Okay, we admit it, we have been slacking. A week ago we took a spectacular road trip into the interior of Mexico with Dave from Free Spirit and have yet to blog about it! Maybe we are still speechless….

So our friend Dave from Free Spirit had rented a car and we were fortunate enough to be invited along on a road trip! Actually it went like this, “Hey Dave, we have time to play, are you interested?”  And Dave enthusiastically responded, “Absolutely! I have the car for one more day, where do you want to go?” We responded, “Inland, anywhere you have not been or would like to revisit”!  Dave immediately suggested San Sebastian, a 16^th century mining town in the hills.  Great idea!

I would be very remiss if I did not inform you that we first stopped at the Pemex to get gas, where I used the restroom.  I am kind of on a mission to grade the Mexican restrooms, because often they can hardly be called that! Anyway, Pemex scored a 4.5 out of 5! Chevron take notice!  Clean, well-stocked, toilet seats (optional in Mexico), soap AND paper towels!  Nice start to the day!

Ends up we are driving into the country on the same road our errant bus trip from the prior day took us!  Only this time we also passed the prison and continued on past Ixtapa. We stopped for a lovely breakfast in an area that reminded all of us of the Sierra Foothills. Horse country.  In fact horses were roaming freely on the side of the road!

Part of our road trip included a stop at an artisanal tequila maker. It was a small,l family operation who were very proud of their product and it showed. It appeared that they farmed about 5-10 acres of blue agave. Their main tour guide had run into town for a moment so his cousins attempted a tequila tasting/tour with their broken English and our limited Spanish.  It was delightful and we felt like we got the whole story right before the real guide returned.  In addition to the tequila this farm also made Raicilla –the moonshine of Mexico – made only in the state of Jalisco. Yes, it tasted like white lightning – and this was the good stuff.  Apparently many locals make their own versions using recycled coke bottles for bottling!

Tequilla tasting room

Tasting with "Free Spirit" Dave

The tequilla still

The still

This is the place up the street from the artisinal tequilla place. These guys were selling their tequilla out of empty Coca-Cola bottles.

San Sebastian is a beautiful cobble-stoned town that could have been plucked from Italy and placed in Mexico.  With happy people, a beautiful town square, peaceful church… you get the picture! This alone would have made the trip worthwhile, but the real fun was just beginning.

Bob and Dave at San Sebastian

Doggie "guarding" his house

A fairly typical grocery store. This one was in San Sebastian.

The Church in San Sebastian

We should have known what to expect given the stories about remote caverns that Dave has found when wandering aimlessly in the Mexican countryside. But it was worth it.

We decided that we would drive up into the hills to the abandoned silver mine. Bob and I had both just finished reading James Michener’s Mexico (highly recommend this book) which takes place in Mexico around a silver mine. This was like a book come to life. Part way up the hill the trip changed to just getting to the very top of the hill, forget the mine, and over to the next valley. Mind you, we are in a rental car on VERY rough roads. I really thought we were going to bottom out.  I was in the back seat and Bob and Dave in the front.  Every time we hit a big bump Bob went, “Whooh” and tried to think light.  I can’t imagine what the bottom of this car looked like when Dave turned it in.  I decided that just in case we broke down up there, away from civilization where no one knew where we were, I would refrain from finishing my last half bottle of water and save my “Cliff Bar” for emergency rations.  I even was mentally divvying up the clean laundry in the trunk that we had picked up as we left La Cruz to use for blankets!

This might give you some idea of the road we were on.

Thankfully it was just a precaution. Our journey was indescribably beautiful.  We were probably 6000 feet into the Sierra Madres.  Wild cows/bulls were on the side of the road, unperturbed by our presence.  I am pretty certain they had not seen a car in many months. I say this because there were no tire tracks on the road.  Not even near the mud puddles that Dave so expertly sped through, while Bob closed his eyes!  We even saw signs for a jaguar conservation program.  Bob and Dave assured me that they were keeping their eyes peeled!  The was another bizarre sign for an animal that was a cross between an anteater and a small cat – who knows,but we didn’t see one.

The trip up and over the ridge, yes we made it to the top! – was spectacular.  The temperature must have dropped 15 degrees due to the altitude.   It was everything we had hoped to see with wonderful company! Thanks for driving Dave!

The view was worth it. The town we were in, is in the background

But to top it off, we stopped at the Mega to shop (hard to do from a boat so always appreciate a ride to the store) AND then Dave treated us to Gordo’s Tacos in Bucerias. I know that we have bragged about the tacos in Mexico many times, but I think this beats all. “ Al Pastor” – lamb off of the spit, 10 pesos each,  all of the usual salsas and a pineapple salsa too!  Yummy. As we attempted to communicate with the waitress her son- about 12 years old and daughter –about 13, helped translate.  When I explained that we gringos needed people to slow down when they speak the daughter v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y explained it to her mother.  Hysterical!  Perfect end to a fabulous day.