#22 From Mezcal to Tequila

Mazatlan – we arrived on the ferry the very next morning to blue skies and sunshine. Like La Paz, we were greeted with beautiful beaches, colourful letters and a delightful promenade to walk along, with of course plenty of mariscos (seafood restaurants) to choose from. Still celebrating the TIP we had just received and thus our ticket to freedom, we were in high spirits. This side of the sea felt similar, with only one difference; it sure was hot and sticky!

Our first stop however, wasn’t seafood. We were longing for some meat! Upon a recommendation from German friends, we made a beeline to ‘Rub BBQ’ and pigged out on some ribs. What a way to kickstart our time on the mainland.

To digest it all, we found a lovely campsite with a pool overlooking the pacific. With our own palapa and no other tourists to be seen, it was definitely the perfect location to hang low for a while. But three days was enough and we were ready to roll again…making sure we found somewhere a tad bit cooler first.

And we did! In fact, apart from the coastlines that meander around this vast country, much of Mexico’s landmass consist of many highlands which are never too far away in order to escape the heat of the summer.

So, with that in mind, we climbed up the windy and utterly breathtaking drive to Mexiquillo on ‘Route 40 libre’.

Mexiquillo is a National Park full of pine trees and unique boulders. An attraction for tourists all year round with cosy Swiss-style cabañas to welcome visitors in the winter, and cascades, rivers and lakes in the rainy season. Although there is much to see and do, we were happy to decline the off-road quad bike tours and horse riding trails and simply breathe in that fresh pine air again, oh how we had missed collecting prickly pine cones!

Durango- after a quick peek on iOverlander, it was clear to us where we should set up camp next: the ‘Rancho de la Joya de John Wayne’. We were back in the desert after all, and once the gates to the ranch opened, we knew we had stepped back into the Wild West, or shall we say, the ‘Viejo Oeste’.

We were greeted by rancher Armando and his family and soon discovered why the name John Wayne was given. It turns out that John Wayne himself, back in the day, made about 7 movies here. And these weren’t the only movies to be filmed on this set. Blockbusters such as ‘Bandidas’ with Penelope Cruz and Selma Hayak; and ‘The Mask of Zorro’ with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Antony Hopkins, were also shot in these neck of the woods.

Unfortunately, though, a fire had set ablaze three years ago leaving the buildings in the old west town looking a little desolate. There are plans to rebuild in August however and a commercial scheduled for Budweiser.

Our four days on this ranch were awesome. Not only did we get to witness some Wild West events that took place at the weekend (with young cowboys dressing up and performing their tricks and the horses joining in on the fun too), but we got to visit the city of Durango like a local. Armando graciously gave us a tour of his favourite spots, heading straight to the markets. It sure was easy to get lost in there and we certainly didn’t walk away empty-handed. A sombrero for Richie, an engraved handbag for Zoe and a scorpion Mezcal for Abigail were amongst our souvenirs.

Thank you Armando for treating us like family. We hope we will be back one day soon.

It was time to hit the road again and we had originally planned to visit the state of Zacatecas, but on the morning of departure, Armando strongly advised us not to, as he had just been on the phone to his nephew who had witnessed an armed robbery when driving!

So we figured it was indeed best to turn around and go back the way we came! We did however experience our first rainfall in over half a year! It was the beginning of the rainy season for Mexico.

Our stopover between Durango and Mazatlan this time round was going to be at Puentecillas, a resort deep in the forest with a lake. But after half an hour of bumpy forest roads the path was blocked and we couldn’t reach our destination, and as it was late in the day, we decided to do some wild camping in the woods.

With a good night’s sleep under our belts, we set sail the next morning making our way down to Tequila, and as it was quite a distance to the campsite we had planned for that evening in Sinaloa, we decided to speed things up and take the toll roads. Boy, are these roads pricey! A day’s drive on the autopistas here will set you back a good $50.-US, pretty steep!

The stay at ‘Color Marino Hotel and RV Park’ near Teacapan was however very pleasant. All alone with the beach and pool to ourselves, it was totally worth the six-hour drive. A little slice of paradise. If only the temperatures were a little less humid. It was definitely time to seek higher elevation again.

The closer we got to the state of Jalisco, the more apparent it was, that this was tequila country. Agave field after agave field; an array of blue. Tequila can only be produced in five regions of Mexico: the whole state of Jalisco (where the town of Tequila lies), and in parts of the following states; Michoacán, Guanajuato, Nayarit and Tamaulipas. Mezcal on the other hand is made in nine states which include: Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, Michoacán, Puebla and Oaxaca.  Both Tequila and Mezcal are made out of agave, but Tequila must use a minimum of 51% blue agave, whereas Mezcal can use any kind of agave. The final major difference between the two lies in the process the two liquors go through. Mezcal gets its typically smoky flavour through being cooked over a fire in a pit before being distilled, and in Tequila, the agave plant gets steamed in industrial ovens before the distillery process begins.

Why do we know all this? Well, we did do two distillery tours in Jalisco.

Tequila – what a vibrant, colourful, loud and touristy place this is. We loved it! We joined in with all the festivities the town has to offer; purchasing a tequila cocktail from one of the many street vendors, dancing to the mariachi bands that were playing in the plaza and waiting in line to have our picture taken by the seven brightly coloured block letters. Always a must! Oh, and of course we did our first tequila distillery tour, opting for the José Cuervo factory.

We were able to camp at a wonderful refuge not far away: Delia’s Trailer Park in Etzatlan. Everything about this lush, green site was perfect. Our hosts, including the chickens (yes, they really do jump on your lap for a sneaky cuddle) were welcoming. Mangos and fresh organic eggs were gifts left frequently on our doorstep and the town itself, which was within walking distance, had everything you needed. Including a repair shop just up the road to fix your broken car window.

We had forgot to mention that on our way to Tequila our rear windows had smashed into smithereens. A piece of firewood that we had carelessly lodged between the camper and the vehicle had knocked into the glass when driving over a tope (speed bump). Zoe was miraculously unscathed and the handyman was able to restore our damage immediately, and all on a Sunday afternoon. Wow!

Our week in this area was phenomenal. We had met up with some American travellers, got invited to a birthday party, and made the most of the surroundings, such as visiting some nearby pyramids which had been newly excavated.

The meat at ‘Carniceria Romero’ too was an absolute hit. It was so good, we returned on our last day to buy a whole freezer load more. Which, believe us, is something! Getting your hands on some good meat for the bbq in Mexico has become somewhat of a challenge. So do stop by if you’re ever in town.

An hour east of Tequila lies Guadalajara. We were excited to explore the republic’s second-largest city and we even knew a native Guadalajaren; Belén. We had met her in La Ventana on the Baja peninsula, and we made it our first stop to check out her restaurant ‘Café La Paloma’. The food was exquisite and turning up unexpectedly was a fun surprise. Belén took time out to join us at the table and when we had said our goodbyes and asked for ‘La Cuenta’, the waitress informed us that she had covered the bill. Wow! Mexican hospitality never ceases to amaze us. Thank you so much Belén, it was lovely catching up! We do hope our paths cross again soon.

The city of Guadalajara, although quite big, was surprisingly accessible, even for our tall camper, apart from some low hanging cables that is…oh, and the gay pride parade that took place that day. But it is a city after all. Downtown parking was free and we checked out all the important monuments and buildings in the city center, and of course took the obligatory picture of the Guadalajara sign, which came in bright pink and white. The vibe was good and for a city that size, was very enjoyable. Our campground for our two nights in Guadalajara was a secure gated car park, a perfect solution for those urban adventures.

On our way out, we made the most of what big cities have to offer….and that’s hitting the shops. Around the corner was a quirky, unique English bookshop. When we say quirky we mean beer for breakfast and a DJ playing vinyls from the 50s. Talking of DJ, our next stop was the DJI store located, in a very upscale three-storey outdoor mall, the kind you would expect to find in places like Las Vegas or Palm Springs.

Without a drone, life just hasn’t been the same. Taking those shots from above really does add another dimension to the memories we make on this trip of a lifetime. So without further ado, may we introduce you to the younger and slimmer DJI Air2s.

Our next and final stop in the state of Jalisco, was at Charly’s. Charly’s restaurant and campsite situated in beautiful Santa Elena, Atotinilco. It had been recommended to us by many other travellers, and we can see why. Charly, a fellow Swiss, built this beautiful oasis over the last 30 years and his warm hospitality, excellent restaurant and freshly baked bread was a welcome luxury. We stayed for an entire week, met some other Swiss travellers and of course did another tequila distillery tour, which Charly organised for us.

And oh! what a tour that was! Siete Leguas is a third-generation family-run operation who not only take pride in keeping their fine tequila recipe in the family business but also pride themselves in sticking to the traditional and organic way of making it. And we had the honour of experiencing it all firsthand. From watching the mules extract the juice from the blue agaves (their tequila is 100% agave by the way), to peeking inside hot bubbling fermentation cylinders, to sampling the liquor straight out of distillation, and to being shown around the charming cellars by Mr. Junior boss himself. He joined us on our small and highly personable tour and explained in detail whilst offering us huge samples of the four specialities they offer: Blanco, Reposado, Añejo and Extra Añejo. And for special occasions, number five: the single barrel.

What an afternoon! …or was it morning? It didn’t really matter,  because the tequila was wonderful (we all rated the ‘Añejo’ the best) and this was by far the best distillery tour we have ever been on (and we’re not just talking tequila…we’ve visited many whiskey distilleries in Scotland too). And like all best things in life: it was free!

Thanks for reading, and we’ll ‘meat’ guys you around the world!