Mexico - Chihuahua
Barrancas
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Today your train adventure begins. The official time for the train to leave El Fuerte for the Copper Canyon is 7:40 am, but the train is rarely on time. Request a wake-up call at the reception, and ask what time you need to leave for the train. When you make your reservation, request the entire “package”—your hotels, train tickets, and round-trip transfers to the station.
It is about a 15-minute drive to the small train station. You will probably have to wait a while for the train to come, so bring a good book or postcards to write. The train, known as the Chihuahua al Pacifíco, is amazingly nice. Not lavish, but far better than we had expected. It is air-conditioned, the seats are comfortable, everything is neat and tidy, and there is a bathroom in each rail car. In addition, there is a cute bar on one of the cars where you can enjoy a drink, and a good restaurant with attentive service where you can get breakfast or lunch. The best views of the canyon are on the right side of the train but if you find that your seats are on the other side, you can often switch since the train is not usually full.
At first the train travels through the rather arid lowlands before gradually beginning the ascent into the Sierra Madre Mountains, where it loops and turns its way up. As you climb ever higher through the pine forests, there are views of the canyon far below. The train bridges high ravines, traces surging rivers, climbs to 2400 meters, and tunnels through the mountains. Altogether, there are 86 tunnels, 37 bridges, and one 270-degree turn. The track runs mostly through the forests rather than hugging the rim of the canyon, but stay alert since stunning canyon views frequently pop unexpectedly into view. However, the very finest views await at the hotel where you will be spending the night.Officially, the train is scheduled to arrive at your stop, Barrancas, at 1:30 pm. It will probably be much later than this when the train slowly comes to a halt, at what is no more than a tiny little station and a cluster of buildings. There will be a bus waiting to take you to your hotel, the Posada Mirador, which is only about a five-minute drive away. The Balderrama family, owners of the Posada Mirador, also have another hotel, the Posada Rancho, just a few steps from the train station. Although this hotel is pleasant, when making reservations be sure to specify the Posada Mirador, since it is the one with the incredible setting. If you visit the Copper Canyon, you just must stay at the Posada Mirador. The hotel seems as if it is pasted onto the steep canyon walls and has views more stunning than any you will see on your train ride. Not only is the location spectacular, but also the hotel itself is a real winner. The salmon-colored stucco building looks like a large, rugged, Indian adobe dwelling. As you approach, you will see Indian women, with their children playing beside them, sitting on the steps of the hotel weaving and selling their baskets. The craftsmanship of their wares is outstanding.
Once inside, you find a charming, lodge-like ambiance. Low, beamed ceilings, a huge stone fireplace, tiled floors, enormous murals showing the canyon and the Indians, leather and wood furniture, woven rugs, brightly painted walls, and native crafts create a delightful, rustic atmosphere. One wall of the lounge/dining room is a wall of glass and opens onto a huge deck suspended over the canyon. The views are breathtaking. The restaurant encompasses one part of the central lounge where long tables are set up family-style to serve the many tour groups, as well as individual travelers. Don’t expect gourmet dining—instead, you have just good, simple cooking appropriate for serving a lot of people quickly and efficiently. The waiters are friendly and there is plenty to eat.Plan to stay two nights at the Posada Mirador—more if you want to do a lot of hiking. Your room at the inn has its own balcony, where you could easily sit all day soaking up the panoramic view that unfolds below. However, there are all kinds of activities to enjoy from the hotel, such as hikes down to the canyon floor, visits to Indian villages, horseback riding, and jeep excursions. You can ask at the reception desk for information on the possibilities of what to see and do here, and the staff can help you with all arrangements.This is the perfect spot to explore the Copper Canyon and there are several things you just must not miss. Be sure to take the trail that leads steeply down the canyon wall to visit a complex of Indians who are living as their ancestors have for countless generations. Their homes are perched on a narrow shelf of the canyon wall, half cave, half home. It is almost unbelievable that anyone is living like this in the 21st century. Longer walks take you deeper into the canyon, where you find more Indian dwellings. Also, be sure to take the trail that makes a loop below the hotel—the views are lovely, so stop along the way to savor them. There are a few observation points en route, but whenever you pause and look down, the vista is beautiful.One of the highlights of a visit to the Copper Canyon, in addition to experiencing the canyon itself, is the opportunity to learn more about the gentle Tarahumara Indians (also called the Raramuri), who share a common ancestry with the fierce Aztecs who settled farther to the south. They are really your hosts, having dwelled in this remote, almost inaccessible part of Mexico long before any tourists arrived. This is their home and you will be introduced to them from the beginning of your train trip, since the women, colorfully dressed in their native costumes, are at all the train stations and hotels where they sit quietly weaving their baskets, which are always for sale. They bring their children with them—infants, warmly wrapped in blankets, sleep beside their mothers, while older children romp and play nearby. Be sure to buy a few baskets—they are beautifully made and reasonably priced. The Tarahumara Indians are renowned as long-distance runners and if you walk the paths twisting along the canyon walls at what you think is a brisk pace, you will be amazed at how quickly you are passed by women and children whose speed will far surpass yours. It is said the men were able to chase deer tirelessly, following them for days at a time until their prey collapsed from exhaustion. The Tarahumara Indians used to occupy the entire state of Chihuahua. However, in the 17th century when the Spaniards arrived and began to enslave the Indians to work their mines, the Tarahumarans moved ever deeper into the remote, hidden valleys of the canyons. In winter, when the weather can be very cold due to the high elevation, they move to the floor of the canyons where the climate is almost tropical. In summer, they move to higher elevations. They live in cliff dwellings in the side of the canyon or log huts, or a combination of both. Due to their isolation, their way of life, dress, food, and traditions have changed little. They are a shy, independent people, who seem to treasure their way of life. Although the government has tried to make their life easier, they seem to prefer living as they do protected against the influence of modern civilization.
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