Creel
We were heading into town to do some errands last night when we ran into Alain, a friend we’d made in La Penita. We directed him to our site and upon our return, discovered that he and another couple, Rod and Jean, had visited a tour company in town for information on the train route. What they shared with us convinced us to change our agenda. As a result, today, we took the El Secundo (second class train – basically the same as first class minus the dining cart) directly to Creel, at 7,784 ft.
The 8 hour train ride begins at an elevation of 200m and winds up through the mountains to 2,300m in a single day, through tunnels reaching up to 1 km and across bridges that span gaping chasms. The terrain changes rapidly from desert to alpine forest. The mountainous regions have a rugged beauty and are spotted with an odd assortment of cacti and pine trees. The sparse towns we see are now speckled with log cabins, making the higher altitudes feel a bit like home.
At one point along the journey, the track switchbacks up the side of a mountain. The ascending route is an awesome sight from the valley floor. Three track levels are visible overhead, carved into the mountain side. This part of the track alone takes you through numerous tunnels, one of which is curved, and across two bridges. It’s quite a fascinating piece of engineering.
We arrive in Creel around 3 pm. The town has a western feel to it, mingled with the look of a mining town. The comforting smell of wood fires perfumes the air as the train pulls away with a lonely blast of its horn. We are entering the land of the Tarahuamara Indians, a quiet people renowned for their strength in long distance running. The few men we see wear cowboy hats, while the women are clothed in the vivid colours of their traditional dress. They wear tire-soled rope sandals or huaraches, their feet exposed to the biting chill of the mountain air. Plumes of smoke escape from chimneys and people shuffle along the streets, huddled under woollen shawls.
We locate a fantastic little hotel called the Hotel Plaza Mexicana where we also eat our dinner, included in the cost of our room. The meal is served in a common room at the front of the hotel, heated mostly by human activity and what little warmth seeps from the kitchen. The oppressive heat of El Fuerte is quickly forgotten and we happily slurp back steaming cream of potato soup. The soup is followed by delicious chilli rellenos (my favourite!), served with the mandatory rice, beans and maize tortillas. The smell of the fire mingled with warm food and the loud chatter in the common room brings back happy memories of trekking in Nepal. I like the place immediately.
