Getting to know the jungle; A visit to Vallarta Botanical Gardens
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- Published on Friday, 17 August 2012 11:24
- Written by John Pint
Every outing we have ever gone on with botanist Miguel Cházaro has been an adventure. One day our friend took us to visit a cloud forest of maple trees and giant ferns, not far from Talpa, Jalisco. The next morning we had planned to return to Guadalajara, but Cházaro said, “There’s a botanical garden near here you really must see. It was started by an American and it’s unique.”
Environmentalists question moves to rehabilitate/protect Primavera Forest
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- Published on Friday, 10 August 2012 11:55
- Written by John Pint
Official plans to rehabilitate the Primavera Forest after the devastating fire in April of this year are far from adequate, says researcher Miguel Angel Magaña of the University of Guadalajara’s Center for Biological and Agricultural Studies (CUCBA).
Camping at Agua Dulce: fresh air, cool river & pony rides too
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- Published on Friday, 01 June 2012 11:28
- Written by John Pint
This marvelous ecotourism center and camping area is beautiful, safe and, believe it or not, located only 40 minutes from Guadalajara.
Memoirs of life at El Amparo Mine, Etzatlán, Jalisco; tranquility, tragedy and always plenty of music
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- Published on Friday, 03 August 2012 12:33
- Written by Salvador Landeros Uribe
El Amparo is located 65 kilometers due west of Guadalajara and for many years its silver mines were the richest in Jalisco. Engineer Salvador Landeros grew up at the mines and eventually became General Manager of all the operations.)
Water chiefs acquire Tlaloc painting for Chapala HQ
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- Published on Friday, 25 May 2012 12:39
- Written by John Pint
The Jalisco State Water Commission has asked Guadalajara muralist Jorge Monroy for a painting to grace its new building on the shores of Lake Chapala. The painting, tentatively entitled “Tlaloc Reigns Over Chapala,” will hang in a large stairwell where it will be visible from two floors. Although Monroy turned the completed work over to Commission authorities on May 14, dedication of the new building – a training center – will not take place until sometime in July, after the upcoming Mexican presidential elections. Inaugurations and other ceremonies which could be used as political platforms, are forbidden by law during this pre-election period. The Reporter’s JOHN PINT stopped by Monroy’s rustic studio in Pinar de la Venta to ask him about his newest creation.
The rope makers of San Miguel Cuyutlán; hidden, humble and highly talented
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- Published on Friday, 27 July 2012 12:00
- Written by John Pint
The small towns around Lake Cajititlán are famed for their skilled artisans and you may have seen leaflets and brochures depicting, among other things, the beautiful basalt sculptures, colorful ceramics and rodeo-quality lariats produced in this area, which is only a 40-kilometer drive from Lake Chapala.
Adventure in the cool depths of Chiquiliche Cave: city kids discover the excitement of underground exploration
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- Published on Friday, 18 May 2012 15:14
- Written by John Pint
Chiquiliche is one of those very few caves in Jalisco which are easy to reach by ordinary car and unlikely to give visitors a case of histoplasmosis (which is caused by breathing in the spores of a fungus growing on bat guano). Getting into this cave does require a bit of derring-do but the reward is a chance to admire beautiful flowstone, explore winding passages leading off into total darkness and gaze up at the cave’s dramatic skylight entrance, 30 meters above your head.
Exploring Huasteca’s wonderful waterfalls
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- Published on Friday, 20 July 2012 11:54
- Written by John Pint
Guadalajara has several very well organized clubs specializing in outdoor activities like hiking, camping and mountain-climbing. These clubs offer excursions every single weekend of the year and their members get to see natural marvels that most tourist guidebooks never mention (except my book, Outdoors in Western Mexico, of course!). Some of these groups have been around for a long time, so today’s members benefit from discoveries of little-known sites made by other members decades ago. This year, three of the biggest clubs are celebrating their anniversaries. CEO (Cuerpo de Exploradores de Occidente) is 75 years old, Grupo Montañista Colli is 50 and Club Excursionista Huicholes Jalisco is celebrating its 41st anniversary.
Save the Tooth! Mammoth monoliths of Cerro El Diente are under attack
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- Published on Friday, 11 May 2012 12:14
- Written by John Pint
A 17-minute drive north of Guadalajara brings you to a veritable Forest of Giants: monster rocks covering a steep hillside which rises high above the placid village of Río Blanco. The place was long ago given the name El Diente in honor of one particular tooth-shaped rock especially beloved by the boulder and mountain climbers who have been coming to Cerro El Diente for decades to hone their skills.
Volcanic vapors and ‘Little Yellowstone’: Searching for fumaroles in the Primavera Forest
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- Published on Friday, 13 July 2012 12:32
- Written by John Pint
A mere 23,000 years ago, the Primavera Caldera housed a big lake and was the site of frequent volcanic eruptions and pyrotechnical explosions. Today the lake has been replaced by woods, but the Primavera’s hot rivers remind us that there is plenty of thermal activity just below the surface.
Why don’t the potholes ever go away? Chamba’s Law explains this and many other Mexican mysteries
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- Published on Friday, 04 May 2012 13:02
- Written by John Pint
For months I watched the woodpeckers hollow out the telephone pole in front of my house to build their new home. The problem was that the hole they were working on was their fourth attempt at nest making and I wondered just how many holes that pole could take before it snapped. I wondered if male woodpeckers face the same problems as male weaver birds (Ploceidae), which have to “try, try again” until their lady loves say, “Yes, this is perfect for my nest.”
Obtaining a driver’s license, Guadalajara-style
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- Published on Friday, 06 July 2012 11:42
- Written by John Pint
Having discovered – to my amazement – that there is only one place in the MegaGuadalajaropolis that issues driver licenses to foreigners, I decided to rise bright and early the day I set out for Transito, imagining I was at the start of an arduous and lengthy trial: the quest for my very first Jalisco licencia de conducir.
A weekend at Mascota: Visiting the Psychedelic Bell, the new museum and magical San Sebastián yoga master
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- Published on Friday, 27 April 2012 11:54
- Written by John Pint
Mascota’s eminent archaeologist, Joseph Mountjoy recently informed us that the town’s already outstanding museum has been completely upgraded and expanded. We decided this was a perfect excuse to revisit Mascota, which lies about 150 kilometers west of Guadalajara and Lake Chapala. We also planned to take a peek at the nearby mountain village of San Sebastián, whose charm is legendary.
Night hikers meet forest creatures in the darkness
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- Published on Friday, 29 June 2012 13:57
- Written by John Pint
When I signed up for a night-time walk in the Primavera Forest, I knew I would encounter the unexpected and that’s exactly what happened.
Trekking across the Primavera: A forest with hot and cold running water, tasty guavas & exquisite orchids
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- Published on Friday, 20 April 2012 12:41
- Written by John Pint
Every year Bosque la Primavera organizes at least one long trek across the forest. This year it was a sixteen-kilometer hike on March 24, starting at the western edge of the Protected Area, crossing the famed Río Caliente and ending at the little town of La Primavera, which lies 15 kilometers due west of Guadalajara, alongside the highway to Tepic and Nogales.
Accolades for bilingual documentary on archaeologist Weigand
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- Published on Friday, 22 June 2012 12:29
- Written by John Pint
Friday, June 15 marked the first public screening of “Phil Weigand, an Explorer for All Times” at Hospicio Cabañas in Guadalajara. The historical documentary was created by the team of Pascual Aldana, Daniel Aldana and Alberto Fuentes of Explora México under the auspices of El Colegio de Michoacán and TV UNAM. The film focuses on the life and discoveries of the late archaeologist Phil Weigand (1937-2011) who, together with his wife Acelia García, spent more than forty years unraveling some of the mysteries of a great and hitherto unknown civilization which flourished in western Mexico 2000 years ago.
Itch mites: What’s that tunneling under my skin?
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- Published on Friday, 13 April 2012 11:54
- Written by John Pint
Have you ever discovered red marks on your skin which itch something awful, much worse than a mosquito bite? I have on many occasions and when I would show them to country folk here in western Mexico, they told me I had güinas or aradores, nearly invisible little creatures that literally get “under your skin.”
The Aquetzalli Falls: ‘Straight out of Indiana Jones’
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- Published on Friday, 15 June 2012 11:15
- Written by John Pint
Recently my canyoneering friends – members of the group Jalisco Vertical – decided to rappel all the waterfalls of the Jalpa River as it passes through Aquetzalli Canyon, close to the town of Chiquilistlán, located 65 kilometers southwest of Guadalajara. Although I’m not a canyoneer, I decided to tag along hoping to catch up on my writing in full view of a spectacular cascade where I could periodically cool off in a deep pool of deliciously refreshing, clean water. After all, the word Aquetzalli, I was told, means “crystal-clear water” in Nahuatl.
The petroglyphs of Altavista and the Enchanted Pool of the King
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- Published on Thursday, 05 April 2012 01:00
- Written by John Pint
Long ago we heard rumors that the petroglyphs of Altavista – located 50 kilometers north of Puerto Vallarta as the Macaw flies – were a sight we had to see. Finally, one day in March, we decided to go visit the place, figuring that this time of year the humidity and the gnat count would be low while the temperature would be pleasant by day and cool at night: perfect ingredients for camping on the beach at the nearby pueblito of Chacala.
Ultimate Frisbee: quirky, competitive, virtuous
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- Published on Friday, 08 June 2012 11:07
- Written by John Pint
More than 300 players and fans of Ultimate Frisbee gathered at the Universidad de Guadalajara Sports Club last weekend for the 2012 Mexican National Tournament in this fast-moving team sport, which uses a flying disk instead of a ball.
How to enjoy your laptop and stay healthy: Tips from a yoga master
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- Published on Friday, 30 March 2012 13:25
- Written by John Pint
In 2003, more than 9,200 non-government workers missed a day or more of work because of typing or keyboarding related injuries, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics. In 2008, the situation got a whole lot worse as sales of laptop computers overtook those of desktops for the first time. Today, according to British-born Paul King, co-founder of Guadalajara’s Practicayoga, things will get much worse, as laptops begin to take their place as the principal workhorses of the office.