When it comes to visual entertainment, in all its tragedy, comedy, and excitement, little else compares to the lively street activity here. Walking out the door and down the street beats television any day, which is convenient for us as we have no television. As a newcomer, you are always bound to see something new and interesting, something that you will reflect on all day.
Performers are a feature at most major intersections. Usually dressed as clowns, they juggle fire, dance, and stage mock battles for the few pesos that the stopped traffic will offer up. They generally show impressive efficiency and timing, knowing exactly how long they have to perform and collect money before the light turns green, and they are fairly talented to boot. I spoke to a fire juggler who performs at an intersection near where we live; he said that he makes enough to get by and that he finds the job better than most.
We currently reside on a major East-West avenue that runs all the way through the city core, for several kilometers. Every Sunday from 10am-2:00pm, the entire length of the avenue is shut down to automobile traffic and it becomes the Vía RecreActiva; hundreds of thousands of people come out on bikes, roller-skates, skateboards, and sneakers to traverse it. It is wonderful to see so many families and young kids out on the street. Along the route, at the Parque Revolución, free Spinning and Aerobics classes are given. The Vía RecreActiva has been functioning in Guadalajara for just over a year, and has been so successful and popular that it is being used as a model for other Mexican cities and Latin American countries.
Then, too, there are horrifying street scenes – reminding a pedestrian of his or her own mortality and the fragility of human life. Just today I was waiting for a bus, when a police car raced past and around the corner. My eyes followed the flashing lights and I saw just at the end of the block there was broken glass and a small body laying in the street. Family sat next to the child, there were a dozen onlookers - I was amazed by how quiet the whole scene was. Then I saw a car parked hastily a few yards away from me, a large round hole in the windshield of the passenger’s side. The police mostly milled around talking to witnesses, it wasn’t until a coroner’s truck arrived that the family members were gently approached and moved away.
One of your best posts. Tragic.
And yet, I want to be there. We leave for Belize in 22 days.
Posted by: alan at December 5, 2005 07:23 PMYeah, I only wish it belonged to me. :) Megan is a much better writer than me and has decided to exercise this ability on our blog. You'll still see the standard Noah postings about what is going on in our life, about Mac stuff or a political rant now and then. Don't expect anything but insightful observations about Mexico and our lives here from Megan.
Posted by: Noah Brimhall at December 6, 2005 07:13 PMWell yes, Megan has and always will be more insightful ;)
I love the pics by the way. I'm feeling more compelled to move down there.