Topolobampo to Alamos

Sun 7th to Mon 8th August

We arrived at La Paz port a little after eight to catch the night ferry. Customs have an interesting system as to whether they are going to search you. They get you to press a button. If a red light illuminates then you get searched, however, if a green illuminates you can continue unmolested. Terry was the only one that illuminated the red light. He always seems to be the one getting searched by the military too (obviously looks a dodgy character).

Our ferry waiting as we arrived

Once on the ferry we made for the reclining seats, only to find later that they were all prebooked. By the time we moved all the free seats and floor space was occupied and we ended up outside on deck. Sleep was in short supply tonight.

First priority on disembarking at Topolobampo was to find a cafe for a decent cup of coffee. However, all we managed to get was a cup of hot water, a spoon and a jar of Nescafe to make our own.

If it's not the military stopping us it's goats!

Our aim was to get to Alamos by the quickest route as we were all feeling wrecked and in need of a good shower and a bed. The shower arrived sooner than expected in the form of a heavy thunderstorm. No one could be bothered to put wet weather gear on so very quickly we were soaked to the skin.

Entrance to Alamos City.

Alamos is a beautifully preserved city founded in the 1600’s and is full of Spanish colonial architecture. The town thrived as a mining and religious centre after the Jesuit missionaries built a church here in 1630and rich deposits of gold and silver were discovered in 1683. It is one of Mexico's 30 most historical places and is being considered for 'World Heritage Site' status

Our hotel (Casa de los Tesoros), with inner courtyards and swimming pool, used to be a convent.

Old leather chairs and tables under arched verandas surround the courtyards and huge paintings adorn the walls. All this and more for £10 a night each!!

Bob chatting the girls up by the pool!

Mon 8th August

A lazy day starting with a long breakfast followed by a wander around the town. A quick return to the hotel was needed to avoid the heavy thunderstorms which appear to be a daily occurrence at this time of year.

He doesn't look too happy about the weather either!

Be impressed, we climbed several hundred steps to see this view of town.

The main square with the church illuminated.

The weather has made us reconsider our plans for the Copper Canyon. There are sections of dirt road to negotiate if we were to ride to the bottom of the canyon. No problem if dry but treacherous in the wet we're told. The concensus is to ride back to El Fuerte and let the train take the strain. The famous railway took about 60 years to build and is supposedly an amazing journey with spectacular views.