Guadalajara: Day 2
May 3rd, 2008During the next day in Guadalajara, we decided to take a tour of a city called Tequila about an hour outside of Guadalajara. Guess what they make? ….You guessed it: Tequila! A huge group of people from different hotels met up and we all boarded two huge charter buses in the morning. It only cost $25 for the whole day! Our first stop was a store in the middle of nowhere. There, we got to taste 100% natural tequila, without preservatives or other artificial things. I didn’t try any tequila because that stuff grosses me out. In the little podunk store you could also buy bottles of tequila, shirts, and little snacks. All I did there was take some pictures of the agave fields and get back on the bus. Agave is the plant that tequila is made from. It looks like a big desert cactus.
From there, we next went in the middle of an agave field where we were met by a man that worked in the agave fields. He said that all of the plants are harvested by hand, using no advanced machinery. He demonstrated how an agave plant is harvested. After he talked to us about the plant, we got a chance to take pictures with him and with the plants. It wasn’t the most exciting moment of my life but it wasn’t too bad. The agave plant was surprisingly heavy. I would not like to work in that field all day!
From the field we drove into the actual town of Tequila to tour the Jose Cuervo distillery. I found out that tequila can only be called tequila if it is made in this certain region of Mexico. When we got to the distillery, it was fancier than I thought it would be. I guess they give tours all day so there is a lot more than just the factory itself. We watched a little introductory video before heading into the building where tequila is actually made. Before we could go there, everyone had to put on little shower caps. We first went to a series of ovens where the agave plants are heated for a while (I am not exactly sure how long). From there, the plants turn very sweet. We got to taste a piece of the agave plant after being in the oven and it truly was sweet. Before being cooked it just tastes like a potato. From the oven, the plants are crushed to get all of the juice out of them. It is then distilled (I think) and fermented. Along the way, we got to taste the plant as it changed and finally turned into tequila. There were a couple types of tequila that were kept in barrels for differing periods of time to get a little different taste. After the tour, we went to the gift shop and I bought some cute posters. We were given an hour or so after the tour to walk around the town and take pictures. I bought a coke and ate my peanut butter sandwiches I had made for the day! I’m so cheap!
From the town, we stopped at a restaurant to eat a late lunch. The restaurant had a very pretty view of hills in the distance and agave fields. After about an hour at the restaurant, we made one final stop at another little store for about ten or fifteen minutes. This time, my friends and I didn’t even get off the bus. I know that the people in charge of the tour get a commission at the restaurants and stores they stop at and I don’t want to be any part of it. I am just fine with my peanut butter sandwiches! After our final stop at the random store, the bus proceeded to drop people off at their respective hotels. It took almost another hour to get back to our hotel because we were one of the last groups of people to be let off.
That pretty much sums up our second full day in and around Guadalajara. That evening we ate at McDonald’s and collapsed back at the hotel. Maybe it’s because I don’t drink alcohol a lot that the tour didn’t interest me much. It was nice to see somewhere new; it just wasn’t the most fun thing I have done while in Mexico. The next day proved to my favorite day in Guadalajara… SHOPPING!

The agave and I hanging out. I look like midget!

Inside of the Jose Cuervo factory.





















