Santa Maria del Oro

It was Josh's birthday yesterday and we loaded into the van with Annie and the family to head west. About 45 minutes outside of Guadalajara is the pueblo Tequila where appropriately, there are fields and fields of agave plants and tiendas selling tequila all over the place. We stopped and tried the part of the agave plant that they ferment (near its roots). It was sweet like molasses. A bit further down the road we had pollo asado, or grilled chicken, at a roadside stand.
The landscape outside of Guadalajara is spectacular... mountainous and volcanic. I couldn't keep my eyes off the view as we climbed up into the Sierra Madres. Eventually we arrived in the pueblo called Santa Maria del Oro, where there is a beautiful lake plopped in the middle of the mountains. Josh and I, not realizing that swimming would be in order for the day, jumped in the water in our skivies and swam around with Panzon and Annie.
Tomorrow Josh and I will be renting a car to drive to San Blas, very close to Sauta where he and Beth did a story two years ago. Thursday the 20th of November is the Día de la Revolución and there should be a festival there for the occasion. I will be back to report more this weekend.