MEXICO
Guadalajara, Mexico
2010 I met a man named Dan from Sydney, Australia while I was in Toronto, CA for a summer vacation I took by myself. Dan and I instantly clicked interest in each others travel stories and life goals. Him and I kept in contact and would start traveling all across America together. We went to Baltimore, DC, Philly, NY, Boston, Detroit, Chicago, etc. during the short amount of time he had left on his visa to stay in America. Late 2011 was the last time him and I saw each other. I received a post card in the mail this year (2016) from him. It was an invite to his upcoming wedding to a woman named Mariana he met while we were in Toronto. The wedding was in the home town of the Mariana and he wanted me to be there. I couldn't say no to such an awesome opportunity! I bought my tickets and booked our accommodations to Guadalajara, Mexico.
The day finally came to fly out to Mexico for one of the best weekends of our lives. We exchanged our US currency to pesos at the airport, got our passports checked, and got on the plane. After a short plane ride we arrived in Mexico. The airport was very dirty and shattered. We immediately took care of our passport information and got past security once we arrived. We sat at a Starbucks and got on wifi to figure out how far we were from Blue Pepper Hostel, which is where we were staying for the weekend. It turned out we were a 45 minute car ride. We got a quote on how much it would cost to take us there by a taxi driver. He said $500 pesos. We decided against it and walked into a convenient store in the airport to purchase a calling card to use a payphone and call our hostel to figure out our best option from the airport. They suggested us catching a "chicken bus" to our destination. I was unaware what that was till we got on it. The bus was an old dirty bus, with broken seats. It gets over filled fast, at a very low price.
The bus arrived, we got on and sat near the back. There were kids up front dancing to the pop music the bus driver was playing on the radio. We were sight seeing the roads of Guadalajara. There were many abandon buildings and homes. The places that were still in business had advertisements on them that had nothing to do with the actual business. We were told, it's a way to keep the business going by letting corporate ads market on their business. After an hour on the road, we arrived to down town. It was packed with people, food stands, and old churches. We were still very lost, so we sat in a restaurant to get wifi again. It appeared we were about a 25 minute walk away. After an exhausting plane ride, the idea of walking anymore sounded very unpleasant. We hailed a taxi to our hostel. It cost us $70 pesos and it was worth every peso.
The hostel doors were open as we walked right in. The front desk agent booked us into a private room, which was $30 USD for 3 nights. It was a tiny space, it only had a bed, a window, a tiny desk, and a tiny fan. It was exactly what we needed. We unpacked our things and freshened up. We walked down stairs to discover there was a mini bar and taco kart connected to the hostel. We sat down for a few $1 USD Corona's and some delicious tacos and quesadillas. After a few beers in, we decided to check out the down town again so we walked over to a main street and explored the town. There were palm trees, water fountains, and dancing going on everywhere. It was quiet the fiesta, we stopped in a 711 to buy drinking water since drinking tap water in Mexico can be considered very dangerous. We also bought a 6 pack of Latin beer and drank them out front of the water fountains and squatted down just as any gopnik would.
Once midnight hit it was Kim's birthday! We cheered and drank the rest of our drinks at the water fountains. We made our way back to the hostel to be graciously offered free tequila as a present from the employees. Kim and the cook of our tacos earlier were the one's taking care of the consumption. Many drinks later, we did a Facebook live stream of most of the hostel to show how cool of spot we were in. The next morning we woke up, it was wedding day and Kim's birthday! We got dressed up and caught an Uber to the church we thought it was at. We walked around the blocks looking endlessly for our party. We had no luck, till we realized we were at the wrong church. We caught another Uber to the destination where we were suppose to be. It was a beautiful historic church. We arrived early without being able to find anyone. Since we had time to pass, we decided to have a big breakfast across the plaza. It was very delicious and very Latin styled foods. After breakfast we made our way back over to the church to discover my old friend Daniel Boland being photographer in a Marachi outfit. This was the first time I saw him in 5 years (since I was 21). Him and I hugged, caught up, and took some great pictures together. Afterwards Kim and I stood around and met lots of his friends and his future wife's friends.
The bells rang, as we all made our way in the church for the marriage ceremony. It was a magnificent moment. We saw Dan and his best men walking down the aisle. Followed by Marina and her bridesmaids. The priest said the words and that was it. My longtime friend Dan was married. The moment was heartwarming and filled with happiness for everyone. They hoped in a decked out limo hummer and drove off, as everyone waited for the shuttle buses to arrive as it was taking us to a mysterious reception. Kim and I met more people on the shuttle. They were all friendly, we were having a blast riding through what seemed like every corner of Guadalajara. After an hour ride on the shuttle we made it to our destination. It was a place called Hacienda De La Barranca. It's without question one of the most amazing place I have ever been to in my life. The views are absolutely astonishing. Do yourself a favor and Google this place? You will not regret it!. Anyway, we arrived to the outdoors of this fantastic venue. The architecture was incredible. The view was an outlook of mountains and forest for many miles. There were beverages as soon as we walked in. We heard a loud honk. It was Dan and Mariana! As soon as they arrived a mariachi band started playing. It was awesome to be surrounded by such cool things. We all sat down to delicious appetizers. We were then surprised by original Latin folk dances by professional men and women performers. It was so neat!
After all the entertainment Dan, Mariana, and the rest of their bridesmaids and grooms made toasts. It was exciting to hear what everyone had to say and the fondness of the whole event. We all started eating and drinks and of course came dancing. We arrived at around 2pm and left the event at 10pm. It was people dancing nonstop. There was even a clown with stilts dancing with people. It was a spectacular night and awesome birthday celebration for Kim. We eventually caught up with Dan. We showed him how to pelvic thrust the Pelvis Presley way. The party finally came to close and we all made our way back on the shuttles to go to our accommodations. During our time on the shuttle we saw a local transit bus that was overflowing with people so much that people were actually standing on the roof of the bus. It was pretty wild, I never saw anything like it. Kim and I made it back to the hostel late and finally got some well deserved rest.
The next morning we were informed about a mariachi parade going on near our hostel. We walked over to watch the event. It was awesome, people were really into it. Lots of what seem to be locals were singing along to the lyrics. We made our way over to an outdoor flea market. We bought glass made sugar skulls as souvenirs. Afterwards we walked over to a shuttle stop where were meeting the group to go for a pool party the newly weds had arranged. The shuttle picked us up, but the driver was lost. Kim translated directions from someone's gps to get us there. We arrived, it was a gorgeous spot filled with trees, a playground, pool, decorations, and drinks. There was a flag for each country of a guest that was visiting. It was really cool, we had some drinks and hung out. Dipped our feet in the pool, relaxed in the shade, and had a terrific time. There was traditionally pinata smashing that the kids took play in. While the grown ups played soccer. It was seriously blast. After all the fun and games we headed back to our hostel for our last rest in Mexico. The next morning, we woke up and caught an Uber to the airport. We arrived early, exchanged our pesos back to USD's and caught our plane back home. It was an unforgettable trip with superb memories.
RIOT FEST!
We wanted to immerse ourselves in the music scene of Denver right away. So, we bought tickets to Riot Fest (Which is one of Denver's biggest events every year. We only went Friday because that was the only day that appealed to us the most. We got to see...
White Lung, Diarrhea Planet, Rogue Wave, Dan Deacon, The Aquabats, Fitz & The Tantrums, Thursday, Death Cab For Cutie, & Deftones.
It was an awesome day! We really enjoyed ourselves, the music was great.
I got selected as a dancer in Dan Deacon's regular dance battles he hosts. We also got free truckers hats we turned into radical art hats. We also got to see Deftones up close and personal, which is a band I've always wanted to see live. It's not the most ideal lineup I've ever been to, but for what it was we loved.
Our highlights in Denver so far.
We went to a Rockies baseball game and saw them take on the Arizona, Cardinals. There is a section called "The Rock Pile" which is the cheapest seats in the house. It comes to a total of $4! We went with them and they were great seats. I don't think there's a bad seat in that stadium. The Rockies did lose, but it was fun being there. Kim wore her Tampa Bay Rays shirt, as I wore my Baltimore Orioles shirt. It was to honor our homes away from home.
We put good use to our NPS pass by visiting the Rocky Mountains on Labor Day. We got our directions by our GPS and were misguided so bad, we were stuck on a cliff briefly. I had to do a 3 point turn to get us off with a near death experience. The path was clearly for 4 wheeling up a mountain, but we were seeking adventure and fortunately got off with no harm. We did some sight seeing and took pictures on the high points with the rest of the tourists.
During our time here we've been exercising a lot. Besides it being the thing to do here. I signed up for the Rock N Roll half marathon, so training has been imperative. Considering there is about 10 parks in a 1 mile radius from our apartment, it's been very refreshing. We also have been going to the Boulder Running Companies weekly 3 mile fun run, after the run you're rewarded with free beer. They also have new sponsors come in every week to let you try on exclusive gear and you're even able to run in it. I also met a goal I set earlier this year, which was to run 366 miles this leap year. I did it in 70 runs. I'm feeling determined and confident in running this half marathon.
We also did this thing called Denver Cruise Ride. It's where 500-1000 bicyclists meet up every Wednesday at a bar for happy hour. Afterwards everyone rolls out together for about a 10 mile bike ride. They took us to some pretty wild spots. We went through marshy dark roads, under bridges, around different neighborhoods and our final destination was a junk yard. It has local food vendors, a stage for bands, and lots of dancing. It was sweet!
We went to this incredible experimental art event called Fantasia. It's in an artist warehouse called Rhinoceropolis, There was visuals, paintings, instillation's, bands, beers, food, plants, other awesome stuff. We absolutely loved it. The culture was incredible, the art was amazing. I can't say enough good things about it. The art and the people were all very great. We're thrilled about Denver and are looking forward to all upcoming journeys and adventures that will continue.
Thanks for reading!
(I came out with a new song as Pelvis Presley called "Vanishing Cream". Change a life today, please listen now)
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| Dan and I in 2011 |
2010 I met a man named Dan from Sydney, Australia while I was in Toronto, CA for a summer vacation I took by myself. Dan and I instantly clicked interest in each others travel stories and life goals. Him and I kept in contact and would start traveling all across America together. We went to Baltimore, DC, Philly, NY, Boston, Detroit, Chicago, etc. during the short amount of time he had left on his visa to stay in America. Late 2011 was the last time him and I saw each other. I received a post card in the mail this year (2016) from him. It was an invite to his upcoming wedding to a woman named Mariana he met while we were in Toronto. The wedding was in the home town of the Mariana and he wanted me to be there. I couldn't say no to such an awesome opportunity! I bought my tickets and booked our accommodations to Guadalajara, Mexico.
The day finally came to fly out to Mexico for one of the best weekends of our lives. We exchanged our US currency to pesos at the airport, got our passports checked, and got on the plane. After a short plane ride we arrived in Mexico. The airport was very dirty and shattered. We immediately took care of our passport information and got past security once we arrived. We sat at a Starbucks and got on wifi to figure out how far we were from Blue Pepper Hostel, which is where we were staying for the weekend. It turned out we were a 45 minute car ride. We got a quote on how much it would cost to take us there by a taxi driver. He said $500 pesos. We decided against it and walked into a convenient store in the airport to purchase a calling card to use a payphone and call our hostel to figure out our best option from the airport. They suggested us catching a "chicken bus" to our destination. I was unaware what that was till we got on it. The bus was an old dirty bus, with broken seats. It gets over filled fast, at a very low price.
The bus arrived, we got on and sat near the back. There were kids up front dancing to the pop music the bus driver was playing on the radio. We were sight seeing the roads of Guadalajara. There were many abandon buildings and homes. The places that were still in business had advertisements on them that had nothing to do with the actual business. We were told, it's a way to keep the business going by letting corporate ads market on their business. After an hour on the road, we arrived to down town. It was packed with people, food stands, and old churches. We were still very lost, so we sat in a restaurant to get wifi again. It appeared we were about a 25 minute walk away. After an exhausting plane ride, the idea of walking anymore sounded very unpleasant. We hailed a taxi to our hostel. It cost us $70 pesos and it was worth every peso.
 |
| Dan and I in 2016 |
After all the entertainment Dan, Mariana, and the rest of their bridesmaids and grooms made toasts. It was exciting to hear what everyone had to say and the fondness of the whole event. We all started eating and drinks and of course came dancing. We arrived at around 2pm and left the event at 10pm. It was people dancing nonstop. There was even a clown with stilts dancing with people. It was a spectacular night and awesome birthday celebration for Kim. We eventually caught up with Dan. We showed him how to pelvic thrust the Pelvis Presley way. The party finally came to close and we all made our way back on the shuttles to go to our accommodations. During our time on the shuttle we saw a local transit bus that was overflowing with people so much that people were actually standing on the roof of the bus. It was pretty wild, I never saw anything like it. Kim and I made it back to the hostel late and finally got some well deserved rest.
RIOT FEST!
 |
| Dan Deacon set vs my new shirt |
White Lung, Diarrhea Planet, Rogue Wave, Dan Deacon, The Aquabats, Fitz & The Tantrums, Thursday, Death Cab For Cutie, & Deftones.
It was an awesome day! We really enjoyed ourselves, the music was great.
I got selected as a dancer in Dan Deacon's regular dance battles he hosts. We also got free truckers hats we turned into radical art hats. We also got to see Deftones up close and personal, which is a band I've always wanted to see live. It's not the most ideal lineup I've ever been to, but for what it was we loved.
Our highlights in Denver so far.
 |
| Rays, Orioles, Rockies, Diamond Backs |
 |
| This was after we were off the mountain. The back is in mid air. |
We put good use to our NPS pass by visiting the Rocky Mountains on Labor Day. We got our directions by our GPS and were misguided so bad, we were stuck on a cliff briefly. I had to do a 3 point turn to get us off with a near death experience. The path was clearly for 4 wheeling up a mountain, but we were seeking adventure and fortunately got off with no harm. We did some sight seeing and took pictures on the high points with the rest of the tourists.
Thanks for reading!
(I came out with a new song as Pelvis Presley called "Vanishing Cream". Change a life today, please listen now)
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