About 15 Smarts showed up to participate in this annual parade, including local owners, a few from the Mercedes/Smart dealer in Guadalajara, his local sub-agent, S&S Motors, along with members from the Guadalajara contingent of the Smart Car Club of Mexico.
Guess who forgot to take his camera!
Nevertheless, the entertainment, food and arts and crafts vendors were great, as usual. I never did taste any of the chili but I sure did love the ribs and slaw offered by the School for the Deaf.
This annual fundraiser helps to support several local charities and is held every spring on the grounds of Tobolandia, a local water park.
That is a great little town/village. I was there first in 1982 as a side trip while visiting Guadalajara. When back in Guadalajara a few years later I made sure there was a side trip to Ajijic. The Hotel Ajijic which, I think had 12 rooms, made the best tortilla soup in Mexico. We also had some great meals in Talaquipaqui at a place called The Restaurant With No Name. They had no printed menus but the waiter would sit on a stool next to your table and sing the the menu while playing his guitar. They also had several peacocks and crowned cranes wandering around snatching whatever they could right off your plate. Made for interesting dining and the food was great. I hope those places are still there because it sure was fun.
I'd love to be there, I used to go very often when I was young and lived in Guadalajara, is pretty close to the airport. My favorite thing to do was to eat "charales" (tiny dried fish) and jamaica candy.
Hopefully somebody will post the pictures here.
Someone did take pictures and you can find them by scrolling down through the threads at smart club méxico
SmartieYankie's "Talaquipaqui" is actually 'Tlaquepaque' in case anyone wants to use Google or come for a visit. It is a delightful, upscale place and remains one of our favorite day trips. Our favorite restaurant is 'El Patio', on Independencia, with a combo at 2PM to dine by and, at 3PM the Mariachi Feminil arrive. Sunday afternoons are the best and I suggest you order my favorite dish; Chiles en Nogada. Delicious! At 4PM, if you hurry, you can catch the last hour of the Mariachi and Folkloric Dancers in the famous 'El Parian' just a block away in the pedestrian area.
If you mean the place we sometimes called, 'The Black Door' or 'The Hole in The Wall,' on Hidalgo in Ajijic; Yes, it is still there and making the best tamales and enpenadas in all of Jalisco. If you mean, 'Restaurante sin nombre' in Guadalajara, I've heard of it and assume it is still there.
On the Chili Cook-Off: It was just announced that seven local charities, mostly for children, each received 35,000 pesos as a result of this year's event; some 10,000 pesos more than last year. Thanks to all supporters and attendees, it just gets better every year.
The place I remember was in Tlaquepaque. It seems there was a place that was supposed to have the second longest bar in the world behind Gilley's in Texas. You went down the street a few hundred yards and entered a door like someones home. You went through a couple of rooms, like a home, and than out onto a padio and back yard. The tables were arranged among a few trees and awnings and there were several crowned cranes and peacocks who were happy to accept handouts or sneak whatever they could off your plate. Made for an interesting meal.
Good for the charities. We have been on several antique car tours in Baja. The Green Angels usually assigned a vehicle to follow us for the entire trip, I think sponsored by the Tourism Dept. and as we got to the larger towns we were assigned a police escort. The problem was we had maps and knew where we were supposed to go but the police would lead us in the wrong direction. Then we realized we were being taken by the local orphanage. All the kids running out and waving made it all right. It's good to hear they are still looking out for the little ones.
>>Then we realized we were being taken by the local orphanage. All the kids running out and waving made it all right. It's good to hear they are still looking out for the little ones.<<
smartieYank, I'm all teared up. Thanks for a great story. <snuffle>
Gee you two, I could read your stories all day. Please keep chatting.
Hi Susie, I'm sorry for your tears and I hope there was a smile there also. Living in Los Angeles it was easy to head south to "get out of town". Among our old car collection are three Model T Fords, the oldest is a 1910. We have driven them to Ensensda, San Felipe, and Mexicali several times. Once we drove the 1910 from Los Angeles to La Paz. There are very few antique cars in Mexico so to see 15 to 20, 75 year old cars running down the highway is quite the sight. It was always amazing to me to be driving out in the middle of the desert with nothing in sight and all of a sudden here come 20 kids of all ages running across the sand waving wildly. I still have no clue where they came from. The recognition we get in smarts is nothing compared to driving old cars around. Our trips to Mexico bring many fond memories. Thanks for asking.
Oh yes! You have jogged my memory and I seem to recall seeing 'Restaurante Sin Nombre' in Tlaquepaque in my wanderings. I don't recall exactly where, but if I stumble upon it again, I will explore inside.
Suzie, you might be amazed at how much Mexico improves one's outlook on life and the way that folks look after one another. The 'Green Angels' were mentioned above and most folks in the USA have no idea what they are. Well, in Mexico, the Ministry of Tourism provides roving trucks with two mechanics aboard. They assist travelers who may have car trouble. There is no charge for this service, beyond parts or fuel, and if they can't get you going, they will tow you to a repair facility. Many have also received such help from 'The Federales' (federal police) or from the general public; some even including meals and a place to sleep. Local traffic police will often escort lost travelers to get them back on their desired route; sirens blasting and running all the red lights just to be helpful. These things should be known, especially now, when there is so much propaganda, most of it distorted, making Mexico look bad and causing unnecessary fear. We're just as safe and happy as ever. The problems are between the bad guys and authorities; innocent civilians are seldom involved. We feel more 'threatened' when we travel in the USA and there are news stories and statistics to support that feeling.
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