Travel To Los Osuna And El Caliete

We've been back from Mexico now a week and I will not forget our trip to the Los Osuna tequila Factory and El Queliete about 30 miles northwest of Emerald Bay. We hired Fernando who works for Avis. The van for six of us and the driver was 1,000 pesos plus gas.

We left at noon headed for Los Osuna. Along the way some scary marines were randomly stopping traffic. They carried automatic weapons and were dressed in jungle camoflage. Their faces were covered to protect their identity. We were not stopped, maybe because Fernando was a marine.

The tree pictured here at the factory is over 220 years old!

Tequila is made from blue Agave. We were told by comely Marina that the workers in the field slice off the leaves and then dig out the root, which is about the size of two bowling balls.

First the root is chopped in pieces and steamed to soften the root. 

In the early days a horse pulled a rock grinder around in a circular pit . 

Now the agave root is ground by a large circular rock.The juice is then drawn off and fermented in oak casks.

Just look at that ceiling, all hand made and the building was cool on that 95 degree day.

After the tour, for 25 pesos, we could sample the tequila. I don't drink, but took a small taste on my tongue. I'd forgotten how much alcohol is in the taste of tequila. It was not as good as my cup of tea.

We all jumped back in the van, foregoing the zip lines down the road, and headed for El Quelite. 

Before going into the town itself, we parked and took a short hike up a prominent hill that looked over the valley. It was all very dry as was the river. The Sierra Madres loomed in the distance. Fernando wanted us to arrive at the restaurant El Meson in time for the entertainment.

Not only is there a great view, but a shrine on the top, maybe to thank God we didn't have a heart attack hiking up.

The restaurant is El Meson. We had heard great things about the restaurant and we were all starved. 

Oddly, we all ordered Barbecoa. We wanted to sample what Taco Bell has been advertising so frequently on TV. Barbecoa is beef that has been cooked until it's well done and stringy. In flour and corn tortillas it was very good and spicy.

After lunch we were entertained by two couples showing us traditional dances. Then native Mexicans danced a dance that told the story of the Eagle pictured on the Mexican flag killing the snake.

Finally, we paused to reflect on the wonderful food and entertainment on the front porch in the setting sun.

We were gone about five hours. If we had chosen to go on the zip lines, we would have returned much later. In the end we tipped Fernando 600 pesos for his tour and safe driving. Bev brought home her bottle of Los Osuna tequila for her margaritas.