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Published: December 7th 2006
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Friday- by truck
At about 8 the next morning, Arturo and Adreana met us outside our hotel. Arturo's two neices were also going, so the cab and the bed of the truck were full. Then we stopped and picked up some hitchikers to add to the fun. Adreanna had some breakfast tacos to share for breakfast. When the truck lost a shock absorber on the rocky road and we stopped to detach it since it was loose and dragging, she said I was getting the authentic Mexican experience. It was fun. We got back to Creel, withdrew more cash from the ATM, paid our tourist visas at the bank, and bought our ticket to Barrancas _____, just south of Divisidero. Just before we left, we ate at this great restaurant across the railroad tracks from the bus depots. The food was delicious and I would've eaten more if we'd had time.
Again, without them calling out stops, we just had to guess when it was time to get off the bus. We luckily saw a sign and told the bus to stop to let us off. Neither of us knew what the town looked like- and this time we
didn't even have the name of a place in mind to stay. The lonely planet had talked about two women who had guest rooms that worked at the train station in Divisidero, but we had not stopped there and we did not know how to find them. We just walked down the road. The town was supposed to be on the rim of the canyon, but from the road, we could not see the canyon, so we kept walking. One man offered us his guest room and drove us down the road for us to inspect it. It was a bit cheaper than what we'd been staying in and a little less comfortable. Kevin was ready for more comfort, not less, and I couldn't object to that, so we thanked the man for his time, got our packs, and walked back to the main road.
We didn't know what our other options were and realized we were being followed by some very dark and gloomy clouds. There was a castle-looking hotel up on a hill and I suggested we walk up to it, at least to pass the storm at its bar, so we walked up a spooky path
and decided to go back to the road when noone acknowledged our presence there and we heard chanting from one of the buildings. The clouds broke and rain poured down. I was sure I'd seen a two story building, hopefully a hotel, down the road so we kept going. it was a hotel, but we couldn't find the lobby. We were standing under the overhang by what must have been workers' quarters when a hotel van stopped and asked if we needed anything. I said we needed a place to stay. They told us that we could stay there but since it wasn't tourist season, most everyone was up at the hotel run by the same people, at the top of the hill. They drove us up the hill. As soon as we saw the view from the balcony, we were sold. Even in pelting rain it was breathtaking- we decided to splurge and spend our last night in the Canyon in comfort. It was almost 2000p, but included three meals a piece- and a complimentary margarita. The only thing missing was a hot-tub. Our room had a little chiminea and a balconey right on the rim. We got cleaned
up and dressed for dinner and sat right by the window looking out into the Canyon as we ate.
Saturday- by train
Saturday morning we had a wonderful breakfast and went on a hike around the rim, climbing out onto precarious precipices and decending a little into the canyon before lunch filling my camera with the breathtaking views. After lunch, they drove us down the hill to meet the train.
The train stops briefly in Divisidero for everyone to take pictures and buy the wares sold at the booths that line the pathway to the rim. The view was no more spectacular than we'd seen since the last evening, but we took our obligatory picture and I bought a basket and cloth from the vendors just in time to get back on the train.
For the first few hours on the train, Kevin and i trapsed up and down the aisles in the cars getting our bearings and standing in the space between the cars, looking at the view and feelign the wind in our faces and taking picture after picture after picture. The train made two long stops- once to reweld the track, and once to
dig the track out from a mudslide. We passed by a field full of snow. and went through several tunnels. It was midnight before we got to Chihuahua. We told the taxi driver to take us to a clean cheap hotel and he did. It was less cushy than our luxury hotel, but it sufficed. We caught a bus back to Jurarez the next morning, and hiked back across the border on Sunday, June 25, 2006.
We plan to go back and do more backpacking. It is georgeous.
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Jen nifer
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Lovely
Beautiful photos, charming pair.