Batopilas 15/09/2010

The Road to Batopilas

We were on the road by 9.00am for an expected 5hr (140kms, first 60oddkms on tar and the rest on metal ) drive down the Copper Canon . With us was 2 other Mexician couples (one couple our age the other young , our driver was Martine) . Approx 35kms into our trip and the Van shit itself (dropped a piston as in the photo ) so with that we were for the next 2 hrs, towed, pulled, push and carted on the back of a pick up to the turn off to Batopilas . Where we waited for a new van to arrive from Creel .

When we were final back on the road 2hrs late we finally hit the road to hell 64kms of some of the worst, roughest, and most dangerous road I have ever been on . We were so happy that we took the advice of the people who advised us not to go on the En Moto , as there had been a lot of rain and the washouts were just about undriveable in the 4 wheel drive van we were in (if it had been in NZ no way would we be on the road ) . It was not only the washouts but the entire top of the road had been wash off , leaving only rocks some the size of footballs sticking up . Anyway after 7 hrs we make Batopilas , and we were buggered from being thrown around like a couple of rag dolls for 3 hrs in an oven, as the temp had risin to about 40degs in the van which had no air con and we are only doing about 5 kms hr.

When we got to town it was quite remarkable , after such a shit road and to find such a beautiful little village . It was established 300years ago when silver was descoverd there , they only stopped mining 2 years ago . There is approx 1500 people there and there main income now is tourisium .

The only problem with going down there is that you have to come back up and we not looking foward to that the next day , but we made it the next day and so the Batoplias experiance is over . Not quite as I had planned it , but for the best in the end, as if we had of taken the bike down I would have had doubts that we would have made it in one piece , so alls good and now we are off to Parral approx 370kms .

The food so far

Well the first nite we are in Casa Grandie we ordered a meal,and they bought out before the meal some chips and sauces to start with . So I into it with no caution , a spoon full of this and 2 off that and a hand full of chips , so you can imagine the results . My bloody teeth started to melt and my tongue just about suffered 3 deg burns , I had 3 beers before I even started to get my feeling back in my mouth . Now I eat with a lot more caution and ask the waiter" is this hot or what" (with a lot of hand waving ). With every meal we get refried beans , so for breakfast it is eggs and refried beans , lunch is Tacos and refried beans and Dinner is Tortllias or Borrittos and refried beans .

So our bowl movements are very regular to the point that I have to stop and rush behind the bushes out on the road . But the best thing is that it all costs bugger all, I would say about half to three quarters cheaper than the States , so bring on those refried beans.

The people are very friend and we havent been shot yet (as our American friends said we would ). The language barrier is a big problem but we laugh a lot and they do to, as we try to get things across but in the end we work it out . With all having a lot of fun in the process .

Photos

1 400 year old Cathedral about 7 kms passed Batopilas

2 Batopilas

3 Our Hotel very nice and quite old .

4 5 6 The road to hell

7 The van shitting itself

8 Before the turn off to Batopilas

Casa Grandes/Cuauhtemoc/Creel

The ride from Casa Grandes to Cuauhtemoc was as pretty as we have seen , we climbed some mountians and crossed some of the most beautiful valleys you could see .There were vast open plains being mosty cattle country , the roads were empty of cars with a few very large trucks on very narrow roads . About 50kms before Cuauhtemoc we passed through the vast farms of the Mennonites , they are a religous sect (not unlike the Amish of Americia ). They moved to Mexico from German via Canada back in the 1920s and have not mixed or intermarried with the Mexicians and don't speak Spanish and are very Germanic looking .

Cuauhtemoc

Cuauhtemoc was not what you would call a good looking city, the Hotel we stayed at had bed bugs (not good for a good nites sleep , thank god we had sleeping bag liners to sleep in . But for $17 a nite what else can you expect I suspose . There was a celebration going on in the Plaza , so we had a good nite people watching and there were some characters, we had a lot of fun watching .

Creel

The road to Creel was another great ride again few cars and great scenery , it is completely the opposite of the scenery that we expected . Beautiful farm land and great riding mountian roads, the roads in general were very good but not that wide and a little lumpy .

Creel is not very big but very interesting and a little bit touristy, but bugger all tourists . The Hotel we are in ( called Casa Margarita) is very clean and comes complete with Dinner and breakfast for $24 a nite a real bargin .

We were to have tomorrow off and then go down to Batopilas (the bottom of the Copper Canon ). But we had been told by another Biker (Dr Artoro Macias from Chihuahuas he was riding a BMW) , he stopped us just before Cuauthemoc to ask us where we were going, and if he could help us in anyway and offered us contacts on the way through South America . This is just the kind of help and people we have been running into on the trip so far , just so helpful . Anyway he advised us not to take the bike down to Batopilas (64kms down the Canon all Gravel) because they have had a lot of rain and the road is very badly washed out and that we are to loaded up with weight to go down there . With this in mind I asked some of the locals what they thought and they said the same "Road no good for En Moto to much rain , no good", but I still had it in my head to go . Until we were offered a trip down in a van for $120 including 1 nite accommadation . So we just said bugger it for $120 , why take the risk and damage the bike if the road is as bad as they say . And maybe we will enjoy it a lot more , and also met some other tourists to boot .

So tomorrow we are off to Batopilas

Photos

1/2 On the road to Casa Grandes , Casa Grandes

3/4 On the Road to Cuauhtemoc ,Cuauhtemoec

5. A town on the way to Creel , San Juanito

6/7 Creel and our Hotel Casa Margarita