Mazamitla, Mexico...somewhere you've probably never heard of but should seriously consider checking out

Ah, Mazamitla...It would be as foreign to me as any other small town (it has roughly 15,000 full-time inhabitants but it's fairly close to Guadalajara so there are quite a few of the wealthy set from Guadalajara who spend weekends and summers there away from the city) in Mexico had it not been for the fact that my mother's neighbor, Amelia, up and built an amazing house there and invited my mum and I to visit, relentlessly. Obviously, her perseverance paid off and we went for a week and it was AMAZING!

Getting there: The easiest way to get there is to fly into the Guadalajara airport and take a bus or rent a car to drive head south to Mazamitla, around the shores of Lake Chapala (the largest lake in Mexico and a worthy site to see in it's own right).

Lake Chapala

It is ill-advised for women to travel alone in Mexico (still, unfortunately) so rustle up a motley crew and head on out! Mazamitla is a relatively small town that's also relatively remote, like, no wi-fi remote but you'll likely get mobile phone service (I did) and, aside from the lack of wi-fi, that's pretty much the only modern convenience you'll be missing out on but you won't miss it. Trust me. There is far too much to see and adventures to have for you to be glued to your phone or catching up on your emails anyway. If you're really that desperate for internets, bring a mi-fi or use your phone as a hot spot. Problem solved. 

Mazamitla is hilly terrain covered in forests and avocado trees as far as the eye can see. That's my mum in the left foreground of the photo, also taking a photo.

It's ideal if you're the hiking, camping sort or person and, if you're not, there's still plenty of other things to do. Like stroll through town....

And check out the local architecture...

Or go to one of the many markets...

Or stop for a beer in a shaded courtyard... (Say "hola" to mi abuela)

Or see the oldest shop in town, which is owned by a 98-year-old man who purportedly contributes his good health and old age to the shot of mezcal he has every morning. His daughter runs the shop now but he still shows up every day to hang out and chat with everyone who comes in.

They also sell freshly made butter there that they grab out of the refrigerator, cut a slab off, weigh it, roll it in wax paper and hand to you for about $1/lb. The baker is around the corner and you know he's baking bread when the door is open so you have to drive/walk by to figure it out and grab your bread when he's open and baking. Did I mention that, when traveling, unless it's because of some health-threatening issue, it's absolutely necessary to suspend all eating restrictions and just go for it? EAT THE BREAD and slather on that freshly made butter. Denying yourself these simple pleasures, especially while traveling, rather negates the point of traveling anyway. Since we're on the topic of food, here's what breakfast typically looked like:

So you have plenty of options, including nopales, fresh tortillas, fresh eggs, loads of different fruits and vegetables, and fresh cheese. That's tea with local honey in my cup but everyone else was drinking coffee made the traditional way, which involves bringing water and freshly-ground local coffee to a boil on the stove with a cinnamon stick and a chunk of sugar from a disc of unprocessed cane sugar infused with molasses. Then the whole lot of that is strained through a cheesecloth-like drip strainer into your cup. It made me want to be a coffee drinker, it smelled THAT good. Moving right along...

If you're not being served up platefuls of food by gracious hostesses/hosts such as mine, don't worry. There are plenty of great restaurants all over town and on the outskirts as well where you can get your fill of local cuisine (drooling right now at the thought). 

In an effort to work off breakfast (or lunch or dinner, for that matter), we had the chance to take a stroll around one of Amelia's neighbor's incredible aquaponics farm. 

It was acres and acres of well-maintained land, dotted with ponds that were teeming with different fish (primarily tilapia but also trout) at various stages of their lives. The nutrients created from their waste watered the abundant gardens all around and even supplied his much larger farm up the mountain. I fell in love with all the wild orchids...

So, if you want to check out somewhere in Mexico that's slightly off the beaten path but still provides plenty of modern comforts mixed with a truly Mexican experience, check out Mazamitla. And no post about Jalisco (the state/province where Mazamitla is located, famed for being THE tequila region) would be complete without some mention of mariachi so here's a photo I took of a mariachi band gearing up to serenade anyone within earshot:

Until next time, no matter where you go, enjoy the journey just as much as the destination!

*As usual, all photography is mine and I encourage you to share it if you like but don't be a jerk. At least, give me credit! Thanks!