26 January- 1 February, 2001

Another great week in Guadalajara. We spent one evening at the climbing gym with Doug realizing how pitifully out of shape we are, and headed out to a little taco stand that made scrumptious food. It occurred to us a few times how strange it is to be in Guadalajara, climbing in a gym with Doug- an activity we used to do not infrequently in San Diego, a long time ago, it seems. The gym was good- the ceilings were a little low for serious climbing, but that was ok since we only have our shoes and no harnesses anyway.

On the following Sunday the three of us headed out to see Lago Chapala and the town of Ajijic- about 30 minutes outside of Guadalajara and a popular retirement area for gringos. In all honesty, we don't really see the attraction. The lake is supposed to be grossly polluted (swim at your own risk) and has receded several hundred feet due to overuse of the incoming rivers by Guadalajara. What was once lakeside property is now a long ways from water. The town itself (Ajijic) is quaint, and being so close to the second largest city in Mexico has certain advantages when it comes to shopping and transportation. Other than that the only things that we saw that it seems to have going for it is the presence of a lot of other gringos and an agreeable climate.

That's not to say we didn't have a fun day! We hunted around a little while and found a roast chicken place to eat a huge lunch for about five dollars (for three people) then jumped into Sandy to drive out to some hot springs that are mentioned in the guidebook. We drove right past them on the first try so Steve suggested we drive back on the shore of the lake instead of the main road. The first couple hundred yards were firm sand but after a while it got swampy enough that we decided to head back for the main road- none of us were in the mood to have to dig us out of being stuck, and the sky was threatening rain.

On the second try we did find the springs. They turned out to be pools, a waterslide, saunas and a restaurant. Pretty neat but not what we had in mind and very crowded. On the way back towards Ajijic Steve saw a sign for Pulque and decided to find some. Pulque, Steve had learned at one point, is a beverage made from the agave, like tequila, but not distilled and therefore retaining some of the nutritional value of the agave's sap. This information he had learned during a class on latin american history in college… We did find a pulque stand, Steve did buy some of the stuff. He and Doug both managed to get past the sweat-sock smell and drink a glass, Bb refused on principles of hygiene- the pulque had come from a towel-covered pot in a dirty shack on the roadside, and it did stink pretty bad. Suffice it to say that our first pulque experience was not all that Steve had hoped it would be. To top things off, some of it spilled on the floor so now we have a constant reminder of just how lovely pulque smells. Finished the night off watching the Superbowl at the home of some of Doug's schoolmates.

Cows from the lakeside where Sandy played in the sand				Time to back out before we get really stuck

Beebee making a frog face next to a big frog (or is it a snake head?)	The courtyard of the museum that houses the Orozco murals	A very silly chair in the plaza just out front of the Orozco museum	The main Orozco mural, painted in the middle of the ceiling	In this long room where the ceiling and walls are covered with Orozco's work, they have benches where you can lie down and gaze up comfortably

Our favorite little plaza and its church. In "El Centro" of Guadalajara	The beautiful interior stained glass of this same church	The main cathedral in "El Centro" of Guadalajara. We like the other one better	Many plazas stretch eastward behind the cathedral. This is just one of them

La Carnivora -- Steve ordered Beebee the pork special -- holy cow that's a big bone!	All dressed up and (yippee!) somewhere to go	Doug and Lisandra. Doug took us out to this fabulous restaurant	The entire place is outdoors, lit by candles and these incredible hanging lanterns	We couldn't get over how fairytale this place is. We took copious notes!

Sandy parked at Doug's house in Guadalajara	The sunset from Doug's little porch	Random pic of Beebee looking sexy after a night out	A sick Steve napping in the warm sun on Doug's porch

Opal mines, dirt roads, fabulous vistas, strange sections of cobblestone… We spent the next five hours exploring the back hills by a pretty good dirt road (pretty good means we didn't need 4 wheel drive, but wouldn't have considered it in a low-clearance vehicle). We didn't see any miners, to our dismay, from whom to buy opals but had a great time nevertheless. Our only disappointment was that the dirt road we were following ended in a cute little town in the middle of nowhere instead of looping around back towards Tequila and so we had to spend a few hours backtracking. We don't like backtracking.

On the way back to Tequila we stopped in Magdalena to look at opals and were impressed by the great deals available on beautiful rust-colored opals that are apparently common in the area. We also learned a lesson: always check the store first before driving out to the mine. If we had gone to the store first we would have seen that if you gather up a few handfuls of rubble near the mines you are likely to end up with at least a few rocks that have tiny opals in them- not big enough to bother extracting, but beautiful when you throw them all into a jar with some water. Next time we'll know.

When we finally got back to Tequila at about 3:15 we decided to skip the tour. Not because the distillery isn't interesting to us, but because we just didn't feel like hiking around the HUGE building for an hour learning about how they make tequila. Besides, we would have had to wait until four to get started and we didn't want to get back to Guadalajara any later than six. We did stop at a few of the dozens of tequila vending shacks alongside the road, to sample their goods. Steve struck up a conversation with one of the proprietors during the course of which he learned that it is possible to buy bulk tequila at bargain prices. So the guy behind the counter pulled out a two-gallon jug and filled up a one-liter plastic bottle full of really good tequila. All for the incredible price of 50 pesos (about 5 bucks). Partway home we realized that we should probably get two bottles at that amazing price and stopped at another place where the guy led Steve back into a back room where he had a 50-gallon oak barrel of tequila from which he filled a plastic bottle for only 30 pesos! Granted, this stuff wasn't quite as good as the other stuff, but still better than the Jose Cuervo 1800 you buy in California.

With a few free samples in his belly and the satisfaction of having gotten a great deal, Steve dozed off while Beebee drove back to Guadalajara, Beebee enjoyed the pleasant evening drive through the agave fields.

Steve having fun with Sandy on the road out to the mines		Anyone interested in some Tequila? We got lots		Sandy in front of a mine that we think is still in use

When we got back to the apartment we were doubly pleased that we had bought the extra tequila- it turned out that Doug invited a dozen people over for dinner after a big test. We had excellent fajitas, danced to music in the living room and, of course, drank excellent margaritas courtesy of Steve.

Bb spent the day beading -- she had four orders placed for necklaces at the party! So leaving on Friday was out! That left Saturday morning full of last-minute errands, packing and whatnot. We didn't leave Saturday either -- as we were packing the car, we chatted with Doug's neighbor, Spencer and that turned into drinking beer with him until late. Finally, After Doug made us breakfast, we got on the road towards Merida.

We drove for about four hours, until late afternoon, and saw a "microondas" (microwave) tower on a hill overlooking Ojo de Agua. We've heard that microondas stations make for good camping, as they're off the road and government property, so nobody really goes there. We stopped an old "caballero" (cowboy) and asked him for directions. He told us to follow him, then turn off just after he did. Worked like a charm. The road to the top of the mountain was paved with cobblestones and wound uphill for about 30 minutes. The forest at the top was too tall to allow for a view, so we spent the night about halfway back down the hill. The sunset was pretty and the view of the valley as the lights came up at twilight was breathtaking. We made dinner and a little campfire and enjoyed the evening tremendously. The night, however, was a different story. Just as we put out the fire and got into the tent, the wind came up and the temperature dropped down. It blew fiercly all night, between the howl of the air and the shaking and rattling of the tent Beebee more than Steve, got a lousy night's sleep.

Glad for morning, we got up to the same amount of wind. Boy was it cold! Our hands hurt from the wind. We felt lucky that the evening had been so calm. We drove on, heading in the general direction of east when Bb read in a guidebook -- Lonely Planet -- that there is a National Park and a town called Mineral del Chico in it, just off the road that looked reachable by dark.

We passed through the city of Pachuca, which we found quite charming, and on up into the hills towards Mineral del Chico, an old mining town. The hotel rates were a little high for us, but there might be camping…

As evening came on, we realized that it was going to be way too cold for camping- everyone we had seen for the last few hours was wearing parkas and we were approaching 8,000 feet of elevation. Stopping at the first hotel on the road to Mineral del Chico, we also realized we'd need a fireplace to keep warm. This hotel didn't charm our socks off, so we kept climbing the windy road. We arrived in Mineral just at dusk and checked with one of the two hotels listed in the guidebook, Posada del Amanecer. Turns out there are only two in town, there was a third listed, but it no longer appears to be here.

Anyway, the hotel was charging about $60 U.S. per night for a room with a fireplace. We either talked the guy down, or he just felt sorry for us and offered it to us at $50. We decided to take it, as it was dark and we had saved a bit of money in Guadelajara.

We did ask the concierge if the hotel would be interested in an exchange -- website for room fee. He told us the man with whom to speak wouldn't be around until tomorrow.

Our room was charming, with a nice fireplace in the corner. We ordered room service and enjoyed our "expensive" digs.

Tuesday morning came around and after an incredible night's sleep, a short walk around town and a cup of cafe, we decided to just head on east, without bothering to talk to the manager. Well, at least that's what Bb thought! Turns out, Steve had decided to try and surprise Bb. It worked. We're now still here in Mineral del Chico, lovely town that it is, working on a webpage for the Posada del Amanacer and one other, owned by the same entity: Hotel El Paraíso. We'll be here, room and half-price food in exchange for the pages, until Friday morning. Wheee!