Vacaciones Pt. 1

What an eventful Christmas vacation!  We just spent three weeks in the U.S. and Mexico.  It was a great time of visiting family for the holidays and attending an important family wedding.  Here is a recap of the things we did.

Quick Vegas Trip
We only spent about five days in the U.S. but it was still a good time.  Pazi's family lives in and around the Vegas/St. George area so we hung out there while in America.  Most of our time was spent with family eating delicious homemade meals or shopping together during the holidays.  We had an early Christmas celebration as well giving out gifts we brought from China and other countries we visited since seeing family last.

Goin' Home to Guadalajara
Our next nine days of vacation would be spent in and around Guadalajara, Mexico--Pazi's birthplace.  The capital of the state of Jalisco, Guadalajara is an amazing metropolitan with a population of over 4 million, second only to Mexico City.  The area is best known for being a major cultural center of Mexico.  It's home to Mariachi music, tequila, and some of the most amazing food ever. 

The first five days we spent in the small town of Santa Fe.  Just about 40 minutes outside of the big city, this pueblito of around 3,000 people is where most of Pazi's family resides.  The atmosphere here is very laid back.  It is an agriculture hub known for its dairies.  In fact, Pazi's family, Reynoso, has a strong lineage of queseros, or cheese makers.  The cheeses and creams of this area are wonderful.

Pazi's family has a nice little home and a ranch with several acres just outside of town.  Our days were spent having fresh squeezed juices and tacos for breakfast, horseback riding or trekking the countryside during the day, and having meals with little known aunts, uncles, and cousins.  We also took some neat excursions with the help of Pazi's sister Lourdes and her husband Cesar.  They took Pazi to meet her grandmother in the nearby Santa Rosa, Zacatecas.  Also, we explored the areas of Zapopan, Tonala, and Tequila.  The highlight definitely was visiting a tequileria to see how the famous blue agave spirit is made.