Back to Guadalajara

 Tuesday, April 9, 2024

Gosh it's early!!  No time for yoga this morning, but we're up and dressed and out the door right on time! Everyone makes it onto the bus and Jorge, our driver gets everyone's luggage stashed in the rear of the bus.  We're going to drive for a couple of hours before having breakfast and Ginger passes out the cookies we bought yesterday to tide people over.  It's pretty quiet on the bus, except for a baño break or two.

Very nice hotel!

Ginger's new earrings and shirt!

Let's reflect on our adventure!

I feel braver taking their picture from inside the bus!

Jorge has recommended a restaurant, El Diamantie, and although it was a bit further down the road than we anticipated, it was worth the wait!  There are eyes of God everywhere and the decor is bright and energizing.  The waiter comes quickly, maybe because we are only the second group to arrive, and drink orders are taken. The drinks and food are delivered quickly and the coconut shrimp is excellent and plentiful. And there's a little time for fun with duckie!!

Every meal seems to have these on the table.

Back on the bus and when I check my email I see that it's time to check into my flights home.  My talk-text-data plan with Verizon includes Mexico and Canada so I am able to check in and get my boarding pass right on my phone. I take a picture of it just in case!

One more baño stop and we're back at our hotel.  Jorge removes everyone's baggage and it's time to tell him thank you and good bye and to show our appreciation financially! We drag inside, after our long trip, and Ginger passes out room keys.  Laura has to leave much earlier than I in the morning, so I'm going to move into Ginger's room since we're on the same flight. (Alex and Karen are on it, too) People scatter with plans to meet on the rooftop for sunset before our last dinner together.  Norm has said he would meet us for sunset, too.

Turns out that sunset isn't until 7:10 here, since we have crossed a time zone, and that's too late for dinner. We are on the rooftop and agree to go on downstairs and walk to the restaurant that Ginger has found for us.  It's called Los Illustres and the lobby is filled with art works.  The tables are under a roof but open to the breezes and the whole thing overlooks the park that Juan showed us, celebrating artists of all sorts. The service is prompt with drinks coming out quickly.  I have what turns out to be dessert in a glass, a dolce rita!  The food orders all arrive at the same time!! Now that's fine dining!  And each dish is unique.  I have the salmon is honey-lemon sauce with asparagus and mashed potatoes and it's so good I might try it at home! It's our last night and Ginger is looking for dessert - so everyone follows suit.  She has my before-dinner brink and I have the other one that had caught my eye, the Kiss Velvet. It arrives with a large ice cube with a yellow flower perched on top!

Bye-bye beautiful mountains

And agave azul

So many murals!

Just making sure we know where we're going!

The restaurant's lobby is full of "illustrations" as the name would suggest!

Even the menu is made to look like a book!

Such an inviting space! 

And with a stunning view of the park!

I'm learning to use Goggle Translate.

The title page

This is the park with all the statues dedicated to artist of all sorts - musicians, painters, poets,...

Dolce Rita

Kiss Velvet

Some clever cocktail ideas!

When everyone is satisfied - and then some - we walk the few blocks back to the hotel where we start saying our good-byes and Ginger makes arrangements for everyone's taxis to the airport.  There are four different groups leaving at different times, and one group will actually stay an extra night because airlines are just weird!

Up we go to our room to decompress, re-pack and get ready for tomorrow.  Those of us who are left will meet for breakfast at eight and we'll leave for the airport around ten.  We both hate rushing in airports and would much rather just sit and read or whatever.  It would be smart if I went back and proof read some of these midnight entries!!  But that's for another day.  Tonight I just want to close my eyes!