Hivefest 2023 Rosarito, Mexico, part II

At the end of my previous blog post from Hivefest 2023, I mentioned that we all jumped on board the Hive bus and headed out to our next location, which I reveal now - Decantos Vinícola, a unique winery surrounded by blue mountains at the Valle de Guadalupe.

In their wine-making process, Decantos relies on the work of gravity instead of mechanical pumping when the wine makes its way from the fermentation tanks to the wooden barrels. Mechanical pumping does add some oxygen to the mix. It affects the wine in various ways, such as color and flavor. Using gravity is the more traditional, older, slower, but possibly better method of extracting wine. _{At least, that is what my wine-clouded brain unclearly remembered from the wine tour Lem and I took at the last minute there and partially from what I read online.}

The making of wine is truly a fascinating thing, closer to a form of art than anything. And that is also reflected in the winery design and the space itself, as you will see in the images below, captured by yours truly.

_{I normally don’t take photos of food - *takes the shot!* I mean, look at that! Yumminess! ^^}

Here we were, at the majestic presence of the mountains as far as our eyes could reach, and the valley filled with the green vineyards below. The views were stunning beyond belief! And I thought, without Hive, I would have never seen this. How amazing it was that we (Hivians) gathered here, in these coordinates!

So, I would like to take the opportunity to say Thank You to all of you who made it possible! Thank you for finding these places and sharing them with us! It was amazing! Looking back, you guys knocked it out of the park! Organizing, and planning all the logistics, every tiniest detail is not an easy feat. I can only imagine the amount of time spent making calls, exploring, budgeting, and making sure that everything and everyone is covered and well taken care of. All those responsibilities and the big, wooden shoes of Roeland to fill. The boots on the ground group of badasses! Thank you to everyone who sponsored this event! *lifts the hat off the head and bows deeply*

Thank you also to all of you who traveled to be there! Thank you for your lovely company, the opportunity to get to know you better, and for going on adventures together. Thank you for the hugs and laughs together. Thank you for telling all your incredible Hive stories. Thank you all so much! For everything! I am so happy I was able to be there with you!

As the sun was setting slowly, we ate deliciously prepared bites of food and pizza. The wine kept flowing, and so did the conversations around the tables. Some of us took the opportunity for scenic photography and flying the high-tech toys in the sky to truly grasp the full scale of the epic views around us.

Oh, and the wine was splendid, in case you were wondering! 10/10, recommend!

_{Woah! What is this? What a unique shape! The bartender over there told us that this structure, holding the bar, was the root of an oak tree that used to grow on the property. It fell and needed to be removed. One of the owners of Decantos Vinícola looked at this piece of root and did not want to discard it, so it became a unique part of their bar. How freaking cool is this?!}

The time at the winery was nearing the end, but Lem and I remembered @starkerz mentioning the tour of the production part of the winery being available to us as well. We thought that we possibly missed our window to see it, but we went and asked the guide anyway. She was happy to take us, and it turned out that we were the only ones from the entire group to do it. At least, that is what she told us. So here it is for you guys who missed it!

It was a quick run, however. We were slightly worried that the bus would leave without us! But what a place to get stranded at it would be, haha!

The tour began on the top floor and spiraled downward around in circles to the main floor. While there were some industrial-looking equipment, fermentation tanks, and bottling tools, I was surprised at how seamlessly they blended with art pieces and other artistic configurations. It wasn’t an ugly space at all. It reminded me of some mysterious alchemist’s/crazy artist’s lab. And the whole place had the magical scent of wine!

It makes perfect sense now that I have learned more about this place. Decantos creators and owners are sons of Gina Romo, a local artist. Some of her art is also displayed there alongside works of other local artists.

_{These wooden cloud and water droplet lighting fixtures (inspired by the wonders of gravity) were hanging in front of rows of wine barrels stacked up by the walls of the wine cellar area. Underneath the stacks lie volcanic rocks that help to keep the needed moisture levels in check. So stunning, right?!}

But with that, it was time to step back out of the magical wine-making, wine-tasting world and head back to Rosarito, where our last stop of the day was El Nido.

El Nido is a restaurant that focuses on local Mexican cuisine and has a unique ambiance consisting of historical item collections and alive plant walls with running water through them. I could not tell if I had stepped into the jungle or the scene from the past. It was pretty cool there! Of course, the Mexican food was very delicious there too!

_{Freechain movie premiere.}

Dress up for the red carpet event? Ha! It was noted. Hopefully, we managed to fit the bill. The Freechain movie viewing event was something I had looked forward to since last year. In Amsterdam, we saw only a tiny glimpse of it. Since then, @lordbutterfly and @little.lamb have worked hard on composing, interviewing Hivians, and putting the finishing touches on it. As I understand, we are not supposed to reveal much about it yet since the plan is to get it to film festivals and maybe even submit it to Netflix. It would be pretty great for all of us, no doubt!

What can I say? For Hivians who have lived through certain events in Hive’s history, this movie will take you back to some very emotional places. However, if you are a brand new Hivian or a person with no connection to the blockchain world and have no idea what web3 is about, this movie will take you on a journey that will reveal what it all is about and what it should be about. It will also showcase the differences between real web3 and those claiming they are part of this world but actually have learned nothing from the mistakes and the trap of the web2 mentality.

In other words, good stuff is coming soon, so look out for that! ^^

With that, Hivefest was closing in on the final stretch, and the time had come to celebrate Hive with closing drinks and dinner!

We started the fest with the sounds of the ocean waves, and we were going to finish it with the sounds of the ocean waves at Los Portales de Garcia! One of the coolest places I have ever been to! Los Portales de Garcia is a restaurant on top of the cliff right by the Pacific Ocean. It has a unique architecture built from bricks and stones and Spanish tile. It had beautiful Mexican traditional-style decorations. We arrived here as the sun was setting and went up to the second floor to enjoy delicious drinks of our own choosing. A few surprises were awaiting us there as well!

Did you say surprises? If the Hivefest was going out, it was going out with a bang! With a beat of the drums, to be more precise, and in fiery Mexican spirit! Suddenly, the lights dimmed, the drumming began, and a true firecracker with mad skills lit up the venue again. Take a look!

I loved this Hivefest! It was a great success across the board. I came this year with an attitude that I want to enjoy everything fully and not worry much about my own flaws or give in to social anxiety. It was freeing. I was more present and open with my fellow Hivians. The local culture put me under its spell. It was not hard to fall in love with the slightly rough around the edges yet charming Rosarito and the nearby area. It felt amazing to connect with the community once more after a year where I needed to step away more than I wish I had for a plethora of reasons. You all inspire me beyond what words can express. You are propelling me forward and making me want to be more involved, more connected, and more aligned with the ebbs and flows of Hive. I needed this Hivefest! Badly!

So, thank you so much once more for making it possible! You should be very proud of your accomplishment!

_{In the end, there is never enough time! I blinked, and it was over.}

_{When the time flies, you know you are having a blast! Until next year! We will meet again, awesome people!}

Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to read my post! The next one will be dedicated to the beautiful Rosarito and Rosarito Beach Hotel since we stayed there a few days longer after the festivities. Those probably are some of my favorite photos I have ever taken! I can’t wait to share them with you!

_{Song of the day: V - Slow Dancing}

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