city. I expected more amenities, there was a kitchen in our room (but the stove didn’t work) and the fitness center only had an elliptical machine and exercise bike. The Posada does offer exceptionally low rates ranging from $65-$85 USD. Since each set of accommodations has a living room, it’s more like suite than a normal hotel room. It’s a great hotel for students and groups traveling on a budget because the accommodations are spacious and they are located in a great area. Perfect for four college guys who are exploring Guadalajara! Nightlife: Big Red and Lucha LibreBig Red is by no means a gay bar, however it is essential to the gay traveler. Big Red is a British pub that escorts you to a Lucha Libre match in a set of red double-decker buses. Lucha Libre matches are highly theatrical Mexican wrestling matches that are an amazing site to see for those who want to understand modern Mexican culture. There are two teams, the good guys and the bad guys, and each match has three rounds. Many matches follow the predictable pattern of the bad guys winning the first round, and the good guys winning the second and the third rounds.The issue for gay travelers going to a Lucha Libre match is that it is a violent event where many of the audience members are drunk. With this in mind, certain audience members may not be very gay or foreigner friendly. Of course you do not want to deny yourself the experience of hearing the crowd shout out at the bad guys “Pobre, pobre, pobre! Chinga a tu madre!” Going with a group like Big Red allows safety in numbers and gives safe transportation to and from the venue.My first days in Guadalajara were truly an adventure. Up next is gay Latin hot spot Puerto Vallarta!-BrendanFor more photos of Brendan's trip, check out our Facebook Photo Album.*Brendan received complimentary stay.
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