Lietuviskas aprasymas zemiau
Wanna see all reports? Click here
Day 9: Alcoholics Anonymous on a Field Trip
February 16, 2006
Woke up in Ciudad Guzman. Because of the white Comala with no place to spend a night, we had to drive 2/3 of the road to Guadalajara in the complete darkness. Didn't see any motels or hotels on the "libre" Mex 110 until Ciudad Guzman, and all the TWO hotels of Ciudad Guzman are expensive ($45), so keep this in mind when planning this part of your low budget itinerary. The free Mex 110 parallels the toll Mex 54D and is not too bad at all. However, it is narrow and winding, and driving at night on unfamiliar roads is on the whole not a good idea. Besides, you cannot see anything in the dark anyway, so whatever you pass you have missed for good.
Yet, all is well that ends well. The 16th of February is Lithuania's Independence Day (one of them :)) - gotta observe properly! Being in the country where every saint's and patron's, and even conqueror's birthday is a fiesta, a party is not a complicated thing to arrange. Especially when you are only some 50 miles away from Tequila! :)
About 35 miles west of Guadalajara, there is a town not to be skipped by any visitor of Mexico. Take the free Mex 15 west and just follow the signs to the town called Tequila. The vast blue agave plantations and tequila vendors on both sides of the road will not let you get lost.
Apart from being a lovely little town, Tequila is home of the many generations of the two chief families in the business, the names of which for the majority of us mean simply "tequila": Sauza and Jose Cuervo. We get very lucky to be approached by a friendly tour guide Lucia, who offers us a private tour to Don Juan Antonio Alvarez Rodriguez private tequila distillery. On the way to Don Juan's, the beautiful Lucia tells us the story of the endless hatred between the Sauza and the Jose Cuervo families (could be compared to Romeo and Juliet, only no love story has ever been involved in this tequila war), the history of the town and drink itself… Did any of you know that the Jose Cuervo family lost one of their mansions to the Sauza family in a poker game?
Don Juan's miniature family-run distillery was fascinating: we got to hear, see, smell and touch every little thing involved in the process of tequila brewing. Followed by the tasting, of course, catered by Don Juan himself. Then some more tasting…for Lithuania! (both Lucia and Don Juan surprised us by knowing a lot about the recent history of our country). And just a little bit more, for Mexico and, of course, tequila :)
In the end, Lucia takes a cup, scoops some fresh tequila from the tank and tells us to wash our hands. There is no other place on Earth where you could wash your hands with tequila, says Lucia. We couldn't agree more :)
Parting with the new friends wasn't easy, but the ride back to Guadalajara was very happy :)
Recommendation: "El Tequila Labrador" distillery tour. The distillery is owned by Don Juan Antonio Alvarez Rodriguez; Address: Melchor Ocampo No.18 Bis C.P. 46400 Tequila, Jalisco. Tel: 01-(374)-742-1600. E-mail: updeagave@prodigy.net.mx . For a very informative tour in Spanish or English, you should go to the central square and try to find Lucia :) We will check with Lucia is she wants her e-mail address posted on our Web site.
Guadalajara: Mexico's second largest, 4 million people, probably 8 million cars, dust, smog, heat, noise and horrible smell of gasoline… Were happy to get out of there. Not so fast, though. A visit to the downtown cost us 2 hours of time wasted trying to find the way out of the city. Tired but still happy (Don Juan's tequila seemed to have a long-lasting effect), we finally reach Morelia.
No person who has ever admired and praised Morelia has been exaggerating: "aristocrat of colonial cities", "the diamond in the Spanish crown"… all these respects can only be called an understatement! The city is mesmerizing. Nothing we have seen in Mexico so far even remotely resembles Morelia. In short, you have to see it to believe it. Looks like we are stuck here for at least 2 more days :) Keep checking back for more on Morelia and whatever else will happen to us until the next report!
Cick on the pictures to enlarge
|
Yep, you're on the right track!
Taip, vaziuojate teisinga kryptimi! |
They just have too much of it - basic wash with Sauza is only 30 pesos. Vehicles only, please :)
Tekilos jie turi, akivaizdziai, per daug. Paprastas masinos plovimas su Sauza - tik 30 pesu. Tik prasytumem islipti is masinos - vairuotoju neplauname :) |
Chinese wisdom: find a job that you love, and you will never have to work again
Kinieciu ismintis: susirask patinkanti darba, ir niekada daugiau nebeturesi dirbti
|
|
5 leter bottles of tequila make a great souvenir :)
Suvenyriniai 5 litru buteliukai :)
|
||
|
Agave roots - this is where the happy stuff comes from
Linksmybiu saknis |
The blue agave fields - could anybody remind us why we keep growing those potatoes in Lithuania??
Melynuju agavu laukai. Gal kas nors galetu priminti - ir kodel mes Lietuvoje auginame tiek bulviu?? |
The beautiful Lucia next two the tequila tap
Lucia sako, kad yra tik viena vieta pasaulyje, kur rankas galim nusiplauti is kranelio tekancioj tekiloj. Tuo neabejojam :) |
Nuvesk pelyte virs paveiksliuko, spustelk jos kaire ausele, ir paveiksliukas padides
9-oji diena: Tequila Sunrise… arba "Salud!" uz Lietuva
2006 m. vasario 16
Lietuvos Nepriklausomybes rytas Meksikoje isauso sauletas ir grazus.
Gal ir mums kartais paprasciausiai sekasi - tokios dienos proga, atsibundam visai nebetoli nuo Tekilos miestelio. Lietuvos Nepriklausomybes diena saziningai ir nuosirdziai paminedavom kiekvienais JAV praleistais metais, ir si Vasario 16-oji, uzklupusi mus saly, kurios gyventojai nepraleidzia progos atsvesti ne tik savo prieteliu ir isganytoju, bet ir uzkariautoju bei piktadariu gimtadienius (svarbu yra motyvas fiestai!), nebus isimtis - paminesim sia grazia svente Tekiloj! :)
Tekilos miestelis isikures apie 60 km I rytus nuo Gvadalacharos. Likus apie 30 km iki miestelio, pamazu pradeda nykti visa augmenija, uzleisdama vieta melynuju agavu plantacijoms - kiek akys mato… Apie 15 km iki miestelio - jau pilnos pakeles tekilos pardaveju. Pasirinkimas placiausias: nuo mazyciu suvenyriniu tekilos buteliuku iki 10 litru plasmasiniu bidoneliu. Pora pastaruju ir paemem :))
Pats Tekilos miestelis - labai jaukus, nedidukas, greitai apziurimas. Centrinej aikstej (netiketai, ir laimei) susipazistam su Lucia, kuri pasiulo mus nuvezti I mazyte privacia tekilos gamyklele miestelio pakrasty. Paciame mieste visa rinka ir teritorija uzemusios "Sauza" ir "Jose Cuerbo" seimos. Seimos - tikraja prasme: tekilos gamybos paslaptys perduodamos is kartos I karta, kartu su neapykanta didziajam konkurentui: atitinkamai Sauzai arba Jose Cuerbo… Si nesibaigianti kara Lucia palygino su "Romeo ir Dziuljeta" , tik meiles siame Tekilos kare, anot Lucios, - nei uz grama tekilos.
Mazyciu Lucios vyro vairuojamu autobusiuku nudardame I Don Juan Antonio Alvarez Rodriguez telikos gamyklele. Ziurim, klausom, uostom, ragaujam… mokomes - grize I Lietuva uzsisodinsim darza agavu. Kiek galima masiskai auginti vien bulves!
Don Juan - gamyklos savininkas, pats vaisina mus tekila. Isragaujam gal 4 rusiu. Beragaudami susidraugaujam, ir Don Chuanas istraukia dar kelis, "ypatingu progu" butelius. Ragaujam ir is tu - uz Lietuva gi! :) Suzinom daugybe gudrybiu. Viena is ju - tekila reiktu uzkasti apelsinu. Citrina arba laimas numalsina, "uzmusa" burnoje likusi skoni, tuo tarpu alpesinas ji suzadina, isryskina. Taigi, taisykle: ziupsnelis druskos - mazytis kasniukas apelsino - gurksniukas tekilos - likusi skiltele apelsino. Viskas vardan tos Lietuvos! Galiausiai grazioji Lucia liepia nusiplauti rankas po kraneliu, is kurio teka… tekila! Lucia sako, kad yra tik viena vieta pasaulyje, kur rankas galim nusiplauti is kranelio tekancioj tekiloj. Tuo neabejojam :)
Su Don Chuanu ir Liucia skiriames sunkiai - kalbos daug (jie zino ir Lietuva,
ir musu kova uz Nepriklausomybe… jau net neminesim, kaip idomu klausytis
ju istoriju apie Meksika ir, zinoma, tekila). Apsikeiciam adresais, ir esame
uzkviesti kuo greiciau sugrizti I Tekila. Mes juos, zinoma, pakvieciam I Kauna
:)
"Uz Lietuva" butu galima iki vakaro, bet… laikas I Gvadalachara.
Gvadalachara (Guadalajara) - antras pagal dydi Meksikos miestas. Beveik kaip Lietuvos Kaunas, tik truputi didesnis: apie 4 milijonus gyventoju :) Miestas ir grazus, ir baisus. Centras (senamiestis) gali didziuotis ispudinga architektura ir graziais parkais, taciau sitokios duju/ benzino/ tepalo smarves ir smogo misinio dar neteko matyti niekur pasauly. Deguonies Gvadalacharos ore like gal koks 10%! Po poros valandu klaidziojimo po miesta, pradejo darytis, tikraja prasme, bloga. Nesdinomes neatsisukdami (bet, kaip tycia, koki 10 kartu pasiklysdami - miestas gigantiskas, isvaziavimo zenklu beveik nera arba nesimato per medziu lapus, aukstus sunkvezimius, ar kitokias kliutis). Po dar geru 2 valandu klaidziojimo, pagaliau pajudam Morelijos kryptimi.
Morelija pasiekiam jau sutemus ir… kuriam laikui paprasciausiai prarandam
zada. Lyg butumem papuole I kita amziu, ir I kita sali. Gal I sena, su likusiais
Europos didmiesciais dar nesusiasimiliavusi, Madrida… Pakereti Morelijos
grozio, nusprendziam pasilikti cia dar bent vienai parai. Moteliu kainos ("bazinis"
lovos ir karsto duso variantas uz miesto ribu prasideda nuo $8) irgi vilioja
pasilikti :)
Daugiau apie Morelija - rytoj.
