Karla and I set off from Creel on the Guachochi bus (another reason why I like this place is that the place names are so cool) in a bit of a hurry after a bit of a mix-up regarding departure times. But we got it in the end and got off at Samachique hoping to hitch a ride to Batopilas, some 65km away and at the bottom of the same named canyon. We thought we might as well start walking in the general direction to see some of the countryside as well. 5 hours later, in the middle of nowhere, with only 2 cars going in the right direction (although there were plenty going the other way) we had just about given up hope of getting a ride to Batopilas when along came our saviour in the form of a pick-up going all the way there. So there we were, standing in the back of this pick-up (well, I was standing, Karla didn't feel too great standing up whilst going over one of the bumpiest and twistiest roads on earth). The descent down the Batopilas canyon just took my breath away: you start at over 2400m and within 30mins you are under 500m after the most fantastic ride of your life (beats any roller-coaster any day) with sheer drops on all sides. It can also be a bit of a brown pants time as well, especially when you see the abundance of crosses littering the wayside, indicating sortie de routes, but luckily our driver was a local and so has survived a sort of Darwinian natural selection process. (Actually, thinking about it, I'm not sure whether I'm insured for hitch-hiking, I'll have to look up the small print of my policy.) For sheer size the Grand Canyon is king, but for beauty and diversity Batopilas sure gives it run for its money. When you start at the top it's quite chilly with hardy pine forests, but at the bottom you have a subtropical jungle with cactii and sweltering heat.
The next day we decided to visit a church close by (7km away) that's called "the lost cathedral" because it's built in the middle of nowhere with nothing close by, and no-one even knows why it was built there as it was so long ago. Although we made the mistake of leaving a little to late, so we got absolutely roasted in the midday heat, luckily it's also possible to swim in the river close by. Unfortunately the river was barely more than a foot deep, but at least it cooled you down somewhat. We thought it might be better to wait until the late afternoon before returning and so spent the rest of the day hanging out in the shade of the church, playing cards, getting annoyed by the local kids and getting scared shitless by a big tarantula. I can easily see why the stereotypical Mexican is always having a siesta because it really does get far too hot to do anything meaningful. Upon getting back though, we got a nasty surprise when we inquired about buses back to Creel (where we had left our bags) for the next day: it being Sunday there are no buses, so we'd have to hitch-hike back (the old lady at the hotel was very encouraging: "you'll never get a ride, not on a Sunday."). But in fact it only took an hour and a half to get a ride out of town.
Given the splendid natural beauty of the Copper Canyon area I'm surprised so few people know about it (including me before coming). It just goes to show that most of us are very ignorant about the incredible diversity of landscapes that there are in the world. And as well as being an amazing natural spectacle the area is also enthralling because of the local indigenous people, the Tarahumara (although they call themselves Raramuri), who remained isolated from Western influences until very lately. They are unique in that they are incredible long-distance runners, who think nothing of clocking up distances of a hundred miles in a 24 hour period, and this just with a pair of sandals made out of discarded car tyres!
The next day we decided to visit a church close by (7km away) that's called "the lost cathedral" because it's built in the middle of nowhere with nothing close by, and no-one even knows why it was built there as it was so long ago. Although we made the mistake of leaving a little to late, so we got absolutely roasted in the midday heat, luckily it's also possible to swim in the river close by. Unfortunately the river was barely more than a foot deep, but at least it cooled you down somewhat. We thought it might be better to wait until the late afternoon before returning and so spent the rest of the day hanging out in the shade of the church, playing cards, getting annoyed by the local kids and getting scared shitless by a big tarantula. I can easily see why the stereotypical Mexican is always having a siesta because it really does get far too hot to do anything meaningful. Upon getting back though, we got a nasty surprise when we inquired about buses back to Creel (where we had left our bags) for the next day: it being Sunday there are no buses, so we'd have to hitch-hike back (the old lady at the hotel was very encouraging: "you'll never get a ride, not on a Sunday."). But in fact it only took an hour and a half to get a ride out of town.
Given the splendid natural beauty of the Copper Canyon area I'm surprised so few people know about it (including me before coming). It just goes to show that most of us are very ignorant about the incredible diversity of landscapes that there are in the world. And as well as being an amazing natural spectacle the area is also enthralling because of the local indigenous people, the Tarahumara (although they call themselves Raramuri), who remained isolated from Western influences until very lately. They are unique in that they are incredible long-distance runners, who think nothing of clocking up distances of a hundred miles in a 24 hour period, and this just with a pair of sandals made out of discarded car tyres!
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