It was a breath of fresh air to arrive back on the Baja side of Mexico and the sparkling Sea of Cortez. The sparse orange, red, yellow landscape is a sharp contrast to the turquoise blue water. We crossed the sea from the mainland of Mexico to Isla Carmen and anchored in Salinas Bay where we toured an abandoned salt mine and processing plant. The crumbling buildings were a peak into the past where families once lived and worked. The pristine church stood in stark contrast to the ghost town surrounding it.
We left Mazatlán and travelled north to the port town of Topolobampo (I love that word!) where we took the Chiahuahua Railway, known as El Chepe, up into the Sierra Madre mountains to visit the Copper Canyon (Barrancas del Cobre). The train is an amazing engineering feat which winds its way from sea level to 8000 feet, crosses 37 bridges and goes through 86 tunnels as it travels through the spectacular countryside of Mexico. We loved the experience of travelling by train, watching the scenery go by while having lunch in the dining car and sticking our heads out between the rail cars. It is a much more civilized way to travel!
El Chepe pulling into the station
El Chepe
Dining in style!
We disembarked the train in Barrancas and stayed for the night at the Hotel Pasada Mirador which sits perched on the very edge of the canyon. From the balcony of our room it looked like we were floating above the canyon below. The national park encompasses a series of canyons that get their name from the copper-green hue of the canyon walls.
The Copper Canyon is home to the indigenous Raramuri people who live in caves and small huts along the bluffs of the canyon which paint a sharp contrast to the luxury hotel above. The women dress in brightly colored skirts and scarves and with hands flying weave beautiful baskets in a matter of minutes that they sell to support their families. I bought 11 and wish I had bought dozens more!
We visited Isla Isabel for a second time on our way north and it was just as amazing as the first time. When we came through in the end of January, I photographed this pair of frigates with the female sitting on the nest and when we returned in March I was so excited to see the happy family. What an amazing opportunity to be able to see the baby chick!
January – sitting on the nest
March – happy family!
This visit, I hiked over a different part of the island and saw many frigate families living in the tops of the trees. They make quite a ruckus and have quite a strong odor.
I also saw some more of my favorite blue footed boobies!
We took our own Disney Jungle River Cruise in Puerto Vallarta not a ½ mile dinghy ride up the estuary from the world class Paradise Village Resort. Hundreds of iguanas were sunning themselves in the trees. Herons and egrets sat side by side with the iguanas resting after a morning of fishing. The jungle noise from all the “critters” reminded us of being at Disneyland except here it is all natural!
Parque Nacional Isla Isabel, a small volcanic island located approximately 20 miles off the coast of Mexico, is home to over 30,000 nesting sea birds. Jacque Costeau first visited the island to film the mating habits of the majestic frigate birds and the adorable blue footed boobies. The birds are very tame and you can get quite close to them because of the isolation of the island from humans and the lack of predators. It was a magical experience!
