Zacatecas was even more gorgeous at night. Churches and other buildings were lit up. Participants and fans of La Carrera were rather lit themselves. It was the night of the annual Donkey Tequila Walk!
This is a tradition in which the crowd walks through town, drinking tequila from casks that are carried by donkeys. Since it seemed that most of the donkeys in Mexico were busy trying not to become topes along the race route, we did not have a donkey for our walk. Instead, we had the owner of La Carrera, Eduardo Leon, filling the little clay cups that hung around our necks. I haven't touched tequila since my unfortunate Summer Of Tequila a few years ago, but when Eduardo fills your cup, you have to at least pretend to drink it. My shoes ended up getting pretty drunk.
There was a band following along on our walk. As we made our way through town, we often stopped to dance and enjoy the music. It was also a good opportunity to take in the beautiful architecture around us.
It was also daylight savings night, so we gained an hour of partying. Along the walk, I heard someone say "Is it true that Mexico has daylight savings a week before the United States?" Oh that's just crazy talk! Or is it?
We finally reached our destination for the evening's awards and dinner - the oldest bullring in North America, which has been transformed into the 5-star Quinta Real Hotel. The graceful arches of a 16th century aqueduct encircle the hotel - we were in historic heaven. It was gorgeous! Our party was held in the center of the ring.
This was, without a doubt, our favorite non-racing part of the week. A party in an actual bullring...and placing 3rd in our class to boot!
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