El Fuerte

26 25.37 N, 108 37.26 W

This morning we joined Reg and Phoebe at the Plantation restaurant at the hotel for a breakfast buffet. For $138 pesos it is an all-you-can-eat affair with coffee, orange juice, yogurt, plain and strawberry, cottage cheese, sweet rolls, watermelon, papaya and cantaloupe which they bring to start you out. Next is made-to-order eggs, omelettes, huevos rancheros or pancakes and finally the buffet which includes hush puppies, refried beans, and several meat dishes. We ate well, rationalizing that we would be skipping lunch. "Where would you be without a good rationalization every day"*.

Reg, Phoebe and I went to the ATM for more cash, and then on to three pharmacies looking for an Ace bandage for Rich's ankle and possibly a cane. No cane but we did find something like an Ace bandage.

The bellhop gave us a ride to the Autobus Azule, for $60 pesos for the 4 of us. It was a longer ride than usual as today is a Mexican holiday and the main street was blocked off for the parade through town. We put our luggage in the 'hold' of the bus and waited about 10 minutes for other passengers and the driver to arrive and off we went to El Fuerte. Buses leave about every 1/2 hour or so and we happened to catch the next bus. This bus was not a plush as the long distance bus from Puerto Vallarta but it did have foot rests, air conditioning and free wifi. The drive was almost two hours with multiple stops for people getting on and off along the way. At one point a fellow walks down the aisle collecting the bus fare of $70 pesos a person to go all the way to El Fuerte. We pass large planted fields and orchards of trees. All types of vegetables and fruits are grown here. We crossed a few railroad tracks but I was not sure which were part of El Chepe, the railroad to the Copper Canyon.

Our bus dropped us off in the middle of town. We immediately got our bags and found a pickup come taxi right in front of us with a one-legged taxi driver. We put our stuff in the pickup and got in. We asked for the cost to go to the Rio Vista Hotel which was $30 pesos for all of us and away we go. It turns out that it was not too far but we had no idea. It was passed the museum then around the corner. The hotel got a good write up in the Lonely Planet guide so we gave it a try. When we passed the sign for the hotel and the driver stopped, we were not too sure at first. Rich and Reg went to check it out while Phoebe and I waited with the driver in case we needed to find another place. Two thumbs up was the response and here we are. The hotel is next to the museum built on the original site of the fort that protected the city. It is on a hill overlooking the rio and like the name implies with beautiful views. The owner, a bird watcher, has incorporated murals and pictures of birds in the rooms and around the hotel as well as artifacts such antique farm tools, swords, old pictures of Pancho Villa, etc to decorate the rooms and the surrounds of the hotel. In front of our rooms and overlooking the river is a patio with a palapa roof. The owner brought us a cooler with Pacifico pony beers so we sat an relaxed. How could it get any better?

Reg and Rich took separate naps while Phoebe and I explored a bit of the town. We heard a band playing and it was a high school group of drummers (mostly girls) and buglers (guys) marching around the town square and playing. We went inside the Municipal Palace and saw the beautiful murals. In the middle of the town square is a plaza with a gazebo and fountains and palm trees with Christmas lights. One of the town stray dogs started to follow us for a while but finally lost interest when he figured out we were not a meal ticket. We looked at the Hotel Hidalgo, which is nearby and claims to be the birthplace of Zorro. There is a statue of Zorro in the courtyard of the hotel.

In the evening we had dinner on our patio. It was an excellent meal of nachos, tortilla soup and fresh water perch with citrus and a sauce with potatoes and zucchini. It was topped off with fried plantain. A wonderful way to cap off the day.

Tomorrow is the train and we go to Creel.

* - Jeff Goldblum in the movie, Jurassic Park.

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