By the time we returned to Portland from our Spring introduction to Mexico, we were convinced we wanted to return and be better tourists about it. We began reading about Mexico more—adding it to our news feeds—and we looked into Spanish lessons. When summer session arrived, we were both enrolled in a basic Spanish conversation class at PCC. We began picking up the rudiments, but it was clear that having any reasonable proficiency would keep us from going back in this lifetime. The class was a beginning. We decided to plan a trip for autumn so we could be there for the Day of the Dead celebrations. We arranged to spend a week before the holidays in a Spanish immersion course in Guadalajara. We really ought to have taken two or three weeks; the immersion got us to the point of getting by and getting around, but never really able to ask detailed questions. We didn't expect it to, but it wouldn't have taken too much longer in the Guadalajara school to be greatly improved.
Our friend Herbert had moved to the city from Ajijic. He and his partner Gustavo shepherded us to the key sites and neighborhoods, plus introducing us to some great food.
Guadalajara is a metro area of over 6 million people, so there's an amazing amount to see, and the city's history is on parade downtown for all to appreciate. We walked a lot as we explored.
