After leaving Puerto Vallerta we flew to Guadalajara, where we stayed in a lovely condo in a great part of the city. Beautiful homes, restaurants and the US Embassy.
There are 2 private trains that take you to the town of Tequilla (yes, with 2 ll’s) where the liquor was invented hundreds of years ago by indigenous peoples when they discovered the Blue Agave, when burned in the fire and left to ferment, created a mood altering beverage which they named after their town. Now there are hundreds of thousands of acres of Blue Agave grown in this area. The 2 trains are Jose Cuervo (means Crow in Spanish) and Herradura (means horseshoe in Spanish).
We boarded the train in a big, modern terminal and had a ball en route to the Herradura factory, which has been in business for over 100 years. The brand was bought by Brown Foreman, but the family still lives on property in the big mansion. The trip included lots of different tequila drink recipes on the way there and back. We got a very comprehensive tour, followed by a lunch and show by a huge troupe of Mariachi musicians and costumed dancers. GREAT fun.
Another day we drive to Tolana, a small town of crafts and arts, near Guadalajara. Another day we visited Talaqapaque where artists abound. Our driver, Miguel, was entertaining and educational. Like Chicago had COWS, Toronto had MOOSE, New Orleans has FISH and Ocala has HORSES…..Talaqapaque has PIGS….and Jim kissed them all!
Not far from the Guadalajara Airport is a HUGE lake called Lake Chapala with several small towns around it. We visited Ajijic, which is a charming little town on the lake, which is 65 miles long and 30 miles wide.
Penny In Paradise 