In a cabin at the top of a mile-high mountain, surrounded by the pines and oaks of the Primavera forest, psychedelic music pioneer Joel Vandroogenbroeck’s alto flute, sitar and synthesizer harmonize with the sounds of melodious mockingbirds and saucy woodpeckers outside his window, as he rehearses for one of the most unusual concert tours in musical history, featuring the rebirth of his revolutionary band of the 1970s, Brainticket.

“These walks are my therapy,” said businessman Alex Aceves as we stood upon the summit of Colli Volcano, admiring the city of Guadalajara spread out beneath us.  It was late April 2011. “I hope you can come up with a few more hikes like this one before the rainy season is upon us,” Alex commented with pleading eyes.

The prospect of a world without petroleum has brought the nation’s top scientists and engineers together in a bid to find a practical way to produce alcohol as fuel for cars and trucks.

The hotel-spa at Río Caliente in the Primavera Forest has been around for a long time, having started out with only seven cabins back in the early 1960s.