Quick Trip - Day 2

Creel, Chihuahua, Mexico

Riding the rails today...

We were up early, greeted to an eerie fog along the river below.  It was a bit brisk this morning, sort of refreshing after the endless summer in Mazatlan.  A taxi was waiting to take us to the train station, a few kilometers east of town; we arrived at the station around 8AM.  The train was almost on time, pulling out of El Fuerte at 8:40AM.

Up until recently there were two trains each day; one for first-class and one for second-class.  Now, due to the current decline in tourism in the area, there is only one train a day for first-class, and three days each week they attach some second-class cars to the same train.  Today was one of the days that we had a choice of first or second class.  There were only 3 first-class cars and 5 second-class cars.  A Trafalgar tour group showed up with a bus-full of tourists for first-class; otherwise we were the only non-locals waiting for the train.  We elected to ride in second-class, as the price was about half - the cars are the same except that they have a dining car for first-class and they have some carpet on the floors.  With the money we saved (our cost was 552 pesos ($43 CDN) each), we figure we can afford to stay in luxury when we get to Creel tonight.  Regardless of class, the train was very roomy and comfortable - lots of leg-room for me.

 The train snaked its way through a series of canyons, slowly gaining altitude for the first half of the trip, at some point crossing into the state of Chihuahua, then stayed at high altitude for the remainder of the ride to our destination at Creel.  Because this train had the second-class cars, it made many stops to let people off and on along the way - most of the passengers were only going short distances.

To quote our Lonely Planet guide, "One of the world's most scenic rail journeys, the Ferrocarril Chihuahua Railway (Copper Canyon Railway) is also a considerable feat of engineering; it has 37 bridges and 86 tunnels along its 653km of railway line.  The beauty of the landscape it traverses - sweeping mountain vistas, sheer canyon walls, sparkling lakes and fields of flowers, most of it free of humans and development of any kind - has made it one of Mexico's prime tourist excursions."

We would agree with that statement, except for the "prime tourist" part.  Once the Trafalgar group left the train at Posada Barrancas station, I think we were the only non-Mexican tourists on the train - certainly the only ones who did not speak Spanish.

There was one 15-minute stop at the town of Divisadero where you have time to jump off the train and grab some food at the Raramuri market.  Gorditas, tacos and chiles rellenos, cooked up in makeshift oil-drum stoves - pretty cool and tasty too.

As the altitude rose, we found ourselves surrounded by pine forests and spectacular rock formations.

Upon arrival in the town of Creel, we found it vaguely reminiscent of an alpine village.  In a lot of ways it reminds us of a miniature version of Jasper or Banff, with a single main street full of hotels, restaurants and tourist shops.  Most of the places seem to be shut-down for the winter or just very depressed, with little or no tourist traffic.  We found the "classiest" place in town, the Best Western: The Lodge at Creel, designed to look like a hunting lodge.  Great log-cabin style rooms with gas fireplaces and wood-beam floors, big-screen cable-TV and lots of hot water for showers.  Fortunately for us, with the lack of tourists, they are very negotiable on the price - we paid around $100 per night, including a full breakfast.  Of the 50 or more rooms available, only 3 or 4 were occupied, and this seems to be the busiest hotel in town.

We had another great meal, this time at a restaurant called Veronica, sampling one of their specialties, and El Norteno, a cheesy, beefy mess served in a cast-iron skillet that you eat with tortillas.  Good salsa and chips as well.

While we were eating, there was an odd parade up and down the street (which had been blocked off for several hours).  About 30 or so semi-trailer trucks cruised back and forth, using their horns continuously - there is nothing that Mexicans like more than lots of noise.  As to what it was about...

On December 12, people from all over Mexico converge on the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Villa de Guadalupe Hidalgo, a northern neighborhood in Mexico City, where they will celebrate Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe or Our Lady of Guadalupe.  Many consider this to be the most important date in Mexico, even more so than Christmas, Easter, or any other national holiday. One quote I found online: “When Mexicans no longer believe in anything, they will still hold fast to their belief in two things: the National Lottery and the Virgin of Guadalupe”

The fact that the holiday happens to coincide with 12/12/12, the last time this kind of date will be possible this century, just adds to the moment.

So far, this has been a very interesting and entertaining journey.   We can hardly wait to see what tomorrow will bring.

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