Ouch
This guy survived with a broken nose, but the toreador before him broke several ribs.
Changes are afoot at this blog, just need to get on the CSS… Try voting for this picture if you can find the 5 stars below the ads in your browser.
Toros
Self explanatory really… from Guadalajara’s Nuevo Progreso Plaza de Toros yesterday.
El Condor Pasa
If indeed it is a condor. This photo’s here because I liked it being a shot from above or the same height as this bird. It’s taken from the top of La Quemada, ruins in Zacatecas.
South side of Lake Chapala
The largest lake in Mexico’s at record levels right now. In the good way. A good a reason as any to go fishing.
Coke is it. Another Charro
Another Charro de Jalisco brandishing his reata.
Charro’s Lasso
Had another fine afternoon watching the charros do their stuff yesterday. Interestingly the lassos they use aren’t that flexible, they have to be quite stiff to keep their shape as they’re flung around the air. The way they are coiled up before use is also of paramount importance for a successful lassoing… More Tapatian charreria pix coming soon to these pages.
Doña Beatríz Hernández de Sánchez Olea
See Colibri‘s comment below on this photo from the Historic Centre of Guadalajara…
Chapalando
So Sita took the Schipperke back to the states yesterday. There’s a tongue twister in there somewhere… Everything went perfectly smoothly apparently. Sita’s back tomorrow afternoon. It’s strange being able to pick up keys and put shoes on without a 25 pound black dog leaping out of the shadows and expecting a walk.
Yesterday I though I’d take advantage of having the car and being dogless and headed of to explore the banks of lake Chapala. Jocotepec was first on the list, which was having a little market so I stopped for tacos and bought some new headphones and wandered round the centre. Nice place. But I couldn’t live there. Pueblo chico, infierno grande… Same goes for San Luis Soyatlan, even though it has beautiful views of the lake and smells of roasting corn on the cob. I stopped several times for agave fields and views of fishermen in boats on the way to Sahuayo, Michoacan and had an amble around the centre there. It had a huge fruit and veg market but they weren’t used to tourists with cameras so I didn’t take that many pics. I’d only heard of Sahuayo thanks to Flor de Sahuayo tacos, and according to Fernando it’s also famous for zombies but I forget why. Anyroad, it’s a really pretty town. It still had its decorations up from el Dia de Independencia and had loads of little shops and hardly any chain stores which is admirable. Photos abound over at Flickr.
I’m listening to the new Rilo Kiley album as I work today and it’s a big disappointment. A real shame, because their last album, More Adventurous was fantastic. Its a Hit, and Portions for Foxes being my favourites, slices of country tinged indie pop… Maybe it’ll grow on me.
No word from the Taunton Gazette peeps yet…
Cacti skyscrapers
in the Mexican countryside.
Alondra’s Agave Specs
Taken on the Tequila Diploma day trip last year, near Tequila, Mexico, natch.
Mini Sandals made of Chewing Gum
These guaraches de chicle were a present from Ana V. to us. They’re look better than they taste though. I think they’re traditionally made in Mascota, Jalisco.
Shoeing a horse in Tapalpa
On a recent trip to the South of Jalisco we saw this bloke putting a horseshoe onto his horse just outside the pulqueria.
Under Mexican skies
Kids waiting patiently for Jesus to appear at San Martin de las Flores’ Judea 2007.
Fermenting agave juice in a 32,000 litre vat
After the agave piñas have been cooked for a day or so, they’re mashed up and the juice heads to huge fermentation tanks that bubble and produce a sweet, sticky heat. When they’re done fermenting they’re distilled and after that bottled or barrelled. This photo of the surface of the tank was taken in the new tequila factory of El Tesoro de mi Tierra in Tototlan (The place of the birds) in Los Altos (the highlands) of Jalisco.
Tequila Tesoro de mi Tierra…
…tastes very nice indeed and the management over in Los Altos treated us to tacos and a good few sips before a tour of their new factory. The set of some of the pix are over here. In other news I’m photographing some tequila bottles for a new range of Tulum themed premium tequila. Tomorrow I’m heading off to Home Despot to construct my very own homemade lightbox.
Agave Tequilana juice fermenting awayWeb design’s coming along nicely too. It’s been a good week all in all. Atticus has been up and down mind, in all senses. We took him to the vet’s yesterday for his immigration papers, he didn’t take to kindly to the “probe” but I think that’s fair enough, who would? Sita’s flying back with him to LA to drop him off in Downey Doggy Heaven next Thursday… I behaved myself very well at the dentist’s today too. Without a shadow of a doubt the worst thing a dentist can do is the teeth cleaning thing. I’d rather any other procedure. Lower jaw removal, wiring for fairy lights, tongue electrocution, you name it. Oddly enough, my second ever entry in my blog over 3 years ago was about the same thing. Anyway, I’ll be back again tomorrow and again next week for more dental fun. It’s only 8 doors away from our house so I don’t have to travel far for intense discomfort.
Because of the rubber cheque thing and the number of projects we’ve got going between us we’ll not make it to San Miguel this weekend for the Grito and the national Flickr gathering but that’s fine. We keep busy. Sita’s about to embark on a series of interviews of tequila consumers. You might be next. And we’ve got to nip back to Tequila too…
Guardian of the Pitayero
On the way to Tapalpa, Jalisco, Mexico there are more than a few of these goat (?) skulls perched on gates. Didn’t scare us off though. We’re used to seeing them floating in the middle of soups in San Juan de Dios market food court…
Making Equipales in Zacoalco
Zacoalco, Jalisco, Mexico, is home to many artesanal hand-made traditional chair “factories” (with two or three people bending, sewing and tying). It involves lots of different types of wood, string and leather.