THE BEST LAID PLANS

              Unexpected Surprise 

When I agreed to accompany my friend to the Sea of Cortez I did have one condition:  we return via the Copper Canyon Railroad instead of flying home. We flew from LaPaz across the Sea of Cortez to Los Mochias, Mexico. Some literature we had picked up told us Los Mochias is a melting pot for Indian, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, and Americans. A prosperous agricultural area, 40% of the population is involved in farming. Two million tons of sugar is processed here from sugar cane each year. The area is the number one producer of wheat and rice in Mexico.

I had made all the return trip arrangements through an allegedly reputable travel company in San Antonio. We picked up a cab outside the airport for the two and half-hour drive to El Fuerte.

When we checked in at the El Fuerte Lodge where we had vouchers we learned the fellow  in San Antonio has not paid any of our bills and our vouchers all along the way  were void.

            Shocked I responded, “You’re kidding, right?”

            “No, I’m afraid not. That fellow is a crook. He has changed the name of his company several times and is well known in these parts. You’re not the first to be taken. I can get you a hotel room here. That is no problem, and I can secure train tickets for tomorrow. Give me the rest of your vouchers and I’ll send faxes to the hotels ahead to make sure you’ll have a room, but you’ll have to pay each time you check in.”

            Well, there’s a first time for everything. The fellow in El Fuerte happened to be an American who had lived there for a couple of decades so language was no problem. He was super nice and most accommodating to a couple of little old ladies—well not really little or old. He accepted a check for the hotel, meals and train tickets.

            The hotel was lovely and the city is a picturesque old colonial one. It was a holiday of some sort so we watched a parade and some street performers and dancers before heading off on a short hike up to the old fort.

The city was established as a fort in the late 1500’s to protect the colonists from native North American attacks. Lake Miguel del Hidalgo is a man-made lake 15 ½  X 6 miles. The dam, built in 1956, was expanded in 1963. The lake holds 350 million cubic meters of water and houses a hydroelectric plant which generates 270 million kilowatts of electricity a year. The view from the old fort showed us the river and lake below. A slight breeze made the temperature comfortable and pleasant as we looked down on the quaint city below.

The next day, after an early breakfast, we walked to the train station to board the train at 7:30 AM. We were on our way.

Next time the journey.