A little update to my last post … El Chepe apparently still does go to Chihuahua! Evidently there are still two different trains. I had been told that the Chihuahua stop had been eliminated and that everything was consolidated into three classes of fares between Creel and Los Mochis. And that’s what the El Chepe website (https://chepe.mx/) says. Until you enter the ultra secret url: https://chepe.mx/chepe-regional/. El Chepe Regional and El Chepe Express. Two different trains with different sets of stops.
The caveat is that you cannot book tickets on El Chepe Regional online. You either have to visit one of the ticket counters (Los Mochis and Chihuahua both have them – not sure about the other stops) or call to get tickets. If you want to use both trains on one trip, you also have to ride further on El Chepe Express.
So there you have it – you can ride El Chepe from Los Mochis to Chihuahua city!!! Woo! Creel is definitely a stop you should spend a couple of days in, but going one step further to Chihuahua is even better!
I’m doing my last stay-cation at the Costa de Oro. The timeshare contracts all expire this year, and my two weeks there will go poof. One already has. They’re being sneaky this time – they have a separate table for owners to check-in, and they’re getting everyone to sign up for an ‘owners update’ breakfast. Fine print on the reminder note says you have to bring a credit card with you. So I signed up to get the check-in process going smoother, and then the afternoon before I’m going to leave them a note at the front desk telling them I can’t make it. I can’t – it’s a Wednesday and the cruise ship Panorama is in port. I will need to do a Mazatlán Tourist Aide Volunteer shift! One great thing is they put me in a different room this year – my assigned room is 683 and this time I’m in 983! The view from an extra three floors makes a BIG difference from the balcony!
My twelve years as an owner were nice, but the ONLY reason I would want to go back to the property is to visit Lucy in the bar – and she hasn’t been there the last two days, the possibility that she has retired is very high. All of the other servers appear to have been replaced as well – the only people I recognize now are a couple of security guys. Don’t get me wrong – the Costa de Oro is a great location in the Gold Zone. The beach is nice, and having dinner at Adobes with the waves crashing against the seawall at high tide is always fun. I just don’t need to get away from my apartment for a week at the other end of town!
So this week I wake up, water my plants, walk up to Benito Juárez and catch the Sablo-Centro bus to the Costa de Oro. Then I change into my beach attire, spend some time on the beach, come back for a quick shower and change back into my street clothes, then bus back home! Lol. I might stay overnight one day – just so I can hit a restaurant or two (Casita Maria is always an enjoyable experience – as is F.I.S.H.). So much fun to be had I don’t know what to do with myself 🙂 Lol!
