It has been a whirlwind of travelling since we left the Pacific coast of Mexico two weeks ago. We have been moving fast through much of Mexico. We are feeling the stress of being on the road and not being able to spend too much time in one location. There is usually not enough time to read a decent amount, play guitar, practice yoga, meditate, go fishing, or really even kick back and relax. More importantly it has been hard to find time for ourselves. Time where the three of us aren't side by side exploring or crammed in the tiny Toyota truck. Travelling in the fast lane is also creating friction in our relationships; my relationship with Aña, and our friendship with Ilsa. We are expediting our venture through Mexico so Ilsa can be with us in Guatemala. She has to return to Oregon in the beginning of March to secure her job at Breitenbush Hot Springs. Travelling with a deadline is definitely not an easy way to travel, especially through Mexico.
Mexico is a vast country with amazing things to see and do throughout. It is one of the most biologically diverse countries attributed to equally diverse ecosystems. Within a short drive you can travel from a lush tropical micro-climate on the coast, through a dessert, an then up a mountain through oak and pine forests. There are huge rivers, canyons, caves, volcanoes, and snow capped mountains reaching up almost 20,000'. Equally as diverse as the country's ecology are it's people. There are close to a hundred remaining indigenous groups with 62 “recognized” languages. In rural areas there are people who wear clothing that has been fashioned the same way for thousands of years. Conversely, in cities there are people sporting the latest European and U.S. styles. There are people who want to return to ancestral traditions practicing ancient ceremonies and attending sweat-lodges. At the same time there are more more modern folks constantly plugged into the T.V., a cell phone, or an ipod, and chugging cocacola.
If we had more time I think we would be starting to work on organic farms or find volunteer work. Such opportunities have already surfaced, but we chose to forgo. There seemed ample volunteer or work opportunities in one small coastal town Aña and I really liked. The town has two names, San Pancho and San Francisco, and is located on the coast just North of Puerto Vallarta. We had an amazing time there staying with a mutual friend, Caroline and her husband Ben. We also had the pleasure of hanging out with their two wonderful kids and their lovely au' pér, Eileen. Caroline we had known from Breitenbush as a visiting massage therapist and healer. Ben, who we came to know well, is a surgeon with a great knowledge of nutrition and ancient healing techniques. They were very kind and hospitable to us. The shared an apartment they're renting with us and made us feel like part of the family. We went out dancing with Caroline and Eileen, and I was pummeled in massive waves with Ben. The beach in San Pancho had some of the biggest waves I've dared to swim in.
After leaving the coast we headed inland to Autlán where I studied as an exchange student three years ago. Even though most of the friends I made had graduated from the University there were still a few in town. One friend, David, has recently opened up an excellent restaurant. We stayed with him and enjoyed a couple of dinners at his restaurant. From Autlán we headed inland further to the large city of Guadalajara. Guadalajara is a crazy huge city. Luckily my well grounded friend, Fernando, hosted us an kept us sane. He took us to a traditional sweat lodge (temezcal) that was hosted by a visiting Navajo chief. He also took us into a beautiful nearby reserve and to a native dance ceremony.
After leaving Guadalajara we were able to visit one more friend who I lived with while studying in Autlán. We found Manuel in Zamora, Michoacán, where he studying rural sociology. He took us to a village of indigenous Purepecha where we camped on a friend's land. The village is quite an oddity. Most people speak their native language and not Spanish. Throughout the day advertisements, in Purepecha, for hamburgers and other food are broadcast over the city via loud speaker. These start before 7:00a.m. and continue well past 10:00p.m. There were also small firework explosions, roosters, dogs, a lost stampeding horse colt, and a small brass band all making noise near where we were camped. Nevertheless, we had an amazing all day hike from here. We left the city at 8:00a.m. hiking through a frost laden forest to a barren lava field. We spent over three hours traversing the massive lava field to reach the base of volcán Paricutín. It is the youngest volcano in the world forming in 1943. We summited the cinder cone of the volcano in about half an hour. The top offered incredible views of nearby mountains, the inside of the volcano, and of steaming fumaroles around volcano's crest. We ate lunch on top and used a small fumarole to heat up some tortillas! Returning back to the village around 6:00p.m. we were all tired and sunburned, but very content.
To be continued with future internet access......
P.S. It's Aña's birthday today. We're in Oaxaca city and headed for the mountains today. We'll be doing some more camping and hiking up around 9000'.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Saturday, January 9, 2010
From Aña - Snowed in in Mexico (seriously!!)
I guess time has finally caught up with us, as we have been trying to cheat it by extending all you can get done in a day to crazy extremes. It all started our last day in the Baja. Actually let me rewind and set the stage a little bit
The 2 and a half weeks leading up to xmas eve were spent traveling the Baja region of Mexico with Rob´s parents. We spent many beautiful days and nights camping on beaches awaking to a sky stained orange and yellow by the approaching dawn. Rob and I would lay in our open tent savouring the love between us and watching a few dozen hungry pelicans serve up breakfast. This in itself is pure beauty. Pelicans, despite their clumsy appearance are some of the most graceful and precise fliers out there. They will soar effortlessly over the water dropping down to just inches above the surface and continue to glide as long as they please until they choose a good spot to land in the waves. It is when they eat however that truly inspires awe. We would watch flocks of them soaring above the water anywhere from 5 to 50 feet above the water, and then suddenly as though nature´s musical symphony had changed to a suspenceful note cueing them in unison 12 of them would stop mid air turn themselves beak downard take careful aim and dive pulling thir wings in at the last second to resemble little feathered fighting jets and dissapear into the water surfacing a moment later tossing their heads and baggy bsaks back to swallow the fish they had caught. (Can you tell I loved every second of this performance) The morning would dawn as such, Ilsa would awaken and the three of us would make breakfast, and spend the day walking the beaches, swimming, creating shell alters to Venus, kayaking and laughing.
Robs parents who knew many wonderful spots took us on beautiful and terrifying rides through rugged mountainous terrain, quiet isolated beaches and pleasant little towns. We spent one such afternoon snorkeling near Cabo Pulmo with huge schools of fish in rainbow hues that schooled cautiously nearby as though they were just as curios of us as we were of them.
After all this natural splendor we headed to La Paz for our very last night in the Baja.
We found yet another warm welcoming host on couchsurfing.com named Brian and passed a most remarkable night at his condo overlooking the marina and ocean. We worked together on an internationally flared dinner him making pasta marinara with chicken and us making Indian dall soup. It actually went together really well. In addition to the three of us Brian also had his friend Jennifer and her 10 year old son Derrick join us for dinner. They had just arrived on their 47 foot sailboat which Jennifer had sailed singlehandedly from Mazatlan on the Mainland. Brian is a pilot who is mostly retired but would be flying Jennifer her son himself and two other pilot friends (who were also at dinner) to the copper canyon in a few days on his small plane. Needless to say there were many an exciting tale swapped which I do not have time to retell here. After dinner and all departed Rob and Ilsa (still highly caffeinated from espresso that morning) and I just lively from the evenings festivities stayed up till midnight wrapping presents to be exchanged on the fairy ride the next day (xmas eve)
Now that we are all caught up we will enter the next chapter in which we spend the most whirlwind time banditing christmas ever!
The morning started with packing up our things and making oatmeal for ourselves and our host, which we ate overlooking the marina on his porch. Then with only 15 minutes to spare we spent 23 minutes going down to the docks to say farewell to Jessica and Derrick and get a tour of their amazing sailboat "ecotopia". Then we drove to the ferry dock, boarded the ferry, waited an hour and then were under way fast forward to 7 hours later we get off the ferry and attemp to drive to El Fuerte in the dark and thus begin a long scary night time drive on a mexican highway with malfunctioning head lights, got tired around midnight and ended up setting up camp to barking dogs and grunting pigs near someone´s farm on the side of the highway. The next morning we exchanged a few more gifts (it was christmas afterall) and continued on to El fuerte taking a couple days to recoup before the train ride to the copper canyon. Which leads to us being snowed in in Mexico.
The trainride was amazing with incredible views. The Copper Canyon, for those of you who don´t know, is 4 times bigger than the Grand Canyon and is actually a continuous network of 6 canyons. We have spent the last 2 nights in Creel and will spend hopefully just one more provided we don´t get snowed in again with all roads closed until afternoon and then with busses we planned to take not showing up because of who knows what? If I was feeling any nostalgia for winter insufficient warm gear ahs crushed it out of me. (Honestly why would I bring a winter coat to Mexico, not to mention the 6 store search for longunderwear)
We are a little sad to realize that the long hiking trips to the base of the canyon are dangerous and expensive this time of year and we will have to leave the Barranca del Cobre without fulfilling that dream (that said we did meet an awesome guy from Berkeley who spent the last to weeks hiking through the canyons with two friends without a guide and not able to find a path in to the canyon just repelled in, he arrived in Creel without his friends due to ankle injury, he will meet his friends in the next town as they are still down there hiking to the rendezvous)
People and life are crazy and beautiful
I love it all and you very much
Aña
The 2 and a half weeks leading up to xmas eve were spent traveling the Baja region of Mexico with Rob´s parents. We spent many beautiful days and nights camping on beaches awaking to a sky stained orange and yellow by the approaching dawn. Rob and I would lay in our open tent savouring the love between us and watching a few dozen hungry pelicans serve up breakfast. This in itself is pure beauty. Pelicans, despite their clumsy appearance are some of the most graceful and precise fliers out there. They will soar effortlessly over the water dropping down to just inches above the surface and continue to glide as long as they please until they choose a good spot to land in the waves. It is when they eat however that truly inspires awe. We would watch flocks of them soaring above the water anywhere from 5 to 50 feet above the water, and then suddenly as though nature´s musical symphony had changed to a suspenceful note cueing them in unison 12 of them would stop mid air turn themselves beak downard take careful aim and dive pulling thir wings in at the last second to resemble little feathered fighting jets and dissapear into the water surfacing a moment later tossing their heads and baggy bsaks back to swallow the fish they had caught. (Can you tell I loved every second of this performance) The morning would dawn as such, Ilsa would awaken and the three of us would make breakfast, and spend the day walking the beaches, swimming, creating shell alters to Venus, kayaking and laughing.
Robs parents who knew many wonderful spots took us on beautiful and terrifying rides through rugged mountainous terrain, quiet isolated beaches and pleasant little towns. We spent one such afternoon snorkeling near Cabo Pulmo with huge schools of fish in rainbow hues that schooled cautiously nearby as though they were just as curios of us as we were of them.
After all this natural splendor we headed to La Paz for our very last night in the Baja.
We found yet another warm welcoming host on couchsurfing.com named Brian and passed a most remarkable night at his condo overlooking the marina and ocean. We worked together on an internationally flared dinner him making pasta marinara with chicken and us making Indian dall soup. It actually went together really well. In addition to the three of us Brian also had his friend Jennifer and her 10 year old son Derrick join us for dinner. They had just arrived on their 47 foot sailboat which Jennifer had sailed singlehandedly from Mazatlan on the Mainland. Brian is a pilot who is mostly retired but would be flying Jennifer her son himself and two other pilot friends (who were also at dinner) to the copper canyon in a few days on his small plane. Needless to say there were many an exciting tale swapped which I do not have time to retell here. After dinner and all departed Rob and Ilsa (still highly caffeinated from espresso that morning) and I just lively from the evenings festivities stayed up till midnight wrapping presents to be exchanged on the fairy ride the next day (xmas eve)
Now that we are all caught up we will enter the next chapter in which we spend the most whirlwind time banditing christmas ever!
The morning started with packing up our things and making oatmeal for ourselves and our host, which we ate overlooking the marina on his porch. Then with only 15 minutes to spare we spent 23 minutes going down to the docks to say farewell to Jessica and Derrick and get a tour of their amazing sailboat "ecotopia". Then we drove to the ferry dock, boarded the ferry, waited an hour and then were under way fast forward to 7 hours later we get off the ferry and attemp to drive to El Fuerte in the dark and thus begin a long scary night time drive on a mexican highway with malfunctioning head lights, got tired around midnight and ended up setting up camp to barking dogs and grunting pigs near someone´s farm on the side of the highway. The next morning we exchanged a few more gifts (it was christmas afterall) and continued on to El fuerte taking a couple days to recoup before the train ride to the copper canyon. Which leads to us being snowed in in Mexico.
The trainride was amazing with incredible views. The Copper Canyon, for those of you who don´t know, is 4 times bigger than the Grand Canyon and is actually a continuous network of 6 canyons. We have spent the last 2 nights in Creel and will spend hopefully just one more provided we don´t get snowed in again with all roads closed until afternoon and then with busses we planned to take not showing up because of who knows what? If I was feeling any nostalgia for winter insufficient warm gear ahs crushed it out of me. (Honestly why would I bring a winter coat to Mexico, not to mention the 6 store search for longunderwear)
We are a little sad to realize that the long hiking trips to the base of the canyon are dangerous and expensive this time of year and we will have to leave the Barranca del Cobre without fulfilling that dream (that said we did meet an awesome guy from Berkeley who spent the last to weeks hiking through the canyons with two friends without a guide and not able to find a path in to the canyon just repelled in, he arrived in Creel without his friends due to ankle injury, he will meet his friends in the next town as they are still down there hiking to the rendezvous)
People and life are crazy and beautiful
I love it all and you very much
Aña
Friday, January 8, 2010
Enormous Canyon, Drunken Cowboys, Hiking, and Marijuana
The Copper Canyon is incredible! Although we were only able to explore a tiny section in a week, we were able to gain appreciation for its size and beauty. The “Copper Canyon” is a network of six main canyons with parts larger and deeper than the Grand Canyon of the U.S. We took the clase economic, or second class train, from El Fuerte to Creel. The train ride afforded fantastic views and a shorter route where no roads go. Some guide books allude to the second class train being terribly slow, late, and overly crowded with people and their livestock. Thus, I was surprised when passengers seemed to be of upper-middle class, the train was on time, there was ample space, and there was no sign of chickens or other animals. We later found out that the train company has been driving prices up in order to cater more to the wealthy tourists and less to the inhabitants of the region. The only spot we were able to get off the train for a short brake was at a vantage point known as El Divisadero. We stopped for 15 minutes and dropped our jaws at the view of the confluence of a few of the larger canyons. It was also a great spot to grab some cheap potato gorditas before getting back on the train.
After the five hour train ride we arrived in Creel. It was dark and cold when we arrived. At almost 8,000’ this is a cold alpine town. The station was crowded with train passengers and people soliciting for hotels and tours. We pushed through the crowd to find a hostel we read about. We grabbed the last available bed and Ilsa volunteered to sleep on a sleeping mat on the floor. It was a good deal because the rate included breakfast and dinner. The meals weren’t great for eating, but great for socializing with others from around the world. While eating and being serenaded by a two man mariachi band we made plans to do one of the tours around Creel. The next day we went on a tour with a few people from Chihuahua, a guy from Malaysia, and a guy from France. The tour went by a water fall, some old churches, and some peculiar rock formations. The tour was less than impressive, but at least we had a bottle of tequila to share.
We had originally planned on leaving from Creel to Batopilas down in the canyon. Unexpectedly, however, we were snowed in. The highways were closed! So, we moved from the cold drafty hostel to a guest house with a wood stove to make new plans. We ended up deciding to backtrack and go down into the canyon to the small town of Urique. This ended up being a great decision. While waiting for a bus that drove by without stopping we met another traveler, Jacob, from Berkely, CA. He had just spent a couple of weeks hiking through the canyon with two friends for a couple of weeks. It was a trek that definitely required great intention and preparation. The stories he recounted involved repelling, boulder hopping, sleeping in caves, and fording ice cold rivers. Due to injured ankles he hiked out before his friends who were still in the canyon. He ended up giving us a ride to get us closer to Urique.
Before we could leave to Urique we had to spend a night in another canyon rim town, Bahuichivo. We took a room that ended up being next to a huge party lasting most of the night. There was a quinceañera, a girl’s 15th birthday party. In Mexico this is a big deal. In Bahuichivo it meant drunken cowboy music and dancing for most of the night. After falling asleep with the music blasting I was awakened by the cries and screams of a small girl. I got dressed and went to investigate. I talked to the three year old girl through another hotel room door. I found out she was just alone and scared. I helped her put some warmer clothes on and took her to find her parents at the packed quinceañera party. With a happy kid and parents, I went back to sleep. The next day we had time for a nice hike before catching the bus to Urique.
The ride down into Urique was the craziest bus ride I’ve ever been on. This says a lot since I’ve bussed through much of Mexico and Guatemala. The road consisted of narrow switchbacks on a dirt road. Each turn offered a view into thousands of feet of abysmal doom. This would have been a very sobering experience had a vaquero, cowboy, not insisted I drink some beer on the bus with him. The beer seemed to help me accept whatever fate awaited us. We were able to watch the sun set and the moon rise all in the same descent. We did, surprisingly, make it to the bottom safe and sound. We took a room at a very nice and economical hotel with a talkative and inebriated owner, don Rafael. Many people in the town had been imbibing beer, sprits, and free tesquino as it was New Year’s Eve. There was a celebration in the center with more drunken cowboy music and dancing. We went to bed early, I guess, as the music didn’t stop until 5:30a.m. The next day we started a hike and people were still partying from the night before. Very friendly though! At the beginning or our hike we found a hostel we relocated to.
The hostel was started by three couples, and thus named Entre Amigos, or Between Friends. One owner was from Oregon and the rest from Chihuahua, Mex. It is located in a beautiful spot isolated from the town. It had several fruit trees and large organic gardens. At first it seemed like it would be expensive just to camp. Then we found out that the price included use of the gardens and a kitchen. We enjoyed being able to fuel some hiking with large salads, fresh greens, and ripe citrus fruit. We made a friend who was also camping there from Monterrey, Mex. named Obed. We invited him to hike with us to the nearby village of Guadalupe and we’re glad we did. He had been in this part of the canyon several times and shared with us many stories and local traditions. We got to know each other pretty well on the nine mile hike. He spoke perfect English much to Ilsa’s delight. Unfortunately he left early one morning before we could exchange contact info. I think he was scared off from shyness after making a pass at Ilsa. Ilsa was also sad he left unexpectedly.
Another long and hot hike took us to a magical arroyo. An arroyo is an intermittent river which ebbs and flows with precipitation. On another nine or so mile hike we went south of Urique to another small town called Guapalina. By the stares we received it was easy to deduce not many white people make it here. Luckily we were able to converse with locals and figure out how to navigate up the arroyo. At this point it was the middle of the day, hot, and we had run out of water. Eventually we made it past the houses to find an extensive aqueduct. There we drank and bathed in refreshingly cold mountain water. The aqueduct seems mainly used to irrigate many of the nearby cannabis gardens. Hiking further up the arroyo brought us to a massive isolated plateau at the edge of the canyon. At the base of the cliffs were some shallow caves adding to the majestic ambiance.
Hiking back from the arroyo we hitched a ride. This allowed us to get back in time to prepare food for a mini potluck. We organized a potluck with three of the hostel owners and another delightful couple from New Mexico we became acquainted with. It was quite a spread with marinated broiled chicken, salad and green beans from the garden, guacamole, sweet potato fries, and gingerbread with banana custard for dessert! While waiting for the bus out of El Fuerte I struck up a conversation with a local Rarámuri man. He shared some of his crop and invited us back to stay on his land in the magical arroyo we had found.
Urique was a great place to visit! We made many friends; locals and other travellers. We learned of the crazy 40-50 mile races traditional of the local Rarámuri indians. Races of extreme indurance the Rarámuri are genetically fit for. They invlove running non-stop, running through the night, bare foot running, and coordinated ball kicking all hot weather. The few conversations we had with Rarármuri men were very beautiful. The few we talked to had limited spanish, but enough to sense their respect for the beauty of nature and the pride of their endurance.
It took a whole day to bus and train back to El Fuerte where we left our truck. We were weary but had still intended on camping. At the train depot, however, we were met by a convincing hotel owner. He was trying to sell us on a five star room for $130 U.S.! I guess he liked us and was desperate for business because he ended up lowering the price to $27. For the three of us that was more agreeable with our budget. Los Torres was an amazing hotel to stay at and the elusive hot shower was definitely appreciated.
A couple of long days back in our truck have landed us in San Blas. We camped one night across from the large port city of Mazatlan. We watched the Baja Ferry and a cruise ship enter the harbor narrowly missing the sailboats at anchor. Now, we’re camped on a beach in the quiet surf town of San Blas. It’s not a main tourist season, so we’re pretty much alone on the beach with the hungry sand flies; known locally as Jejenes. If the tiny flies don’t devour us completely, we’ll be headed to Jalisco to visit friends. One friend is a mutual acquaintance of ours through Breitenbush. Jalisco is also the state I lived in for six months as an exchange student. I’m looking forward to catching up with some great folks there.
After the five hour train ride we arrived in Creel. It was dark and cold when we arrived. At almost 8,000’ this is a cold alpine town. The station was crowded with train passengers and people soliciting for hotels and tours. We pushed through the crowd to find a hostel we read about. We grabbed the last available bed and Ilsa volunteered to sleep on a sleeping mat on the floor. It was a good deal because the rate included breakfast and dinner. The meals weren’t great for eating, but great for socializing with others from around the world. While eating and being serenaded by a two man mariachi band we made plans to do one of the tours around Creel. The next day we went on a tour with a few people from Chihuahua, a guy from Malaysia, and a guy from France. The tour went by a water fall, some old churches, and some peculiar rock formations. The tour was less than impressive, but at least we had a bottle of tequila to share.
We had originally planned on leaving from Creel to Batopilas down in the canyon. Unexpectedly, however, we were snowed in. The highways were closed! So, we moved from the cold drafty hostel to a guest house with a wood stove to make new plans. We ended up deciding to backtrack and go down into the canyon to the small town of Urique. This ended up being a great decision. While waiting for a bus that drove by without stopping we met another traveler, Jacob, from Berkely, CA. He had just spent a couple of weeks hiking through the canyon with two friends for a couple of weeks. It was a trek that definitely required great intention and preparation. The stories he recounted involved repelling, boulder hopping, sleeping in caves, and fording ice cold rivers. Due to injured ankles he hiked out before his friends who were still in the canyon. He ended up giving us a ride to get us closer to Urique.
Before we could leave to Urique we had to spend a night in another canyon rim town, Bahuichivo. We took a room that ended up being next to a huge party lasting most of the night. There was a quinceañera, a girl’s 15th birthday party. In Mexico this is a big deal. In Bahuichivo it meant drunken cowboy music and dancing for most of the night. After falling asleep with the music blasting I was awakened by the cries and screams of a small girl. I got dressed and went to investigate. I talked to the three year old girl through another hotel room door. I found out she was just alone and scared. I helped her put some warmer clothes on and took her to find her parents at the packed quinceañera party. With a happy kid and parents, I went back to sleep. The next day we had time for a nice hike before catching the bus to Urique.
The ride down into Urique was the craziest bus ride I’ve ever been on. This says a lot since I’ve bussed through much of Mexico and Guatemala. The road consisted of narrow switchbacks on a dirt road. Each turn offered a view into thousands of feet of abysmal doom. This would have been a very sobering experience had a vaquero, cowboy, not insisted I drink some beer on the bus with him. The beer seemed to help me accept whatever fate awaited us. We were able to watch the sun set and the moon rise all in the same descent. We did, surprisingly, make it to the bottom safe and sound. We took a room at a very nice and economical hotel with a talkative and inebriated owner, don Rafael. Many people in the town had been imbibing beer, sprits, and free tesquino as it was New Year’s Eve. There was a celebration in the center with more drunken cowboy music and dancing. We went to bed early, I guess, as the music didn’t stop until 5:30a.m. The next day we started a hike and people were still partying from the night before. Very friendly though! At the beginning or our hike we found a hostel we relocated to.
The hostel was started by three couples, and thus named Entre Amigos, or Between Friends. One owner was from Oregon and the rest from Chihuahua, Mex. It is located in a beautiful spot isolated from the town. It had several fruit trees and large organic gardens. At first it seemed like it would be expensive just to camp. Then we found out that the price included use of the gardens and a kitchen. We enjoyed being able to fuel some hiking with large salads, fresh greens, and ripe citrus fruit. We made a friend who was also camping there from Monterrey, Mex. named Obed. We invited him to hike with us to the nearby village of Guadalupe and we’re glad we did. He had been in this part of the canyon several times and shared with us many stories and local traditions. We got to know each other pretty well on the nine mile hike. He spoke perfect English much to Ilsa’s delight. Unfortunately he left early one morning before we could exchange contact info. I think he was scared off from shyness after making a pass at Ilsa. Ilsa was also sad he left unexpectedly.
Another long and hot hike took us to a magical arroyo. An arroyo is an intermittent river which ebbs and flows with precipitation. On another nine or so mile hike we went south of Urique to another small town called Guapalina. By the stares we received it was easy to deduce not many white people make it here. Luckily we were able to converse with locals and figure out how to navigate up the arroyo. At this point it was the middle of the day, hot, and we had run out of water. Eventually we made it past the houses to find an extensive aqueduct. There we drank and bathed in refreshingly cold mountain water. The aqueduct seems mainly used to irrigate many of the nearby cannabis gardens. Hiking further up the arroyo brought us to a massive isolated plateau at the edge of the canyon. At the base of the cliffs were some shallow caves adding to the majestic ambiance.
Hiking back from the arroyo we hitched a ride. This allowed us to get back in time to prepare food for a mini potluck. We organized a potluck with three of the hostel owners and another delightful couple from New Mexico we became acquainted with. It was quite a spread with marinated broiled chicken, salad and green beans from the garden, guacamole, sweet potato fries, and gingerbread with banana custard for dessert! While waiting for the bus out of El Fuerte I struck up a conversation with a local Rarámuri man. He shared some of his crop and invited us back to stay on his land in the magical arroyo we had found.
Urique was a great place to visit! We made many friends; locals and other travellers. We learned of the crazy 40-50 mile races traditional of the local Rarámuri indians. Races of extreme indurance the Rarámuri are genetically fit for. They invlove running non-stop, running through the night, bare foot running, and coordinated ball kicking all hot weather. The few conversations we had with Rarármuri men were very beautiful. The few we talked to had limited spanish, but enough to sense their respect for the beauty of nature and the pride of their endurance.
It took a whole day to bus and train back to El Fuerte where we left our truck. We were weary but had still intended on camping. At the train depot, however, we were met by a convincing hotel owner. He was trying to sell us on a five star room for $130 U.S.! I guess he liked us and was desperate for business because he ended up lowering the price to $27. For the three of us that was more agreeable with our budget. Los Torres was an amazing hotel to stay at and the elusive hot shower was definitely appreciated.
A couple of long days back in our truck have landed us in San Blas. We camped one night across from the large port city of Mazatlan. We watched the Baja Ferry and a cruise ship enter the harbor narrowly missing the sailboats at anchor. Now, we’re camped on a beach in the quiet surf town of San Blas. It’s not a main tourist season, so we’re pretty much alone on the beach with the hungry sand flies; known locally as Jejenes. If the tiny flies don’t devour us completely, we’ll be headed to Jalisco to visit friends. One friend is a mutual acquaintance of ours through Breitenbush. Jalisco is also the state I lived in for six months as an exchange student. I’m looking forward to catching up with some great folks there.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Getting Bent, Yoga Guru, and Black River Bass
We ended up spending the rest of our Baja time in the ex-patriot populated city of “Los Barriles”. Down an off the beaten-path road, my parents pop-up camper took a beating. One of the axles bent putting a wheel askew. They wanted to hunker down in Los Barriles while figuring out what to do. It ended up being a great spot to spend a week. We stayed in the camping section of an R.V. park. Space to put up our hammocks and the beautiful nearby beach made it very enjoyable. The most important thing was being able to spend time with my folks who I hadn't seen in a year, and who knows when I'll them see again. From Los Barriles we were able to do a couple of day trips. One to snorkel amongst dazzling schools of fish at Los Fariles. Another trip to circle the tip of the Baja and play in big waves on the pacific side. The owner of a recently opened fish taco stand in El Pescadero directed us to a beach where there was a resort, but also surfable waves. In exchange for the information, I showed him how to spell his sign “Fish Tacos” instead of “Fihs Tacos”. Very friendly guy and delicious tacos at the best price yet.
It was sad to leave my folks after having a great time together. With them we enjoyed beautiful beaches, caguamas (litre bottles of beer), good food, great conversation, snorkelling, and many hours of playing Big Boggle. We also finished off the last gallon of mead from a batch I had started almost a year ago. We had some unique experiences I'll never forget; like the time I got aggressive with two police officers who had pulled my folks over. They tried to give them a ticket for not wearing a seatbelt (even know they were wearing one). After awhile they let us go figuring we were more of a pain than they had bargained for. Asking for their badge numbers, the address of their office, and to speak with their cheif seemed to help.
Our last night we couch surfed (www.couchsurfing.org) in La Paz to catch the ferry the next day. This was our first time couch surfing in Mexico, but was with a guy from California, and England originally. Our host, Brian, was great. He was very generous and helpful. He pilots plains and helicopters and dose consulting. He had a condominium at a marina where some big sailboats are berthed. After a nice walk and some shopping, we retruned to his condo to make dinner together. Ilsa and I made a veggie dahl while he made pasta. We opened two bottles of wine and were joined by some of his friends. A woman, Jennifer, who just sailed in on a 48' sailboat. She was single handing it up and down the coast with her 10 year old son, Eric. After our main courses we were joined by to Mexican pilots, Sam and Samuel. One of them happens to also run a yoga ashram in La Paz. So, there we were, at dinner with three pilots, a bad ass sailor mom with a captain's license, and a yoga guru. One night was definitely too short for the interesting conversation shared. After breakfast and a tour of the sailboat we headed to catch the ferry.
Today is our second day on Mainland Mexico. The ferry ride was surprising, beautiful, and running on Mexican time. The ferry was much fancier that I had expected. On board there was an arcade, two bars, a restaurant, and several flat screen televisions showing movies. The sea was calm, but small swells rocked the boat enough to give Aña slight sea-sickness. It's a good thing Aña and Ilsa wanted to open our Christmas gifts aboard the ferry. A gift I had picked out was dried ginger which we made into tea and seemed to help with the nausea. Mainland was just coming into sight when another incredible sunset unfurled. We were off the ferry about two hours later than anticipated, and it was getting late. We stopped in the town of Los Mochis for dinner a perused a crowed Christmas market. Continuing to our destination the road condition deteriorated and I became to tired to continue driving. We pulled off onto a side road to camp near small shacks with pigs and chickens. The initial grunts of the massive pigs startled the girls who set up camp while I was passed out in the truck cab. I gave them the machete to hang onto in case the pigs attacked.
Now, we're inland at a smaller scenic town called El Fuerte for an old Spanish fort that has been replicated into a museum. I'm disappointed with the limited Lonely Planet description of this town. It is one of the more beautiful Mexican towns of its size I've seen. There is ubiquitous colonial architecture in various states of repair and disrepair. Even the dilapidated buildings hold a special charm. The town square is magnificent. Lush plants and palm trees lead past fountains to a Victorian wooden gazebo in the center. Ample benches provide rest in the cool shade and make-out spots for youngsters in the evening. Locals are very friendly, though not too talkative. The Lobina (a huge black river bass) from the bordering river is a local delicacy. This morning on a walk we watched an old man row an impromptu boat across the river to drop someone off. He wanted to take us across, so we had a little boat ride. On our walk to a fun suspension bridge we had to pass through an army of cows and patches of hungry no-see-ums. A wonderful morning walk, minus the no-see-ums.
We're staying in a hotel/hostel, “El Guerrero” (“The Soldier”). We were worried about staying here at first because most hotels are surprisingly expensive. Most wanted $50 U.S.d. or more per night for the three of us. Luckily we found three economical hotels and opted for the one that included breakfast. So for about $17/night we have a nice room with a bathroom and shower. Breakfast consisted of wonderful tacos with scrambled eggs, refried beans, and a homemade salsa. A great deal! $5.60/night/person including a yummy breakfast. The owner is an older guy who inherited the hotel from his grandfather through his mom. He shared some incredible local honey with us. Jokingly he said the honey is so good because the bees used pollen from marijuana plants. I know cannabis is usually wind or human pollinated, but the thought of stoned bees flying around was amusing. The owner even showed me how to prepare a Lobina I purchased for lunch.
Today we will prepare for our Copper Canyon trip! We'll hopefully be catching the 2nd class train tomorrow towards a canyon rim. There we'll be in a more winter climate at about 8000' in elevation. After a couple days of exploring the city of Creel and remembering what winter is like we'll descend into the canyon. It should be warmer in the canyon where orange trees and more tropical plants are grown. In the canyon we're hoping to get out hiking and do some more rustic camping. One hike between two cities deep in canyon country is about 20 miles.
* Travelling Note: So far our average spending has been $11/day per person since entering Mexico. This includes food, water, shelter, entertainment and transportation. This low number was helped out by my folks gifting us five nights of camping in Los Barriles. My mom had also brought us some money from a previously imported hammock that was sold in my hometown! Costs should decrease as we head south.
It was sad to leave my folks after having a great time together. With them we enjoyed beautiful beaches, caguamas (litre bottles of beer), good food, great conversation, snorkelling, and many hours of playing Big Boggle. We also finished off the last gallon of mead from a batch I had started almost a year ago. We had some unique experiences I'll never forget; like the time I got aggressive with two police officers who had pulled my folks over. They tried to give them a ticket for not wearing a seatbelt (even know they were wearing one). After awhile they let us go figuring we were more of a pain than they had bargained for. Asking for their badge numbers, the address of their office, and to speak with their cheif seemed to help.
Our last night we couch surfed (www.couchsurfing.org) in La Paz to catch the ferry the next day. This was our first time couch surfing in Mexico, but was with a guy from California, and England originally. Our host, Brian, was great. He was very generous and helpful. He pilots plains and helicopters and dose consulting. He had a condominium at a marina where some big sailboats are berthed. After a nice walk and some shopping, we retruned to his condo to make dinner together. Ilsa and I made a veggie dahl while he made pasta. We opened two bottles of wine and were joined by some of his friends. A woman, Jennifer, who just sailed in on a 48' sailboat. She was single handing it up and down the coast with her 10 year old son, Eric. After our main courses we were joined by to Mexican pilots, Sam and Samuel. One of them happens to also run a yoga ashram in La Paz. So, there we were, at dinner with three pilots, a bad ass sailor mom with a captain's license, and a yoga guru. One night was definitely too short for the interesting conversation shared. After breakfast and a tour of the sailboat we headed to catch the ferry.
Today is our second day on Mainland Mexico. The ferry ride was surprising, beautiful, and running on Mexican time. The ferry was much fancier that I had expected. On board there was an arcade, two bars, a restaurant, and several flat screen televisions showing movies. The sea was calm, but small swells rocked the boat enough to give Aña slight sea-sickness. It's a good thing Aña and Ilsa wanted to open our Christmas gifts aboard the ferry. A gift I had picked out was dried ginger which we made into tea and seemed to help with the nausea. Mainland was just coming into sight when another incredible sunset unfurled. We were off the ferry about two hours later than anticipated, and it was getting late. We stopped in the town of Los Mochis for dinner a perused a crowed Christmas market. Continuing to our destination the road condition deteriorated and I became to tired to continue driving. We pulled off onto a side road to camp near small shacks with pigs and chickens. The initial grunts of the massive pigs startled the girls who set up camp while I was passed out in the truck cab. I gave them the machete to hang onto in case the pigs attacked.
Now, we're inland at a smaller scenic town called El Fuerte for an old Spanish fort that has been replicated into a museum. I'm disappointed with the limited Lonely Planet description of this town. It is one of the more beautiful Mexican towns of its size I've seen. There is ubiquitous colonial architecture in various states of repair and disrepair. Even the dilapidated buildings hold a special charm. The town square is magnificent. Lush plants and palm trees lead past fountains to a Victorian wooden gazebo in the center. Ample benches provide rest in the cool shade and make-out spots for youngsters in the evening. Locals are very friendly, though not too talkative. The Lobina (a huge black river bass) from the bordering river is a local delicacy. This morning on a walk we watched an old man row an impromptu boat across the river to drop someone off. He wanted to take us across, so we had a little boat ride. On our walk to a fun suspension bridge we had to pass through an army of cows and patches of hungry no-see-ums. A wonderful morning walk, minus the no-see-ums.
We're staying in a hotel/hostel, “El Guerrero” (“The Soldier”). We were worried about staying here at first because most hotels are surprisingly expensive. Most wanted $50 U.S.d. or more per night for the three of us. Luckily we found three economical hotels and opted for the one that included breakfast. So for about $17/night we have a nice room with a bathroom and shower. Breakfast consisted of wonderful tacos with scrambled eggs, refried beans, and a homemade salsa. A great deal! $5.60/night/person including a yummy breakfast. The owner is an older guy who inherited the hotel from his grandfather through his mom. He shared some incredible local honey with us. Jokingly he said the honey is so good because the bees used pollen from marijuana plants. I know cannabis is usually wind or human pollinated, but the thought of stoned bees flying around was amusing. The owner even showed me how to prepare a Lobina I purchased for lunch.
Today we will prepare for our Copper Canyon trip! We'll hopefully be catching the 2nd class train tomorrow towards a canyon rim. There we'll be in a more winter climate at about 8000' in elevation. After a couple days of exploring the city of Creel and remembering what winter is like we'll descend into the canyon. It should be warmer in the canyon where orange trees and more tropical plants are grown. In the canyon we're hoping to get out hiking and do some more rustic camping. One hike between two cities deep in canyon country is about 20 miles.
* Travelling Note: So far our average spending has been $11/day per person since entering Mexico. This includes food, water, shelter, entertainment and transportation. This low number was helped out by my folks gifting us five nights of camping in Los Barriles. My mom had also brought us some money from a previously imported hammock that was sold in my hometown! Costs should decrease as we head south.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Baja Sur with my Folks!
Almost two weeks have passed by in blissful beach going. After leaving Ensenada, Aña, Ilsa, and I headed south to meet up with my folks. On our way, we pulled off the highway in the middle of the desert to camp. Even though we were near the highway the site and sunset were beautiful. There was a plenitude of prickly cacti diversity. The sunset lit the sky ablaze with hues of neon orange and smooth spreads of purple. The sunset was only a prelude for the nearly full orange moon rising in the opposite direction. With the nearly full moon came strange dreams and howling coyotes.
We found my folks south of the town of Mulegé in their pop-up camper on the beach of Santispac. A small beautiful beach formerly owned by an ejido, but now under private ownership. Like most of the beaches and “gringo camping” it was speckled with RV's. RV's seem to be the preferred way to camp in the Baja for migrating snow birds. It was, however, a great spot to relax after some long hauls in the truck from Santa Cruz.
Camping on the beaches of Baja is beautiful but not always accommodating for the shoe-string budget. Prices seem to range from $5-8 per person per night. Average hotel rooms go for $20-$80/night depending on where you're at. Food is more expensive than mainland, but generally still cheaper than in the U.S. Most food is imported from mainland Mexico and the U.S.
My folks are travelling more economically than many Baja goers, but still brought some toys. Their “rig” seems hilarious at times and laborious to frequently relocate. They're towing a modified pop-up trailer with a four-wheeler on the front and an inflatable kayak on top. In the back of the truck, of course, is a motorcycle for cruising the roads in style. Leave one camp site we ended up spending a morning getting the truck and trailer un-stuck from the engulfing sand trap of the beach. I was very happy to have four-wheel drive and hooked up to their trailer with our truck. After an hour of tricky maneuvering and digging, we were back on the road.
We decided to try and camp at a place on the map labeled “Puerto Chale”. We didn't know much about it, other than it was by the Pacific and en-route to our next destination. It ended up being a small isolated fishing village. We were quite the spectacle; driving through the small village with two trucks, one with a camper, motorcycle, and four-wheeler. We found a space to camp on the outskirts and enjoyed another beautiful view of the sunset. We talked to some locals and convinced them that we weren't too loco. My parents surprised me by ending up exploring the town on their own. With their limited Spanish they ended up getting invited to a bonfire, drinking beer from a small tienda, and finding the one English speaker in the village.
Stopping outside of La Paz, we made preperations for taking the vehicle to mainland Mexico. We had to temporarily import the vehicle and buy ferry tickets for ourselves and the truck. For the importation and the ferry transportation the total came to around $400. A little pricey, but it beats driving back up the Baja and around. Plus, we'll be de-boarding near the town to catch a train ride. We're planning on taking the only train in Mexico north from Topolobampo to the Copper Canyon. It's accredited with being one of the most scenic train rides in the world!
Until then, we'll continue our beach lounging. We're currently on a beach at La Ventana. It's a beautiful bay with strong winds in the afternoon. It's a destination for migrating kite-surfers and wind-surfers. In the afternoon around one hundred kite-surfers can be seen on the bay. It is a surreal scene with the droves of parafoiled colors hovering over the bay waters. Our next destination is Cabo Pulmo where we'll be able to snorkel on the only pacific reef in North America.
We found my folks south of the town of Mulegé in their pop-up camper on the beach of Santispac. A small beautiful beach formerly owned by an ejido, but now under private ownership. Like most of the beaches and “gringo camping” it was speckled with RV's. RV's seem to be the preferred way to camp in the Baja for migrating snow birds. It was, however, a great spot to relax after some long hauls in the truck from Santa Cruz.
Camping on the beaches of Baja is beautiful but not always accommodating for the shoe-string budget. Prices seem to range from $5-8 per person per night. Average hotel rooms go for $20-$80/night depending on where you're at. Food is more expensive than mainland, but generally still cheaper than in the U.S. Most food is imported from mainland Mexico and the U.S.
My folks are travelling more economically than many Baja goers, but still brought some toys. Their “rig” seems hilarious at times and laborious to frequently relocate. They're towing a modified pop-up trailer with a four-wheeler on the front and an inflatable kayak on top. In the back of the truck, of course, is a motorcycle for cruising the roads in style. Leave one camp site we ended up spending a morning getting the truck and trailer un-stuck from the engulfing sand trap of the beach. I was very happy to have four-wheel drive and hooked up to their trailer with our truck. After an hour of tricky maneuvering and digging, we were back on the road.
We decided to try and camp at a place on the map labeled “Puerto Chale”. We didn't know much about it, other than it was by the Pacific and en-route to our next destination. It ended up being a small isolated fishing village. We were quite the spectacle; driving through the small village with two trucks, one with a camper, motorcycle, and four-wheeler. We found a space to camp on the outskirts and enjoyed another beautiful view of the sunset. We talked to some locals and convinced them that we weren't too loco. My parents surprised me by ending up exploring the town on their own. With their limited Spanish they ended up getting invited to a bonfire, drinking beer from a small tienda, and finding the one English speaker in the village.
Stopping outside of La Paz, we made preperations for taking the vehicle to mainland Mexico. We had to temporarily import the vehicle and buy ferry tickets for ourselves and the truck. For the importation and the ferry transportation the total came to around $400. A little pricey, but it beats driving back up the Baja and around. Plus, we'll be de-boarding near the town to catch a train ride. We're planning on taking the only train in Mexico north from Topolobampo to the Copper Canyon. It's accredited with being one of the most scenic train rides in the world!
Until then, we'll continue our beach lounging. We're currently on a beach at La Ventana. It's a beautiful bay with strong winds in the afternoon. It's a destination for migrating kite-surfers and wind-surfers. In the afternoon around one hundred kite-surfers can be seen on the bay. It is a surreal scene with the droves of parafoiled colors hovering over the bay waters. Our next destination is Cabo Pulmo where we'll be able to snorkel on the only pacific reef in North America.
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