That's it, we are in Mexico, the real one. It's the beginning of a several weeks long loop through the country. And we are already surprised. It'is quite mountainous, Mexico. And it's cold. Even very cold, during the night! Who told us Mexico was always warm? Fortunately, the days are hot and beautiful while we stroll in beautiful colonial cities.
Tuesday, January 31st, 2023
The ferry reaches Mazatlán, Sinaloa, at 10 am. It's time to say goodbye to our friends. We spent three crazy weeks all together in Baja California. We often say that encounters make the trip. It's so true for our discovery of the Baja. It will remain a special time of our trip, where we learned to travel in group and adopt a new rhythm. Crazy evenings, endless laughs and incredible memories: the Gringa, the whales, the Margarita party, the apéros, the Skyjo and many others. Thank you guys for these beautiful moments and good luck in your trips! ❤️
We obviously don't stay in Sinaloa. Our first stop in Mainland Mexico is Durango, in the state of Durango, center of Mexico. To get there from Mazatlán, there are two options. The first one is taking the toll road (la "Cuota"), a highway that goes straight through the mountains thanks to many bridges and tunnels. It takes 2 hours and 30 minutes. However, Mexican highways are known to be expensive. A 40 kilometer section between Mazatlán and Durango is the most expensive highway section in the world (12 €). The second option is the free road (la "Libre"), a winding, vertiginous and bumpy mountain road. It takes 5 hours and 30 minutes. Let's go!
La Libre indeed is narrow and very winding, but almost deserted. We drive from village to village, always higher in the mountains, until a pass at 2,000 meters high. Along the curves, we see from time to time the highway way below. When it passes on a bridge above a valley, we must go down the valley then up again. When it disappears under a tunnel, we have to go around the mountain. We drive all day. We picnic under 31°C and we arrive at the bivouac under 13°C, at 2 500 m of altitude. We knock at the door of a natural reserve which welcomes us for the night for 100 $MEX, that is approximately 5€. We've barely entered the reserve when: "oh, a big black cat!" We will learn the next day that it was a puma! 😮 We drive in the reserve to find a comfortable place between trees and we spend a very fresh night (5°C!).
Wednesday, February 1st
We reach Durango at the end of the morning. The city is very extended and we don't want to go into the narrow streets of the city center. We leave JP in a public parking lot for 20 $MEX (1€) for 2 hours and we walk to the historic center of the city. It's very cute. We walk at random in the streets and in the alleys. It's very busy: street stands which sell tacos and other local specialities, street vendors, small markets on the public squares and the shoes polishers that call us. It's true that Remi's hiking shoes could use a little love! 😂
We discover the Mexican Hollywood Boulevard. Stars on the floor display the names of American and Mexican cinema star. We even find Luc Besson! We then go to the local market to buy some very cheap vegetables. It's amazing how fruits and vegetables are excellent and tasty in Mexico. Pineapples are excellent. Avocados are amazing every time. Carrots are sweet. We then settle in the street to eat excellent taquitos de carne. We garnish them with onions, cilantro and lime juice and we dip them in a concentrate of meat. It’s excellent!
We leave Durango and we go to El Saltito waterfalls. We pay 40 $MEX for two to enter the site. We don't know what that entrance fee is for when we see the quantity of waste littering the ground... At the foot of the river, hundred-year-old trees bring charm to the place. It's pretty, but the atmosphere is oppressive. It must be more beautiful in summer, when the trees are blooming !
Thursday, February 2nd
National parks are rare in Mexico, but there are some! Today we visit Sierra de Organos National Park, situated in 2 500 meters of altitude. A 4 kilometers hike allows us to discover the rock formations of the park, which remind us of us Chiricahua Park in Arizona.
We then go to Zacatecas, capital of the state of... Zacatecas ! Rémi is getting good for driving the Mexican way. In fact, it's not so bad (at least so far). Mexicans are courteous on the road. The emergency lane is a lane of its own, on which we can pull over when a car passes us. We can even drive on it anytime. The truckers also use to indicate us when it's time to pass. Well, with us, it doesn't work! We won't pass without any visibility, even if a trucker says it's ok to go now 😅 The worst are the topes. They are speed bumps more or less pronounced and not announced or marked. We have to be very careful and spot them on the road. We arrive in the big city of Zacatecas at the end of the afternoon. Tonight we sleep in town, on the parking lot of a viewpoint. We arrive there just after sunset. A policeman is here and he will keep an eye on the Jeep during the night 👍
Friday, February 3rd
The weather is cloudy this morning. While waiting for the sun to break through the clouds, we settle down in a Starbucks to have breakfast and work. Around noon, we visit Zacatecas. It's a very beautiful city. We join the historical center, with its very pretty colonial buildings and the cathedral. We walk at random in the streets of the city. It's very animated. Street vendors walk the city, markets are everywhere, stores expose their products on the sidewalk. Money changes hands on all sides. Mexicans spend money easily with street vendors while we tend to avoid them. (free version)
We stop in a small restaurant specialized in Gorditas, flour corn breads opened and filled with a preparation we can choose (meat, beans, eggs, etc). We take 4 of them and we eat for 5 €, with drink. It's very good!
After sleeping in the city last night, we settle tonight in nature, in the middle of cactus and cows. Tomorrow, we will continue to discover the colonial cities!
2 commentaires
Bonjour,
J’ai l’impression de me retrouver en Andalousie… pittoresque et dépaysant.
Magnifique la photo de Rémi sur le rocher !!!!
Bisous.
Mamie
10h.28 le 7 février
Très sympa ces premiers pas au Mexique. Les arbres à côté de la cascade semblent irréels, sortis d’un décor de cinéma comme Star Wars. Magnifique.
Bisous