1 March 2003
Trip to Jala (the city of witches) and Volcano Ceboruco
Part 1
It is a bright sunny day in paradise. The birds are singing. We have just picked up the Murray family, who are staying at Casa Libertad in La Peñita. Our objective today is the city of Jala, which is noted for several things. It has a corn and religious festival during the summer and is supposed to be a city of witches. Some of our readers will remember that on a trip to that city last year I tried to get Vicky to stay the night but she refused.
Our vehicle is our 1985 CJ7 jeep. This vehicle was made in Mexico and stored in a neighbors garage for most of the time and has only 32000 kilometers on it. The Murray family consists of 4 adults and one child, this with Vicky and I makes 7 aboard. About maximum, I would say.
Off we go. Through the tropical countryside. On both sides we see mangoes, bananas, pineapple, tobacco, beans, papayas, etc. We pass Puerto de la lima and Las Varas, pit stopping at the new Pemex station. Then on over the mountains. What views. The whole coast is right there. We can almost touch it. We pass The granite peak just before dropping to Compostela. Good memories here. Almost 4 years ago, this peak was the first adventure for Vicky and I. We climbed to the top and had lunch, gazing out on the world. The ocean on one side and the great valley of Compostela on the other.
Dropping down into the valley, we take the road to Guadalajara. Soon we hit the toll booth. We pay the new fee of $30 pesos. I must say here, the government says inflation is 6%. If so, why raise the toll 11%? After parking the jeep beyond the toll booth, we stretch our legs and have a coffee break. I have fresh roasted the beans last night and ground them this morning. This is Arabica, Altura, coffee from the La Cumbre area, high up in the mountains not far from here and served up steaming hot.
My taste buds are happy.
All aboard. This is a highway that really offers security. If you have a problem simply use the many solar paneled telephones, which are located along the way. Vicky and I once had a problem with our old car.
Before Vicky returned from the phone about a quarter mile away, a tow truck was there to pick up the car. It was a ramp type and it winched our car aboard. The driver took us to a garage, some distance from the toll road and there was no charge. They also offer free ambulance service and emergency medical care. All gratis. In spite of this, I still recommend no breakdowns or accidents.
We pass Lagunillas, a pretty lake on our left and Volcano San Juan on our right. Also passing the road to Amado Nervo and the old Hacienda Conde. Now descending into another valley, we pass Guasimas, one of our secret places and for a secret reason. Tourists are unknown here.
Beyond, a riverside discovery we made last summer. We have yet to take tourists there. Who will be the first? Then we arrive at the free road to Guadalajara. Making a right we pass by Chapallia, (if we had the time we would stop. Worth seeing are the church and plaza) and then Santa Isabel with road side stands selling pottery that they make here. But we will do this on the way back. If you like pottery, this is the place to buy it. This place also holds another of our secrets that we reveal on our tourists journeys.
On through sugar cane fields and the beautiful city of Ahuacatlan. Besides the pretty church and plaza, it offers a bed and breakfast, including a private history lesson by the owner, Sr. Montero, Curator of the local museum, for the price of $170 pesos (this was in 2002). His B&B is loaded with ancient artifacts which were unearthed nearby.
After leaving Ahuacatlan, we turn left at the sign indicating Jala. (A historical note. Not far from here is the city of Ixtlan del Rio. Just out of town lie old Axtec ruins. Temples, sacrificial alters, and many old buildings. This was their last outpost in this direction. A must to see.) A short jog through tobacco and alfalfa fields and we pass through a giant portal and a Pemex station. One minus to my 6 cylinder CJ7, it never passes a Pemex without a drink (almost like some of my friends with cantinas – not me of course). Gassing up, we continue on and, just before Jala, we go to the right to the pretty little village of Jomulco. Narrow streets, a nice plaza, a church and the municipal building make this a typical Mexican town that is several hundred years old and patterned Spanish style.
We park in the shade by the plaza and guide Vicky and our guests depart on a tour of the central market and surrounding area. Meanwhile, our chauffer hangs back under the pretense of security and takes a siesta.
When all return, we load up and head on.
Almost immediately we enter the Pueblo of Jala.
Part 2
In part 1 we left La Peñita with the Murrays in our jeep and traveled over the mountains, bypassing Compostela, visited the Pueblo of Jolmulco and are now entering Jala.
This is an old city, dating back to 1582, when the Spanish built a convent here. There are three churches. All are interesting. Especially the oldest, which is in near ruin but has a stone bell tower, which you can climb and view the city. The newer church was built in 1912.
Jala is noted for two fiestas. The first, Virgen de la Asuncion, is held August 6 to 15. The second, La fiesta del elotes, (corn fiesta) is held on 14 August. I attended these festivals on the 14th several years ago, the day that both festivals were going, and could not believe the numbers in attendance. Wave after wave of folks waited outside the church for the next mass. I never in my life saw so many stalls selling different ways to serve corn. Jala is noted also for tall and abundant corn. It is also noted for witches. (At least by the locals as far away as La Peñita) On an earlier trip I tried to get Vicky to stay overnight and she refused, even though I was armed with crosses, garlic and a book on witches. (Or were the crosses and garlic for vampires. I sometimes get these old Boris Karloff and Bella Lagusi movies mixed up – I vant ur blod)
There is one hotel in town. Hospedaje Camberos, Hidalgo 33 West. Tel. 6 06 63. Not bad. Located on the second story of a very old building. Clean but the five rooms shared two baths. Rental was about $170 (about $U.S. 15) pesos depending on which room you choose. Entry to the hotel was gained by a five pound key that looked like it should open the tower of London. If closed ask in the store next door.
There are two restaurants and a bus terminal which is served by Transportes del Norte out of Tepic and Guadalajara.
We make our way through the narrow cobblestoned streets until we reach two of the churches, which are facing each other. Vicky and the Murrays check out both, while the author stays back and has a cup of coffee. After, we check out the local hotel and visit the museum which is located nearby. There are a lot of interesting things here. A must to see. There is also an old hacienda, which is now in the town. It was locked this time but on an earlier visit it was open and we were given a brief history lesson by a high school teacher. Allegedly, this old place was the home of the family that controlled all land between Puerto Vallarta and San Blas, then inland to the Jala area. Nearly all was lost during the revolution of 1910, in which all of the haciendas were broken up and the land distributed to the people. Today there is only one family survivor, a grandson.
On we go, passing through many more old narrow streets. We can see the Volcano looming over us. We pass out of town and the cobblestones get rougher. The volcano has had 5 irruptions during the last 500 years. The last being in 1870 and in which a large amount of lava poured out and destroyed several small villages. We hope it will wait at least one more day before irrupting again.
Now we are climbing. The vegetation changes. It is 18 kilometers to the top. There are large boulders here and there that have tumbled down. I would sure hate to be below one when it decided to fall. The view is beautiful. We continue to circle around Ceboruco as we climb, thus giving us a good look at this great valley. It is starting to get cold and I need a jacket. The Murrays are from Canada and are unmoved by the cold and still in shirt sleeves. A cow can be seen now and then. A few squirrels run across the road in front of us. There are pines and oaks. The soil turns different colors reflecting the many minerals brought up in years past. We pass the only water on the volcano - a spring, now used as a watering hole for the cattle.
We reach the first crater. This one was created a couple of irruptions past. It drops down a couple of hundred feet from the road and is perfectly flat. Surely it must have been a lake at one time. Many pines dot the floor of this old bed. We drive down and find a parking place near a recently improved area with several picnic tables. There is a volkswagon bus with two couples. The only people we have seen. Nearby the terrain starts upward. Many small holes are seen with steam rising. The area is very green in this area. Enough moisture must drop from the steam to encourage growth because the rest of the area is very dry.
We carry our ice chest to one of the tables and break out our lunch. It is Mexican time to eat, almost 2 p.m. and we are all hungry. The menu is turkey ham and cheese sandwiches with lettuce and tomato, potato chips, bread and butter pickles, chiles, peanuts, cookies, soft drinks, beer and, of course coffee. Chow down.
After the lunch break we continue on up the road. This is very rugged country now. There are more craters above us but time is not on our side and it is almost an hour walk up to the next one. Soon we see some recently constructed cabins. These we understand are open for weekend visitors. No one is around now. Passing these we come to a communications relay station. There is one watchman on duty. We recognize him from a couple of years back. After chatting a few minutes we go around back of the station to see the greatest view of all. Below us is the little village of Coapan, the village of beautiful woman so some say. Just beyond is Jala and a little further is Jolmulco. It looks like you could reach out and touch them, the air is so clear. The wind is blowing and it is cold. One horrible thought. This watchman has no transportation. It is 18 kilometers to the bottom and questionable safety. What happens if there is another blow?
After taking a last look around we board the jeep and return down the mountain. As we pass through Jala we stop at the remaining church and then start on the long road back. We had hoped get home before dark, but no such luck. However, traffic was not too bad and we arrive safely at Casa Libertad in La Peñita about 7 p.m.
