Blogs from Copper Canyon, Chihuahua, Mexico, North America

„Da kommt ihr nie durch, gibt's da überhaupt eine Straße? Wenn's da ne Straße gibt, braucht ihr aber Allradantrieb.” So hieß es jedes Mal wenn wir Leuten erzählten, daß wir durch die Kupfer Schlucht in Nord Mexiko, mit unserem alten VW Bus fahren wollten. Wir hatten eine Karte auf der eine Straße eingezeichnet war und sahen viele andere Karten die überhaupt keine Straßen in dem Gebiet eingezeichnet hatten. Wir versuchten es im Internet und Reiseführer herauszufinden. Doch jedes Mal sprach es von dem berühmten Zug, der sich durch die Schlucht schlängelt. Wir wollten es also versuchen. Nach einigen Monaten, kamen wir spät am Abend in Creel an. Am nächsten Morgen fing es schon wieder an, genau so wie zwei Wochen zuvor, der Anlasser funktionierte nicht. Wo wir zum Campen geparkt hatten, war es nicht sehr flach, ... read more

I stood, head hanging over my toilet in that familiar, insufferable anticipation. The time had passed for silent prayer in the hopes that if I lie still long enough, I could fall asleep, and that horrid disturbance would ebb in to the depths of my exhaustion. I stood to speed up the grueling process demolishing my stomach. I have a friend who once vomited silently into a plastic bag in a crowded mall. Not one passer by even gave her a second glance. I am not like her. The first time I got drunk, I spent half the night heaving and gagging at measurable volumes while a friend nursed me behind two closed doors. The rest of the party yelled at her to shut the already closed doors because my tumult was prohibiting them from ... read more

Cesar and I pulled up to Dollar Rental Car and parked next to a virginal-looking, freshly washed, charcoal Mustang, shimmering in the spring sun. We reserved an economy car and opted for a thirty-cent upgrade, figuring we advance from something like a Kia Spectra to a Ford Focus, hopefully with power windows. Regardless, we weren’t going to complain about a car with a weekly rental rate of $89.30. “Maybe that’s our car,” I joked motioning to the Mustang with an air of longing. Cesar sighed and nodded. We filled out paperwork, anticipating our temporary ride with which we would cruise through Mexico, braving our way over the infamous, treacherous Mexican highways as we sang familiar songs in between conversations that would sway from friendly gossip to political philosophy and back again. Thieves and bandits would ... read more

Easter weekend is an exceptionally busy time for Mexico. Not only is everything booked and crowded because of the Catholic holidays, but it also usually falls around most colleges’ spring breaks, as it did for Cesar and me. In addition to a strip of restaurants and gift shops, Creel offers a variety of ways to experience all its surrounding, extraordinary natural features via scenic flights, repelling, truck rides, horse rides and bicycles. Since our budget was limited, we focused on the latter of the two. However the horses were booked, and the bicycles were all gone. We found ourselves meandering again, perfectly content to do so, checking back throughout mid morning for available bikes. We stopped for tortas at a hole-in-the-wall stand. A boy in his late teens or early twenties approached the restaurant. He was ... read more

Train du nord, une semaine dans le froid pour de magnifiques paysages aux pieds des plus grands canyons du monde. ... read more

I look up from my book to see at M16 pointed at my knee. A cast a concerned look up further and see that it is hanging off the back of one of the train guards. He smiles at my stupid, tired and starled face. 'Hola' In say. The views from the train are stunnningly beautiful as it winds it's way slowly through valleys, past cliff faces and lakes. The train follows a gurggeling, bolder strewn, tree lined river. We drink beer, laugh and take it all in. Arriving at Pasado Barrancas at 3 pm, an hour later than expected. The hotel is perched on the edge of Copper Canyon. The dinning room and bedrooms afford fantastic views of the jagged, cragged, dirt, dust, rocks and trees that extend over the horrizon. Tiny farm shacks dot ... read more

The BA customer service call center is open between 6 am and 8 pm UK time so we wait until midnight Mexico time and call them from our hotel room. I ask them to call me back on the hotel phone. I expect that it will be a long call and do not wish to be paying a pound a minute to rant at them. When they call me back I tell them the story of our quest for replacement tickets and ask how we can resolve the situation. At first the customer service operator suggests posting the tickets to us. I point out that this is no good as our flight is in a few days time. She is not sure that she can help but says she will call the ticketing office and talk ... read more