I really fell in love with Guanajuato the moment the taxi came out of the tunnel, and the vibe there was nothing like I've ever felt before. There was beautiful architecture and cobblestone streets everywhere, and there were a lot of people in the streets. And another thing I noticed right away was how people were very down to earth, and I made two new friends right off the bat when I found myself lost. After inviting me into their home, they showed me around the city when they walked me to the house I have been staying at. In some ways Guanajuato reminded me of New Mexico because of the Spanish architecture, most notably the interiors of a lot of buildings; even the house I'm staying at reminds me of New Mexico.
Guanajuato is completely walkable, and there are stores close by if you needed to buy groceries or toiletries. And driving isn't even a good option to get around the city. Most of the streets are very narrow, they twist and curve unlike most other cities in Mexico, and some of them are for pedestrians only. And you don't even have to rely on using public transportation to get from point A to point B within the city. To ease congestion on surface streets, there are tunnels that go underneath parts of the city. There are also alleyways called callejones, but some of them are notorious for muggings. As I mentioned in another post, there are no big box stores in Guanajuato, although there is a Radio Shack near Plaza de Paz. Unlike Ciudad Juarez or Guadalajara, the gap between the rich and poor is really small, and you'll hardly notice it.
The food is the same as anywhere else in Mexico - tacos, quesadillas, tortas, enchiladas. But there's a cuisine that's exclusive to Guanajuato called enchiladas mineras. These enchiladas are topped with queso ranchero, potatoes, and lettuce, and you often have a piece of pork on the side. As always, the local food here is more natural than in America. It's the fast food that was imported from the USA that has made some Mexicans fat. But here, the only fast food joint is KFC. Yay! But it would be better if there were no American fast food chains at all.
As far as women and dating, I felt like the Bajío region offered much easier dating for me. I was only in Guadalajara for two weeks, and life was very fast paced there. And Ciudad Juarez was a huge disappointment. But on this trip alone, I dated three or four girls, one of whom I met on Tinder and went to León to see her. And I didn't need social circle to date these women. The first girl I dated was the one I met in León. She was one of the most down to earth girls I've met and was also flirtatious. And unlike the two girls I dated in Ciudad Juarez, she was middle class, more educated, and had long hair. In my books she was at least a 6.5 if not a 7.
It was the Sunday before Valentine's that I met her in León and we did stuff together. First, as we got to downtown, I played my violin for her, and then we ate tacos and quesadillas for lunch. Then she showed me around parts of the city and even briefly took me inside the cathedral, which was beautiful compared to cookie cutter churches in the USA. We flirted and hugged in a couple parks, and in one of the parks, she laid her head in my lap
, something not even one girl did to me in America. And every time we hugged, when I would give her a larger hug, she did the same to me in return. At the other park, she showed me photos of her friends, and she also played banda music for me on her smartphone. To conclude the date, we had pizza. We do plan to go on another date when I return to Mexico in May. And perhaps she might introduce me to her family. To this day we still talk.Second girl I dated was a gordita I met right outside of Teatro Juarez with her other gordita friend and a British exchange student living in Guadalajara. Both gorditas were from Michoacan. One had light skin, and the other was a darker mestiza. Both were very flirtatious, like my first date was, and the darker skinned gordita even called me "best friend". The British girl was more strong and independent, but she was more down to earth compared to AW. So the lighter skinned gordita and I went to a restaurant the day after Valentine's Day. But I wasn't as bubbly and cheerful because I was sick to my stomach from the previous night. However, she did buy me some medicine to get me to feel better. The second date I went on with her, we went to Mercado Hidalgo for lunch and then took a bus to a rural village called Santa Rosa. The place looked rather run down, but I loved the nature in the area. And on the way back to Guanajuato, we chatted up a British expat girl who was an 8.5. Like the other UK girl, she too was down to earth but strong and independent. However, the gordita and I plan to go to Michoacan together some day. By the way, I got to kiss both gorditas' hands.
I dated a third girl the day after my first date with one of the Michoacan gorditas, and she was a 35 year old. We had pizza at this open air restaurant right by Teatro Juarez. And like with the other girls, I didn't need social circle to meet her and get to know her. I met her the day there was some carnival going on and people were selling tacos and enchiladas (I had enchiladas that day), and I got her number and set up a date with her. I found out she is a single mother, so I won't get involved with her romantically.
There were two other girls I met on Tinder, but they ended up growing cold on me out of the blue. One had to reschedule, but as I said something (cultural misunderstanding) she blocked me on Whatsapp and deleted me from Facebook. The other I met up with in Plaza de Paz. She considered meeting me later that night after her classes got out. But then she told me she was already back at her house and had homework. And as I asked to reschedule, she blocked me on Whatsapp; this time I did nothing wrong, but perhaps she could be a fresa girl (fresas are notorious for being snobby and cliquish but they usually don't act low class or talk trash).
Another thing I learned was that even when you meet American women while you're abroad, you're still in a losing game with them. In the early part of the trip, I met this one attractive blonde AW who lived close to the house I've been staying at. One day I asked if she could hang out, but she said "I'm really busy". And then I gave her my phone number. She said she would text me but never did. Just like a lot of the girls I met in the States, the AW I met in Guanajuato wanted nothing to do with me. Seeing that I got three dates with Mexican girls within a time span of less than 2 weeks, it shows how much better I have it with the local Mexican women than I did with their north-of-the-border counterparts.
Last but not least, two women aged 18 and 20 chatted me up in Jardín Unión. The 18 year old was the most flirtatious I have ever seen. She liked me partly for my blonde hair and blue eyes, and at times she called me "novio". She even stroked my hair, and then I did the same in return. And I even got to kiss her hand.
Now, I had negative experiences in Guanajuato as well as the positive ones.
On Valentine's Day I purchased a strawberry flavored agua fresca, and then as I was walking back to the house, I got a headache. And at one point, I partially lost my vision a few seconds but regained it. I was sick to my stomach, so I ended up throwing up right as I got back to the house. I threw up again the next morning, even after sipping on Sprite and 7-up to try to ease the stomach pain. I even threw up after dinner on my first date with the Michoacana, and that's why she bought me that medicine. After taking the medicine, I was no longer sick to my stomach.
This past Monday, a couple teenage boys invite me to have beer with them in the street, and this was in Plaza Baratillo. At first I asked them if that's illegal, but then they said the police wouldn't bother us. I noticed they had open containers. After eating three quesadillas, the boys and I went into a callejón. And one of them draws his taser and attacks me with it. But luckily I was able to escape from them quickly before they could do anything more, and they retreated. Luckily I wasn't robbed. However, I slipped and fell and scraped my right arm and left leg. Eventually, the woman hosting me treated me with rubbing alcohol and bandages. So I learned that some of the callejones in Guanajuato are notorious for muggings and assaults, especially at night. And I also learned that if people invite me to have beer in the streets with them, that's a red flag that they want my money or they want to assault me.
In summary, Guanajuato is one of the most beautiful cities in Mexico and the people are very easygoing and down to earth. Mexican girls are miles apart from their American counterparts, but they can be a little shy or reserved. But one can still court them and flirt with them. For me, Central Mexico, especially the Bajío region, offered the easiest dating for me in the country. The city offered the same lifestyle I couldn't have in the States. Everywhere was walkable, and you could just walk a few minutes from your house to perform simple tasks like running errands. Cost of living is cheap, and the most expensive I've seen at a nice restaurant here was $12 USD.
Oh, and I forgot to add this. When I was in León, these are the observations I came up with. It reminded me of Guadalajara, especially downtown and this one street I can't remember the name of which closely resembled Avenida Chapultepec. I can't say what the social scene or dating scene is like in León because I was there for just a day trip, and I was on a date. It does have a bus rapid transit system, and you don't need a car in most situations.
