This morning on Morning Edition on NPR, our friends from Janos north of Copper Canyon were featured.  The Jaquez family were interviewed and the spot gave great background and promo for sotol and Don Cuco Sotol in particular.

What is sotol?

This distilled spirit is THE drink of Chihuahua. It is a tequilla-like drink made from the plant sotol. This spiny plant grows wild in the high Chihuahuan desert. The drink comes in many forms and in years past was made by local people and consumed on special occasions.

Who makes sotol?

Local people still make it. On a recent visit to Chihuahua with a Copper Canyon tour I was leading, my dentist gave me a couple of shots from a bottle he had gotten on the street in Madera. Then a few days later I bought 2 liters in a recycled Coke bottle in Areponapuchi. Then we received some from a hotel owner as a gift- no label.

Several companies produce it in Aldama and Delicias….but I think Don Cuco leads the pack for flavor and choice and varieties. They even have a crema that is like Baileys.

How can I get sotol?

Larger liquor stores have some types now. Don Cuco is available in  a few states and is coming soon to Illinois.

Can I go see how they make it?

Yes…absolutely! My small group tours of Copper Canyon include a stop at the Don Cuco hacienda the last day and you can even buy a few bottles to bring back.

Don Cuco sotol...THE drink of Chihuahua.

I love these simple pots that these two young women in Mata Ortiz are producing. I mistakenly got away without writing down their names. Their Dad is Efrain Lucero and they live at the south end of the main drag in Mata.

These young women really seem to enjoy what they do...and these lizard pots are a specialty of theirs.

The finished product...amazing!

Here are some highlights for each season.

Spring- very dry and weather is easy to handle.

Summer- starting July 1 or so it rains often. This greens everything up and the water falls flow.

Fall- green and cool- some think this is the ideal season, but it can get stormy.

Winter- nice at lower elevations. We might get a snow at higher places.

Here is our 2012 calendar for Copper Canyon tours- including both New Years trips.

Here is what the La Cava website says:

La Cava (the cellar) has been in business since 1993. During these past years it has been our pleasure to welcome and provide hospitality to guests from across Mexico, the USA, and many foreign countries.

La Cava is located in the primary fruit growing region of Mexico. The area abounds with apple, peach, and cherry trees. Therefore, you can look forward to our menu of main course items and desserts prepared with fresh-from-the-orchard fruits. Our main course specialties are traditional Mexican meals of a variety of fish, beef, chicken, and pork dishes. Our menu changes daily, but we promise you will not be disappointed.

La Cava has a fully stocked bar and we will be pleased to make your favorite drink or one of our own.

We are open year round. The most beautiful months of the year in Ciudad Guerrero are March and April, when the fruit trees are in full bloom. Our rainy season is in the months of June and July. October and November are usually beautiful months, dry with crisp cool mornings at out elevation of 4,100 feet.

There is another place too- this one on the little plaza just to the east of the main one. Gabbys sits upstairs on the west side of this smaller plaza and has quite good meat dishes.

1. Copper Canyon is so huge.

It is hard to get your mind around how vast this place is...several canyons deeper and bigger than our Grand Canyon.

2. The Rarámuri or Tarahumara- the indigenous people.

My little friend "Once" from Carichic- one of the some 70,000 Raramuri in the Sierra Nevadas- truly a "people apart".

3. The train through Copper Canyon- CHEPE.

This amazing railway stretches across the rugged Copper Canyon and includes 37 bridges and 86 tunnels.

4. The little towns – the heart of rural Chihuahua.

The main dreg of the tiny village of Cuiteco- one that few tourists ever visit or even notice.

5. History and lore abound in Copper Canyon.

The old church in Cerocahui- the mission dates to the late 1500s.

6. Adventure travel options abound in Copper Canyon.

Copper Canyon has ziplines, rock climbing, horse riding, hiking...and some of the best remote swimming holes on the planet.

7. The food in Chihuahua is unique- very different from other parts of Mexico.

One of the great dishes of the Sierras- Agua Chile- more shrimp than you can finish!

8. The Mata Ortiz pottery…a true treasure of the Sierra Madres!

Juan Quezada with Dave Hensleigh in his studio at Mata Ortiz.

9. Oh the view from those ridges in Copper Canyon!

The views go on forever in this amazing place.

10. Our team of local Mexican guides there can give you the best in a Copper Canyon tour.

Alfredo Murillo...the fave of many of our Copper Canyon guests.

So join us soon in this majestic place!

Call Dave today at 217.369.9897 or email davehensleigh@gmail.com to get on board.

The El Paso Community as well is sure to roll out the red carpet for a great event.

If you are coming, why not consider a trip to Copper Canyon just after the 2011 Sun Bowl? On January 1st, 2012, we will head south into this amazing place for a five day excursion including the amazing Copper Canyon train (37 bridges and 86 tunnels).

What is Copper Canyon?

• Copper Canyon is majestic…deeper and more vast than the Grand Canyon and certainly one of Mexico’s best kept secrets- called the greatest place the world has never seen.

• Copper Canyon is rugged…a land filled with the romance and mystery of the Tarahumara Indians (the barefoot runners of “Born to Run” fame), Mennonites, Spanish colonial culture, and a rich dose of “Old Mexico” hospitality.

• Copper Canyon has a train…it is traversed by the grand railway “CHEPE”, cited as one of the world’s most spectacular trains- including 37 bridges and 86 tunnels.

• Copper Canyon is enchanting…called “Barrancas de Cobre” in Spanish; it’s just five hours from El Paso, Texas. Yet it is a whole new world of gracious people, delicious Northern Mexican cuisine, and incredible architecture.

• Copper Canyon is fun…now home to adventure options including a huge gondola, zip lines that soar above the abyss, horseback riding, biking and hiking that take you along the rim and deep into the canyons and more.

Authentic Copper Canyon trips are a genuine week long excursion by train into this amazing place. We always keep the groups small, the itinerary flex, and the level of discovery and rich experience high. The hotels and food are authentic and of exceptional quality. Accommodations vary, but always include private rooms, hot water, linens, etc.

ACC collaborates with skilled and experienced Mexican vendors to provide a deeply enriching experience. Your scenic excursion will be packed with art, architecture, history, people, the cuisine of northern Mexico, tremendous photo spots, and a great dose of the romance of the train rolling through the heart of Copper Canyon. We also now offer “The Blue Corn Express”, the first ever culinary trip to the Sierra Madres, as well as a Sea of Cortez by yacht option.

What makes this trip unique?

• Dave and his expert team of Mexican guides know Copper Canyon and the Sierra Madres inside out, and you will have an in-depth experience.

• Your itinerary will be planned, but the groups are small and we often flex to maximize your trip experience.

• We emphasize local people and out of the way places in order for you to fully take in the rich and gracious culture of this wonderful destination.

Call us today to get on board with this Sun Bowl trip to the Copper Canyon.

One of our recent groups taking a break at Gallego above Urique

People are often asking me about the best season to travel on the train in Copper Canyon. That is a hard one because every season has its draw. Fall is nice because it is usually green and the weather is moderate. Late Summer is nice because it usually rains and is very fresh. Spring is dry and usually is not too dusty.

But one season I really like is the holiday season, Christmas in Copper Canyon is hard to beat. The weather is usually cool, though the days at lower elevations can be very warm and nice. There is sometimes snow- a real treat.

The big draw for Navidad in the Sierras though is that the welcoming little towns seem to really carry the Christmas spirit. A trip during this season makes for a great memory.

Our Christmas trip to Copper Canyon will give you a full and personal immersion into the Copper Canyon culture at one of the most memorable times of the year.

And don’t forget- we also have a Sun Bowl Trip leaving El Paso on January 1, 2012!

There is no better way to bring in the New Year than on the train in Copper Canyon.

Kick off date is Dec 5, 2011 and the highlights are:

-Noritari Lodge high above San Juanito

-Batopilas at the bottom- incredible!

-Creel

-Areponapuchi

-Temoris

-Casas Grandes

Here is the complete itinerary:

Copper Canyon Trip for December, 2011

Dec 5- Arrive in El Paso. The airport is a good place to get pesos. Use the Travelex near the spot where you turn right to go to the baggage area. Meet our van and we head for Santa Teresa NM (20 minutes) to cross into Mexico. We are off toward the big apple- Chihuahua City. Dinner together and perhaps an evening view of the gigantic cathedral in the central plaza. We check into the historic boutique hotel, the San Felipe el Real. Stroll the historic district and the vast market.

The journey- We get and introduction to Norteño food as we travel south through the high elevation of the Chihuahua Desert. Burritos and other delicious street foods will be ours to choose from in the little towns north of Chihuahua.

Chihuahua City- This bustling hub for commerce has its roots as a mining and ranching center. Several fascinating museums (including the Pancho Villa home) gather around the towering 1700s cathedral. The food here is a bit eclectic and reflects the melting pot that Chihuahua has become.

Dec 6- time for breakfast and look around town- then off to San Juanito by van through Mennonite country. (Early train is an option). Winding our way into the Sierra Madre, we drop into several little villages and then arrive at the relaxing wooded Noritari near San Juanito- a unique cabin style solar hotel with a gourmet cook. A great night to enjoy dinner, chat with the chef, and take a stroll along the stream through the mountains.

Noritari- This unique 80 hectare site is dotted with cabins with fireplaces, private baths, solar lighting- the nearby stream flows and the pines whisper. Enjoy.

Dec 7 – We are up early and this is our big day to van to Batopilas. This trip will take most of the day and will include some of the world’s greatest canyon views. Evening in the quiet and remote mining town.

Batopilas has so much to see and experience…it is a step back 300 years to the silver mining boom in Chihuahua- fascinating history and culture.

Dec 8- All day in Bato- lots to explore- we have many options and Gustavo will be our expert to get us there.

Dec 9- Plenty of time to finish up our experience in Batopilas then return to Creel- evening to relax.

Creel is a bustling little village with lots of restaurants and shops. There is also a great little museum and shop which gives loads of info on Tarahumara culture

Dec 10- Train late morning to Temoris through the heart of Copper Canyon…have your camera ready! Evening in this little mining town.

Temoris- An old mining town which has seen a recent renewal of mining activity. The town sits 3000 ft above the train and is near some of the most spectacular parts of the railway. The “pines grow near the limes” in this unusual Sierra climate….great air! Aside from the few miners, very few gringos visit this place.

Dec 11- Optional hike down to train and on to El Fuerte- evening at Rio Vista. Evening to stroll the square and relax.

El Fuerte- A small town with a quaint (and delicious!) market and lots of colonial architecture. History, Indian culture, bird watching, and a palm lined plaza make this place a favorite.

Dec 12- Petroglyphs, river trip. Perhaps evening meal with Evangelina at hacienda.

Evangelina- This lovely lady with her brother and extended family live in one of the historic mansions off the square in El Fuerte. We often dine with them and get a full taste of some genuine Copper Canyon hospitality.

Dec 13 – Board the train in the morning headed northeast for Areponapuchi (Posada Barrancas station). We arrive at this tiny town and a local lodge- above the canyon- Mansion Tarahumara. Dinner, relax as well as perhaps watch the sunset over the vast reaches of Copper Canyon. “Arepo”as we call it, is officially “nowhere Mexico”. The area around Arepo gives us a good long look at Copper Canyon, and we have plenty of time to look around.

Areponapuchi- Just call it Arepo and don’t expect the big city. This tiny place sits near the rim of some of the best views of Copper Canyon. The new gondola and ziplines are a scenic thrill, and you can walk or ride horses in and around the great canyon. Also a good place to pick up local souvenirs.

Dec 14 – All day to enjoy ziplines, gondola, hiking, etc….and relax!

Dec 15 – Sunrise at the edge of Copper anyone? Breakfast and a walk down through a Tarahumara cave dwelling. Some last views of the canyon, then we catch our van to head for Casas Grandes As the evening cools a walk through the ancient Indian ruins at Paquime. Our home this evening is the lovely hacienda, Casa de Nopal.

Casas Grandes- Right on the edge of Casas are the Paquime Indian archaeological ruins- a UNESCO World Heritage site- and nearby is the tiny village of Mata Ortiz. The pottery from this area is very special and known around the world for its intricacy and character.

Food in the Casas area- This is the high desert area and truly ranch country. We will eat at an historic hacienda and savor the local restaurants.

Dec 16 – Plenty of time to explore Paquime ruins, Mata Ortiz pottery, etc. Dinner at hacienda.

Perhaps go up to Rancho Uno- Nature Conservancy reserve for evening.

…..and yes it is safe to travel in Mexico!

Dec 17- Up and off to El Paso to catch flights…or relax (if our flights are Dec 18) and drop into Janos on the way and get a warm welcome and tour with Celso and Emma at Don Cuco sotol. Sotol is THE drink of Chihuahua and is somewhat like tequila- but better…bring some home!

Sotol- This stop at Don Cuco will give you a full introduction (including a few sips) to this fine spirit from the enchanting Chihuahua area.

Price for this trip with 5 min is $1980 USD per person. Single room, add $300.

This includes all guides, transport, food, and hotels in Mexico except your visa, 4 meals, gondola and zipline, and alcohol. I will supply an overview of expected personal expenses.

I will anchor this trip with the deposit of 5 guests. Deposit is $500 per person.

Payable to TopTrips, 514 South Edwin, Champaign, Il 61821.

There is this expression for things done haphazardly or serendipitously in Mexico- as the donkey plays the flute. Alfredo mutters this expression as we head back to the bridge to “begin” the walk. I really have no plan and want to just amble around and have a bunch of experiences in this place and tweet about it all day- @coppercanyonguy.

Tweet, tweet, tweet

For three days I will shoot (have to quit with that word) pics and tweet them with my experiences. As we come to the bridge I start. Vendors are everywhere, cars are lined up. A TV station calls me and says they want to film me- Mexican of course- not a bit of US coverage.

USA Today, Curious

Actually there is one gringa reporter/writer who took some interest just before the trip. She is Jayne Clarke at USA Today Travel blog, and she had her own experience considering coming to Juarez – actually got talked out of it. That story ran awhile back. The day I started walking she wrote about it – A Walk Across Mexico’s murder capitol:brave, foolhardy, or neither? As I tweeted that day- certainly neither- but I am not sure of the right word.

Perhaps curious.

TV Coverage, Dave just be Dave!

So we head off to the border to start and there are cameras and tv reporters from Noticias and Televisa.

Actually we stop on the way for a second breakfast…

All over Juarez there are street food vendors and in this case I enjoy chicken tacos- yes!

Every step of the way I am tweeting- those tweets are at @coppercanyonguy or on face book "dave hensleigh"- and folks are fascinated...and love my idea.

So at the bridge I “start” – they start interviewing me and asking all sorts of questions which I try to answer in my lousy Spanish.

On camera at the Bridge of the Americas.

And then they interview Alfredo…and I wonder, can he get serious for a moment?

I tell Alfredo just before this- don't embarrass me- he is always joking around- and he acts like a perfect gentleman- amazing!

So then I turn to one of the vendors and ask for some water and then we start joking about where the water they sell to gringos comes from.

And the TV guys say, “Hey Dave, just be Dave!” So I turn to the line of cars and start knocking on windows and saying hello. And as I tell people what we are doing they say “Bienvenidos a Juarez”. I am welcomed by hundreds.

Then we head off and the cameras follow and all day long we have these experiences around town…amazing.

The streets of Juarez are alive...packed with traffic and people. I did not expect this.

The cameras followed me for 2-3 hrs and told me "Dave, just be Dave!"

I met this grandpa with a child the same age as our grandchild. I thought "I would bring my little Ezra here". I want my kids and grandkids to see this place and the wall- the same as I saw the Berlin wall as a kid.

Tweeting on the plaza with Tin Tan- local actor and icon.

1,000 miles away…

End of the day we return to the Ramada for a press conference. There is an array of reporters there and they ask a whole bunch of questions and I struggle through in Spanish- why didn’t I pay attention when I took those classes in High School?

Anyway I hear one of the Mexicans being interviewed say “El Paso is so close, but it seems like it is 1,000 miles away” – and my mind drifts…

-We have withdrawn from this place. One NGO used to do 40 trips here a year. Now they do 2 or 3, maybe.

-My observation is that the distance is extreme indeed. Isolation is a good term. And there are arms open there and there is a desire for connection and understanding. But there is this vast ocean- not just a trickling river- between these “twin cities”.

-I wonder at how Juarez has become the butt of Mexico in our US view.

End of Day 1

We pack our way over to a gracious welcome at Hampton Inn, Juarez.

Another place with a gringo name but full of Mexican hospitality.

There are scores of very nice hotels like this in Juarez…and I remember imagining that I would be huddled in some grubby hovel of a room listening for gunshots and expecting the door to be bashed in any moment.

Never a thought of it now.

I have journeyed so far from El Paso in one day. Like 1,000 miles, mas o menos.

I like where I am.

My right hand guide in Copper Canyon, Alfredo Murillo, lives in Chihuahua and is very familiar with Juarez and the situation there. I email him of my plans and ask for his input. I ask him if he could meet me at the El Paso airport and give me a bit of logistical support- like taking my big bag across, getting some visa work done, and staying at a distance and shooting (shouldn’t use that word)- TAKING some pictures.

His response is less than encouraging.

A Good Thought…

“Hi David, Juarez City still A problem beacuse the lolcal people are afraid of The cituation beacuse they don’t go out after 8:00 p.m. , the city, it looks like a ghost town that is what thee Army people told me when I worked with EL ESTADO MAYOR (This is the official security of the president of Mexico ) So, I think It’s a good Thought but not a good idea. Maybe in the day time it could be different, that’s what I think.About the car, I think that I can Ask to borrow one, the car of my friend Jesus Dominguez, I’m on my way to Chihuahua, I’ll keep in touch Adios amigo”

I love (or hate) that line there- “I think its a good THOUGHT but not a good IDEA” .  As if to say in the gracious Mexican way, “You dumb-ass Gringo, what are you thinking?”

Regardless, he agrees to help and to meet me at the Microtel near the airport on August 18.

This Old Painting in the Burger King

The way it used to be at the bridge to Juarez.

I fly into ELP and stop for a moment at the Burger King- it is walled with these old views of El Paso. Included is this idyllic depiction of the border crossing into Juarez. Little kids playing, the Rio Grande flowing clean, people visiting and gringos headed across for a delightful day in old Juarez.

I pause for a moment and ask myself one more time- why am I doing this?

I remember crossing that bridge in 1969 with brother Dick for a raucous weekend taking in the bars, the raunchystrip joints, the cheap little motels.

The images in my mind of the dead bodies, decapitated, thrown in piles, bullet ridden cars…

Something in me wants to get right back on that Southwest flight and go back to safe and secure Champaign/Urbana and go on with life. But wait a minute: did we not have several shootings there in the past few weeks? And wasn’t one of them on a street corner not far from our home and two young men were killed and did not stray bullets scream into rooms nearby where little kids were sleeping. And isn’t little CU having an increasing problem with armed robbery?

I shake back to the moment, grab my bags, and head out to meet Alfredo.

I’m going to Juarez.

Across La Frontera and Everything Changes

My first moments in Juarez and already the welcome begins.

This always the way it is and I instantly remember- when you cross to the US all is formal and terse and sometimes a bit rude.

When you cross to Mexico it is so different.

The signage is welcoming and communicates they are glad I am here.

People speak to me and say good afternoon.

Youth are everywhere- the streets are alive.

And the sense of connection increases beyond expectation…and beyond belief.

At the Ramada

Our home for the evening is the lovely Ramada, right beside the statue of Abe Lincoln- a local hero- long story, but there is a particular reason why he means a lot to the people of Juarez.

In the lobby I meet some of the hotel staff- hugs and kisses everywhere. The treasurer of the city comes by and welcomes me as does the vice-mayor. Everyone says welcome, welcome, welcome…and the typical “This is your house.” is repeated more times than I can count.

The director of police says hello and mentions that 65% of the people in Juarez need access to the central part of the city and that it is very secure. I have my doubts- haven’t seen it yet. He says that much has changed and that the life of the central part of the city and much of Juarez is vibrant and safe. Hmm. Really? I have yet to see.

Anyway I am welcomed and taken to a spacious, clean, room and there are gifts. One note: you may be thinking- the Ramada is an American kind of place- but this place is thoroughly Mexican. No English, decor is local, and most of all  the hospitality is personal and abundant. My host Lorenzo pulls out a bottle of top line mescal and presents it as a welcome gift. I am warming. Mescal will do it every time.

I feel at home.

And I recall that this happens every time we cross the border. Everything changes and it is so cool. My heart slows down. I smile. I actually look forward to the next three days.

Dominoes and Dinner With the Boys

My new friend Sergio picks me up at 6p and we head across town. I ask him if we need to avoid certain areas and he says very few and we drive across most of the city to catch an evening with a group of his friends who gather every Thursday night for dominoes and dinner.

The boys gather for a friendly game of dominoes...and alot of conversation.

We drink, we eat, we talk and a huge thunderstorm sweeps across Juarez. I feel at home.

The Clinton Letter

A huge thunderstorm pushes across town – a frog strangler- and we step inside for a moment. Our host, Gustavo Elizondo was the mayor of Juarez 10 years ago and he asks me to slip into his study for a moment.

Gustavo Elizondo. mayor of Juarez 2001-2004.

He shows me a framed letter from Bill Clinton he received while in office. It is a profuse apology to Elizondo and the people of Juarez. Turns out that Clinton made a reference to Juarez that was very negative and the letter is an expression of regret for the continual characterization of Juarez as the scum spot (escorio they say) of the Americas.

My friend Sergio and Gustavo Elizondo with the Clinton apology letter.

As he is explaining my thoughts are racing. I do the same thing.

My default place for all the problems we face with Mexico and the US is Juarez, and it is simply a convenient way to disconnect from the real issue.

To a man my domino com-padres are saying “We have decided to stay, we are thriving, our kids walk these streets, we love Juarez, and on and on.”  I am so glad I have come and I can’t wait to see this place – this escorio.

They are laughing, joking then serious, pensive. The future of Juarez rests of course on what happens with the drug wars. It also rests in how we will be able to have meaningful connection and understanding across the border. But now there is a wide and even hostile divide- fed by fear.

And it seems to be expanding.

The walk starts tomorrow

People in the US expect that I am huddled in some basic, dingy hotel room, fearing for my life and listening for gunshots- expecting that the door will be busted open any moment and that I will headed for my naked, bloody appointment with the bridge soon with a sign hung to my neck.

But I am riding back across the busy streets in the rain with Sergio and I have a new friend.

I hear a siren, we see some Federales, but not once do I have any fear or even direct expectation of danger.

There is a saying in Mexico “un prietito en arroz” like the little black thing in a fine white bowl of rice. It refers to the problem in an otherwise fine situation- a black spot that ruins everything.

What is the problem here? Is it the desperate war for rule of law in Mexico? Yes.

But is it not also that we have decided to wall off the problem and just categorize Juarez in particular as the problem?

Tomorrow I walk.