I took off to Mexico for the first time in my life, and I going to go back for sure, in February 2018, definitely not directed to the white beaches of the Yucatan peninsula but actually to the very part of this country well away from the sea, I landed in Guanajuato, bang on at the centre of the country.
This is the state home of the amazing city of San Miguel de Allende, and Guanajuato, the town itself, which inspired the very successful Disney movie of COCO, which I watched few days ahead just to get in the mood, and immediately I felt at home.
The warmth of the people and of the climate overwhelmed me as much as the food, immersed in the colours, saturated with the flavours, it goes without saying I feasted on tons of the best ever Guacamole each time I could and by the way forget the one you buy here in the Old continent!!
Cannot even start to describe how it feels to be swallowed in by a rainbow, these amazing colours which you are constantly surrounded with! A cacophony of bright fully saturated paints, over walls, doors, windows, everywhere you turn your head to! It is like walking in a painting and it is without the shadow of a doubt photographers paradise!
To me the colonial Mexico ride has been so far the most surprising, as you don’t expect to get so immersed in the local culture and in the places you see.
It is not a ride for those looking for adventure and you won’t experience that sense of freedom and open spaces and fast canters you would normally expect from a riding trip, it is actually a very civilised and historical exploration and discovery of a beautiful and unknown part of a huge country famous in Europe mostly for the Maya pyramids and the stunning beaches.
Mexico has definitely a LOT more to offer than this, I kept pinching myself all the time as I kept believing I was in a western movie more than ever
To tell you how real it gets , during our first night in Guanajuato some of us witnessed the real mariachi “business” as a few of them in full gear, guitars, giant sombreros, yes the ones you see in the movies, boots and all the frills, were called to serenade a woman, they stood huddled up under her balcony singing to her and trying to convince her clearly to show up and open that bl***y French window and forgive, at last, something very naughty from her “novio” !
We spent definitely a good part of our breakfast, the morning after, chuckling and wondering what the guy must have done for trying so hard to get her back so passionately from the street ! That was sooo romantic!
You just cannot stop to fall in love with the atmosphere, all the places you stay and the food you eat during the ride and the things you end up being involved with.
Food wise I recommend a trip on your free time to all the local market you can visit in Guanajuato, Dolores Hidalgo and San Miguel. I shopped food like crazy, not to mention all the ponchos and anything else you can think of that captures your attention. This is definitely a ride to fly to with nearly empty luggages.
The ride itself is not challenging and anyone with a bit of riding skills can do it.
The rhythm is slow and the pace is mostly walk and some trots, the terrain consists mostly of white roads used by the revolutionaries during the rebellion against the Spanish domination and the ride follows the same route the rebels guided by Miguel Hidalgo marched on to raise the country against the Spanish Rule; follow their Eagles Heads , milestones to mark the route, and you will not get lost.
NOTE: Previously this was used as the road to bringing silver from the mines to the harbours and then to Spain.
The horses were not the most exciting steeds, relaxed and calm, chosen mostly to fit with the type of terrain; only exception, as in any ride, is the first day where you need to pay attention to the ranking of your steed in the heard and watch out for the potential kicking.
I have been there and it went well for me, not for my Pakita who went briefly in a shock after a double whammy... but we made it and in less than 10 minutes we were back walking as if nothing had happened ;) tough girls!
If you want to ride a more lively mount you need to ask in advance to the organisers and see if it can be arranged based on your skills.
You will stop in remote villages and sleep in some absolutely lovely hotels in the centre of some beautiful heritage colonial towns, “pueblos” in the local language.
Everything you see is picturesque and colourful and the feeling of being in a western movie will never go away, I promise!!
Special mentions, the night in the mountains where you will enjoy, in the silence of this high and remote house, the most fantastic barbecue! Also towards the end of ride, an extremely pleasant surprise, in a spa hotel where you can finally enjoy a relaxing swim in a pool of naturally warm water from a local thermal spa.
We were guided by the real local cowboys called Charros, they walked around in their full leather chaps, Stetson hat style and their big starred spurs making that ringing noise that you would normally associate to John Wayne and the likes entering a saloon for a beer, I am not joking when I say that I stopped several times whilst walking around, just to listen to THEM walking around!!
I just loved this as it was real but for some reason I kept feeling I was simply watching a movie instead.
The atmosphere is constantly reminding you of being in Hollywood and being an extra, or maybe the main character, on a Sergio Leone movie, the cool, the slow pace, the tack of the horses, the cacti dotted around and the well-earned siestas dozing off in the hottest hours under the shadow of a tree.
Most of all you will feel this when you stop one day in this superb “film set”; a kiosk in the middle of nowhere squat along a tiny white road absolutely covered in bright paint and all the logos of famous sodas and beers you can imagine and you will refresh with a corona or a coke and chill along; all of us, none excluded, instinctively started to snap pics around and pose; you just could not resist this.
You will fall in love with tequila drunk straight from the tiny ceramic glasses and the fantastic finale in the truly beautiful city of San Miguel De Allende where you can seriously spend money on quality shopping and enjoy a final well-earned night out on Margaritas! Coming back at the end of this ride was not easy, also I nearly missed my flight, but this is another adventure!
I did love every minute of Mexico and enjoyed some of the best food and cultural discovery (and shopping) I have ever had!
Finally.... I really need to say this, Mexico is the place where I bought my famous (for those who rode with me) straw hat, which I didn’t stop wearing since…and that, so far, from Mexico is riding the world with me.
Final highlights :
The colonial houses you will visit during the ride deserve a special mention as well as the riding trip to the town centre of Dolores Hidalgo where you will experience what it means being at the centre of attention and finally a surprising visit to a local riding centre, and I will not add more to this as it has to remain a surprise!
Otherwise what's the point of going there??
The context is absolutely unbelievable. You will experience the real Mexican life in this ride without the shadow of a doubt!
Hard Facts
Ride: over 150Km, long hours but slow pace;
Horses: 3 stars on average but you can ask for more exciting steeds in advance; great for medium level riders;
Horse ridden: Pakita, bay mare Mexican mixed breed
Food: 5 stars, you will always eat in local restaurants; you will love it!
Landscape: 4 stars in general , 5 stars to the pueblos, amazing!
Hotels comfort: 4 and 5 stars depending on where you are along the route;
Organisation/Team : 5 Stars
Logistics: 5 Stars
Value for Money : 5 Stars
All text and photos by Veronika Strange
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