A group of around 100 sight-impaired tourists from 14 countries spent a full day in the Chapala area on Tuesday, August 18, experiencing local attractions for their ears, fingertips, noses and taste buds.
The excursion was a highlight of the travel itinerary assembled for Tifloencuentros 2015, a nine-day convention for people afflicted by blindness and other visual impairments, headquartered in Guadalajara.
The gathering attracted visitors from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Italy, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Spain, the United States, Uruguay and Venezuela.
The program of activities included conferences and roundtable discussions on technology, education, culture and other issues of mutual concern to persons challenged by different degree of vision loss.
Tifloencuentros (typhlo-encounters) was originated in 2004 by the Argentinean organization Tiflonexos for the purpose of organizing meaningful tourist activities for the sight-impaired. This year’s event in Guadalajara is the first to take place outside Argentina.
Throughout their stay the participants and several seeing-eye dogs brought along on the trip also had the opportunity to explore a variety of Jalisco tourist destinations. They took tours to sites in the state capital and day-trips to Tlaquepaque, Teuchitlán, Mazamitla and Chapala.
Their jaunt to lakeside started with a stopover at the ranch of singing stars Vicente and Alejandro Fernandez, en route just past the airport. Upon arrival they boarded a fleet of tourist launches for a boat ride on Lake Chapala.
From the waterfront the visitors stepped into City Hall where they sampled Vampiro cocktails concocted with tequila, grapefruit soda, lime juice and Sangrita, a locally produced chaser made from oranges and chile.
Local tour guides also led them around the downtown area, introducing their palates to typical snacks such as charales, fresh fruits, nieve de garafa (old-fashioned ice cream) and multi-flavored artisanal candies. Then they were off to Ajijic for comida and free time in the central dining and shopping district.