A budget is a budget.
My 2018/19 trip to Latin America will not be cheap. This is partly down to the poor exchange rate, and partly down to this years destinations. As well as Mexico, my trip will also include the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico; hardly backpacker destinations it has to be said!
My pet hate in any country is having to use taxis – I avoid them whenever possible. However, when the situation dictates I now try and use Uber, which has saved me a small fortune thus far. It’s also helped an ageing traveller avoid humping his back-pack (now with an option to ‘wheel it’) on and off local buses.
Los Mochis airport does not like Uber, as I soon found out – with three drivers cancelling my request and the fourth explaining the reason why. The airport taxi wanted to charge me £15.00 for the 15 minute journey into town. My considered solution was to walk outside of the airport and try Uber again. Once outside the airport perimeter, and before I could even open the Uber app, an airport taxi appeared and offered me a 50% discount. I accepted the offer.
Los Mochis is an underwhelming city with very little to offer even the most inquisitive traveller. That is apart from the opportunity to enjoy an excellent fish restaurant – El Farallón, and to tuck into an amazing breakfast – Restaurant Panamá.
The following morning I took the bus to El Fuerte – the starting point of the Copper Canyon Railway. The train also departs from Los Mochis but the journey is not so spectacular and it adds a considerable amount of money to the ticket price.
“Clustered around a striking plaza and with a centre packed full of brightly painted colonial houses, El Fuerte oozes historic character. For many centuries the most important commercial center in north-western Mexico due to its proximity to the silver mines in the canyons, this is now a picturesque little town surrounded by one of Latin America’s last-standing dry tropical forests. Far preferable to Los Mochis as a place to start or end a trip on the Ferrocarril Chihuahua Pacífico, it’s worth a stay of more than just a night to take a trip on the Río Fuerte and explore the unique sub-tropical countryside”. Lonely Planet – México.
El Fuerte proved to be a really nice place to spend a couple of nights. There is an interesting museum, a couple of nice restaurants, and a lovely walk to (and along) the nearby river.
Next stage: Copper Canyon Railway.

Restaurant Panamá – Los Mochis.

A selection of local breakfast dishes.

El Fuerte.

El Fuerte.

El Fuerte.