Parador de la Montana Creel

... friendly. Some shops blast out loud music into the street, as do cars. It's the happy Mexican bouncy type, if ya know what I mean. There are dogs everywhere, even in the countryside and I bet they get by on the skin of their teeth like some of the people. The Indians dress differently from the Mexicans in bold colours and puffy dresses. There's also a large amount of Mennonites in northern Mexico.

It's been seven days since Casas Grandes and 11 days from Juarez ...

... rode along on horses, pick up trucks and quad bikes navigated the main and only street in town and it seemed nicely set up for travellers in terms of accommodation, restaurants and the many day trip options. A gaggle of churros stands on the main street cranking out those delicious long thin doughnuts covered in sugar.
In fact it was one of the only places so far where we had met any English speaking foreigners. A couple from Canada were staying in the hostel where we ate the ...

... to stay depending on group size and comfort requirements. There are alot of places we are familiar with places that the average tourist will never see; primitive villages, 500 year old Spanish ruins, old gold / silver mines, etc. We have many pictures on our website. Ryan and Shelly Maness

... in den Wolken einen Teil des Canyons erahnen, und dieser Nebel hat seinen ganz eigenen Charme. Wir bleiben ueber Nacht und vielleicht ist die Aussicht morgen ja besser. Mit uns ist so etwa der halbe Zug in Posada ausgestiegen, was auf dem kleinen Bahnsteig fuer einen Moment ein riesiges Chaos verursacht hatte. Die meisten unserer Mitreisenden wurden allerdings schnell von ihren Tourleitern per Megafon in die jeweiligen Busse dirigiert. Jetzt wohnen sie im teuersten Hotel des Ortes ...

... served dinner, and a young son basically hung out and looked at us, not in amazement or anything, but rather as if being in the same room with us was entertainment in itself, maybe like watching TV. Before dinner we had seen a ragged circus tent set up in the town's little square, and had been told that the circus was performing that very evening. So after dinner we headed over, with the young boy in tow - he had somehow gotten us to agree for ...

... out to hire bikes for the day. We gather food supplies and a sneaky bottle of red and are on our way. As we set off, Marix confesses that she's hasn't ridden a bike since she was very little, it's apparently not something they do much of in Mexico. Thinking that you never forget how to ride a bike, the rest of us take the statement lightly. The terrain quickly turns to dirt tracks with pot holes jumping out on you when you take quick glances away from the ground. Not the best ...

Destination 268: km143'187 Ich habe mich fuer die Ruta (Route) 16 von Hermosillo nach Chihuahua entschieden, weill ich erstens so am bekannten Copper Canyon vorbeikommen wuerde und zweitens dadurch der sicherheitsmaessig kritische Kuestenregion ausweichen kann. Wie sich gezeigt hatte, fuehrte mich diese Route durch grandiose Landschaften der Sierra Madre Occidental, brachten allerdings das gesamte Gefahrenprogramm einer 3.Welt- Strasse mit sich: Von Schlagloechern ...

... of food (making wraps with tortillas, breakfast crunch, banana and honey - yum!) and succumbing to the hypnotic motion of the surprisingly slow-moving train, sleep overrides any desire for scenery. A reverse of the train wakes us with excitement of the prospect of finally traveling forwards, disappointed to discover it's a security check as we re-reverse back again, we decide to console ourselves with a visit to the dining car before the lush green ...

... 2,500 meters on a path that more closely resembled a rollercoaster track than a road. With every hairpin turn the climate and fauna slowly changed. At the top is a ponderosa forest. At the bottom is a steamy tropical town where limes, mangos, and siduelas fall from the trees onto dirt roads. We helped the truck driver unload his cargo when we finally reached the bottom. We then strolled through the sleepy town and ...

... under a cave ledge, similar to the Aztecs. Simple one room log cabins are becoming more popular to the Tarahumara. The "home" we are in has blackened ceilings and some walls, caused by the fires used to cook their meals and help warm their space during the cold winters. Standing at the edge of the home we can look out to their pastures where crops are grown, and cattle roam. A movable fence is used for the pastures, assuring the animals of abunant feed. This ...