Tequila and Magdelena

My friends Debbie and Jim were here recently for a vacation and we decided to rent a car for a couple of days so we could drive to Tlaquepaque. The ride itself is not for the faint of heart -- kilometres of steep, winding hills which mean agony to this motion-sick-prone Goddess. This time of year, Guadalajara and Tlaquepaque are gorgeous during the day (sunny and 25C with no humidity) but the nights can be quite cold. I took jeans, boots, a long sleeved shirt and a jacket and I was still cold! The other disadvantage to going this time of year was that all the restaurants close early (or at least they did on Monday night). I've had better trips there.



On the upside were our two stops on the way back. First we stopped in Tequila and found the centre of town without a problem (just followed a van filled with tourists!). We parked and wandered over to the Jose Cuervo tequila factory/distillery. They have guided tours on the hour for an hour. We arrived just after 11AM and didn't want to hang around for the tour at noon so we settled for cruising through the gift shop, the tequila store and generally snooping into every room without a locked door. This place is immense and a lot of money went into designing the buildings and grounds. Large flat screen TVs were hung on the walls throughout the building, promoting tequila in English and Spanish. For a glimpse into the world of Cuervo Tequila, go to their slick website here. I also found an interesting article at this link with photos.

We had a bit of trouble getting out of town and headed in the wrong direction up a very bumpy cobblestone street! Once turned around, we found the hospital again (I always use them as landmarks) and stopped to ask someone how to get back on the highway to Magdelena. A few minutes later we were on our way. FYI, there is a toll road between Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta but there is also the original highway which is two lanes and not as direct. This was the road that took us to the mining town famous for Mexican fire opals. Jim was able to find a parking spot in the middle of town so we parked and headed out. I thought there might be stores one block beyond the centre of town (less frequented = better deals) but no such luck. Once past the school, I spotted a shop off the main road and we went in.

Seated behind a desk, polishing obsidian paperweights, was an older woman with a broken arm. When I asked what happened, she said she fell in the store. I asked her for opal rings, set in silver, which caused her to go into the back room and reach under the bed for a leather case. After placing it on the counter with her good arm, she opened it up so Deb and I could start trying on rings. I found a couple of potentials but then happened to look in the glass case to my left and spotted a ring with channel set opals in a thick silver band. I tried it on and it fit so I bought it for $350 pesos.

I am very happy with my purchase and will treasure it forever as a momento of my trip. Jim also has a momento -- a parking ticket. Apparently we parked in the exclusive parking spot for the Minister of Finance of Magdelena. No wonder it was so easy ... LOL