Guadalajara’s Parque Metropolitano is hidden away on the western side of town, wedged between sleepy Ciudad Granja and bustling Plaza Galerías.
I wandered into the park one day because I heard they had an interesting Interpretive Trail there. Upon arrival, I walked up to a signboard displaying a map of the park, but the trail we were looking for was mentioned nowhere. I turned to my wife, Susy: “No te preocupes, mi corazón,” I said. “It’s here somewhere. We just have to start asking everyone we see — as you know, it’s the Mexican way.”
Sure enough, we soon found someone who had heard about the trail. “Sorry, amigos,” he said, “you’re at the wrong end of the park. You have to go way off in that direction where the offices are.”
After a nice long walk, we came to a high cyclone fence stretching off both ways into the far distance. It was topped with barbed wire. Susy was ready to give up the quest, but I began to walk along the fence until I saw some people inside. “Excuse me,” I shouted. “I can’t tell whether I’ve come to a federal prison or the park’s offices…well, actually I’m looking for El Sendero Interpretativo.”
“Bienvenidos,” said a worker. “You’re at the right place, but the entrance is ‘way around on the other side—you’ll have to walk another ten kilometers.”Actually, he didn’t say that last bit, but I knew that’s what Susy was thinking.
“Um…there’s no gate on this side?”
“Bueno,” he said, and I could see a look of compassion in his eye for two old-timers who needed a break. “Bueno, I’ll let you in this worker’s gate here, but just this once.”
Well, I can think of some countries where they’d never let you slip in the back door, not even “just this once.”
Soon we were introduced to a young lady named Naila Campos who guides groups (mainly schools) along the Interpretive Trail. From her, we learned that the main attraction of the trail is a large enclosure called a Mariposarium which is filled with milkweed plants. Here you can learn all about the life cycle of an endemic species of Monarch butterfly and you can actually see all the stages of their lives: eggs, larvae, cocoons and adult butterflies. The only trouble is, because of the unusually cold temperatures this winter, all the butterflies have been spirited away elsewhere. “Come visit us when the weather warms up,” said Naila.
We were about to leave when we saw a sign announcing Bonsai Classes. “Yes,” said Naila, “these classes are offered by a Korean bonsai artist with over 50 years of experience. Why don’t you go take a look at his bonsais…he has hundreds on display.”
So it is we met warm and ever smiling Yoo Hae Sang, surrounded by his beloved bonsais, which in reality were far more than miniature trees. Each creation was a little island displaying a small oriental garden, simple, elegant and inspiring. On some of these “islands” I could see exquisite arrangements of cacti, driftwood, orchids and natural rocks. In each case the little garden rests on a specially made base which is, in itself, a work of art.
Mr. Yoo (which is his family name) learned the art of the bonsai from his father in war-torn Korea, at a tender age. At Parque Metropolitano, he has around 250 bonsais on permanent display and you can see them both on weekdays and on weekends. He took us on a short tour where we could appreciate tiny versions of native Mexican trees like the papelillo and copal. I was also surprised to see miniature oregano trees and bougainvilleas embellished with “natural art stones,” which Yoo calls “artipiedras” in Spanish. Such stones are greatly appreciated as art objects in the orient, he said, where they are considered very valuable.
Speaking of monetary value, we asked him how much his bonsais sell for. “Here in Mexico they are muy barato,” he said. “This miniature Christmas tree is 500 pesos, for example.” I asked him which was his favorite creation. “My favorite is this red copalillo tree—the trunk is just perfect. In the Far East this bonsai would cost as much as a house.”
Here in Jalisco, Yoo Hae Sang founded an organization called Arflora de Mexico, A.C. (AMAC) which has over 300 members and holds expositions regularly. You can read more about the organization by Googling “Arflora AMAC.” On their website, under Galerias, you’ll find photos of a great variety of bonsais.
How to get there
Take Avenida Vallarta to Calle Independencia, which you’ll find two blocks west of Plaza Galerías Shopping Mall. Go south three and a half blocks and you’re in Parque Metropolitano. Go west as far as you can and park. The Bonsais and Butterflies are located in a fenced-in compound at the far western edge of the park. If you have a GPS, you’ll find the gate of this compound at N20 40.617 W103 26.483. Just tell the guard you want to visit the bonsais and you’re in. Mr. Yoo holds his classes on weekdays and weekends. He can be contacted at (33)3632-3222 (home) or (331)406-3500 (mobile). You can speak to him in English, Spanish and, of course, Korean.