More tequila

After a pretty cool morning, we load the bus and make the beautiful drive back through the mountains taking in the jungle environment we’ve come to love while here and growing in anticipation of whats to come as we cover new ground.   highway vendoron the roadbus and pacifico

As we approach tequila we turn off the main road to wander a bit through the ranch land and field upon field of agave.  Since arriving to Mexico, we have realized that E’s rattle can primer paint job is the exact “color of blue agave” and feel as though we are completely camouflaged in these hillsides.  We chose this paint color because we wanted to blend in and not stand out too much.  An excellent choice!

field of agaveagave cartcobblestonehotel tequilacasatequila street

As we pull into the cobblestone streets of tequila and head back to our last parking/camping space we see that the street is under construction and we will have to find another place to stay.  A few streets up we pull over in front of hotel tequila and just across the street from the historic casa i fell in love with on our last visit.

We are so happy to have come back this way. Tequila is as magnificent and clean as we remembered it.  We’re happy to be feeling healthy this time around and planning on a tour of the large tequila factories in town (cuervo and sauza) but after hearing the tour price we decide to spend our pesos merely sampling tequilas and enjoying a nice dinner instead.  Interestingly enough, Tequila is a huge tourist destination and clearly charges top prices- but the only tourists we’ve seen here are mexican.  In fact, the tours are only give in Spanish which is kind of cool.  Over dinner we discuss and realize that (sadly) most people in the states and canada haven’t yet come to appreciate tequila for the sipping drink it is.  The popular thing seems to be to buy the really bad brother of good tequilas, adding lime, salt and everything else they can throw in it to make it taste good.  More good tequila for the rest if us i guess.

tequila rutabry walking rutakarma ruta tequilamundo cuervo

The delicious public market where we ate last time is closed by the time we get done hitting tequilerias and we walk around looking for something to fill its shoes.  By now it’s after 7, we are really hungry but realizing that its still early for dinner here and most taco stands are just beginning to setup.  I grab a quick/tasty Cabeza de Res taco (which we think might be cow brain) to ward of becoming hangry (the less adventurous jen passes) and we continue looking for a place to sit and relax over a full meal.  We do a lap of town and end up back where we started in a restaurant on the second floor overlooking the street and the same taco stand from earlier.  A few more tequilas get sampled and an order of fajitas gets happily devoured while we watch the constant energy and movement on the corner beneath us.

tequila cathedral

tequila street foodtequila intersectionAs we wrap up our meal i realize (that for the second time today) we left our iPad sitting somewhere.  After a brief moment of terror and replaying our path in my brain i look over the balcony and see orange on the corner of the taco stand we visited at least an hour earlier.  I cant count how many people have come and gone from this stand and stood around staring at our ipad while they ate their meal and left with it sitting in the same place.  I’d like to think that the same thing would have happened if we left the iPad sitting on the counter after picking up a latte at starbucks back home…but i’m just not sure it would be there when we returned from the bathroom much less a walk around town.  mexico we love you.

We gather the ipad, stroll back to the bus and setup camp for the night.  A block away we realize we aren’t in Nayarit anymore.  Jen has goose bumps and is already talking about pulling out the sleeping bag to stay warm…

tequila shopcourtyardtequila camping