Bus Tour

Today we went on a one day bus tour. We visited 3 Mexican cities: Metamoros, Progreso, and Reynosa. We had a really good tour guide and he explained various things to us as we traveled. For instance, Mexico produces 3 kinds of alcohol. There is tequila, mezcal and pulque. All 3 of these spirits are made from the agave plant. Mezcal is often bottled with a worm (larvae) in it. The purpose of the worm is to add flavor to the drink. The maguey worm is found on the agave plant and is considered a delicacy in Mexico and is often found on restaurant menus throughout Mexico. Pulque is a white liquid that apparently tastes a lot like beer. It is purported to be an aphrodisiac, but loses its potency within 24 hours. Our tour guide said he took a group out and gave them each a small glass of pulque. They were supposed to go to see the pyramids after that, but they all wanted to skip the pyramids and go to their hotel rooms.

As we were traveling through the Mexican countryside, he pointed out several rows of small white houses. There were 3 sizes: the pigeon, the chicken and the turkey. These small white houses are built by the Mexican government for low income people. The only requirement is that you have to be employed. They range from $20,000 to $35,000 depending on the size. This includes the lot. This house becomes the property of the purchaser and they have to pay it off in 12-14 years. They are free to sell their house if they wish.

All Mexicans who complete high school, after passing an entrance exam, are allowed to attend a Mexican university for free. They have both public and private universities.

They have only one gas station in Mexico called Pemex. The price of gas is not posted at the station as everyone knows it is $2/gal.

The painting on the bottom is a 3 dimensional painting that was in a cantina in Metamoros where some of us stopped for a margarita. The photo on the top was taken in a church in Reynosa. The church was build in the 16oo's.

All in all I had a great day and learned many things.