Damn, these Canteritos cocktail mugs! A Canteritos is a traditional tequila cocktail made with fresh orange, lemon and lime juice, topped off with a grapefruit soda! These mugs are so cool that I do not want to leave them behind. So, I spent about half an hour rearranging my gear trying to figure out how to pack these puppies up without them breaking. Kev's input to this madness…."Yeah, they are gonna break!" Today the hotel has made coffee but, we decide to ride on to the centro for breakfast before heading out. As we pull up to the church and main square I notice that bus and handicap parking is only available here. Damn…the little breakfast place that we have been eating at is right next to the church and, if we can somehow swing parking in front of the church it would be great. Yesterday I did see a motorcycle park here…so I decided that I would park the bike, hop off and walk over to the traffic/parking police of Tequila and kindly ask if it would be possible for us to park and have a quick Desayuno's. Worked like a charm! Kev and I relaxed, enjoyed our omelet and coffee while having our bikes visible at all times.
Cheers...Canteritos cocktails
We were blessed to get this parking spot!!!
One last pic in Tequila before heading out through the ocean of agave's!
We actually traveled back towards the Lake Chapala area, again avoiding the larger city of Guadalajara. Navi had us cutting through some beautiful back country roads where the sugarcane fielded countryside riding, was glorious. Soon we turned off the main road and headed up the steep winding mountainous road, leading to Taplapa. We had spectacular clear windows of the valley below. The road up to Tapalpa is well maintained and a dream to ride. The views are absolutely amazing into the valley below and now that my music is finally playing flawlessly, the synchronization between the road and music was epic!
Tapalpa
Tapalpa, at first sight, looks like an old Swiss Village and is at an elevation of 7200 feet. The whitewashed adobe buildings have handmade spanish red clay tiled roofs and are supported with thick wooden beams and posts. These buildings of businesses and homes line the cobblestone hilled streets of this alpine town. The air is bright and crisp and the smell of pine permeates the air. It does feel a little like Lake Tahoe to me, without the lake. Horses, and quads seem to be the preferred mode of transportation bar the truck.
After riding around the rickety cobbled and dirt streets of the town we head towards our first choice of hotels. As we pull up we notice that there does not seem to be any off street parking for the bikes. Kev walks into the lobby and they are more than accommodating. The owners suggest that we ride the bikes up the small concrete carved ramp built into the Posada's steps, and onto the main patio…so that is just what we do. After unloading our gear we decide to check our tire pressure, oil, lube and tighten my chain, then cover the bikes. When the bikes are covered they immediately become brand less…less obvious and attractive to curious eyes, as funny as that sounds!
Our stay in Tapalpa was peaceful and pleasant. We wandered about the township area, much of the time walking in circles, looking up. Now looking up is always a dangerous thing to do in Mexico. The streets drop off suddenly, footpaths and walkways are loose and uneven, and it does not take much at all to tweak your ankle. You must remember to look down before taking the next step! The day that we were to leave, the owners were concerned about our travel route. He warned us of areas close by that we should not be traveling in, and suggested areas that we should not miss. We welcomed the warmth of his concern, his personal passion for travel, and banked his advice. We really enjoyed our time at La Cosona.