Total Money Left = $26,408.03 USD
We will be staying at the Posada Mirador Copper Canyon.
Monday, November 26th, 2012
On Monday morning, we woke up around 10:00am and went down the lobby to have some breakfast. We all enjoyed the complimentary breakfast of eggs, bacon, and waffles. We decided the last activity we would do while in Mexico would be to go visit and hike the Cusarare Falls,
We took a taxi to the entrance of Cusarare Falls and arrived around 11:30am. We were all so excited to enjoy some beautiful scenery. We began our hike and after about an hour and a half, we made it to the first scenic overlook and it was absolutely breathtaking! Here is a picture of the Cusarare Falls:
We were all in such great spirits from viewing all of this beautiful scenery and because we are nearing the end of our travels and most of us are ready to get back home to our loved ones. We decided to make our way down the canyon to get to a ground-level view of the Falls. The path down wasn't as clear-cut or safe for that matter. As a result, Michelle lost her footing and began to fall! Luckily, T.Y. was right in front of her and thanks to his outstanding awareness, he was able to catch her before she hit the ground! After that, we were all pretty careful and really watched our steps. Once we got to the bottom, we were amazed at the beauty of it all. Here is a picture from the ground:
Due to our growing hunger and fatigue, we decided to head back around 4:00pm. We reached the trail exit around 5:00pm and our taxi was there waiting for us. We had our driver take us to Restaurant La Cabana for some authentic Mexican cuisine! We arrived at 5:30pm and were seated by 5:45pm. We all ordered our food and received it at 6:00pm, it only costed us $50 total! Here is a picture we took of the excellent staff at Restaurant La Cabana:
We grabbed a taxi and headed back to the hotel at 7:00pm and arrived at 7:15pm. We were all exhausted from our day of hiking and our entire trip as a whole. We decided to get our beauty sleep to rest up for our day of traveling tomorrow and we all fell asleep by 8:30pm.
Totals for the Day:
Food: $50
Transportation: $30
Activities: $40
Overall Total: $120 for the day
Tuesday-
Wednesday November 21,2012
We woke up super early this morning at 5:45 am ready for an adrenalin filled day. We had decided to go zip lining over copper canyon! No one was hungry so we headed down to the hotel restaurant to grab coffee and pick up our pre ordered bag lunches and snacks for the day. We were picked up promptly at 6:30 by the tour bus.
Copper Canyon
has a new adventure park which sports the second longest zip line course in the
world and the third longest cable car ride in the world (6
km). For those who like speed and adventure, one can fly across the
canyon system on a seven jump, eleven platform zip line course which extends
over 4 miles through the canyon. “ Flying” at over 2300 ft. above the canyon
floor and walking across the two suspension bridges allows a dramatic view
of the canyon floor which you do not experience from hiking or even from a
helicopter. We will return at the end of the course on the cable
car. The longest of the lines is over a kilometer long
with a depth of over 1000 feet ($60 including the tram
return).
We arrived at the cable car pick up spot around 7:00 where our guide for the day Esteban met us. It was about a 45 minute ride to our destination and Esteban explained what we would be doing, safety issues and equipment . We were excited , well all of us except TY and Jamie. While in the cable car it hit them that we were going to be REALLY high .
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| Esteban |
Here is our cable car ride over the canyon.
We arrived at our first location geared up and began zip-lining. Well some of us began. Ty Alex and Jamie needed quite a bit of convincing. After realizing that they only live once and this experience wasn't going to come around again, everyone went for it.
We took a break around eleven . We ate our bag lunches, compared pictures and videos and relaxed for about forty five minutes. Esteban talked to us about local things to see , do and eat . He explained dining is one of the most
delicious treats of any Mexico visit. Mexican cuisine in the Copper Canyon area
is delightfully diverse. Since the Copper Canyon area spans several states in
Mexico, the types of food available vary greatly from region to region. Kevin was so ready to keep zip lining that he geared up and just stood over us until we got the hint. We were off again to finish our afternoon.
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| Kelly and Jamie |
We finished up around 3:00 . The adventure was such an incredible experience. The views were breathtaking . After traveling with our group for the past seven weeks we had all grown close and truly appreciated everything we had experienced. We were so thankful to be able to add this to the list of our memories . We said our goodbyes to Esteban and rode the cable car back down where the bus was waiting to bring us back to our hotel. What an amazing day!
The total for the zip line adventure was $1220.00 USD or 15875.00 Mexican Pesos- including tip.
We returned to the hotel tired but still pumped from the trip.We decided to shower and go to dinner around 7:00. Estiben had told us about a restaurant called La Fonda. We caught a cab to the restaurant and were starving when we arrived.
Our waiter greeted us and introduced himself as Jorge. He was very nice and suggested platters for us to share.
The main
course, Combinacion Mexicana, was the piece de resistance. This giant platter
contained seven different typical Mexican dishes and was definitely too much
food for one person, and we appreciated Jorge's suggestion. Clockwise,
beginning from the center bottom, the items were as follows:
. Enmolada: a corn tortilla filled
with onion and cheese (chicken for non-vegetarians), covered with
chocolate-infused mole sauce, melted cheese, and cream.
. Chile Relleno: Poblano chile filled
with melted cheese, coated in egg batter and quick fried, topped with tomato
sauce and creme.
. Guacamole: made from an old family
recipe that includes avocado, onion, tomatoes, cilantro, and serrano chiles
Quesadilla: melted cheese wrapped in
a flour tortilla
. Frijoles Refritos (refried beans):
made with canola or vegetable oil rather than traditional lard
. Tostada: corn tortilla, spread with
refried beans, tomatoes, avocado, grated cheese and finished with a creme
garnish (includes grilled chicken for non-vegetarians)
. White rice laced with sweet corn
kernels (center)
The price
for all this was a paltry $120 pesos, or less than $10 U.S. We stuffed our faces over great conversation, beer , wine and a live band. Another amazing day and night for us.
We headed back around 10pm beat and fell into our bedzzzzzzzzzz....
Wednesday total spent-$1283.00 USD or 16695.29 Mexican Peso
- lonelyplanet.com- food info
Emily
Thursday
Friday
Saturday November 24th
Saturday morning we woke up around 10am and headed downstairs for breakfast. We had the complimentary breakfast at the hotel. I had eggs, bacon and some really delicious yogurt. We were all sitting at the breakfast table talking about what we were going to do for the day when we remembered hearing about a lake in Mexico that was about a hour away from our hotel. It is called Arareco Lake.
We called for a cab and before we knew it we were on our way! Our cab driver was named Cesar and he was so nice and helpful. I have added a picture of Cesar below! It took us about a hour and fifteen minutes to get to the lake and it cost us $80 USD for the cab ride there and back.
Once we got to the lake, we decided to horseback ride around the lake! They had a tent set up where you could sign up for horseback riding with a tour guide. The total cost of our horseback riding came to $252 USD for the 7 of us.
Horseback riding in Mexico was such a cool experience. Even though TY and Jamie are terrified of horses they got over their fear and had a great time! My horse was named Abby and she is the white spotted horse I have pictured below. We really got to see the culture in Arareco and we are so glad we had this opportunity! Our guide took us around for about two hours and then we came back to the main lake area and hung out for another hour and enjoyed the beautiful day.
After we were rested and had enjoyed the beautiful scenery at the lake, we called for Cesar to come get us again and headed back to our hotel. We got back round 7pm and decided it was time for dinner.
For dinner, we asked the lady at the front desk and she recommended El Castillo. El Castillo is a local mexican restaurant that is walking distance from our hotel. When we got to the restaurant it only took them 15 minutes to seat us! The menu had a bunch of different mexican foods on it and had daily drink specials as well! I ordered the beef nachos and they were so delicious. We also all ordered margaritas to celebrate our time in Mexico! The total for dinner came to $88 USD.
After dinner we walked back to our hotel and all went to our rooms. We were so tired after our long day at the lake!
Totals for the day:
Food: $88 USD or 1141.7391 MXN
Travel: $80 USD or 1037.9447 MXN
Activity: $252 USD or 3269.5257
Overall: $420 USD or 5449.2095 MXN
-Alex
Sunday November 25
On Sunday we woke up bright and early as we had planned to
go to the Recowata Hot springs. After we
grabbed granola bars for breakfast, we packed lunch and prepared for the long
hike ahead of us. The springs are just 13 miles from Creel you can hike up Recowata
Hot springs. We decided to tackle to trail on foot to find this natural beauty.
On our way to the springs, Emily pointed out a golden eagle
perched in the tree. Kevin insisted we take capture it’s beauty; however it
flew away after the first picture.
Once we got there
everyone was in awe of the breathtaking site, Jamie was actually speechless. Since
we were tired and hungry from our long hike, we wanted to relax and take in our
magnificent surroundings, so some of ate and others went to laze around in the
hot springs. The springs were 145 degrees Fahrenheit, but it drains into the
rivers and cools, therefore there was a nice transitional area. After we spent
the afternoon resting, we decided to head back before it got dark.
On the way back, we planned to look at the ancient cave paintings.
T.Y. had learned about while doing research for the trip and was able to tell
us about them.
Finally we made it back to the hotel, Michelle was hungry
again, and so we showered and got ready to go grab a bite to eat. Kelly had
asked a local about where to eat, and they had pointed to Dona Molcas. This is
a small mom and pop restaurant in copper canyon owned by the Molcas’.
Everything that they serve is homemade, and their menu is consistently changing
due to the different seasons and local products that are available. The flan
was a crowd favorite, so we bought some extra for a midnight snack as we headed
back to the hotel to call it a night.
Total for the day: 2236.7900 Mexico Pesos to 172.90 USA Dollars
-Michelle
Monday
Tuesday-fly back to raleigh
