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Mexican Holiday

An unexpected stop makes for some magical Christmas memories
By Paul Lasley and Elizabeth Harryman
Snowbound in Mexico? It was the last thing we expected on our south-of-the-border holiday getaway. But there we were, a few days before Christmas, watching snowflakes cover the ground.

We've spent many holiday seasons traveling, and this experience would become a testament to the kind of special memories that holiday vacations can make, especially when the unexpected occurs.

Our journey that day started in sunshine in Chihuahua, Mexico, where we boarded a train bound for the Copper Canyon. Today, luxury trains make the journey from the United States. But we took the regularly scheduled Mexican train — the Chihuahua al Pacífico.

The train chugged noisily out of the city as the daylong journey began. As we climbed upward, the landscape gradually turned from desert to farmland to pine forest. We stopped briefly in Creel, a dusty lumber town where the tracks summit at 7,500 feet. That's when we first noticed the gathering clouds.

But we were so excited about the next stop that we didn't pay much attention to the weather. Divisadero lay ahead, and there, we'd see the Copper Canyon. It was supposed to be a short stop: just long enough for everyone to get off, shop, and take pictures.

Everything started according to plan. As we stepped off the train, we were greeted by Tarahumara natives, who were selling everything from baskets to simple wooden dolls. Men at food stalls offered tamales; women spread out displays of crafts. We headed for the viewing area, expecting to see a vista that's said to rival the view from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Instead, a fuzzy grey curtain of billowing fog obscured everything below our feet.
And then it started to snow.

We went back to the train and waited for it to move. But it never did. It turned out that the train was unequipped for the snow and was stuck. A replacement would come, but it wouldn't arrive until the next day.

So we booked the last room at the Hotel Divisadero Barrancas. Snow blew under the door and onto the ceramic floor of the room, under the two twin beds covered with thick blankets.

Dinner was on Mexican time — 10 p.m. To pass the hours, we joined a crowd of Mexican families who had found a piñata and were entertaining their kids. We sang Christmas songs in Spanish and English and shared candies when the kids broke open the piñata.

When dinnertime arrived, we had a surprise. Someone had told the hotel management that Americans traditionally eat turkey at Christmas, so turkey was the main course — but with a twist. This turkey came in a rich mole sauce that was slightly sweet, very spicy, and simply delicious. To cool the heat of the chile peppers, we dipped our fresh, handmade corn tortillas into a bowl of sour cream.
By the time the replacement train arrived the next day, we had made some new friends. We were able to share with them one of the great rail journeys in the world. We never did see the Copper Canyon, but we wouldn't have missed being snowbound in Mexico at Christmastime for anything.

Tune in to Traveling With Paul Lasley and Elizabeth Harryman, which airs daily on Sirius Satellite Radio.

Holiday Travel Tips

• Book early for your holiday vacation. It would even be smart to book now for next year's trip. Consider flying on Christmas Day or New Year's Day, when airports are less crowded.
• Leave early for the airport or train station. Get to the airport at least two hours before departure for domestic flights and at least three hours for international flights. To save time, take an airport bus or shuttle that will drop you curbside.
• Travel light. Bring only carry-on luggage if you can; you'll be more flexible in case of itinerary changes. If you're bringing presents, leave them unwrapped or wrap them so that airport security can easily open them. Better yet, send them by mail before you go.
• Prepare for delays. Bring healthy snacks in your carry-on luggage. Pack quiet toys and games for kids and reading material and a neck pillow for you. And treat flight attendants and airport employees with courtesy and consideration; it's their holiday, too.

— P.L. and E.H.

This article first appeared in Westways,
the magazine of the Auto Club of Southern California.