THE TEQUILLA ROUTE

Muy Buenos Dias a Todos,

Guadalahara, October 21st:

I decided to jog inland to Guadalahara. I read in my Frommers that Guadalahara was the birthplace of Mariachi, Tequilla, and theJarabe Tapatio, or, The Mexican Hatdance. That sounds like the heart and soul of Mexico to me.

I found the Tequilla and the Mariachis, but not yet the Hat Dance.the Tequilla centers around the town of Tequilla 45 kiometers outside of Guadalahara coming in from the Coa.stal side. I had wanted to at a decent hour, so I had taken the toll road part way but had gotten off it by then.

There are 24 distilleries in the town. So I asked a local. He told me which one he thought was best. the name is something like Corridia. I can't remember the name, but I'm toting around a couple bottles of the stuff. The tour was great. They showed the process start to finish. There was the inevitible sampling. But, it was a tiny amount. Less than a decent shot altogether.

From there a short hop into town. Found another cheap hotel. Washed up and headed for Mariachi Plaza. It was a slow night (Tuesday) so I had to pay for my Mariachis. 10 pesos per man per song. I got some good photos and a great video clip. The photos are way down at the very bottom of the blog. Today, a walk through the historic District, then back on the road.

Guy