My Travels - Guadalajara (2006)

Mexico seems to stretch itself in apology of its bulging north and southern continental neighbors, just so that a strip of land maximizes it's beachfront property for countless escapists of land-locked confinement. So finding myself in Guadalajara, three hours from Puerto Vallarta, a day from Cancun, and helplessly inland, I settle for other exploits.

It took a trip here to learn how to drink tequila, thanks to its roots from nearby town of Tequila. It's smooth character deserves a sipping experience rather than hurrying down a salt-rimmed bar shot. Served full in a taller shot glass along with an equal glass of sangrita---tomato juice, lemon, lime, citrus, something spicy---to chase each sip in style.

I found that this knowledge won't impress your friends, who'd simply be content with tequila shots or with margaritas laced with crappy Sauza tequila.

Dining is a social experience paced in relaxed (read: slow) detail as your host intricately sets your table, your first drink, your appetizer, willing you to wind down instead of build up to the main course. Which I found hard, waiting for probably the best steak in town at the Argentinian La Estancia Gaucha, or rose petals on my steak at the Sacromonte, or arracheras at the Cantina de Los Remedios or at the Adobe in Tlaquepaque. Extend the night at the Hard Rock Cafe or at La Cebolla Roja. But don't miss Santo Coyote (see photo insert), the fresh salsa made in front of you, the ambiance, the waterfalls, the murals, the garden, the rack of young goat on the grill.

Buy cheap silver and leather at Tlaquepaque and stop by the cathedrals overlooking the market square.

Stay at the Presidente Intercontinental (photo) or at the Hilton next to the World Trade Center.

As it is the Silicon Valley of Mexico---primarily why I was visiting---I imagine the area best represents modern Mexico than the coastal destinations built to foreigners' taste and served by the poorer class. It is where life is afforded modern choices and opportunities, and where hard work and potential are much more readily rewarded. It is where I met a number of people content to live in what is still a third-world, developing country, even when they have the means to leave or just given a theoretical choice.

Paints a contrasting picture next to the immigration crisis brewing this month across the US.