So we finally made it to Chicago, which ended up being fantastic. There was a little more end of trip stress when we arrived at the hotel were supposed to meet Dave`s parents at only to find that the reservations had been cancelled. Luckily there was an internet cafe still open so we checked our mail and found that Dave`s mom mentioned in an email that she was looking forward to seeing us at "The Inn of Chicago", and not the "Red Roof Inn" where we had initially made reservations. We googled it quickly and were lucky again to find that it was only a block away from the old hotel. So we made it in and then everything really was fantastic.
Much love to Dave`s step-brother Cliff and his new wife Robyn. We spent the day wandering around Chicago with Dave`s mom and then, although no one outside the wedding party was invited to the rehearsal dinner, in true Chamberlain fashion (Dave`s step-dad´s family) we crashed the dinner by making reservations at the same restaurant. Jason came in from working on the Obama campaign the next day for less than 24 hours in order to be at the wedding. The wedding was really really fun. Cliff and Robyn are both artsy so the wedding was very well planned with some fun surprises. The people were all really fun and we had a great time dancing. It was also set in an old mansion that was interesting to explore. After the wedding, Jason flew out at 6 AM the next morning and we spent the rest of the day with Dave`s family.
It was quite a culture shock to be back in the US but we enjoyed it. It was really nice to be back in an area where the language and customs were natural. While it has been interesting being in Mexico for an extended period of time and we have picked up some of the rhythm (speaking Spanish helps immensely), it`s still very obvious that we are not from here. I definitely feel more at home in the US and this trip has helped me to appreciate certain things more there. Travelling is good for that.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Escape from Mexico City
After Barranca del Cobre, we headed back to Torreon for a flight to Chicago to attend Dave`s step-brother Cliff`s wedding in Chicago. When we were in Barranca del Cobre we met quite a few travellers and a couple of them told us that we were supposed to have an entrance visa that basically shows that we paid $20 to enter the country. Apparently you only need it if you go 100 miles from the border. I believe we mentioned that when we entered Mexico the only thing we did was stand in line with a bunch of Mexicans (we were the only gringos on the bus) and push a button that lit up a green light. After consulting our travel book we decided we DID neeed one of these little papers and went about trying to find them.
We found the Mexican Immigration Services department in Torreon and were initially handed a huge form by a women that refused to listen to us. We figured out that the form was not what we wanted and tried to communicate that we needed the entrance visa. The woman helping us went and got another women that spoke English and she told us that since we were farther than 100 miles away from the border we had to pay a fine. Our book said that the fine was $42, but apparently it was increased a few months ago to $100 per person. Given that there was no customs stop or information at the border, we were a little upset that they were now claiming that WE were negligent because WE did not force our bus driver to a customs agency to take care of the 2 gringos on a 40 person bus. They even asked us if we had ever travelled before and we responded that yes we had travelled and been stopped on entry to every other country. After arguing for awhile one of the women said that she could ask her supervisor to cut the fine in half. Fine. $50 later we got a little piece of paper with a stamp on it that said we had paid the fine.
The next day, we flew to Chicago. Actually, we flew from Torreon, to Mexico City, to Cancun, to Chicago. For some reason it was cheaper to go out of Torreon than Mexico City, even though the flight connected through Mexico City. Anyways we got through Torreon easily enough by showing them our papers. However in Mexico City, they really did not want us to leave. First, the security guards questioned us suspicously about the camelback we were draining of water before we went through security. Then as we sat waiting by our gate, they changed the gate 30 minutes before our departure. It took us a couple minutes to figure out what had happened and when we did, we had to go through another security checkpoint. This security checkpoint however, refused to let us through because we needed a different paper. The guard gave us (wrong) directions to the person who could give us the papers we needed. So with 20 minutes before our plane left, having no idea where in which direction we were supposed to go, we were running through the airport trying to find customs. We ended up finding the big entrance customs with 30 booths which, luckily, had a very small line. We weren`t sure if this was actually where we were supposed to go and they wanted us to fill out a form before we approached the booth, but Dave, somewhat rudely, ignored the attendant and went directly to the booth. The woman there told us that we needed a different customs area that was in another part of the airport. So with 15 minutes left we took off running in another direction. We finally found the booth and showed our papers to the attendant who took them and made us fill out another form before giving us the little paper that said we could leave Mexico. We sprinted back through the terminal, dodging airline passengers and pretty much ran through the security checkpoint. Breathing hard, we got to our plane about 3 minutes before it took off.
We found the Mexican Immigration Services department in Torreon and were initially handed a huge form by a women that refused to listen to us. We figured out that the form was not what we wanted and tried to communicate that we needed the entrance visa. The woman helping us went and got another women that spoke English and she told us that since we were farther than 100 miles away from the border we had to pay a fine. Our book said that the fine was $42, but apparently it was increased a few months ago to $100 per person. Given that there was no customs stop or information at the border, we were a little upset that they were now claiming that WE were negligent because WE did not force our bus driver to a customs agency to take care of the 2 gringos on a 40 person bus. They even asked us if we had ever travelled before and we responded that yes we had travelled and been stopped on entry to every other country. After arguing for awhile one of the women said that she could ask her supervisor to cut the fine in half. Fine. $50 later we got a little piece of paper with a stamp on it that said we had paid the fine.
The next day, we flew to Chicago. Actually, we flew from Torreon, to Mexico City, to Cancun, to Chicago. For some reason it was cheaper to go out of Torreon than Mexico City, even though the flight connected through Mexico City. Anyways we got through Torreon easily enough by showing them our papers. However in Mexico City, they really did not want us to leave. First, the security guards questioned us suspicously about the camelback we were draining of water before we went through security. Then as we sat waiting by our gate, they changed the gate 30 minutes before our departure. It took us a couple minutes to figure out what had happened and when we did, we had to go through another security checkpoint. This security checkpoint however, refused to let us through because we needed a different paper. The guard gave us (wrong) directions to the person who could give us the papers we needed. So with 20 minutes before our plane left, having no idea where in which direction we were supposed to go, we were running through the airport trying to find customs. We ended up finding the big entrance customs with 30 booths which, luckily, had a very small line. We weren`t sure if this was actually where we were supposed to go and they wanted us to fill out a form before we approached the booth, but Dave, somewhat rudely, ignored the attendant and went directly to the booth. The woman there told us that we needed a different customs area that was in another part of the airport. So with 15 minutes left we took off running in another direction. We finally found the booth and showed our papers to the attendant who took them and made us fill out another form before giving us the little paper that said we could leave Mexico. We sprinted back through the terminal, dodging airline passengers and pretty much ran through the security checkpoint. Breathing hard, we got to our plane about 3 minutes before it took off.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
We´re alive!
Sorry we haven´t updated the blog except for some weird mustache pics. We´ve been really busy travelling around and doing fun stuff. We´re going to another farm tomorrow so hopefully we will have some down time and write about all the places we have been. For those of you who are confused about those two other strange men, those are Dave´s friends Erin and Will from Cal Poly. They came down and travelled with us for a week and we decided we all needed mustaches. It was great. Anyways we´re alive and doing really well. Much love!
Monday, November 17, 2008
Moustache Vote!
Vote for who has the best moustache!!
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Moustache 1----------------------------------Moustache 2
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Moustache 3---------------------------------Moustache 4
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
La Barranca del Cobre, aka Copper Canyon
Copper Canyon is pretty much the only tourist destination in Northern Mexico, outside of Mazatlan. It is comprised of over 20 canyons and is larger than the grand canyon. A 650 km-long railroad by the name of Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacifico (abbreviated CHEPE, and if anyone can think of why please let us know) runs through the canyon, connecting Chihuahua to the Pacific Ocean. (Well, it used to go to all the way to the ocean but now it only gets close.) The railroad is quite an achievement, as it includes 36 bridges and 87 tunnels. It also provides some spectacular views, and is decidedly much more fun than sitting on a cramped bus for 11 straight hours. This is precisely what we did en route from Mexcaltitán to Los Mochis, the railroad´s western terminus.
Yogi the Bear, looking out at us from our hotel. 
Pictures from the train:
There are various places to stop in the canyon, which is full of hiking opportunities and glimpses of the indigenous culture of the Tarahumara. We decided to stop first in Ceracahui ("Ser-uh-KA-wee"), about an hour from the Bahuichivo ("Bah-wee-CHI-voh") train stop.
...Tell me about it, the names are tough. When the conductor asked where we were going when we boarded the train, I could only say "empieza con B" ("it starts with a B") Luckily, it is the only stop that begins with a `B´...
Yogi the Bear, looking out at us from our hotel.In Ceracahui, we couldnt help deciding on a hotel named after a nearby rock formation shaped like Yogi the Bear. It turned out to be a great place, run by an American who does a lot of work fixing up the schools in the surrounding communities and raising money to provide scholarships to local children. When he discovered we were budget travellers and we had skills in both computer-repair and English-Spanish translation, he proposed we work for room and board. We were thrilled. Dave did some computer fixing, and I translated letters from local students into English to send to potential donors. He also took us on a trip into the Urique Canyon, and we stopped at nearly every school along the way where he would ask questions about a new floor he was getting put in for them, or new posters donated.
The cathedral in Ceracahui---Students at a school we visited
Canyon Urique
After a few days, we hopped back on the train for our next destination, Creel. Creel is the most popular destination in the canyon. We stayed at a bustling hostel and heard many different languages. In addition to making a few friends, we went mountain biking through the nearby valleys, which are known for their unique rock formations. We rode through beautiful, nearly untouched country-side with scattered Tarahumara houses. What a wonderful way to spend our last few days before flying to the great big city of Chicago!
Tarahumara women selling produce to people on the train
In a valley near Creel---------Tarahumara dresses hung up to dry
Monday, November 3, 2008
Mexcaltitán
After being in tourist Mazatlan for a couple nights, we needed to get out of the tourist zone. We read about a little village a couple hours south of Mazatlan called Mexcaltitán. The village has about 2,000 people living there and is on an island in the middle of a lagoon. There are no cars. To get there we had to take a 3.5 hour bus to Peñas, then a 30 minute taxi to Santiago Ixcuintla (we spent the night here for $8), then an hour van ride, then a 20 minute boat ride. Everything not found on the island is imported by boat so we rode in a boat packed with fruits, vegetables, cookies, and soft drinks. The lagoon that it is in is beautiful and the long travel time really gave us a sense of being remote.
When we got to the island, there were a group of men "paving" the dirt road with stones. It`s interesting to think about the interaction between such a tiny remote village and the state and local governments. We walked across the entire island in about 5 minutes and got to the village`s only hotel. It was almost lunch time so after a quick walk around the circumference of the island we went to one of the 2 restaurants. People in this village subside on mostly the shrimp they catch in the lagoon so we ate shrimp for lunch, dinner, and breakfast the next morning. The lunch shrimp included garlic shrimp and shrimp soup. In fact, it`s impossible to escape the shrimp because about 25% of the sidewalks are covered with drying shrimp, which permeates the smell of shrimp throughout the whole village. After lunch we walked around the island again before realizing that there was really very little to do here. The locals believe that Mexicaltitan is the original settlement of the Aztec who immigrated to the mainland. There is a museum on the island that documents the evidence for this belief. After visiting the museum, we went back to the hotel for a nap.
View from our room ----------- Camarones Seco (Dry Shrimp)
We were awakened by booming music. We went outside and caught the end of a birthday party for a little kid. One of the nice things about being a small island with no cars is that it`s safe for kids. Everywhere we went there were kids playing in groups or on their own and they were out until way after dark. A group of young locals were sitting in the street right in front of the loud speaker. They called us over and offered us beer and camarones seco. We ended up spending the entire night with them which was great because a) It was interesting to meet locals and speak Spanish and b) We had absolutely nothing else to do. They were very interested in the US and asked very direct questions about what Americans thought about Mexico and how our political system worked. It was interesting for us to find that most of them had jobs or school off the island and commuted back and forth every day. The internet and media really create a shared experience that people all over the world can experience together. They knew many of the musicians, movies, and websites we enjoyed. The island is billed as "untouched" but the internet cafe, Coca-Cola ads, and sound systems tell you otherwise. The technology-geek part of me is really excited about the possibilities of a connected world but there is also a part of me that worries about the loss of distinct cultures and viewpoints. Hopefully we can reverse the melting-pot trend and become a society that shares information, ideas, and values on a global level, while valuing and celebrating the diversity that makes us distinct. Anyways, the next morning we got up and ate shrimp tamales for breakfast (the best shrimp meal!) and then took off for Barranca del Cobre.
When we got to the island, there were a group of men "paving" the dirt road with stones. It`s interesting to think about the interaction between such a tiny remote village and the state and local governments. We walked across the entire island in about 5 minutes and got to the village`s only hotel. It was almost lunch time so after a quick walk around the circumference of the island we went to one of the 2 restaurants. People in this village subside on mostly the shrimp they catch in the lagoon so we ate shrimp for lunch, dinner, and breakfast the next morning. The lunch shrimp included garlic shrimp and shrimp soup. In fact, it`s impossible to escape the shrimp because about 25% of the sidewalks are covered with drying shrimp, which permeates the smell of shrimp throughout the whole village. After lunch we walked around the island again before realizing that there was really very little to do here. The locals believe that Mexicaltitan is the original settlement of the Aztec who immigrated to the mainland. There is a museum on the island that documents the evidence for this belief. After visiting the museum, we went back to the hotel for a nap.
View from our room ----------- Camarones Seco (Dry Shrimp)
We were awakened by booming music. We went outside and caught the end of a birthday party for a little kid. One of the nice things about being a small island with no cars is that it`s safe for kids. Everywhere we went there were kids playing in groups or on their own and they were out until way after dark. A group of young locals were sitting in the street right in front of the loud speaker. They called us over and offered us beer and camarones seco. We ended up spending the entire night with them which was great because a) It was interesting to meet locals and speak Spanish and b) We had absolutely nothing else to do. They were very interested in the US and asked very direct questions about what Americans thought about Mexico and how our political system worked. It was interesting for us to find that most of them had jobs or school off the island and commuted back and forth every day. The internet and media really create a shared experience that people all over the world can experience together. They knew many of the musicians, movies, and websites we enjoyed. The island is billed as "untouched" but the internet cafe, Coca-Cola ads, and sound systems tell you otherwise. The technology-geek part of me is really excited about the possibilities of a connected world but there is also a part of me that worries about the loss of distinct cultures and viewpoints. Hopefully we can reverse the melting-pot trend and become a society that shares information, ideas, and values on a global level, while valuing and celebrating the diversity that makes us distinct. Anyways, the next morning we got up and ate shrimp tamales for breakfast (the best shrimp meal!) and then took off for Barranca del Cobre.
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