On Thursday, February 25th we bid farewell to our friends in Lo De Marcos and head out towards Guadalajara. There is a section of 200D toll road from Compestala for a short distance that costs us $83 pesos. We then take Hwy 15 Libre to Jala, passing through the lava field from the eruption in the early 1870’s of the volcano Ceboruco. The lava field spreads a fair distance and the boulders are quite striking in appearance. Large rocks seem to be glued together with magma.
We get on the cuota (toll road) at Jala, taking it to Magdelena (cost $235 pesos for RV + car). We have been advised to travel on the cuota through this section due to the mountainous terrain. We return to the Hwy 15 Libre at Magdelena. The countryside is covered with fields of agave plants, necessary to the production of Tequila. We stop for lunch in the town of Tequila, hoping to visit the Jose Cuervo Visitor Centre. Alas, traffic is conjested with no place to park our RV so we continue on to Guadalajara with plans to return the next day with our car. Further along Hwy 15, past the town of Huxatla, we pass fields of Mexican “greenhouses” (plastic canopies) containing tomato and strawberry plants. We reach Roca Azul on the west end of Lake Chapala around 4 pm CST.
Roca Azul is a beautiful park with choice of sites in the open with cement patios or sites under the trees with no patio. We choose a site under the trees with views from our windows of Lake Chapala and the sports facilities. After setting up the satellite dish, and establishing our wireless internet connection, we set off for a walk around the park.
There is a cobblestone walkway along the sides of what was once a sea wall. The lake has receded and there are now Jersey cows in a field that was once part of the lake. We open the gates to follow the pathway to the lighthouse (Ferro).
There is a beautiful seating area along the seawall by the Ferro with a view of the mountains surrounding Lake Chapala. The lake is quiet with no motor boats. We watch two fisherman casting their net using a row boat. This area is a wild bird refuge so we see many white pelicans, egrets and great blue heron fishing for their meals in the early evening. On the nearby fences we spot Vermillion Flycatchers and several other varieties of birds we have yet to identify. It is a lovely place to sit and relax after a day of driving.
The one thing we noticed was the effect of the elevation here. This area is an elevation of over 1600 m. At the end of our trip up from the coast, the milk cartons were ballooned out! When Bev made a loaf of bread in the bread maker it was much smaller, so will have to follow the instructions for high altitude which means different portions of milk and yeast!
Friday (Feb 26) we hop in the car to drive to the town of Tequila which hosts distilleries for many brands of tequila. Since our favourite brand of tequila is Jose Cuervo, we head for the Jose Cuervo Visitor Centre near the town square. Upon arriving at the centre we find we have to wait 3 hours for the next tour. We do not mind the wait as it gives us a chance to enjoy a walk around the town, viewing the historic buildings, especially the church built around 1750.
Vic and a stack of JC's barrels.
Bev beside a Blue Agave plant, source of tequila.
Display of root balls of the Blue Agave plants.
They look like giant pineapples and are called "pinas".
Pina translates to pineapple.
The agave is cropped after 5 years, or 12 years for the best to-kill-ya.
The tour of the J.C. distillery facilities is 1 ½ hours long and very informative. We were surprised to learn that 1 agave pina, steamed, produces 8 litres of fluid for tequila. The tour guide provided many facts and figures of the various stages required for the different varieties of tequila. We need to generate a table to keep it all straight! The tour included tasting the agave raw, then after it was steamed, then after the first distillation, etc. At the end of it all, we had done so many tastings we couldn’t finish the final cocktail they provided as we had an hour’s drive back to the RV! The store at the site offered many items, both souvenirs and liquor. We stocked up on a case of J.C. Margarita mix and a few bottles of tequila at prices cheaper than anywhere else.
A collection of old trucks used in the plant.
A whole pile of pinas ready to go in the oven.
Here is some raw agave root.
It is crisp like a potato but bland and tasteless.
Bake pinas come out of the oven and cool off
before they are crushed and shredded.
The starch has been converted to sugar.
We are allowed to sample the cooked agave.
It is quite sweet now.
Unfortunately, we cannot take pics inside the brewing area. After the sugary juice is extracted, yeast is added and the "mosto" is fermented for 7 hours (depending on type of tequila). This is then distilled twice, ending up with raw tequila, at about 58% alcohol, and totally clear. We get to sample some and find it very strong.
Here is an ancient still once used for distillation.
Here is the real Joe Crow, housed in a bird cage in the facility.
Joe Crow translated to Spanish is..........
Jose Cuervo!
The tour hostess discusses the fine points of tequila.
We get to sample three varieties of tequila.
The longer it ages in an oak barrel, the smoother it gets.
Three types of charred oak barrels are used, light, slightly dark, and dark.
If you mix tequila, as in a margarita, don't waste good tequila.
Jose Cuervo Especiale is best for mixing. It is 51% blue agave while the rest comes from cane sugars.
The amber color is caramel from the cane sugar.
Saturday (Feb 27th) we drove along the north shore of Lake Chapala through the towns of Jocotepec and Ajijic on our way to shop at the markets in Tonala on the east side of Guadalajara. Ajijic, like Chapala, is an area that is populated by many Canadians and Americans. As you drive through town, you see many stores with English rather than Spanish signs and there is a new Walmart store. Today the town was busy as there was a Chili Cookoff competition underway for the weekend!
Tonala is known for the glassware, ceramic good and wood furniture produced by the local artisans. We visited 2 major areas of vendors in town. So many amazing items but we limited our purchases to items easily transported home.
A glass market in Tonala.
Now you know where those lawn decorations originate!
In the market area, there is an open air production facility making ceramics.
This hombre is applying paint.
Here is a store selling bathroom ceramics.
I just don't have enough room to bring one of these beauties home!
Darn.
Sunday (Feb 28th)
We have stayed an extra day just so we can see the final game of hockey.
We join 5 other Canadian couples and 1 American couple to watch the Olympic Gold Hockey game. It was really exciting and nail-biting, but The Kid came through in OT. Yeah Canada!! We now have the all-time record number of golds!! Oh, and BTW, we become only the second nation to win hockey gold on home turf. Name the other. They did it twice.
Tomorrow morning we hit the road again, heading up into the mountains to Patzcuaro. With the added elevation, it will be cooler.
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