Viva Mexico!

Mexico was the second foreign country, and first truly foreign place, that I ever entered; childhood trips from Detroit to Toronto were too tame to count. When I left for college at the University of Arizona in Tucson, my mother specifically said, "Now I don't want you going down to Mexico with your friends!" So of course, my first real excursion after I got settled in was to Nogales, Mexico to a bullfight. Though the animal cruelty was difficult to stomach, I was thrilled by the color, the spectacle, the raw emotion of the country. In those days you could stroll across the border, showing no papers at all... and it's a good thing that we were afoot, because we were young, dumb and in love with tequila, lime, salt and each other.

Last week a considerably older but only slightly wiser group (Jim, Sara, Dick and I) took a spontaneous journey to central Mexico - destination was Copper Canyon (Barranca del Cobre), home to the Tarahumara Indian tribe and some of the most awe-inspiring scenery in the country. We threw clothes, hiking boots, board games, medication and snacks into the back of Jim's red truck and we were off - down Mexico's Highway 15 to San Carlos, where we arrived in mid-afternoon for beachcombing, beers and mariscos. The next, slightly longer, day's drive took us to El Fuerte, a blessedly unspoiled colonial town that is a jumping off point for the Chepe (Chihuahua Pacific Railroad) - the scenic railway to Barranca del Cobre Parque Nacional, 405 miles of bridges and tunnels through breathtaking canyons.

Our hotel, the Rio Vista, provided us with one of those serendipitous experiences that only happens on a really great trip. As we arrived at the hotel - hungry, cranky, and still vibrating slightly from the road - we walked out onto a bouganvillea-covered balcony set with a table for four overlooking the river, shining golden in the late afternoon light. Our host, Nacho, said that if it was OK with us he could serve us dinner - but all he had was tortilla soup, grilled lagostines and white wine. Oh, no, really, we couldn't... it was magical.

The next morning we hopped the train for Copper Canyon, drinking margaritas and playing cards while enjoying the panoramic canyon views. Home was a rustic cabin in Creel, where we engaged a guide for a trip down into the canyon to spend some time with the Tarahumara. A handsome and self-sufficient people, they have refused to leave their homelands or become Catholics, which I find admirable. They raise crops and cattle down in the canyonlands, and sell their baskets and pottery to the hardy tourists who pass through. They live in caves and cook over open fires, they worship the sun and the moon, and they're among the most serene people we've met.

Back in El Fuerte a few days later, we took a raft trip to view 200-year-old trees full of nesting egrets, cranes and herons; then we hiked into the jungle to view petroglyphs with ancient drawings of sacred coyotes and jaguars. A world apart from the image of Mexican narco-traffickers and gangsters portrayed in the American media...

As always, the memories that linger longest are of the people who treated us so kindly and patiently - their warmth and genuine sweetness will carry us through to the next adventure. We will be moving into our new home on Monday, so in the immediate future, our adventures will be of the domestic type!