Feb. 24-27: Loosing track of time (and days)

Feb. 24th: We stayed the night in El Fuerte and the next morning we caught the 7-9hr (655km) train ride to Creel. The scenery you pass through the mountains to the top of Barranca del Cobre (Copper Canyon) is spectacular. In order for the train to maintain the required 2.5% rate of ascent, they do a loop of 360 degrees inside the canyon. Creel sits an an elevation of 2338m while the canyon is 4 times larger than the Grand Canyon!! The area has a sub tropical climate, while peaks sit high above 2400m with conifers and evergreens. The train stopped once which was when we caught our first glimpse of the local Raramuri people who were on the train side selling their handwoven baskets and crafts. Kiah purchased a basket for $20pesos from the young lady in red on the right (in picture). During the train ride, we passed through mountains covered with many pink blossoming trees; large lakes and winding rivers; deep canyons and steep cliffs; long bridges and small villages; and Trae’s favourite, 87 tunnels. I doubt that any days journey could compare to the views you see from this train as you stick your head out the vestibules between the cars. Kiah and Carrie enjoyed this feeling the most.

When you reach Creel you are surrounded by pine forests and obscure rock formations. There was even a few snow patches in higher areas. We stayed in a family run hotel for $500 pesos/night. It included daily breakfast and dinner. The hotel has a nice courtyard in the middle of it.

The food at the hotel was very traditional. We all tried our best to eat most of it. We had to say no to the chopped soft tortilla covered in hot sauce for breakfast!

While in Creel we took a tour of the Valley of the Frogs, Mushrooms, Monks and Penis’s (all named for the fat, squashed; thin, big headed; and tall, slender rock formations that resemble each respectively). This region is inhabited by the Raramuri, (means those who run fast) the native people of Mexico, many who retain traditions such as living in caves and dressing in colourful skirts and blouses. The poverty is apparent. You will find Raramuri women and children at all the tourist attractions selling their baskets, cloth, necklaces, toys and trinkets. They sit near their crafts, sometimes silently making more, sometimes speaking quietly to each other, but rarely speaking to tourists or even making eye contact.

Some may speak Spanish but I believe that their native languages still prevail. Some of the children had learned to beg (likely due to tourists giving them money) but otherwise their was no pressure to buy their crafts except for the pressure you felt in your heart as you realized how little these people have.

We were able to visit the cave home of a Raramuri home. The cave was home to a family of 10. It had no electricty, no running water, handmade wood heated stove. All have chosen to live in this dark and sloping cave as a choice to continue their long standing traditions. Some other members of the family did reside in nearby Creel.

Feb. 27th: Trevor hired a local guide to take him mountain biking. He was able to rent a bike (Trek 6000 – front suspension). He ended up with the perfect guy. A local 28 yr. old (Enrique) who was Mexico’s top mountain biker for 2 consecutive years. He was able to enjoy single track, steep descents, gruelling uphill's and picturesque scenery. They rode through the mountains for 4 hours, saw more of the remote areas and fought off a few wild dogs. Along the way, they found a few pictographs. Trevor worked pretty hard as he did not know if it was the high altitude, poor physical fitness or a combination of both….perhaps the poor fitness as he thought the hills were tough.

After that we rushed to catch the local bus to Divisadero (1hr ride) to catch a closer look at the canyon. We arrived, took a few pictures and then noticed that the train back to El Fuerte just arrived at the station. We decided to get back on the train and literally ran to catch the moving train back to El Fuerte. (They stopped it for us!) The train ride back was even more beautiful as we got to see the sun setting out one window as the full moon was rising out the other.

We ended up not taking didn’t the road down into the canyon, which is said to be exhilarating which I think means super dangerous in Mexican! The guide books described it as “if you make it down the steep, twisting dirt road to Batopilas…. thrilling ride – from an altitude of 2338m to 495m". Maybe next time. We were finding it exhausting to use our limited Spanish to communicate and were thinking more about getting to the ocean and resting from travelling for a few days. So we decided to get back to base camp and leave in the morning for the beach living. We are now headed to Las Glorias, 4hr drive.

Day 27-31: Beach living at its best

Feb.27-March 3: We arrived outside Las Glorias and went to Mr. Moro campground (46km off of highway) and it felt like a dream come true.   It was exactly what we needed.  Peace and quiet, except for the sound of the ocean. We arrived on Sunday and the RV manager apologized for it being  a busy day at the beach because it was Sunday and the locals were enjoying the ocean.  There were a few people on the beach and riding dune buggies up and down but it was by no means crowded.  Busy?!?!?…only 6 RV’s on site and literally no-one on the beach.  He told us it would be slower on Monday!!!  The RV park/motel is situated on a 4km long sandy beach.  You access it by travelling less than an hour down narrow farming roads.  We walked along the beach in the shallow water and Carrie & the kids danced and skipped though the water.     

Since Sunday we’ve had the beach almost entirely to ourselves.  Trae and Carrie woke up early this first morning and  watched the pelicans and other birds skimming over the waves along the shore.  We got to watch the sun rise in the east as the moon was setting in the west.   Yesterday morning Kiah and Carrie got up early and watched the fishing boats (Yes….Trevor tried his best to sleep in).  Once he woke up, we were treated to a show when a local fishing boat put out it’s net right in front of our spot on the beach.  We watched for about an hour as 6 fishermen pulled in their catch. It was very entertaining and educational for the kids.  The fisherman were very helpful in trying their best to answer questions.   The pelicans and other birds were going nuts.  Soon all the other RV’ers joined us to watch.  The fishermen caught a couple different types of fish as well as Crab, Jelly Fish and Sting Rays.

Yesterday,  Kiah had received a cut on her foot in the shallow water and at first we thought that it may of been broken glass as a few locals were partying on the beach.   Now we believe that a Sting Ray may of been the culprit.   She likely stepped on a small sting ray and it got her with it’s sharp tail.  It bled a lot as it was a small, yet deep cut.  We applied a topical antibiotic and it healed really quickly.  Needless to say her love for the ocean is a little tainted now.  This morning we were treated with yet another show.  The entertainment never stops!  A cluster of dolphins were jumping up right out of the water as they passed our beach. 

We have met many friendly RVérs, mostly Canadians and one couple who brought their camper van over from Belgium and have been traveling in Northern and Central America for two and a half years!  They plan on seeing South America too.  Everyone has shared they’re list of favourite spots with us and we realize their is still so much to see. Unfortunately I don’t think we’ll get to see the monarch butterflies as they will be heading north soon and we think we should stick to the coast before it gets scorching and then head into the interior later.  It is fascinating by how 3-5 generations of butterflies later, the monarchs arrive back in the same place in Mexico after their migration to Canada.  The more places we go and the more reading we do the more we realize how diverse and vast Mexico is.  We are disappointed we can’t see it all!

Day 22-23: A mining town unlike Canmore.

Tuesday, February 23: Yesterday’s 4 hour drive from San Carlos to Alamos was somewhat stressful.  There’s so much to be aware of in addition to pulling an RV and not knowing where we are going.   There are the many speed bumps, large pot holes, narrow highway, no shoulder, constant changes in speed limits, trucks swerving out of their lanes, cyclists and pedestrians on the road (that has no shoulder), cars with no break lights, oncoming traffic in your lane as people tried to pass and the occasional swerving driver. Oh and then there’s the aggressive window washers at the traffic lights in the city areas.  They see you coming and you pray that the light will turn green and if it doesn’t there’s a mad rush to see who will be the first 2 people to get to your vehicle and then they’re all over your windshield.  We went through one light and got our windshield cleaned and then at the following light another group wanted to clean it again!   We persisted motioning NO…and they moved on.  However, we believe as they left and walked around the trailer, they may of punctured our spare tire.   On another incident, we were at a stop light and a few kids ran between the trailer and the truck.  To get over the hitch, the kid stepped on it and jumped over.  When we then arrived a highway toll (one of many), we noticed our light cable dragging.  We believe it must of been pulled off when the kid jumped on the hitch. 

After all of that, we finally arrived in Alamos at a small RV site just as you enter the town.  We were a little concerned at first as there was only one other RV on the site.  Therefore, we thought we would check out another one on the other side of town but we were advised by our book to drive the route without the trailer first as the town has very narrow streets. So we disconnected the trailer and attempted to navigate Alamos’s narrow streets.   It’s a good thing we did!  It would have been very difficult to manoeuvre the trailer around some of the tight corners through town.   The alternative route would be through the river bed, (that wasn’t completely ruined due to a recent river flow), which would have been very challenging.  Except for the very noisy rooster, our campsite wasn ‘t too bad.  We met the other RV owner who were a couple from New Mexico.  They spoke very highly of Alamos as they have travelled to the town many times.   They provided us with a map and a few suggestions.  As well, on the RV site, there were many orange trees.  The orange juice in Mexico is amazing.  I don’t think I’ll be able to drink store bought again!

Alamos is a small town (10,000) in the mountains about 1-2 hours inland from the coast.  It was once a rich silver mining town and as such there is a large cathedral with interesting old buildings and homes with beautiful courtyards.  One American home owner said there are about 300 “gringos” living here in the winter of which about 80-100 are Canadians.  We spent most of the day wandering around town looking at shops and buildings.  People here are use to seeing tourists but not young families so we stand out, people stare but we aren’t hassled at all.  I wish I knew more Spanish, but we are slowly learning through interaction and our audio lessons and translation book.    We had lunch in a small local restaurant where we enjoyed enchiladas.  The restaurant appeared as someone's home.  The owner was very helpful in menu suggestions and were very good with the kids.  Alamos is an interesting small town as the cobblestone streets are only 9-10 feet wide.  In some areas, the curbs are raised as the buildings are right up against the curb or street.  As you walk down these streets, you notice that some buildings are beautiful homes with swimming pools and gardens in the courtyard.  Right beside some of these, you would then see a rusty, crumbled dwelling which would be a home.  The entire area is very old and obviously had seen some riches in the mining era.  At the same time, you continue to witness the humble and sometimes poor environment of the Mexican people.

Day 21: Preventing a Mexican Sweep

Sunday, Feb.21st:  There was a local running race in San Carlos so we decided to stay another day.  It was early in the morning so it was not too hot.   The kids ran the 1km and Trevor did the 10km.  He did really well!  He placed 5th overall and 3rd in his age category with a time under 42mins.  The overall winner for the 10km completed it in 33 minutes.  Trevor was also the top Canadian.    He likes to note that he prevented a Mexican Sweep as the top two in his age category were Mexican. All three of them received a medal. The kids really enjoyed the day and liked the fact that they “won”a medal.  The race finish was at a new condo resort, so we hung out on the beach for a few hours collecting tiny shells.  I think we all could of done that for hours.  It was both relaxing and addictive, you don’t want to stop because you just might find one more treasure shell.

Later in the day, we had a bit of a slight scare.  Trae and Kiah were playing around the trailer site.  Running between 2 sites, Trae unknowingly surprised a small dog.  The dog (on a leash) ran after him and bit him on the back of the leg.  The owners were from B.C. and were quite concerned for Trae, as we all were.  The bite bruised his leg and he had 2 small punctures.  The owners assured us that the dog had all of it’s shots.  We applied a topical antibiotic and pleased to say, it healed up very quickly.  We were all surprised at the bite mark despite the small size of the dog.  It appeared to be a dog similar to a Shitzu.

Anyhow, despite the day’s events, we found that it was appropriate to treat the family to dining out.  There was a small restaurant just outside the RV park, so we were able to walk. The restaurant was in a covered terrace overlooking the ocean. It sounds fancy, but it was a humble place.   We feasted, celebrated the race, and consoled Trae as we all enjoyed an evening of Mexican cuisine…and Margarita’s.  Total cost of dinner was 180 pesos!!