A Trip to the Copper Canyon (Barranca de Cobre)
Vicky Flores and Bob Howell take a trip.
Summer 2005
Text by Bob Howell. Photos by Vicky and Bob.
We have planned this trip for sometime and would have chosen a better season, however, Vicky could not arrange another period for her vacation. She had recently transferred from the hospital in Las Varas, where she has worked as a nurse in the emergency room for more than 20 years, to La Peñita and lost her seniority for vacations, at least for this year. The rainy season had just started and we were forced to alter some of our original plans, which called for us to visit many more small villages than we did. Our plan was to travel by bus to El Fuerte and catch the second class
train from there, stopping off at a number of small villages enroute to Creel. After reaching Creel we would travel down to Batopilas and then to Baseachi Falls. After, we would make a few day trips. Finally, we would return by first class train to Los Mochis and bus back to La Peñita.
It is about 3 pm on July 21st. We are standing in front of our home base in Rincon de Guayabitos. We have on our backpacks, slung cameras and a carry bag. All told we have about twice the equipment that we originally planned for. The taxi arrives and we go to the Pacifico bus station in La Peñita. The bus has not arrived yet so Vicky decides to make a last minute purchase at the pharmacy and I buy the tickets. Cost to our first destination at Tepic is $60 pesos for Vicky and $30 for Roberto (my old age card, which is issued to all residents in Mexico to those 60 and over, is good for a discount) Meanwhile the bus arrives, everyone boards but no Vicky. I am undecided whether to leave without her or wait (just kidding). Seconds before the impatient bus driver takes off, Vicky arrives and all is well.
It is just under a two-hour trip to Tepic, with a 5-minute stopover in Compostela. We arrive in Tepic and decide to take the Elite bus line. Their prices were the same as Pacifico and we had heard that the buses were in better condition. Cost for our tickets to Los Mochis was $471 pesos for Vicky and half price for me. We had about a half hour wait until the bus arrived. We boarded about 5 p.m. and it was obvious that we made a good choice. This bus was far more luxurious than any Pacifico I had ever been on and there was more space between the seats, which were more comfortable too. There was even a kitchen aboard to prepare snacks and the restroom was in very good and clean condition. They tell us that we will be in Los Mochis about 5 a.m. It is raining hard so we just settled back, watched movies, snacked and napped. (A note here: Most movies on first class busses are either spoken or subtitled in English and Spanish) About two hours out we stop for an army checkpoint and they just make a cursory inspection of the baggage in the compartment and wave us on. We have in our luggage an assortment of snacks and food. We do not normally eat at bus stations or from vendors on foot. If you get sick while bus traveling, you are in trouble. As we enter Mazatlan we are stopped by the Migras (immigration). They spot check papers on the bus but just smile at Vicky and I. We stop at the bus station in Mazatlan for about 20 minutes, where we stretch our legs and get a couple of sodas. A few passengers are loaded on here; mostly men. Shortly after leaving the station the bus is flagged down by the Migras again. Most of the men that boarded in Mazatlan have no I.D. and are arrested by the authorities. Vicky thinks they were illegals from Guatemala or other Central American countries Finally we arrive in Los Mochis at about 5:30 P.M. We take a taxi to the bus depot that services El Fuerte $40 pesos, arriving just as the bus for El Fuerte was leaving. We managed to get aboard. $60 pesos for Vicky, $30 pesos for Roberto.
It is pouring down rain and we are soon soaked. The driver gave us instructions as to the hotel we would be staying but they were incorrect. After wandering around awhile we finally stopped at the police station. When we asked where the hotel Heradurra was the cop told us that there was no such hotel in El Fuerte. Let this be a lesson for those visiting El Fuerte – never depend on the police for information.
We finally found a taxi and the driver took us to the hotel just two blocks from the Police station. Taxi cost $20 pesos. The hotel had raised their prices to $350 per night. However our tourist guide (Vicky) bargained them down to $300. A nice hotel. Hot water, comfortable, clean rooms and coffee in the lobby. We were a little tired after about 17 hours on the road so we took a siesta. Later we walked around the town, snapped a few photos and visited the museum, which was located in a well-preserved hilltop fort. It was very nice and gave an account of the history of El Fuerte.
A bit of history here. There is a twin to this village, which is Alamos. Back in the mining boom in Spanish times they built these two towns, which were connected by a road. The population in each ran in excess of 30,000 people. When the boom ended the two became almost ghost towns. Then about 30 or so years ago Alamos started to get discovered by Norteamericanos and many of the homes have been restored and are beautiful residences. I visited Alamos several times during my past life in the state of Sonora. Over the past several years El Fuerte has also been discovered and the same thing is happening. These homes were built as small forts for protection against the Indians, bandidos and sometimes revolucionarios. They were built of adobe in a large square. In the interior were a garden area, space for livestock and a well (where there was water). There were as few windows as possible on the outside wall, which were heavily shuttered. There were bedrooms, storerooms and a kitchen that lined the interior. When attacked they fought from the flat rooftops. Each home was originally independent, but after the village grew they became blocks of homes with streets in between. These became like large forts. The Indians in the area were Mayas and Yaquis. In the U.S. they were know as Apaches, some of the most feared.
We were hungry so we stopped at a little loncheria. I had a “sopa” with meat and vegetables. I can’t remember what Vicky had but including agues de fruta (a fruit drink) the bill was a whopping $25 pesos. (That is about $2.25 U.S.) After, we continued to walk around. It is really a nice town. Clean streets, large central plaza, well landscaped with the bandstand. There are still a lot of abandoned homes just waiting for some Norteamericano to restore. We also walked down by the river, which is swollen due to the rains. El fuerte, although nearly in the desert, has an abundance of water.
We returned to the hotel. Vicky watched TV from the lobby and I broke out my bottle of Roberto's finest tequila and had a happy hour. We later settled for the night and were up bright and early next morning. Our loncheria was closed but we discovered another and had a hearty breakfast. All was under $50 pesos. A taxi, which we had arranged the night before, picked us up and delivered us to the train station for the next leg of our trip. Cost was $80 pesos (this was a bit overpriced – we should have bargained to $50 pesos but we failed to talk price in advance and there were no other taxis around) The station was about 6 kilometers from town. The second-class train was due to arrive for the East bound trip at about 11 a.m. We would get off at Temoris.
There are two trains that leave Los Mochis daily. A first class train and then about an hour later the second class. The second class stops at all stations but the first class does not. We take the second class for several reasons. The first is that the first class train does not stop at Temoris. Also, we want to experience both first and second class travel, and of course it is more economical. We plan to work our way by second class train to Creel and return to Los Mochis by first class.
We arrive at the train station too early. So much for information of the locals. The Taxi driver told us the train would depart at 11 a.m. We arrived about 10:15. Upon arrival we find that it is more like 1 P.M. Anyway, we saw a small store several blocks away (you have to pass it before arriving at the station) and she, who must be obeyed, sends me to the store to buy fruit and fruit juice. (Although Vicky is a nurse she does not always understand my body needs – such as Corona or Pacifico) The waiting room of the small station is soon filled. We strike up conversations with a few people. A professor and his wife from Hermosillo, a couple of ex illegals to the U.S. and more. It is surprising how many Mexicans speak good English.
Finally, about 12:30 (so much for schedules) we hear the train horn and the track starts shaking. The crowd is getting anxious. All are pushing in the direction of the tracks. I just know someone is going to be pushed under; maybe me, as I lean out to snap a photo of the oncoming locomotive. The Chepe (name of the train to Copper Canyon) rolls by. A couple of the boarding stairwells are open. A porter on the first one waves to us to board there. We race down the platform only to be told by a conductor that we must board in the other direction. (The porter had conveniently disappeared). Vicky runs down and disappears into the mob waiting to board at the other stairwell. Somehow she emerges and boards the train and races to the cherished seats on the right side of the coach. We have been told that the train skirts the rim of the Canyon, which can be seen only from the right side. She is in luck and gets two good seats. Roberto, being a gringo, is no match for the motivated, and frantic, Mexicans seeking good seats, and boards almost last. The seats are comfortable, the coach is air conditioned and we relax for our 2 ½ hour trip to Temoris.
Soon the conductor comes by collecting and issuing tickets. Temoris discuenta, (discount) we tell him. I have a Mexican senior citizen card and Vicky produces her Tourist Guide credentials. 50% discount, says the conductor (we don't argue). Total to Temoris $220 pesos (about $20 U.S.) for both of us.
