Saturday, July 12, 2014

2014.07.12 - Tequila

Day 19

Today was a big day. I spent the day in Tequila. In the morning I took a train called Tequila Express. This is a super tourist thing to do here, but what I found really nice was that the majority of the people taking part were Mexicans, discovering their own country. I really like this idea. I think it is really important to know one's origins and to know where you came from. It was a huge group of people, 5 train wagons full. I made some new friends because I sat with someone who came with their family but they were 5 so he sat with me. During the trip we were speaking Spanish and English and it was really nice. I was able to practice lots, and also learn some tongue twisters in Spanish (which I have yet to memorize). I spent the majority of the day with the family. We arrived to the Herradura Hacienda. We had a tour of the whole facility and an explanation of the entire process of making tequila from the agave plant. Something new that I learnt was that the agave plant needs to be grown for 7 or more years before they are able to be used to make tequila. Also, once the agave is harvested, it is put into huge ovens and cooked. After, it turns a brownish colour and you can suck the juice out, which is very sweet.

After, we had a typical Mexican meal, which included tacos, jericalla, and traditional Mexican coffee. During the meal there were numerous Mexican entertainers; singers, dancers, and of course, the Mariachi. It was wonderful to see. The voices of the entertainers were really powerful. After the meal, there was a tequila tasting. I tried 4 different types and decided I liked 2 of them more than the other 2. All in all, this was a really nice day. 

Here are some pictures:
Aren't the colours just beautiful?
Horses in the agave field
El jimador (who cuts the agave with his special tool)

Mariachi
Herradura Hacienda

What do you think? ;)

Observation:
A traditional symbol of good luck in Mexico (so I was told) is the horseshoe. It is also the symbol of the Herradura tequileria. To be of good luck, the horseshoe has to be facing up (ie. the open part facing up). The horseshoe on the Herradura bottle is facing down, so when you pour the tequila it faces up and brings you luck as you drink it. I really like this little story. 

Namaste,
Cs.




1 comment:

  1. Yeey Csilla what a happy happy day! I'm glad you've enjoyed!! And I also really like the story with the horseshoe and Tequila - although, drinking tequila has never brought me any luck, just the enormous hungover LOL
    Take care, x

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