"Fueled by Vivác" hit the road and traveled to Mexico...by car, with our families. Yep we are crazy.
So why did we take on driving from the USA through some of what the media has proclaimed "the most dangerous areas in North America" into central Mexico? My husband's brother Chris and his wife Liliana (who is originally from Aguascalientes, Mexico) had decided to drive back home to visit family; a result of not being able to afford plane flights for a family of 4. Well, as everything starts in our Vivác world, over a table of great food and lots of wine, we tried to talk them out of this insane trip, and then the wine seemed to talk US into it!
It is important to understand that Aguascalientes is a beautiful city located in the state of Aguascalientes, a little confusing, but think of it like New York city which is in New York state. This is an area that shows a side of Mexico that many people never get to see and Liliana's family are some of the most generous, loving people you have ever met...who happen to be the best chefs ever. No really ever, I crave their homemade salsas, meat dishes and molé on a regular basis, oh man that molé is amazing (cue scene from the movie "Chocolate" where everyone is in ecstasy over the chocolate sauce poured over the chicken at the birthday party...this could only have been Liliana's family recipe). Anyway, a few bottles of wine later, we were all driving to Mexico!
The plan developed as such: we would pack the kids and the grandparents, 13 people total, into 2 cars and caravan down. We chose the cars that would blend in the most and agreed to only drive the expensive toll roads and only during the day. This also meant very limited stops, with 3 small children. How would we manage a 22 hour drive under these conditions? Well we aren't "Fueled by Vivác" for nothing! We also determined that it was mandatory to squeeze in 3 cases of wine. Who needs foot room anyway?
The days leading up to the trip, my husband and I spent working in southern NM, making sure the entire state of NM is fully "Fueled", the rest of the group met us in El Paso and we stayed a final night at the USA/ Mexico boarder. That was a sleepless night. All the stories of horrific crimes, torture and cruelty flooded our minds. What are we doing driving our small children and families into the depth of danger? The stress mounted and the fear was palpable as we hit the road early the next morning.
(to be continued...)
-Cheers from the Vivác Winery Family!
www.vivacwinery.com
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