Boldly Go Solo

Today I went with a group of travel writers to Tlaquepaque and Tonalá, two artisan villages in Jalisco, Mexico (the state that Guadalajara is in).

I find I have to separate myself from people to shop the way I want to. If fellow travelers want to chat or show me things they like, time flies too quickly and I've lost out in terms of seeing everything there is to see.

I prefer to wander at my own pace and hit as many places as I can possibly walk in and out of. Plus I like to practice my Spanish and not enter a store yakking in English with a fellow American.

The price of goods in the various stores, and those sold by street vendors, ranged from about $3 for beaded bracelets to $1,200 for a handbag and more.

In Tlaquepaque, there's a Sergio Bustamente store that sells some beautiful, expensive jewelry, art and leather goods. I'm sure those goods are even more expensive in the U.S.

In Tonalá, we went to a factory where they make painted paper mache items. A giraffe, for instance, that is almost life sized. Elephants, angels, suns. 

And we went to a glass blowing place. And to a place where a family of many brothers makes ceramic plates from scratch, hand painting intricate patterns on them. Cost for a setting of four? $25,000 We asked if that was pesos. But he said dollars. Hm. Do people actually buy those? Not people I know…

Now, ready for the pronunciation of Tlaquepaque? Tlah kay PAH' kay. Not that hard, right? As for the Tonala link above, it's a YouTube video of what some of the shops sell. Photos next week when I'm back home.

Photos: Ellen Perlman

1. Sun, Sergio Bustamante gallery, Tlaquepaque, Mexico.

2. Giraffe, paper mache factory, Tonala, Mexico.

3. Hand made plate making, Tonala, Mexico.