Copper Canyon Day 4 & 5

Breakfast at the Hotel $250 pesos/person!! Crazy! Then Brad went for walk and I worked on Blog. Left at 11:30am and walked up to the train. Brad bought a hat and I a t-shirt, and a few more gifts. Had some more Gorditas before the train came. Train was a bit early 12:54pm, I didn't sleep much so rested on the train. Very low key ride back. Stayed the night at Torres del Fuerte and Love it! very nice Hotel. *NOTE: No bugs here, maybe a couple but not like the other Hotel! There are lots of plants here? 

Dinner at "Orrantia" in the town square and walking distance from the Hotel, we were the only ones there, nice upscale place. 

One glitch, the night clerk said the breakfast started at 6:30am and we got up to get on the road early and found out no breakfast the cook was on Holidays.  So we had McD's when we hit Navajoa. 

Traveled from 7:15am to 5:15pm a couple of coffee stops, 1 gas stop, Home Depot pick up. At the Holiday Inn Express Nogales AZ for the night. 10 hrs good time!

Copper Canyon 2018 Day 3

We started the day with a great breakfast at the Hotel La Estación (read previous post). Then we went for a last latte across the street, and back to pick up the bags.  I went to the museum (Brad had already gone there) and Brad waited with the luggage in the sun. Very interesting museum, they had artifacts and the info on the background of the people, they also had a photo display that was very interesting some of a ceremony (1964?) with peyote.

Then we headed for the train station which is right there, for the 11:47am Train.  We got there early thank goodness, the train that day came at 11:20am. I will make a separate post about what we learned taking the train and what to do. Went to get on and the conductor said no turista (lower cost) tickets so we had to pay Ejecutiva prices $620 pesos each to go from Creel to El Divisadero, it's not that far, but we needed to go to keep our already booked Hotels. Arrived at El Divisidero and Brad had been looking for Gorditas that he saw in an advertisement and right off the train they are there.  Blue corn tortillas (small) with your choice of 2 kinds of pork, chicken with cream sauce, napoles with cream, mushrooms with cream, chicharron or plain queso.  Brad had 2 pork and I had chicken and (queso with a tortilla like cornbread), they were very very good! Try them if you go.  Walked to the Hotel Divisadero Barrancas which is right there. Checked in and we had a room with a balcony over looking the Barrancas so they are at the far end in a different building from the reception (Main building).  So beautiful! got settled, admired the view and then went to the Cable Car $250 pesos/each,

       

The Hotel supplied the guy to take us there and back for $100 pesos/person.  After we returned we went for dinner.  There is nowhere to eat here so the Hotel takes full advantage of that, they charge $290 pesos for dinner which was spaghetti with chicken breast on top in a mustard sauce with some fried zucchini and chocolate cake for desert. Back to the room, watched it get dark and the full moon come out. To bed.

Baja Ferries - La Paz to Mazatlan by Motorcycle

Catching the Ferry from La Paz to Mazatlan

First buying the ticket.  

If you have a vehicle and/or want a cabin you might have already tried to book online. How’d that go for you? Not good I bet, there doesn’t seem to be a place to pick your car (or especially a motorcycle) or a place to pick that you want a cabin.  It is easiest if you go buy the tickets in P_____ where the ferry is located.  If you are not in the area to do this then I’m sorry you are on your own and good luck finding a blog with some help with that. We knew from other people that have done it and from blogs that if you want a cabin you must book ahead of time, they recommend a week ahead.  We were traveling down the Baja and we’re not in any hurry so on Thursday when we hit La Paz we went to Pichilingue to buy tickets.  This Ferry to Mazatlan (at the time of writing this) travels on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.  We were trying for Saturday and could get on the ferry but no cabin so we went for the Tuesday with a cabin and then stayed for 2 nights in La Paz, traveled to Los Barilles and stayed two nights and Todos Santos for one night before returning up to the ferry on Tuesday.  

What you need to bring to the office to buy tickets:

1. Passport
2. Travelers Visa
3. Permit for your vehicle
4. Licence number
5. email address
6. Payment - we paid with a Visa                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

If you bring all these in and give them to the clerk you shouldn’t have  a problem and shouldn’t need to speak any Spanish except please and thank you.

It all went quite smoothly for us.

Directions from La Paz to Pichilingue where you buy the tickets.

The day of boarding the Ferry:

 They would have told you to arrive 3 hours ahead of boarding, DO do this.  We have heard if you are not checked in early they will sell your cabin to someone else.  This means you have to be there approximately 2pm, the ship leaves at 5pm.

 (Having said that, sometimes you can ask on board and buy a room if you didn’t get one before hand if they have any spares).

Bring water and snacks as it is a long wait with nothing around, no bathrooms either. Have as little as you can to carry on to the ship, it not an easy maneuver to get upstairs with luggage, and certainly no big bags!!!

If you bought your tickets out near the docks you will have seen the Ferry entrance, it is before you turned left where the road splits, it is the Only entrance to the gated dock area, the Big Trucks go through the same gate, go over the same scales and board the same ship.  For the Mazatlan Ferry you drive through the gate, if someone is there tell them Mazatlan and they will direct you, on your right, to the far right lane. There you stop and show the guard your:

1. Passport
2. Travelers Visa
3. Permit for Vehicle

They will check your VIN Number (or they did on the motorcycles). Then you push the button, anyone who has been to Mexico has pushed the button.  If you haven’t there is a red light and a green light, if you get a green light you travel on your way, if you get a red light they search you and your vehicle (depending on the guard to different extents).  We both got a green light so we carried on (follow the truck he said), to the weigh scales.  Here there is another taxing system where we each has to pay $77 pesos for tax for the shipyard? anyway, after I had my few words about that with them and paid they send you off to the left.  What they didn’t say was off to the left and then down the gravel road to the right, then left where the road splits and you take the left lower road to the ship and you drive to the ferry and park against the back fence until it’s time to load.  It is entertaining to watch them load the containers they are wild men on those loaders.  At this time I will tell you the Truck Drivers were more helpful than the workers at the ferry getting us to the right spot.  You load on and then find your own tie downs in boxes around the deck, tie down and proceed into the ship.  hahahaha

Down a steep set of steps but not too many.  Through a corridor up some very steep steps, many of them.  Down a corridor around a corner, someone asking to finally see a ticket, show your ticket, continue dow a corridor up many more steep stairs around a corner to try to find your cabin. Let me make it easier for you than I had it.  In the seating section there is a little office, give him your ID (licence) and he will give you your room key, he keeps your ID until you turn the key in the next day. find your room.  There were 4 bunks in our cabin (I am not sure if all are this way) a bathroom with a shower and a sink.  Our sink leaked and neither of us attempted the shower. The beds were not that bad but for the air-conditioning, you couldn’t turn it off and it was COLD. Really COLD! there is a dial to turn on the ceiling but it didn’t make much of a difference.Dinner (show your ticket) was beans, rice and 2 choices of mixtures, drinks not included. We did get some sleep despite the cold. Although I did think I was going to go through the wall a couple of times with the ship rocking so hard my mattress slid back and forth once. Eye glasses and books went flying through the darkness and I found them in the morning scattered on the floor.  Just put everything on the floor.  

There are movies playing in the seating area and the dinning room and there is an out door area up above and they sell beer up there too. 

In the morning you get breakfast (show your ticket) and then wait.  They will announce when it’s time for the drivers to go and get in their vehicles. Back down the stairs, show your ticket again, down the stairs up the stairs to your vehicle. Drive off, from here on out I can’t help you, my bike was dead from the silent alarm going off for 21 hours, so I has to roll the bike off and wait for Brad to get a tow truck.  They wouldn’t let him in the yard unless we paid $200.00 USD so Brad pushed my bike all the way to the gates, to the tow truck. Then back to ride his through. When leaving the ferry yard stay to your right following the waterfront. With in a few blocks you will see directional signs to show you which way to go to Tepic, Cullican or Durango.  Also when traveling this street you will see signs directing you to the malecon.

We found a bike repair place then they sent us to another bike repair place on the Malecon and we stayed the night while my battery charged next door.

New Adventure for Easter this year!

Good Friday April 3, 2015, we are going on an adventure! We are going to explore these small towns. Lot's of History!

The Sonora River Lends it's name to the area of north central Mexico in the Mexican state of Sonora. The river course Begins ITS Continues south of Cananea and south along the western side of the Sierra Madre Occidental. The river is 250 mile (402 kilometers) long and moves south then a south west to the city of Hermosillo and the Abelarado L. Rodriguez Reservoir.

The Rio Sonora's riparian habitat Provides a refuge for many birds and animals making this area's a spectacular place for birding. The desert and the hills are home to javelina, foxes, jaguars and mountain lions. Coatimundi and Their more familiar cousins, raccoons can be found here Along With skunks and other small mammals. Many reptiles snakes and iguanas make Including the area home.

The river That Also Provides irrigation water brought` the Opata, the area's Original inhabitants, and sustains the farming and ranching Communities Today.

But more Than That, the Rio Sonora Creates a special place of mountain peaks, steep canyons and broad valleys.

The Ruta Rio Sonora, Sonora Highway 089 (shown on older maps as Highway 118) from Cananea to Ures is your pathway to this land of magic.

• Ures - Founded in 1644 was the capital city of Sonoran Between 1838 and 1842, and 1879. Between 1847 and Visit "La Plaza de Armas" With Its four 18th century bronze sculptures, San Miguel Mission and the church bearing the same name With Its legendary mesquite stairway.

• Baviácora -Founded in 1639 displays colonial architecture and two beautiful churches, the newer build along side the old.

• Aconchi's - Main attraction is the hot spring pools west of town. The park is nicely developed and easy to get to. There are many furniture factories in town selling Their wares. The San Pedro Church Franciscan features 18th century architecture and a legendary Black Christ.
• 
  
• Huépac -Founded in 1644 features the old mission of San Lorenzo de Huepac dating from the 18th century.The city hall displays what is purported to be an Original copy of the Mexican Declaration of Independence. Also on display is a jawbone from a woolly mammoth That was found nearby

• Banámichi - Founded in 1639, Banamichi is home to a growing movement to revive and restore the original Adobe Colonial buildings in the town. The beautiful temple of Our Lady of Loreto Temple faces the central plaza. A large petroglyph carved by the Opata Indians is held aloft by Opata statues of warriors in the town park. Banamichi Brings to mind a feeling of colonial times.

• Arizpe - Founded in 1646. Here, the landscape Becomes more mountainous. Filled with the history of northern Mexico and the southwest, Arizpe was the capital city of Northern New Spain Which took in all of the Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, California and Texas. Interred in under glass in the floor of the Assumption church you will see the Remains of Juan de Anza, Governor of Northern New Spain and founder of San Francisco, California

Photos to follow, hopefully in a few days :)

15 months later...

We have gone home to Canada and back again to Mexico since the last post and are close to going home again.
It is nearing the end of February and we have again had a nice winter in the warmth.  I (Dar) have had some issues this season, my knee has caused all kinds of problems and pain, down for aprox 5 weeks. Then I got Salmonella and down for another 5 weeks. I am better now but my knee is still a problem.

We had some really nice people from Hawaii, stop at the park for a week (and then another week) :) Maggie and Joni and Star.  We are happy to say they are our good friends now and hope to keep in touch with them and visit where ever they land when they're finished their adventure of driving Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and El Salvador. Their set up for the trip is excellent!

Close up ;)

Star freshly bathed for the trip.

Stop, Drop and Rub my Belly!





























Last night dinner at the restaurante Avenida for Pozole, my favorite!




In a few days some more friends are coming, we will pick them up at the airport and drive to Melaque to visit even more friends ;) back on March 1st to spend the last month here before we pack up and leave for another season. Leaving April 1st this year, should be fun Semana Santa starts on March 29th this year. Oh well, we'll take it slow and keep movin.

Will try to post more. Try to.

Interesting Tree

MEXICAN FLOWERING DOGWOOD

Cornus florida urbiniana

a.k.a. Magic Dogwood

An exotic Mexican variant of the more common Flowering Dogwood. The variety is noted for its flower bracts, which are fused together, resulting in an amazing display of spirals and shapes. No two flowers would seem to look exactly alike. When in bloom the tree can be covered with hundreds of the beautiful white flowers in an ornamental display like no other.

Description

A deciduous tree usually growing to 10-20 feet. Date of leaf drop varies depending on the climate, but leaves tend to stay on the tree longer than its more common cousin.

Hardiness

Mature trees are hardy to some frost, probably to at least 10F and possible lower. Said to be hardy to zone 6-7. Younger trees should be protected from hard freezes or long frosts.

Growing Environment

Grows best in filtered sun, as it is a naturally occurring understory tree. Can be container grown. Shield from strong afternoon sun. Grow in fairly moist, acidic soil as trees have low tolerance of alkaline conditions.

Propagation

Can be propagated by seeds or by rooted cuttings. Seeds are best sprouted after cold stratification at 38-42F for up to 90-120 days.

Uses

Planted as an ornamental. When in bloom it is often considered one of the prettiest flowering trees.

Native Range

Native to Eastern Mexico from Nuevo Leon through Veracruz.

3 weeks here

After being here for three weeks we have accomplished a lot. Outside bathroom tiled, curtains hung
 ( to be reviewed next year), 5 fans installed, RV. clean inside and out. Ready to settle in now.
We have gone twice on the bikes to PV. We are going to Guadalajara in the middle of December to see Carlos Santana, Gloria Estafan and many more bands. We will ride there and sight see then go to the concert and maybe stop in at a few other places on the way back? Leon for leather goods?  Friday woman's darts is in full swing, many women there today. Nice to see everyone again. I still haven't gone to see about Spanish classes again, but. I will soon, I think :/

Morelia - Day of the Dead

Morelia – Day of the Dead By Dorothy Bell Photography by Bill and Dorothy Bell “I think I would like to be buried in Mexico next to a big family. That way I would hear mariachis and laughter. I would hear sweet whispers of respect and smell the candles, marigolds and incense. I would be fed delicious foods and drink the best of tequilas. I would hear stories of people I wish I had known.” Day of the Dead and Halloween have only skeletons in common. What is meant to scare in the US and Canada has a significantly different interpretation in Mexico. The Day is not for sorrow, but for remembering and respecting the departed. Many believe a 3000 year old Aztec ritual that was originally celebrated in August dedicated to Mictecacihuatl “Lady of the Dead" and Queen of the Underworld. The festivities were celebrated for a month and after the conquest, remained a persistent celebration much to the chagrin of the Spanish who considered the practice pagan and sacrilegious. So with a “if you can’t beat them join them” attitude the celebration was moved to the beginning of November to coincide with the Catholic All Saints and All Souls Day. Mictecacihuatl has relatively been reborn so to speak and recently morphed into Katrina, the “elegant one” the popular female skeleton Image with a wide brim hat. She was created in 1913 by Mexican printmaker José Guadalupe Posada and later replicated and made popular by famed Mexican muralist Diego Riviera in his mural “Dream of a Sunday in Alameda Park.” Katrina, the rich upper class lady does not escape death; it comes to all of us, the rich and poor. Death, the great equalizer; a natural part of our existence. This is Day of the Dead. Not to be feared by children or commercialized by Hallmark. It is a time to honor the life and passage of loved ones. Last year my husband Bill and I spent Novemer 2, theDay of the Dead in the Morelia, the Capital city of the State of Michoacán in the center of Mexico. Michoacán is an interesting place to celebrate this particular day. Patzquaro is known for its revelry, Morelia for its captivating “Katrina” statues and the highlands as being the birth place of the monarch butterflies. Most of Mexico’s ancient cultures, the Toltec, Aztecs and Zapotecs to name a few, all believed that the butterfly was the rebirth or reincarnation of souls. We walked about Morelia’s Centro or city core and were amazed at the displays and beds of marigolds everywhere. There was joviality in the air as we strolled by tiny park benches and down large pedestrian walkways. Vendors sold cookies and cakes with skulls or skeletons. The sugar skulls appeared most often with bight accents for the eyes – some red and blue. Children would be given these skulls as a treat, often with their name printed on the forehead. Store after store had displays and Katrina mannequins. Restaurants had special menus or” living statues” or should I say living skeletons entertaining and enticing potential customers to enter their establishment. As much as the mood was playful, urban and charming in Morelia, the neighboring city of Patzquaro was somber and reflective. Patzquaro is Morelia’s Indian cousin, so celebrations, fiestas and lifestyles are always somewhat different. Here in this Indian Colonial city, the mood was far more personal. While the rabble-rousers, tourists and cameras went to Janitzo, the Island on the lake, the focus of the event for this city was the graveyard just outside of town. We walked inside the walled Pantheon and with a somber demeanor, we walked the grounds that had been decorated and visited the night before. The cemetery was crowded with loved ones who talked in whispers to each other. Candles had burned all night and left ponds of wax on the graves and pathways. The ground was a carpet of marigolds with little brown patches of earth between the graves. The air was heavy with incense, and duty. Love and respect. People were sitting on the ground or standing at the gravesite of a departed. Talking. Mumbling. Music rang out from another corner of the yard; an old love song. There were full bottles of tequila, letters and of course an overwhelming abundance of flowers. These are a few of their favorite things. And more marigolds than you have ever seen. The same color as the church in San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas. A golden yellow; almost orange. It was a moving experience not a cultural one. I told Bill I wanted to be buried in Mexico next to a grave of someone who had a big family. I would like to hear the mariachis and touch the flowers every year. Become a Friend on the Riviera Nayarit Click Here

Day of the Dead - Dia de Los Muertes

Mexico Celebrates Day of the Dead Tara A. Spears It may have started out as a somber religious event but today Mexico celebrates on November 1 and 2 with vibrant enthusiasm. These days are typically observed with friends and family in remembrance of their passed loved ones. The families spend the day playing the departed’s favorite music, eating the departed’s favorite foods or spending the day at picnics around gravesites. It is a fiesta to honor the good memories of a loved one and to celebrate life. November 1st is especially reserved in remembrance of any children that have passed. Family members and friends adorn graves with toys and gifts in honor of the little ones that have died. Some gifts may even include their favorite foods and drink. Mexicans believe that the departed’s spirit will return to spend the day with them so in return the family has a huge party to celebrate. They decorate with the traditional Zenpasuchitl marigold flower. Candles are lit to serve as a guide for the spirits to make it back home. The photos are from the Jaltemba Bay area.November second is reserved to honor the adults that have passed. Family typically decorate using the Zenpasuchitl (a type of marigold) flower and candles besides photos and some of the loved one’s favorite things: it’s not unusual to see tequila or actual food at gravesites besides lovely floral arrangements. For weeks before you will see thousands of skulls and skeletons on sale to be used to decorate this festive day. Baked pastries and bread in shape of bones are available in markets. Some stores even sell skull candies. They symbolize a person "cheating death" because the person ate it. You can even buy them with your name on it and put it on the altar at home. Once you break a piece of this really hard candy then it´s said that you have cheated death. Involving the children in the preparations for the celebration of El Dia de los Muertos, whether making the ofrenda, or altar, arranging flowers, or packing the food for the cemetery, seems like a positive means of de-horrifying death. As the family honors the dead, children learn that death is a natural part of the life cycle and therefore, not something to fear.

After a couple of days here...

Well we've been here a few days now and I can tell you, It is HOT and Humid. If you don't get the majority done by noon and the rest by 2pm forget it. 2 fans installed in the patio, 3 more to go above the RV. Sunshades were delivered and will be installed in the next few days. RV and the roof have been washed (Thank you Luis). Azullejos have been picked and will be delivered tomorrow morning and I think Pierre will start tiling on Tuesday. Lot's going on! Dalia and Miguel just left to go back to school in PV. Sponge Bob Square Pants Piñatas 13 of them have been made for Angelica, I did the faces :) People always say what do you do all day in Mexico. This is some of it, and a siesta here and there. Adios por ahora muchachos.

Last Day # Post 13

First full day here. Very warm last night, hard to sleep. Up this morning I made coffee and Brad went to get cereal and milk at the corner store. Had breakfast and then Alejandro came to help Brad fix the fan. After some fiddling and trying and changing, got it working. I did some cleaning and translating. Then later Angelica came to help me clean some more. Tomorrow Alejandro and Brad will go to Tepic to buy some material for sun screens and 5 fans for the roofs outside. I'll go buy food and things we need, and laundry. It's such an exciting life here, lol, similar to Canada work, fix, clean. Cheerrs!

Day 12

Well I can tell you now our last post was a little bit of a lie. To surprise our friends here we said we were staying in Mazatlan for a couple of days. We arrived about 3pm and saw Stuart, Donna wasn't home. Then we went and saw Angelica and Luis, Alejandro wasn't home, then we drove by Hinde and Jaime's saw Dabbie and stopped by Mola and Mary's and only Viri was home. So we invited them to come over for a beer at 7pm. got to the RV and Were greeted by Chantel, Pierre and Roxanne, talked awhile then went and had to try to tidy enough for our company. What a mess, very dirty RV. The only big problems were one fan not working and the air conditioning and heat not working (not that we care about the heat). It is very. hot here! You just sweat and sweat. We are glad to be back! More later, lot's of cleaning to do.

Old Timers

Down a very bumpy side road that kept knocking my luggage off, is where we saw this couple out for a purpose, or maybe just a ride together.

Close up of previous photo

Guaymas - Holiday Inn Express

The rich and the poor side by side.

Chandler AZ

No Time to fix Brad's signal problem. On to Tucson AZ.

Oct 10th Cold Cold Morning

Just stopped for coffee to warm up a little.

Day 11

All I can do is laugh. Checked yhe settings of the Video and all was good. Except that it was pointed way to high so most all you can see is the cloudy sky. Hahahahaha Maybe by the time we head home I will get it right. Left Los Mochis about 8:30am and had a nice ride to Mazatlan. No rain, knock on wood. This. afternoon was a scorcher! Maybe 32C. Feels like your head is frying, out in the mid day sun. Cheers! Be at the RV in a couple of days.Gonna stay here for a couple and unwind. Hasta pronto amigos!

Video

There is no Video. Seriously I am usually not so tech challenged. I didn't check the settings and it took close to 1600 still shots. Spent the night deleting them. Argh!

Day 10

First of all When I said Mazatlan I didn't really know how far it was :/ We are in Los Mochis or to be more accurate just on the outskirts on Hwy 15 at the Zar Hotel. Had some problems keeping my luggage on today. it all made it but the rain cover for the small one has a few holes. It was a cloudy day and they were calling for thunderstorms but we made it here without getting wet. I will upload the video of part of the ride today after we go for dinner. I will post the link to it here. Tomorrow Mazatlan? haha