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Tips on Guadalajara

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For a more authentic Mexican experience than what you might receive on the coasts and a slightly less frenetic vacation than what you might experience in Mexico City , head to Guadalajara . The capital and largest city in Jalisco is known for its mariachi bands , its nearby tequila distilleries , its jaw-dropping architecture and its thrumming nightlife . Guadalajara also effortlessly blends tradition and modernity . For instance , some Tapatíos ( Guadalajara natives ) don sombreros , while others are more comfortable in skinny jeans . Some prefer watching rodeos or Mexican wrestlers , called luchadores , while others prefer sampling Mexican craft beers at El Grillo , a local pub . You can get a taste of it all on a trip to Guadalajara . How to save money in Guadalajara Stop by Plaza de Armas : You can listen to free live music performances most evenings

( Sundays and Tuesday through Friday ) at 6:30 p . m . Fill up on street fair : Eating a couple of meals from a street stall in Mercado

Libertad rather than a sit-down restaurant will conserve some cash . Visit in the summer : Sure , it ’ s hot and you might see some rainy days , but your affordable hotel rate might make up for the sticky climes . Culture and customs Guadalajara , founded in 1542 by King Carlos V of Spain , is the capital and largest city in Jalisco , a state that is credited with inventing sombreros , rodeos and mariachi music . The city is also packed with universities , ranging from the University of Guadalajara to the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education , Guadalajara . Lately , tech manufacturing is drawing more and more of the country ’ s best and brightest , but farming blue agave ( for tequila production ) continues to bolster most of its economy .

Locals in Guadalajara speak Spanish and travellers can endear themselves to residents by looking them in the eye , smiling and saying “ buenos dias ” ( good morning ), “ buenas tardes ”( good afternoon ) or “ buenas noches ” ( good night ).

The Mexican peso is the currency used in Guadalajara and throughout Jalisco . Since the Mexican peso to U . S . dollar exchange rate fluctuates , plan to check the conversion before you go .

In response to crime in Jalisco , the U . S . State Department has issued warnings about intercity driving at night . It ’ s best to confine your driving to the day – or better yet , rely on other modes of transportation . Guadalajara For such a laid-back place , Guadalajara takes its food seriously . The city ’ s signature dish is the torta ahogada , literally “ drowned sandwich .” This pork sandwich is drenched in broth and served with diced onions and spritzed with lime juice ; you use a spoon rather than your hands . You ’ d also be remiss if you didn ’ t sample some of the region ’ s tequila . Try it straight-up or in a cocktail , or head about 40 miles northwest to tour the Jose Cuervo and Sauza distilleries .

Try the cafes , called loncherías , ice cream shops and fresh fruit drink stores , called neverías , and don ’ t miss San Juan de Dios Market ’ s multitude of taco vendors . Also , save some time to dig into birria , a stewed goat meat dish made with tomatoes and savoury spices . For a more formal meal , try Sagrantino or Asador La Vaca Argentina .

Source : http :// travel . usnews . com / Guadalajara _ Mexico / with Ademola Olonilua

Eavesdropper

Wale Denx

Aspiring vuvuzela

If one man ’ s meat is not truly another man ’ s poison , why else would a gomina want to swap his office for that of a vuvuzela ? Evidently , all these years , Rochas Okorocha has quietly envied Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu for the job they do . But who would have seen that coming if the Presido ’ s health matter had not been thrown up like a tennis ball ? But as fate would have it , an opportunity presented itself and Rochas had the fortune of going on pilgrimage to London , where he saw the Presido . He latched on to the opportunity like a hungry dog would grab a piece of meat .

And like a man who has gone to Mecca or Jerusalem for the first time , Rochas came back with tales . If not for Rochas , who would have known that the Presido could still smile , tell jokes and make people laugh ? If you can ’ t deliver on promises made but can tell good jokes , it is a good start . The journey of a thousand miles , they say , begins with a step .

The details that Rochas has provided us , even the Presido ’ s vuvuzelas did not have . Eavesdropper can bet his last naira and kobo on the matter . You see , your tataafo can bet that even Femi has not heard the Presido ’ s new jokes despite being his vuvuzela on joke matters and Garba , the vuvuzela on cartoon affairs , cannot tell us the latest cartoons his principal has seen .

Anyway , Rochas has told us that the Presido may soon return ; let ’ s trust the new vuvuzela of the Presido and keep our fingers crossed . Should the situation change , we can trust Rochas to do the needful by remembering to pass the information to the rest of us who are not privileged to go on pilgrimage to London . But while Rochas is busy trying to hold down the job to make it full-time , our man in Ekiti must be examining the pictures taken by the Presido and the seven gominas that were in London , looking for signs of photoshop .

Will he release the 11 damaging pictures he said would reveal that the Presido ’ s health had deteriorated or will he just put his fanciful pictures in the archives forever ? Eavesdropper will go with the latter .

Confusion in the House of Vuvuzelas Speaking of vuvuzelas and their job , it appears that

the vuvuzelas for the Presido are not turning the pages of the presidential book quickly enough ; at least , not as fast as the vuvuzela for the Acting Presido . Journalists now tend to have more info than Femi and Garba about issues concerning the presidency .

After the vuvuzela for the Acting Presido , Laolu Akande , had told journos that his boss would be swearing in two new ministers during the week , Garba insisted on Twitter handle that no such thing was in the offing , saying , “ If they have a record of who said that , let them publish it . As spokespersons , we report that which has been given to us . As it is at the moment , we

July 29 , 2017

have received no such information .”

As we all know , the Acting Presido did swear in the new ministers and they should be sitting in their office chairs as your tataafo writes this .

Evidently , the vuvuzelas for the Presido are not working with the lone vuvuzela for the Acting Presido and the result is confusion . Sadly , this can mean that the Presido ’ s vuvuzelas are too loyal to their boss in a way that it is affecting their relationship with the new capo in town – Acting Presido . On the flipside , it could also mean that the lone vuvuzela for the new sheriff is making this his thing and feeling too big to carry his colleagues along .

But whatever is responsible for this , it doesn ’ t look good on this government that it can ’ t seem to get its act together .

Lagos elections

In other news , never say something is impossible again in your life because the truth , as Eavesdropper has realised , is that anything is possible . You see , I never thought a day would come when I would actually see INEC as doing okay . Well , the day came last weekend when LASIEC attempted to conduct local government elections in Lagos State . Eavesdropper used the word – attempted – because the elections never really held , even though , your tataafo is aware that results have been released .

I ’ m afraid I have to eat the sour humble pie again like I have done many times here . I have said so many bad things about INEC , but now I know that in some areas , it actually does okay . You see , I moved around last weekend like I always do when INEC is doing its own thing and I could see the BIG difference . I can tell you that by noon , in half of the polling units I got to , nothing had started happening .

LASIEC only had Lagos to contend with while INEC had to conduct its elections all over the country , but the latter does way better getting its officials and materials to polling units to commence the exercise . I doubt if I have ever seen anything more badly organised and put together than the last local government elections in Lagos . Some people have already protested without shirts , blouses or whatever , on .

Well , some people have also argued that we should also consider the fact that LASIEC had not organised elections in a while . Okay , let ’ s consider that for a minute . Tick-tock , ticktock ; a minute is over . Eavesdropper still feels the same way about the elections in Lagos . Maybe if we were talking about the poorest Nigerian states like Gombe , Ebonyi and Ekiti here , your tataafo could forgive them . But this Lagos ; mba , no forgiveness for the state government and LASIEC . That ’ s Eavesdropper ’ s verdict .

. events

• L-R : Regional Head , Africa , United Nations Global Compact , Jobi Makinwa ; Executive Director , Convention on Business Integrity , Soji Apampa ; and Project Manager , Collective Action Project , Feyi Fatona-Ajayi , during a workshop on ‘ Anti Corruption Incubation Lab ’, in Lagos ... on Friday . Photo : Odutayo Odusanya

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