El Fuerte

Our last day on the train was the longest of all, so of course we had to pass some of the time with cocktails in the dining car. There was a great deal of spectacular scenery, but the windows were quite muddy this time, so none of those photos really turned out.

We were surprised to discover the dramatic changes in the view. One of the attendants explained the changes as we descended out of the mountains. We began in an alpine forest, but soon that changed to what he called an oak forest. Later, and quite suddenly, we began seeing palm trees and tropical fruit trees such as banana and papaya trees. We were in a sub-tropical forest. Then, as we neared the coast, the fruit trees thinned out and we began seeing more and more cacti. We had now entered a thorny forest. Soon after, we arrived in El Fuerte after a total drop in altitude of about 3, 200 metres.

Passing the Time

Home - For a Short While

Our flight out was to be at 6:30, after a two hour drive, so we didn't get any of a chance to explore, although we did like what we saw.

Okay, so this was too cute.

We stayed at the hotel, had something to eat and something to drink.

A mariachi band appeared out of nowhere.

Carol had a dance with Zorro.

We all thought that Zorro was a fictional character. Now, however, we have been told that he was real and that he was actually born in a mansion on the site of our hotel. Who knew?

At 4:15, Deb and I drove through dark empty streets to catch our next flight in Los Mochis. The trip was expected to take two hours, but the traffic was so light that we arrived in one hour and fifteen minutes. The airport was still closed. The lights were off but someone let us in the door so we could sit in the dark and wait.