After a quick visit in Vancouver, I have a 15 hour layover at the Mexico City airport. I arrive there around 7am, and my connecting flight goes at 10pm. That should be enough time to explore the city a little, so I request a DiDi to get into the city. […]
Guadalajara , Mexico , Spanish , travel
Tlaquepaque
Tlaquepaque is its own municipality, yet geographically located in Guadalajara. It’s sort of like what Burnaby is to Vancouver. Here, you’re in Guadalajara, and the next block, you’re in Tlaquepaque. My Spanish language school took us to their Tlaquepaque branch and we met with Mexican students for a language exchange. […]
Guadalajara , Mexico , travel
Guadalajara, Historic Centre
I spent my first full day in Guadalajara in the historic centre of the city, el Centro. It was a Sunday, and a lot of the roads are closed to cars on Sundays. The city was certainly full of people. And police, and even military with machine guns. I did […]
Guadalajara , Mazatlan , Mexico , travel
Bus Ride from Mazatlán to Guadalajara
Seriously, Mazatlán is extremely hot. We had a heat wave in Vancouver in 2021 and in Europe, too. It was hot… day and night! So, we all know what it’s like. Now imagine this heat plus humidity – feels like 40+ degrees Celsius – the sun burning, sweat just trickling […]
Mexico , Spanish
Communicating with Locals
Walking along the strip as I am looking for a light dinner, an older man starts speaking to me. Holá, como estás? I respond in kind, holá, bien, ¿y tu? Of course, I should have said, ¿y usted? (formal), but at this point, anything goes. So far, any time I […]
beach , Mazatlan , Mexico , storm
Tropical Storm Warning in Mazatlán
Just a few days after I arrived in Mazatán, some other expats made me aware of a tropical storm warning. Storm KAY was supposed to hit the region. I had never been in any serious storm and didn’t really know what to do. So, like any normal human being in […]
arrival , Mazatlan , Mexico , travel
Welcome in Mazatlán
I have found the expat community in Mazatlán extremely welcoming and friendly. I became part of a WhatsApp group even before arriving here (thanks to a friend), and the group has been extremely supportive, especially in my first week where everything was unfamiliar and foreign. One lady who lives just […]
arrival , Mexico , travel
Arrival in Mazatlán, SIN, Mexico
After a very long day of travel, I finally arrive in Mazatlan in the dark. Even though it’s late, it is still hot. In the taxi to the hotel for the first night, my first impressions are not too favorable… lots of traffic, screaming billboards everywhere, some dilapidated houses – […]