Our Copper Canyon trip, the first few days
PHOTOS —>> https://photos.app.goo.gl/DfV2287m3eXKBKMx7
Day one Oct. 3rd
1st came the flight to Guadalajara, which was uneventful except for me being searched, padded down and swabbed for drugs I am guessing.
After several hours of waiting we had our flight to Los Mochis. All went well until it came to landing and then…..
We were about to land when the plane bounced hard on the runway and then took off on a steep climb up into the sky. We circled twice, then started to descend, this time we landed with quite a bang and the brakes were seriously squealing, the plane shuddering, and on came the bright, red, exit lights. No explanation was ever offered, we passengers just looked at each other, like what the heck was that!
We were picked up at the airport by our driver and off we sped to Hotel Santa Anita. The hotel was our first of the Balderrama group of hotels that we stayed in. Santa Anita is upscale hotel with free Wi-Fi, a gourmet restaurant and air-conditioned rooms.
Yes, a very nice hotel, but being as it was quite late we ordered room service. 2 massive burgers and fries arrived. Not long after eating the dinner we crashed out. I was exhausted.
Day 2 Oct 4th
After a wonderful breakfast we were picked up by another driver, Luis, and we started our drive, along with others, to the Hotel Posada Hidalgo in La Fuerte. The drive was across flat, farm land not that interesting, but the size of the fields was astonishing. They went across to the horizon.
At about three quarters of the way to La Fuerte, we stopped at some roadside stands where locals were selling all types of goodies. Chilies, pastries, tortillas with all types of fillings, and other hot sauces.
We chose to get a bag of pastries which turned out to have a delicious fruit filling….. they were excellent!
Hotel Posada Hidalgo was a very impressive hotel
It is an exquisite, centrally located, historical, 1908 mansion that is now known as the Posada Hidalgo. It has the most surprising entrance way an arch followed by a steep cobbled walkway straight to the top, almost like a castle entrance. I imagined the entrance was originally used for the horses. Looking up the slope I now knew why we were asked if we were healthy enough to climb…..
The hotel was a blend of today’s modern conveniences and Spanish colonial ambiance. It is actually located below the original fort.
This lovely hotel, with its tiers of tropical gardens, was once the palatial home of Don Rafael Almada, a former mayor and prominent merchant in the town.
Both John and I enjoyed wandering around looking at all the artifacts. The hotel also honors Don Diego de la Vega, which is the secret identity of the fictional masked vigilante, El Zorro.
We headed out to explore the town.
El Fuerte meaning “the fort”, is a peaceful, colonial, town. It is also one of 4 Magical Towns, Pueblo Mágico, in the state of Sinaloa. Plus, it is conveniently situated on the Chepe train line, at 90 meters or 150 feet, above sea level.
The town was originally founded in 1564 by the Spanish Captain Francisco de Ibarra. A fort was built in the early 1600s to protect the settlers from the Mayo and Yaqui tribes.
There were several suggestions of where to visit, we set off first to walk around the town center. The town center was the Plaza de Almas, or main square, with a small park surrounded by historic buildings all of the colonial era.
There was the very impressive Palacio Municipal (Municipal Palace)
The Parroquia del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús: the town church founded in 1564 by the Jesuit Mission.
After our town center wanders we had a smoothie each sitting in the shade of the verandas that surround the square.
John wanted to see the river so off we set. There was a walkway along the riverside but we opted to try and find a mirrador I had read about.
It was supposedly above the old fort. Well, what a hunt that was, uphill in blazing sun along narrow lanes.
Through what John thought was a chancy neighborhood, on a very rough rocky road and lastly up the final steep hill; all the time following google’s track, just to find a very ordinary hilltop over looking a very underwhelming landscape. Suffice to say …. It wasn’t worth it.
Back down through the town to our lovely hotel we retraced our foot steps.
Dinner that night was excellent. We sat poolside and enjoyed a drink with our meal while chatting to other fellow Chepe train travelers.
Day 3 Oct. 5th
We were at breakfast for 7:00am, breakfast which, by the way was excellent too…. and were picked up and off to the station by 8:30, yes, a busy start to the day.
Everyone was excited to arrive at the station for the El Chepe train ride onto the top of the Copper Canyon.
The station really was very ordinary.
Waiting along the platform we watch the El Chepe approaching.
It is a very impressive engine and a long train of carriages.
After handing over our bags we found our assigned seats, 11A and B and were soon underway.
We did do an explore of the carriages and found the dinning car and bar, but soon returned to our seats to see the landscape passing.
Soon, we were riding the through some of the most spectacular scenery.
Ascending from just above sea level, 150ft. to almost 5,000 ft above sea level. Our 5-hour journey took us through the Sierra Mountain. The whole track is an engineering marvel.
The concept to connect northern Mexico to the Pacific Ocean started around 1876. Construction began in 1902. The most difficult stretch, the 258 kilometers (160 miles) through the rugged Western Sierra Madre and Tarahumara Mountains.
The route required building 86 tunnels and 37 / 175 bridges/structures to cross deep river gorges and high mountains. It was finished and officially opened on November 24, 1961.
We were riding El Chepe to Bahuichivo Train Station, this train stop at Bahuichivo is KM 45.
The only way to describe the scenery is wondrously, spectacular! Unfortunately taking photos through
the double glazed windows really didn’t do it justice.
Neither of us got bored watching the scenery going by. We crossed many bridges and passed through many tunnels, some long some short. The train tracks are literally right, along the mountain edge. They loop around and up through the mountains.
We arrived at the Bahuichivo train station KM45 around 2:45pm
and along with the others we were met by the Balanderra transport which was again a gray van, and off we all headed towards the:
CEROCAHUI Mission and village
The drive to the valley of Cerocahui was again scenic, along a narrow, rough, mountain road. I tried to take pics through the windows, but it really not easy.
The village and Mission was a rough18k ride from the Bahuichivo train station.
The alpine village of Cerocahui is in a valley dotted with fruit trees on the river bank at 2,050 meters, (5,328 feet).
Perched at the edge of Urique Canyon, the deepest canyon in the entire canyon area, there was an abundance of beautiful scenery.
Little farms were scattered around the mountain sides. Peach trees, and other fruit trees in fields of wild flowers, simply beautiful! The wild flowers were to me magnificent, yellow, orange, purple, white, red blooms everywhere, just such beauty.
Our hotel, the, Hotel Misión was advertised as a “home in the country”. It had a cozy ambiance of a Spanish style retreat.
By the lobby was a massive fireplace, with a family style dining room. Our room was attractively decorated in Mexican décor and had a wood stove, not that we used it.
We found out that the hotel vineyard supplies grapes for the Balderrama wines…. And there was a wine tasting if we wanted to attend. Neither of us attended and drank any wines, but friends told us the wine was excellent.
We chose to head out and stretch our legs, wander around the village and immediate area to see what there was to see.
The walk took us through the village we passed the mission where girls from the local farms attend. It is run by nuns, the girls are educated, fed, and cared for, for a number of years.
I was somewhat confused by the idea of the indigenous being schooled by nuns, but then was told they would otherwise have no education being as they are girls and can be married off at a young age…12.
Walking around the area was wonderful, the cool mountain air, the lovely, lovely, wild flowers. The incredibly sweet children and friendly villagers, such a peaceful retreat.
Dinner was very nice we all sat in the formal dinning room and had a set menu. The soup was which was a creamy garlic was amazing! Our dinner companions became our constant travel buddies.
Travel is more than the seeing of the sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living. – Miriam Beard
