Monarch Butterflies in Piedra Herrada

Mexico’s migrating monarch mutterflies is a miraculous event that happens not only in Michoacán, but just outside Valle de Bravo in Estado de Mexico too! A visit to the Monarch  Butterfly Sanctuaries of Mexico should be on every traveler’s bucket list.

Monarcas Mariposas everywhere

The migration of the monarch butterfly is something that I have been wanting to see for a long time; and for some reason, I thought the only place to witness the phenomenon was in the State of Michoacán.  After some planning to check it off my travel list this winter, I realized there was a  Santuario Mariposa Monarca (Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary) at Piedra Herrada near Valle de Bravo, only about an hour drive away from where we live in Mexico City!

There are actually several Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserves in Mexico, all designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In case you don’t know, the reason the monarch migration is so spectacular is because between late October-ish and March, millions of these butterflies come to Mexico every year from Canada– and it’s not the one, same butterfly that makes the roundtrip– it is a span of four generations! The first three generations only live weeks, and the last generation (which is the one that is in Mexico) sustain six+ months. No one is sure how the last generation of butterflies know the way to navigate to the exact same place every year, but they somehow make it! You can read more about it here.

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Tequileros Making Tequila in Tequila, Jalisco

Headed to the Magical Town of Tequila? It’s a very informational and fascinating town especially if you visit one of the many tequila factories. I myself learned lots on a Jose Cuervo Factory Tour!

Tequilero

What comes to mind when I say “tequila”? Or actually, what type of face do you make when someone says “tequila”? I bet you’re doing it right now! If your reactions are not of beauty and fascination, you have some learning to do about Tequila. Tequila is more than a Jose Cuervo that burns your throat, it’s a beautiful town and landscape in Mexico.

I don’t know what it was like back in the day, but apparently the drink has been gaining popularity (45% consumption increase in  past 5 years) which is  no wonder why now all the rappers “got patron in they cup”…  People usually have a love/hate relationship with tequila but recently, its origin  have been gaining appreciation.  Tequila, Jalisco is the birthplace of the most representative beverage in Mexico is the proud producer of the worldwide spirit that bears its name.  ABC, MSNBC, and USA Today  all ran an article about this small town in Jalisco, Mexico – just outside Guadalajara. Living in Puerto Vallarta, Tequila was only about 4 hours away from me, so Eddy and I decided to rent a car and go see what the hype was about.


This  Magic Town sits against the Tequila Volcano which overlooks the valley encompassed by endless landscape of perfectly lined of blue agave plants. Built around Tequila’s main square of beautiful fountains and fresh flowers are the distilleries of popular producers such as Sauza and Jose Cuervo.  Despite being the “Disneyland” version, Eddy and I decided to tour the Jose Cuervo factory. The tour slots for the next 2 hours were full so we were scheduled for late afternoon and in the mean time decided to stroll around the zocalo.

Starting off with a visit to the 17th Century stone Santiago Apostol Church  we then hit all the ‘highlights’ listed on the map I picked up from the Tourist Info Kisok. The town was cute, however I think the true highlight was eating a juicy Torta Ahogadas (pork sandwiches drowned in a spicy red sauce – famous to the Guadalajara region) and sipping on nothing other than some tequila.

When it came time for us to head over to Mundo Cuervo, we were ready! Let me start by saying that what many people do not know is that tequila is not something that should be taken as a shot; rather it should be treated as a fine wine, acknowledging the various aromas and savoring ever nuance in flavor. Appreciating the smells and tastes of the actual liquid is one thing, but a true appreciation of Tequila comes from seeing the process of its creation from start to finish. In a small VIP group, we visited fertile agave fields, wandered through picturesque courtyards of the hacienda and toured the actual production factory. With the largest distillery in Latin America, the Cuervo brand started distilling a private tequila called ‘Reserva de la Familia’, reserved only for the Cuervo family. As time went by, they decided to share a very limited amount which is exclusively made in Mundo Cuervo, housing only barrels of Reserva during a specific season. I was able to try a very small sample of this limited edition tequila, and not exaggerating, it was one of the best Tequila Anejo’s I had ever tasted. No joke.

At the end of the tour, we learned how to distinguish quality tequila – much like you can distinguish a fine wine. One way is to swivel the tequila around in a glass and notice if any drops stick and form along the glass, the more droplets that adhere to the glass, the better the tequila. The other way, which I found most fascinating, is that Tequila has three very distinct scents depending on which part you smell.  Starting at the bottom portion of your glass, this is the scent where you appreciate the key ingredient, the aged agave plant, distinguished by its pungent scent of alcohol. Moving up to the middle portion, it is differentiated by a sweet fruity floral smell, much less harsh than the fragrance at the bottom. Reaching the top one-third portion of your glass, the aroma changes from a nice spring day to a warm cozy fire, emitting a rich wood smell due to the aging process in the barrels. Detecting and savoring each scent and learning about the long process and stages it makes to produce tequila, I developed a strong appreciation and understanding of the intricate process.

After a 3 hour tour around the facilities and numerous taste testing and margaritas (complements of the tour), I headed to the National Tequila Museum where, through its collections, I gained an even deeper understanding regarding the cultural values of the tequila region, which I learned was recently declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

 

Reflecting on our day trip, I learned more about Tequila then I ever thought imaginable, both the drink and the town. Both are unique and representative of the country in which they reside. Having only spent a day in Tequila, there’s still more to discover. The town has many other “tourist friendly” facilities and tours, including the infamous Tequila Express train ride and the giant tequila bottle-bus city tour – which are on my list next time!

 

Aguas Termales Hotels — Chignahuapan and Comanjilla

 Aguas termales hotels in Mexico are few and far between but I was able to enjoy the warm spring waters at hotels in Puebla and Guanajuato. If you are looking for a hotel in Leon or a hotel in Silao, Hotel Mision Comanjilla is a great option. 

Pools filled with mineral rich hot spring water

Chignahuapan and Comanjilla, aren’t those fun to say? I recently had the chance to visit both of these cities and was in for a surprise as I experienced for the first time aguas termales (thermal waters). Thermal waters a.k.a. hot springs are produced by the spouting of geothermally heated groundwater from the Earth’s crust and because they are saturated with an abundance of minerals, it is believed that they have therapeutic and rehab powers. According to Wikipedia, Mexico only has a handful of these aguas termales and the ones I visited had awesome hotels and swimming facilities incorporated into them! So let me break down for you the two properties and why I think they deserve a visit! [Read more…]

Planning A Trip To Mexico’s Pueblos Mágicos (Magic Towns)

Searching for accommodations in Mexico’s most smallest and interesting towns is quite hard to do using the internet. After plenty of experience –and last minute panic — I’ve developed a system to find not only plenty of hotel options via the net, but also an abundance of information to ensure your trip is a ‘magical’ experience.

Finding hotels in towns like this isn’t impossible

It is no secret that I love visiting the small, traditional towns throughout Mexico. When Mexico Desconocido came out with the 2012 edition of the Pueblos Magicos book,  I grabbed myself three copies! It included the complete guide to Mexico’s 54 Magic Towns… they hadn’t published one since 2007 when there were only 35! Those guides are my bible to discovering Mexico. It highlights on-and-off the path things to do, see, eat and experience. While the guides are spot on and have made each of my trips fantastical, there is one thing that it lacks – complete hotel information.

For almost all 12 of the Magic Towns (MT) I have visited, I have found it quite hard (near impossible) to find any hotel information online. Unfortunately, these small pueblos in Mexico still aren’t up with the times (but that’s what makes them charming, right?) and don’t really care to provide any online information. And Trip Advisor? Psh, forget it! So, I’m going to give you some advice on how to hunt out hotel information for small towns in Mexico. My best advice is think outside of the box; when your Google search with “Hotels in Mexico Magic Town” comes up useless, don’t give up!

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Huasteca Potosina and Xilitla

My most favorite places in Mexico are in the Huasteca region of San Luis Potosí.  Skeptical of what would be there and wondering how to get to Xilitla, I soon discovered it truly is a surrealists dream set in the jungle.

Hands reaching out of the Earth

In 2011, the town of Xilita was named a Pueblo Magico, or Magic Town, in the state of San Luis Potosi. Xilitla forms part of the Huasteca Potosina region along with  Ciudad Valles,  El Pozo de las Golondrinas, Tamúl, Tamasopo, Consuelo and Taninul. In case that makes no sense to you,‘Huasteca’ refers to the northeast part of Mexico (compromising of some of the states around the Pánuco River) and home to the indigenous Huastec people and speakers of the Huasteca Nahuatl dialect. ‘Potosina’ refers to the state, San Luis Potosí. [Read more…]