All,

First of all I have to profoundly apologise for the long silence. As some time has passed since my last e-mail and I am now in Mexico I will start with the most recent events and work my way backward to try and fill the gap.

I arrived in Mexico on July 11th, the longest day in my travels as I had left Tokyo on the same day in the afternoon and 20 hours later it was the evening of the same day.
Last breakfast at Futoshi{s flat and Nami and Futoshi taking me to the bus terminal where I catch the bus to Narita Aiport. After a long indecision between all my favourite Japanese dishes I went for a last nigitorodon lunch (fresh minced tuna on rice) and of course some green tea from the vending machine.
My first American Airlines flight, to LAX. Maybe a bit spoilt by the last Cathay Pacific flight, this was service-wise a very disappointing one, I even didn{t like the food and come on I do really eat everything especially on planes…and one of the few airlines not collecting your spare change for Unicef or other charities.
In LA I had on ongoing flight to Dallas and from there to Chihuahua in Mexico. To my surprise all passengers transiting the US are requested to go through Customs, fingerprints taken and a nice picture after a 10 hour flight.
In the customs declaration I was asked which countries I had traveled on the same journey. As I entered Thailand, Vietnam and Laos the fat guy sent me straight to baggage search as if I was a drug dealer ? or a Communist spy?
Anyway after a couple of questions about how much time I spent in each country, was I traveling with someone, etc. he pulled a traveler{s essential out of my bag (the loo roll) and seemed to be content enough to let me go through.
The most shocking thing when traveling to the US is just how fat people are and so many of them and the kids like their parents. It is incredible watching down the aisle to see how many actually do not fit their seats…
Beautiful flight over the desert between LA and Dallas and onto Chihuahua in northern Mexico.
Too tired to understand I was probably supposed to slide a 10 or 20 dollar bill in my passport I only got a 30-day visa on arrival on Mexico (when officially the maximum stay is 180 and that was what I requested…). Guess I will have some fun when requesting an extension…
I choose Chihuahua in Mexico because it is the starting point of the Chihuahua-Pacifico Ferrocaril, the railway that runs 920 km to the Pacific through the Canyon region known as the Copper Canyon.
A day in Chihuahua to recover from the flight, see what it has to offer (little, the highlight being the Pancho Villa Museum with the car he died in) but definitely a good starting point to make some first observations: well if you are thinking of the typical Mexican as wearing a sombrero, a long sleeve shirt with pockets on the chest, jeans and cowboy boots and most importantly moustache (el bigote) then you are probably right. Most of the times you can add a guitar and some singing or some loud cheerful music from a car or shop…men hang out at corners in the streets, watch girls go by and whistle at crossing if a long leg is on show…
I think I have never been given as close as those penetrating looks, even if you look away they are still looking at you, well maybe it is better saying x-raying you. But it is all done in a pretty harmless way and it is pretty funny to observe…on others…incredibly friendly, chatting away for hours if you have the time, helpful whenever you look lost somewhere….
My first stop in the Copper Canyon area was Creel, a very touristy village with a friendly guest house which offers breakfast and dinner included in the room{s price, a great way to meet other travelers, organise excursions and not to have to worry where to get something to eat. The Copper Canyon is inhabited by some ancient indigenous people the Tarahumara known for being fast long distance walkers up to 160 km at the time on rough terrain. They wear beautiful traditional clothes and sell their handicrafts, live in remote places with no electricity or running water. It is quite difficult to interact with them, they are very reserved, sometimes don{t speak Spanish and are nothing like the pushy desperate sellers I have seen in South East Asia…
The Sierra Tarahumara is a complex of Canyon, three of which are over 1800 m deep making for some interesting climate and vegetation changes. The viewpoints offer some stunning 1800 m deep views! Pine forest on the top, red and gray rocks on the inside of the canyon, subtropical lush vegetation at the bottom and a vast array of temperatures…
Recommended by a local I decided to stop in Cerocahui, a less touristy spot to go and enjoy the view over the Urique Canyon, the deepest. By some sort of misunderstanding I had believed the village was on the ridge of the Canyon, but it actually was only to be reached with organized transport, so I felt a bit disappointed having made my way to Cerocahui and not being able to see the canyon.
As I was walking in the square I met a group of 23 Mexican from Tijuana I had previously met at the train station. They invited me to join them to the viewpoint the following day and to the bonfire that night. These guys were from a very liberal Jesuit school, the main guy a priest himself a very interesting man of 35 years of age and great experience in teaching and coaching teen-agers. I ended up traveling with them for the following 3 days, 3 of the most amazing days of the whole trip.
The kids, young adults I don{t even know how to call them very incredibly smart, funny, interested in talking to me, telling me about their projects for the future. I had thought what do I have in common with today{s teen-agers or why would they want to talk to an {old{ woman like me when they can put their headphones on and listen to their favorite music. It was a bit like going back in time and being on a school trip, lots of jokes, laughter and seriousness when needed.

The priest held a very informal mass on the first anniversary of one of the guy{s dad{s death which coincided with their last day in the Sierra Tarahumara. The mass was held in the open (until it rained) chairs in a circle and was very dynamic with everyone participating in the discussion. Some guys were not religious and attended for their friend without participating in the religious part of the gathering. Amazingly I have never seen such a tolerance and equality of treatment in a religious gathering. It was a mass and a remembrance but also a moment to be together and think about their trip and their life. I felt very privileged to be there and to be invited to participate to the discussion.
The following day we spent 5 hours waiting for the late train playing cards, singing, making jokes, eating crisps and haribo{s and upon arrival in Los Mochis we parted. I almost had tears in my eyes when I left the guys waiting for their 20 hour bus journey back to Tijuana. I think deep down I am still a teen-ager!!!
Now I am in San Blas, a tranquil fishing town with lots of mosquitos and a lovely beach if it wasn{t for some huge pipes…
Next stop will be Puerto Vallarta and everyone is warning me of big beach resorts being overrun by gringos!
Lots of love,

Jasmina