Recuerdos: El Chepe (Parte Dos)

 from February 16, 2020




I love trains. I love Mexico. I’m at 8000 feet now and it looks like Tahoe. I’ve never been in a forest in Mexico before! Americans, even those of us who travel to other parts of the country besides Cancun, have ideas about what Mexico is supposed to look like. Usually those images include a tropical beach, a desert with cacti, or Aztec or Mayan ruins. This looks like none of those and I'm so happy that this country can still surprise me.

The train was over an hour late and no one seemed like they care.At first we had our choice of seats and tried to sleep for a bit, since we had to be up before sunrise. Soon it filled up and we alternated between watching out the window and going to the dining car. Trains really are my favorite method of travel.


There were different classes of carriage although none of them were more luxurious than a nice bus seat. Even though there wasn't a huge difference in class, I definitely feel uncomfortable and vaguely guilty when people who live in the country are in a separate area than me. For us, these train tickets were a great deal. For many Mexicans, they'd be an uncomfortable expense or even out of reach.







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