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Published: March 3rd 2016
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Mexico
Aboard the El Cheppi Lazy days and fun filled nights in Caye Caulker a Belize Island, were I can finally catch up with our blog.
After arriving in Los Mochas very late in the evening we checked into a hotel and slept, ready for our early morning rise to catch the train El Chappie up the Copper Canyon to Creel. 6am and to be sure we got tickets ( second class) choice to get, as the views from the rear of the carriages were the best views and quite a price difference or just a dining coach the difference. We had the best time, the views were spectacular and El Chappy stopped so you could get off and sample foods, Tacos, Burritos, etc, from locals selling on the side of the tracks. Pristine blue sky's and fantastic backdrops I felt as if I was in a western. Hanging off the carriages getting some spectacular camera shots too. The higher we travelled the more native Mexicans we saw. These people live in caves and create beautiful woven blankets, ponchos, jackets, bags, etc. they dress in floral and printed skirts, which are so colourful. And the small children and babies are tied to them
Mexico
Native Mexican lady with her colorful skirt enjoying the views up the Copper Canyon by colourful wraps. There are Gauchos driving their stock with colourful boots and straw hats.
Creel, a layback town, dusty with timber buildings and very cold in the evenings offered sightseeing and hiking, Copper canyon being the main draw card which is stunning as well as the train ride. We left Creel on a bus and headed to Chihuahua who would have thought it. In Chihuahua we had a great time, visiting Pancho Villas home which is now a museum. Everything wrote in English which was amazing we found it fascinating it's really worth a visit. Lots to see Museums, historic homes. Also Chihuahua is cowboy country with lots of ranches on the outskirts and so saddles and cowboy boots are sold everywhere and so very cheap, great leather goods like belts, bags.
After a few days we flew to Mexico City, on arrival we were told that the Pope had arrived and we rushed to our hotel and dropped our bags off only to find he had driven down the street with in the seconds it took us to. We missed him by a day last year in Manilla Philippines, and now again by minutes.
We
Mexico
On route to Creel booked into a hotel not far from the Zoćalo a famous plaza and the historical buildings of Mexico City and if anyone can remember the spectacular opening scene from the James Bond movie Spectre. What we hadn't expected was the modern buildings of Mexico City quite fantastic architecture, loved... loved Mexico City so much to see everyone is friendly food and drink are cheap. Lots of places to watch the city go by and people watch. We even got on a hop on hop off bus. Mexico City is huge so it was quite cheap and with four different routes of MC visited Frida Kahlo home. She was a famous Mexican self portrait artist who is still admired for her feminism as well as her art.
We loved the Our Lady of Guadeloupe church which is the most holiest of churches in the whole of Mexico. And while we were aboard the hop on bus guess who we saw, but the pope who drove right past us, I was so excited. Our day was made, we finally saw the Papa, in his pope mobile.
We so enjoyed MC I was quite wary about the place, so
many stories you hear, we caught the underground with ease and metro buses were no problems, even at night we applied a little common-sense and felt safe. We left by bus to drive to Oaxaca, a high altitude city known for its culture and culinary and churches and the first of our pre Mayan Pyramids historical sights Monte Alban which was awesome.
Thought I just throw a tip in here too, if traveling to Mexico OXOX supermarkets sell coffee which is dirt cheap around a $1.00 for large cup and you can chose vanilla, caramel or hazelnut flavoured milk it's hot and good, just find a park nearby.
We tasted Chocolate Moule which is a chilli chocolate we had with beans and chicken and rice. Also beautiful hot chocolate with sweet bread which we ate for breakfast was to die for. We saw the famous medicine women with their potions of herbs and natural remedies as they were in Mayan times we had a local guide take us around Monte Alban who was so enthusiastic and animate with the love of his culture it was such a pleasure being in his company he made
Mexico
Copper Canyon our visit as went were taken back to a lost civilisation.
We had great company of two German boys who were cycling from Alaska to Patagonia and a young French girl. Who loved to chat to us I think maybe they were missing parents so we spent time being parents hopefully we shall meet up with them all a different stages of our journeys.
The next day we were off again to San Cristobal another cultural place a little more touristy. Amber is sold here and many other goodies I managed to fit a pair of Amber earnings into the backpack.
We stayed at a lovely place, husband and wife who just couldn't do enough for us made our stay so lovely. The wife's Grandparents owned the property and when her Grandma was widowed and with eight kids to raise so she took lodgers from the university and each year took more on and finally it became a hotel, huge court room which surrounds the rooms. With memories of her family home such wonderful old family photos.
Onward by bus to Palenque not my favourite town but a hidden secret of a
jungle Pyramids which was just so lovely cool and waterfalls we spent the whole day there, we caught a local bus for about $1.80 and payed the entrance fee and walked 10 Klm back to town great day and cheap as instead of paying $60 US for the tour what a rip off. You can hire a guide when inside but if you want to be even cheaper signs tell you the history. It a tranquil place magical up in the mountains.
Again by bus we travel to Mirada this was a destination break for us to travel to Chicken Itza. We chilled in Merida, found a great Cuban bar with great salsa music and chilled. Great food, great music and enjoyed mooching around the town. We left for the ruins of Chiken Itza The largest Mayan ruins in Mexico.Found all the tourists in Mexico here, although lovely, I personally enjoyed Palenque jungle ruins far better, we visited Chiken Itza all day and then hopped back on the bus and traveled to Playa del Carmen were all the tourist from American and France were visiting. Lovely place but too touristy for us. Traveling down to Chetumal over the border
Mexico
Monument in Chihuahua to Belize city and sailing out to Caye Caulker on the lunch time ferry, our first experience of a Caribbean Island and we loved it. We rented a small apartment and chilled out and enjoyed bike riding and swimming, however drinking Belizean rum and riding bicycles don't mix. And Glen plucking me out of a few too many bushes was not a pretty sight. I had too many bumps and bruises. We enjoyed meeting all our Rasta friends and eating a mixture of Bellze, creole and Caribbean foods.Snorkeling and swimming in the beautiful waters of the Caribbean seas. Caye Caulker we will miss you. Thank you to Mexico too we had a blast a wonderful surprise such a great country..... And so many cactus ????
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