Hello from Tonalá, Jalisco.
I'm here because every Thursday there is this huge, tianguis artisan market, this is an open-air
market where people are selling food and products and clothes and so many other cool things,
and it's only about 30 minutes away from Guadalajara which makes it the perfect day trip.
So let's go!
Look at all this stuff so far.
This is sensory overload!
Pet tags, lamps, water dispensers, handmade shoes, tons of souvenirs,
I don't even know what that is on the left, jewelry.
What else?
There's also plenty of things you can get for your pets or your boyfriend or girlfriend.
Today is also going to be a little bit of an exercise in facing my fears because after
my phone was robbed in Guadalajara I feel more insecure than ever being out by myself,
especially with a piece of technology out in front of my face.
But we'll see, we'll see how this goes.
Well i just realized I haven't had anything to eat today, so far.
So I smell these, they smell amazing.
These are gorditas?
"De nata" (cream). "Gorditas de nata"
And you have them with chocolate...?
Caramel, chocolate, and no filling.
Okay, one bag of...
It costs 10 pesos and it includes 4 pieces.
Okay, with chocolate gorditas please.
Okay, of course.
So normally I cannot have delicious creations like this because they're made out of flour,
but in this case, it's corn dough that he pinches together with something in the middle
or nothing because it's already a little bit sweet on its own, but in this case, I got
it with chocolate which I think is Nutella that they put inside and only 10 pesos for these 4. Mmm!
It's gonna be really hard to try this while walking and holding the camera but
let's see if I can do this.
Mmm! So good!
Breakfast champions right here!
So this might not be a big deal to everybody but I am pretty proud of myself for
pushing myself to make this video.
I really wasn't going to release one this week because, just because of some things that happened.
I didn't have anyone that could make a video with me.
And after getting my phone stolen out of my hand in broad daylight with somebody else there,
it made me even more hesitant to go out and record a video since even as I'm doing this,
without a camera in my hand, I still get stared at all the time like I have three heads
or something.
So... I'm happy that I did it.
I don't know what I'm gonna do in the future for all my videos because I really,
I don't feel safe here in Guadalajara to record by myself, so we'll have to see.
So one last thing I want to say on this. Am I going to be staying in Guadalajara?
Will I be living here long term?
That was the original plan and at this point, I have four more months booked out that are
already pretty much paid for and I have to stay for this time.
After that though, I think I'll be moving on.
Where? I don't know.
Mexico City right now is a huge contender, even though I never thought I'd be saying that in my life.
Once I started editing this, I was like yeah people are probably gonna be like, "Why would
I never say that in my life?"
Because the first time I went to Mexico City I felt like it was just too overwhelming the
amount of people, I've always thought it's too polluted and I don't think my body could
handle that long term, the amount of pollution in the city.
Except here's something really interesting.
If you go on Google and type in "most polluted city in Mexico"
Toluca is the top city. That's just outside of Mexico City.
And then if we look at these other ones here, Toluca, then Tijuana, Puebla, Guadalajara
is number four.
And then let's go all the way down here, Mexico City is like, what is it?
20th?
I am shocked.
I am shooketh.
All my perceptions are wrong about the pollution, they wrong!
In the two trips that I've gone back, I've really grown fond of it and I could probably
just get over it the amount of people.
There's so many people because it is such a cool city. So that's why it's a contender right now.
And also, even in the more expensive neighborhoods like Roma Norte where I stayed the last time,
it's still more affordable there: rent, food, products, and various things that I noticed,
than here in Guadalajara.
I don't know what the heck the deal is between 2018 and now but the cost of living has gone
up like crazy here in Guadalajara.
This must be the best food stand in here because there are so many people packed around and
I do need more food because the gorditas are not gonna do it for me, but I'd like to take
a seat, so I'm gonna have to find something else.
I will say that so far this is a much more reasonable crowd than I saw a few weeks ago
right before Semana Santa where you could hardly shuffle your way through this entire
place and you pretty much felt bad if you wanted to stop and look at anything because
you're blocking everybody.
Oh I see plants!
I really want to get more plants they're addicting just like tattoos.
Aww, how many months, or weeks old is he?
One and a half months old.
Oh my gosh!
Thank you!
You can literally find everything in this market including month-old puppy dogs.
Oh my gosh that just made my day
So you have cacao from...here?
Look here in Mexico we are cacao producers.
And we have 3 types of cacao
"Forastero, Trinitario," and "Criollo"
This is the "Mazorca"
It's called the cacao pod.
Inside this fruit, you have the seeds. And our artisanal workers harvest the seeds.
You can add them to green smoothies, fruit smoothies.
And this comes from Tabasco. Tabasco okay, that's great.
Yes, and this is the most magnesium-rich.
Okay, thanks a lot. Can I try it? Yes, of course.
(random talking)
You can use it for its antidepressant properties, de-stressing
Thank you! Have a great day.
I should also mention that in addition to the main drag, the tunnel that you're going through
if you look down any of these side streets, you'll see that there's also—
If I don't get it by a car—there's also tons of shops and then other smaller streets that
have lots of artesanías and stuff too.
You know what, I can't do any more carbs before I have a real breakfast, but I think...
I think it was Tonalá in 2018 where I fell in love with "pan de elote" (sweet cornbread)
and it's another thing that's made with just corn most of the time, so I can actually eat it being gluten-free
Yep here's me trying my very first "pan de elote" and let's take a quick notice that
it was 12 pesos in 2018, 20 pesos now which means the prices have gone up by 66%,
just as an example of the cost of living increase that I was talking about earlier.
Coconut water, come on down.
It costs 10 pesos?
One bag, please
One, 10-peso coconut water? Yes, please.
And a complete coconut, how much does it cost? I'll sell you a complete coconut for 50 pesos
Okay, when you walk by coconut water, fresh coconut water for 10 pesos for a bag,
you do not say no to that
Mmm! Oh my gosh, it's so fresh and good.
Oh and I cannot forget to mention if you want affordable products for....no affordable prices
for products this is where you have to go.
Some of the lowest prices for artisan goods that I've seen all across Mexico
Good afternoon. How much are these Leles?
200 pesos each
200? Yes. Thank you!
Okay that is one of the cutest little pots I've ever seen.
I'm actually not sure if he was saying 280, 200, but
I mean they were hand-painted with ribbons on them too.
So cute.
Oh my gosh these are so cool.
Bottles, tequila bottles that they turned into lamps
I'll have 4 chorizo tacos, please.
Just chorizo or chorizo with potatoes?
Just chorizo. No onion but with cilantro. Yes, thank you.
Well I finally found a little food stall that wasn't too crowded or loud, except for it is by a loud street.
And so I got four chorizo tacos. I'm gonna dig right in because I'm starving.
You really can't go wrong with chorizo.
So so salty and flavorful.
Have a nice day. Thank you, you too!
So those tacos were 20 pesos each, highly delicious, and I am full and happy now,
way more energized to do what I love doing the most: looking at all these handicrafts.
I don't know why but this has always been one of my favorite things in Mexico.
Seeing hand-painted products, like mugs, products like this that have Lele dolls
that remind me of Queretaro because that's where they're from.
I mean just everything.
I could look at this stuff all day.
I know some people get bored like, oh it's the same stuff over and over, but for me?
Nope, I love it.
Well, so I have all these bottles that I've been saving, like old tequila bottles
or just uniquely shaped ones.
I want something that can be planted in water and these look like just the thing.
The only thing is you need to change the water monthly.
Just use filtered water.
Okay, for all these?
Yes, living room, dining room, kitchen. Totally in the shade.
And they cost...it depends on the plant?
These... 40, 70, and whichever of these you like are 35 pesos.
I actually did really want to buy one of those except the problem is I have like a mile left
to walk back to the start of this and I don't really want to be carrying it because I can't
hold the camera and that and juggle my bag and everything else.
It's really difficult recording by myself.
I don't really like it honestly for the safety factor and also it's just nice to have a recording
partner to riff off of and see different things chat with people.
Well the cacao woman is a good salesperson because she caught me on the way back, she's
like do you want to buy some?
I'm like ehhh, she's like come on it's really, really good and so here we are.
55 pesos for a— I don't know how big the size bag is
125 something?
It's a pretty decent sized bag and she's like yes you can make it with your coffee—
oh my gosh sorry—you can make it with your coffee in the morning, it's a stimulant,
I think she might have said it's an aphrodisiac, so all great things, right?
Plus the antioxidants all that jazz.
On the screen here is a video of how i was robbed in Mexico in case you want to hear
the whole story of how that went down.
I do hope you'll subscribe to my channel because i will release a new video hopefully every week, and...
GONG that bell, so you get notified the next time I release a new video, and I will see you there!