This is the third time I’ve written this post. Two have vanished and the last one to do so was completely finished. If you are reading this, I had better luck this time!
Once the second bus arrived, I got on and rode about 10 minutes to a village where we changed buses. We started off and it began raining. I got out to help the driver get the luggage inside out of the rain. We drove 10 minutes…the engine overheated. We sat for 15 minutes or more for it to cool. Another 10 minutes of driving and we repeated the wait and cool process. Another 10 minutes and this time, the driver poured cold water over the engine. At this point, the remainder of the ride was downhill. The engine was better. The sound of the rear wheel bearing squealing like it could explode any minute wasn’t. Fingers crossed, we continued.
Heavy rain poured down on it near the top of the canyon. The photo above is about half way down. From here, it gets steeper with lots of switchbacks. The road became drainage for all the cascades you see in the photo’s below.
We stopped and everyone got out because the road was so bad, the van couldn’t get through with weight. An older man was getting off so I offered my hand to help him. He ignored my assistance and wobbled off.
We placed rocks in strategic places to keep the tires from sinking too deep and three of us pushed the van through while others waited. Onward a little and another washout crossed the road. This time, we had to remove rocks to get through. Another 10 minutes and we rounded a corner to find a tree fallen off the hill side and covering the road. Four of us twisted and tugged to break the branches and make space for the van to squeak by with about a foot to spare. Around a couple more corners and there was a VW size rock on the road. With inches to spare on each side, we made it through.
Once we got down to Urique, the older man was one of the first to get off. I had received warnings about how unsafe it was down here and “you can’t trust the Tarahumara” advice. This time, I offered him my hand. He grabbed it tightly, looked me in the eye and said, “God Bless You”. So much for unfriendly and dangerous people.
The driver drove me all the way through the village, his only passenger, toward Entre Amigos where I was hoping to stay. The power was out and the village completely black. He yelled toward a house and learned that Tomas was still at Entre Amigos but that the arroyo was washed out. The van drove me there to the edge of a three foot deep ravine across what was once road. I walked, found the place, had some hot tea and settled into the hostal. Next morning, the backhoe was busy repairing two places where the road washed out.
And I was greeted with lovely views of this sub-tropical environment. Amazing, green and so peacefully quiet! This is the end of the road and we were about 8 minutes walk from town.
I relaxed, used the kitchen to cook, walked a little, read a lot and met interesting people. One couple stopped by that has been traveling for three years. Kate from Australia was the only other person in the hostal. I spent four days there simply relaxing and savoring the environment!
I happened to be there for Dia del Abuelo, National Grandparents Day. They had a Caminata scheduled, a short race, with participants in their 80’s and 90’s. That was accompanied by music and followed by music at the hall with cake. They also had a musical chair contest using a hat instead of running around chairs. The competitive spirit came out a bit during that! How lovely to be there such a community event! While standing at the finish line, several women in traditional dress stopped beside me and held out their hand to shake. Lovely!
Caminata water break
Yes, I did find coffee beans! These are growing at Entre Amigos and will be harvested in November. With the exception of a coffee shop I found in Chihuahua charging US prices for their espresso drinks, I was drinking Nescafe. It’s a travel thing!
This shrine for the Virgin of Guadalpue sits on on the corner of town and I passed it each day visiting the village for my afternoon paleta (ice cream bar)
The morning of my departure, I sat on this sleepy little street waiting for the bus. They told me to be down there at 7:30. I was there 10 minutes early waiting….then waiting some more…and waiting so long the locals started looking for the bus for me? I suspected I would not make the bus at the top which leaves at 11:00. We were very late reaching the rim in Bahuichivo and the only bus of the day was gone.
Travel flexibility kicks in! No bus, hours to wait for the train, and taking it would get me into Chihuahua after midnight? Or, wait by the side of the dusty dirt road and hope. Three other people were heading in my direction. A car and pickup stopped and one man talked with them for what felt like a long time. Finally, he motioned us (his wife, Enrique and myself) to come on over.
After loading my pack into the car, I settled in expecting to get to the next village where more buses ran. We arrived and as I reached for my pack, he touched my arm and told me the driver was going all the way to Chihuahua and would take Enrique and me all the way!? Amazing! Alejandro was the drivers name and he drove me all the way to my hotel and wouldn’t let me pay him anything!
I do believe that travel experience is waiting to happen to me. Every time I needed any assistance, someone showed up to help. One friend in Wyoming warned to walk “Chicago” style…eyes down, straight ahead and don’t look at anyone. That would never work for me and I believe it would invite hostile encounters.
Travel is an experience of mirrors: what I put out comes back to me. I’ve always felt like I travel with angels and joke with my friends about that. All sorts of interesting connections happen to help me on my way. I found this angel next door to where I was staying at La Casa de Los Milagros, the House of Miracles. Perhaps that’s my travel angel or one of them?
