The Boat That Didn't Rock & Cabo San Sleazy

By the time the CHEPE train arrived back in Snotville A.K.A. Los Mochis it was already 10pm. I was having a massive stress as the ferry over to Baja California which was my next destination in Mexico, was scheduled to leave at 11pm. The minute the train came to a stop I leapt off and jumped into the nearest taxi I could find to take me to Topolopobampo (try saying that when you´re out of breath!) where the ferry departed from.

According to my taxi driver, Topolopobampo was roughly fifteen minutes away from Snotville. Great I thought, Ill make the ferry in time. Forty minutes later we were still driving and in true Latin American fashion, despite saying he knew where the ferry port was, the taxi driver still stopped to ask directions...

Thankfully I managed to make the ferry with minutes to spare, although I really shouldn't have bothered rushing as the queue to board the boat took forever - we even had to show our passports despite it not being an international journey?! 

Once on board I was given the choice of either sitting in the bar or restaurant seating area. I chose the restaurant thinking that given it was a night journey it would be quieter. Upon walking into the restaurant area I was greeted with normal dining chairs. I scanned the room for some lounge chairs but failed to spot any. After asking in reception where the lounge chairs were I was told quite matter of factly that the lounge chair was upstairs but that my ticket was just for the bar and restaurant area. I was not amused. This boat certainly did not rock in my mind. To cut a long story short I ended up finding a spot on the floor of the restaurant, made myself a little den barricaded with a table and chair and went to sleep. It seemed every one else was doing it so I thought I may as well join them. Surprisingly I did manage to get a few hours shut eye!

Finally we made it to La Paz in Baja (Badger as we nicknamed it) California Sur. That is after a eleven hour CHEPE train journey, manic break neck speed forty minute taxi ride and an eight hour ferry crossing. Lest not forgetting the thirty minute bus journey into the centre of La Paz & the time it took to get off the boat. To say I was exhausted would be an understatement. The sunset that evening made up for the horrible journey:

Its a stunner

La Paz is by the Gulf of Mexico which meant a boat trip to the nearby Isla Espiritu Santo was in order. The island is huge but no inhabitants live there, other than some long standing fisherman, as it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

The Island

Our tour boat did a loop of the island where we saw various sights including a cave, a rock that resembled a mask and a plant that appeared to be growing out of the cliff face?!

Smaller island covered in bird poo 

This rock formation reminded me of the tree in Dali´s desert in Bolivia

citygirlwalkies

Our boat

Looking out from within the cave!

The Mask!

Freaky tree

Having seen the sights our boat then dropped us off to snorkel with sea lions! Initially I was rather apprehensive about getting in the water as: A, it was much colder than what I've been used to and B, I was worried that the sea lions would mistake me for one of them in the wet suit I had donned to warm up. I need not have worried as the wet suit made the water bearable and me buoyant. The sea lions were also very tame albeit they were a little intimidating in the water as they're so big!

citygirlswims...only kidding its a sea lion!

shuteye

Id certainly recommend a tour to Isla Espiritu Santos as the scenery is very beautiful and the cerviche lunch the tour company serves you is delicious.

From La Paz I headed to the nearby town of Todos Santos which is where you can find a Hotel called California. Rumour has it that the hotel was the inspiration for the famous song of the same name by The Eagles. I've no idea if this is true but I gladly ate breakfast there and took some pics. 

Hotel California. Bit underwhelming isn't it?

Having been shocked by the prices of everything in Todos Santos - its ridiculously expensive - I jumped back on the bus and went straight to Cabo San Lucas. In hindsight this was a bit of a false economy as it was just the same, if not even more, exorbitant there.

Cabo San Lucas turned out to be nothing like the image I had in my head. I had thought it was a Mexican version of Saint Tropez where the rich & famous of Hollywood head to unwind. The reality was more like Benidorm but sleazier with numerous strip bars, a thousand tacky souvenir shops and a surprising number of dubious looking pharmacies all selling cut price Viagra. The marina was pretty (in a gawdy way), as were the beaches and  The Arch which is a distinctive rock formation there.

El Arco (Arch)

Words fail me.

Nearby San Jose del Cabo turned out to be much prettier albeit quieter - there was literally no one on the beach!

Where is everyone?

Verdict: I hate to say this but I really wish Id given Baja California a miss. It was ridiculously over priced and I had seen much nicer beaches back on the mainland. Baja is also not a true representation of Mexico. The mainland is far more affordable in terms of accommodation and places to eat. My recommendation is go to mainland Mexico!

As Starsky would say: Do it, Do it!

Courtesy of  forums.themustangsource.com

Copper look at that Canyon!

Having been inland for a fair few days I was starting to yearn to see the sea again (who would have thought this would ever happen?) so I headed to the nearby town of Mazatlan.

Mazatlan is located on the Pacific coastline and has a pretty malecon (seafront) you can walk along. The town itself isn't that big and there really wasnt much to do there. However I did spend a day at Isla de la Piedra (Stone Island) which had an OK beach. After being fortunate to visit so many stunning beaches it has meant that each beach I next visit is rather unfairly compared to these so please take my opinions with a pinch of salt...or sand : )

Crazy times in Mazatlan

The beach

Chillaxing

With my sea fix having been met, I set off to the town of Los Mochis which lies further north up the coastline and a little inland. My main reason for going here was to catch the Chihuahua - Pacific train otherwise affetionately known as CHEPE which goes through a network of canyons called Copper Canyon. I imagine just like me you had never heard of the Copper Canyon which is a shame as I discovered it is actually bigger and in places deeper than the Grand Canyon in nearby Arizona! Who would have thought? The Mexican tourist board needs to hype up these rugged and naturally stunning canyons a bit more...

Thankfully I only stayed one night in Los Mochis. Not only did the name of the town remind me of mocos which in Spanish means snot but it was also a bit of a ghost town with not much going on. Albeit I did manage to bump into my Austrian friend Julia who I had met whilst in Guatemala...very surprising considering I think she and her mum who had come to visit her, are pretty much the only other Gringo tourists Ive seen since travelling through Mexico!

I managed to drag myself out of bed at 6am the next morning to catch the CHEPE train. I had chosen to travel first class - it really wasnt much more money and Id been told it was worth it - although Id soon find out that the dining cart was anything but. More on this later. Having woken so early (Ive never been a morning person...) I immediately fell asleep the minute I collapsed into my seat on the train. I managed to get a good couple of hours shut eye before I was suddenly awoken by loud mariachi music blasting out through my carriage. The train staff clearly didnt think anyone needed any more sleep and felt the need to remind us that we were still in Mexico. Im pleased to say the music changed throughout the day and we were treated to some classical music which reminded me of spending Sundays with my Dad (like most Fathers he is quite partial to Radio 2 and Classic FM) and visiting the Bluebell Railway in Sussex.

Whilst the Bluebell Railway does have some very scenic views (especially during the Winter when it snows), the CHEPE train somewhat overshadowed these with its panoramic vistas. When I managed to get a view of them that is. I had to pretty much rugby tackle the Mexican grannies who were dominating the open windows by the doors taking pictures!

CHEPE

Emergency axes

Seating

One of the bridges we crossed

The route of the train

I was surprised to see that the train had several armed guards on board. They each had enough arms and ammunition to see off a small army. The train does go through miles of nomansland so Im only assuming that there must have been some attempts of an ambush historically and hence the need for armed guards. Either way their regular patrols throughut the carriages were quite a sight.

Armed & dangerous

My destination in the Copper Canyon was the town of Creel. I was to stay here a couple of nights before heading back once again to Snotville A.K.A. Los Mochis. Creel is named after an American Delegate in Chihuahua which makes sense as initially I was wondering whether there was any Scottish or Welsh heritage here. It was literally like stepping back into Bolivia again in the way that I was immediately hassled by indigenous locals the minute I stepped off the train. It was also like going back in time, everything appeared to be stuck in a timewarp - the decor, the clothes people wore and the lack of customer service. Saying that, everything price wise appeared to be well and truly in the 21st century. Despite this Creel held a certain charm, especially the quite impressive taxidermy that could be found in the lobby of the Best Western hotel I took afternoon tea at. Im not sure they would be able to get away with displaying some of this anywhere out of Mexico...

Antler lighting. Genius. 

Mountain leopard

Stuffed Pelican

During my time here I visited the nearby cable car in Divisidero. The cable car, built by the Swiss naturally, stretches almost five and a half miles across the Copper Canyon making it the longest cable car in the World! Again I would never have known about this and the Mexico tourist board needs to up their ante, especially given this incredible feat of engineering (the Swiss apparently used helicopters to transport the cable across the canyon) has been in operation over the last couple of years.

The views were once again spectacular and I couldnt quite believe how high we were. Whilst my legs did register this, my brain chose to ignore it so I manage to fight off the shakes. The scenery en route to the cable car was reminisent of the views I saw whilst in Yosemite National Park, California last year. Again, another place you ought to go if you have never been.

Copper Canyon. Magnificent.

Spot our cable car...

Open wide

Swiss engineering

Mini citygirltravels

More magnificence

Had to be done. 

The train journey back to Los Mochis was equally as impressive as the journey to Creel. Once again we got to see the amazing waterfalls and go over vertigenously high bridges through the canyons. The best part of the journey for me was when we descended and literally went around the canyon several times, each time admiring the track we had just come from. It was like being a train on a giant Hornby track.

As I mentioned earlier, despite it being a first class train, the dining cart was unfortunately anything but. The staff were all incompetant and the food generally below average and massively overpriced. Needless to say during my return journey I brought my own pack lunch with me and I would advise any of you to do the same should you take the train.

My only regret, due to not having sufficient time, was not visiting the town of Chihuahua. My friend Julia had visited and was raving about all the cowboys she had seen. Ay, Chihuahua!

One Tequila, Two Tequila, Three Tequila, FLOOR

Guadalajara was my next destination in Mexico. My good friend Evelyn had told me alot about this city as her family are from here originally. I was therefore curious to see what it was like.

The city is famous for being the home of Mariachi music, Tequila, and the Mexican hat. I can proudly say I saw examples of all three whilst I was there : D

Example number 3: Mexican sombrero

Guadalajara has a square aptly named Plaza de Mariachi's so I skipped my way there to marvel at the Mexican men serenading the tourists with the famous "La Cucaracha" (The Cockroach) song. I also was lucky enough to see a traditional Mexican dance. The outfits worn by the Mariachi's were what made the show for me - the tight black trousers and Bolero jackets all embroidered with silver buttons in a variety of shapes, all complemented with the infamous large sombrero and large bow tie - Mariachitastic!

Traditional Mexican dancing

With regards to Tequila, I discovered that as well as being a distilled beverage made from the blue agave plant, it is actually named after the town where is born and where the agave plant is native to. Tequila, is also unsurprinsingly a World Heritage Site (where isnt these days?) and is situated roughly two hours drive north west of the city of Guadalajara. 

Blue Agave plant - so called as it looks blue from a distance

One of the contributors to being World Heritage Site
- that's the church Im referring to, not the clapped out old van

Novel take on the tour bus

Cholula Hot Sauce even has a restaurant here...

I had originally wanted to visit Tequila by taking the Tequila Express train but unfortunately being holiday season throughout Mexico all the tickets were fully booked. I found out that Jose Cuervo (the Worlds leading brand of Tequila) also had their own train carrying out the same tour, but I refused to pay their extortionate prices. I was therefore left with getting a local bus there and back and visiting the factories directly myself. All of which actually turned out to be more economical and meant I could take my time.

I chose to visit the Disney World of Tequila that is Jose Cuervo and the more down to Earth La Cofradia factories. A good choice in hindsight, as they both gave me two different perspectives of the industry. Jose Cuervo, being the leading brand in the World thanks to its amazing Marketing team, is in fact not a very nice Tequila. Most Mexicans dont even drink it and it is mostly exported. La Cofradia on the other hand is much nicer and more popular amongst the locals. The tours of both factories couldnt have been more different. The Jose Cuervo factory was massively oversubscribed and the tour itself was not very well run and I got told off for taking photos. La Cofradia meanwhile was a more personal experience. I had my own tour guide and I was allowed to take pictures. Im glad I saw both though as it was interesting to see how they each differ. 

Me rocking the hair net look next to a vintage Jose Cuervo car

Examples of the work done by the Marketing team at Jose Cuervo

The dog I spotted en route to the La Cofradia factory, sat atop a moving car.

Sober

Drunk

A hill confirming we had indeed arrived at the La Cofradia factory

The root of the Agave plant once the leaves are taken off. It then goes in the oven and is later pressed to get the juice out. 

Fermenting the juice

Finished product. N.B don't have mango & chilli margaritas. They taste rank.

In Mexico the most traditional way of drinking Tequila is in fact neat (no salt or lemon here) and sipped. You take a sip in your mouth, breath in through your nose, swallow, and then breath out through your mouth. Thus allowing the taste and aroma to be appreciated. Get me Miss Tequila expert...

I wasnt expecting to like Tequila (the drink) that much, I generally dont like Margarita's because they use cheap mixed Tequila (agave and sugars). Ive discovered I like pure 100% agave Tequila (the best naturally...), the older the vintage the better. However I cant drink too many, in fact I could only stomach a couple. Any more and I would have been on the floor of the bathroom...

In addition to discovering Tequila, I also had time to visit two nearby market towns outside of Guadalajara. Well actually, they are deemed to be part of Guadalajara but they involved catching a bus so I class them as outside the town. The first was Tonala which I felt was a bit of a waste of time - Evelyn you were right! The second was Tlaquepaque which was much nicer and prettier. It used to be where the wealthy from Guadalajara lived but is now more of an arts district. Unfortunately a lot of the shops here are ridiculously overpriced so despite seeing a few things I liked I walked away without purchasing anything. 

Pretty courtyard

Overpriced but pretty boutique

More Mariachi's!

Guadalajara is certainly one of the prettier cities Ive been to in Mexico. After not being overly awed by DF´s aesthetics, I was pleased to see lots of beautiful cathedrals and other colonial buildings. I was staying in the Old district of Guadalajara but I in fact spent most of my time in the American Quarter which is where all the cool restaurants and bars are. 

The Cathedral 

Me & cow posing for the camera in the American Quarter. You're welcome. 

I sometimes think my entire trip around Latin America has been one big quest to find the best bar and restaurant! Although I dont have an answer yet on which have made my number one if thats what youre wondering...