el crispito

First, you get more or less unlimited tequila, beer, or this stuff, sold only in Mexico, that is tequila combined with a soft drink in aluminum cans called "New Mix." (If you prefer, you can get plain soft drinks too.) You also get seemingly non-stop mariachi from an exceptional ensemble, a lunch buffet of traditional Mexican food, and a floor show offering folkloric dancing, ranchera singers, and a father-and-son team performing impressive lasso tricks. For the Latinos among my readers, rest assured that you also get the opporunity to dance during and after the show.

We signed up over a month ago, because, as we found out when trying to get tickets to take our friend Tara, they sell out in advance. They currently run only on Saturday and Sunday, but they are going to add a Friday tour, starting this summer.

The train is immaculate and well-maintained. There were a few seats where the trays in the back would either not stay up or would not come down, but other than that, there were no technical problems that I spotted. The staff is well-informed and not only fills you in on the process during the tour, but they give you some interesting background on the way out to the hacienda. The material is presented in both Spanish and English (although for a tour of the facility, an English-speaking group had to be arranged, but it only took a request to the guy in charge of our train car), and they go to great lengths to make sure that all their passengers are comfortable and that any special needs are met. All in all, it's one of the most professionally run things I've ever seen or done in Mexico.

The biggest drawback is that it can get hot. The train is air-conditioned, but the buses that take you from the train station in Amatitán to the hacienda (and drive around a bit on the grounds) are not. You don't usually have to wait for more than 5 minutes on the buses in the heat, but you might be smart to board the bus last, if you can swing it. The lunch buffet and the show takes place under shade (the first time we went, they had event-style tents; this last time they had it under a structure containing some actual agave ovens), but even so, you want to dress in light clothes and maybe bring along something with which you can fan yourself. The booze doesn't necessarily help you cool down either, so you might want to come up with an alternating tequila and non-alcoholic drink regimen and stick to it on the trip.

People can get kind of wasted too, so if that's unpleasant for you, you might not choose to do this activity. As we pulled into the train station, an obviously drunken woman latched on to Shawn's arm, and he at first thought it was only because she needed the physical support. When she started rubbing his backside amorously, he realized that wasn't all she needed. On the whole though, we're talking mostly about Mexicans, who as a rule, are pretty well behaved in public, whether drunk or sober.

Last but not least, I would warn against the fact that this is in no way a tour where you truly get to have a sampling of a wide range of tequilas. You only get to try products by Casa Herradura, and even then, they don't really offer you any of their higher-end stuff. It's decent stuff, for sure. However, if you are looking to get a wide sampling of the national beverage in its many diverse incarnations, you need to look elsewhere.

For a single activity that covers a lot of the Mexican experience, this is a great ride. I've now done it twice and I would not hesitate to do it again. In fact, they announced at the end of the trip that they are going to start doing nighttime tours before the end of the year, and I can't wait to check that out. Yet as it stands, it is a wonderful way to see part of the beautiful countryside of Jalisco without having to deal with driving and traffic, learn about the process and history of tequila, and party down with a bunch of Mexicans. And if you've not yet had the pleasure, let me assure you, Mexicans really know how to have fun at a party.

For more photos, you can check out the gallery at Ian's blog, soswell.com!