To Guanajuato!

We found a gem of an eatery in Guadalajara: Vegitariano Zanahoria. What a pleasant experience the old man with the salad tie gave us. Going out of his way to explain which dishes were free of dairy, I decided on the breakfast special: an enchilada stuffed with soy beef and vegetables and covered with tofu cheese. I also ordered a huge glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice and noshed on fresh wheat bread and a salad prior to entrée’s arrival. All of this for 77 pesos, the equivalent of about 6 American dollars! This large and friendly health-conscious restaurant offers also offers a selection of veggie meats, tofu blocks, fresh juices and dense bricks of two-ingredient chocolate. Vegan score. Next it was time to hit the road!

We left Guadalajara in the early a.m. with a 300+ kilometer roadtrip to Guanajuato on the itinerary. 300 kilometers is not a very long ride in my book. But our route proved a doozy to navigate, allowing us plenty of time to spy the beauty and pace of many colorful small towns and villages.
On the way we saw many wild fields of the blue agave cactus, yes the celebrated cactaceae responsible for vegan pantry staple agave nectar, as well as potent intoxicants tequila and, my favorite, mezcal. We had to stop for a frolic in the fields. For some reason I assumed the cactus to be much like the aloe plant, oozing sweet nectar from its swollen leaves. However, the sweet stuff lies in the plant’s heart, in large bulbs. But that didn’t stop me from wanting to take a bite.
Catching glimpse of Lake de Chapala to the south, we were sure we had found a new ocean. The lake seemed to continue to the edge of the world, glimmering and illuminating the powerful and hazy sol.