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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
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Mood: optimistic
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JR----attitudes of smugglers
I was there about 4 years ago. Was on a tour with 12 people total, +2 guides. Although we saw several of the super fancy vehicles (4-wheel drives with
all the doo-dads) both at Batopilas and at Urique, we never actually came in contact with the drivers, or anyone we could deffinitely say was a
bad-guy. The guides were the nervous ones----we touri were to blissful and stupid to be alarmed. Never approached by anyone to sell us drugs. At the
fancy hotel at Tejaban, I walked all around the premises (outside)taking pictures, and was constantly followed by two guys who tried half-heartedly to
remain out of site. They may have been there just to see that I did not get in trouble, but, I got the deffinite feeling that I was not welcome to
walk where I wanted to, but nobody really tried to stop me, either. This hotel had a really nice runway with lights, nearby. We were there for 3 days
and no other guests arrived in that time. I checked the guest book when nobody was looking (or so I believed) and we were the only people signed in
for about 10 days. It is hard to keep a hotel viable with no guests----yet it was fully staffed, and looked really nice. Come to your own
conclusions----the other tour folks thought I was crazy, all but my wife, who knows that I am. The road in was so horrible that most "normal" guests
must fly in-----it occurred to me that flying in was a way for north bound smugglers to also visit, on their way to, and from, the USA on clandestine
missions. I have no proof of any of this----just my perception. Kinda added excitement to the whole trip, as if we needed more excitement. I did
notice that the guides were really nervous, but they denied it. We saw no evidence of soldiers, or even Federales, anywhere, unlike Baja CA. The
staff was generous and helpful and super friendly. This is a really nice place. I would go back in a heartbeat!!
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Neal Johns
Super Nomad
Posts: 1687
Registered: 10-31-2002
Location: Lytle Creek, CA
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Mood: In love!
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From Google - a charity trip (Tarahumara Famine Relief Race) in 1996:
Following this visit we drove around the corner and to our absolute amazement ran smack dab into
the incredible Tejaban Lodge. Only open for a year, this Lodge took 40 men 2 years to build at a cost of
over $2 million! Constructed on the very edge of the Barranca del Cobre itself, this lodge is truly a marvel
of human ingenuity and folly all rolled up into one incredibly incongruous structure. From the polished
marble floors, to the luxuriously spacious dining room, to the TVs in the rooms that are remote operated but only have one Mexican channel. This place
is nuts and as the only guests we feel like we're either participants in the "Shining II" and Jack Nicholson's going to pop out with a hatchet, or the
"Twighlight Zone" and Rod Searling's going to ask us for a light of his cigarette. Either way it's a little twisted. We like it.
Manny, the nervous Inn keeper, checks us into our room and following a nice hot shower we're off
to dinner. Four Mrs. Paul's frozen fish sticks apiece, a side of beans, salad and tortillas? Well, it was food
and we were hungry. Gobbled it down, Manny lit a cozy fire in our room, and we went to bed.
The next morning dawns bright and we have a better view of the Canyon. It's truly magnificent and, though we're perched on the rim, we can't even see
the Urique River far below. It's that steep. We have a quick breakfast and Keefer and I decide to take a short walk out to the east so I can
photograph this
bizarre structure. We find a Tarahumara trail and are drawn deeper and deeper into the Canyon. The views are lofty and expansive and their presence
provides us with incredible energy as we climb on and on down the ancient trail. Soon we come upon a little hamlet with its dusty dry cornfield,
primitive log cabin and its pack of barking dogs. I holler an "Hola!" to the family below and proceed cautiously on. Once over the hill we see a young
boy, his mother, grandmother, a sister and a young brother. Thankfully they have locked the growling dogs in a chicken coop. We talk in broken
sentences of Spanish. Having gained a modicum of trust we begin to video the area and the Indians. The grandmother shies away and will not look at the
camera, but the others don't seem to mind. Having to meet Rick back in Cusarare at noon forces us to leave this enchanted area.
My motto:
Never let a Dragon pass by without pulling its tail!
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: optimistic
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Tejaban
Neil------you may not have seen them, but there were bad guys behind every tree around that hotel. The story I heard was that the place was built be
a retired Mexican Military pilot, and officer. I obviously picked up on the "pilot" aspect of the story, and you know what I suspected. (How does a
retired military officer get that kind of money???)
OK,OK----it is just a nice hotel, with a beautiful view------and our food in 2000 was really very good. But still----no guests???? something is
fishy here. (-: Barry
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jrbaja
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4863
Registered: 2-2-2003
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Good hotel / Bad Hotel
either way, fascinating stories from both of you. Howz about some pictures?
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
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Mood: optimistic
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pictures???
I don't know how to do that.----but yours are sure great!!!! BArry
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jrbaja
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4863
Registered: 2-2-2003
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Thanks again Barry
Do you want to learn? Do you have a scanner or digital camera?
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Neal Johns
Super Nomad
Posts: 1687
Registered: 10-31-2002
Location: Lytle Creek, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: In love!
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Barry, I was not there - just posted the story because it was interesting. Probably was drug money.
My motto:
Never let a Dragon pass by without pulling its tail!
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: optimistic
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posting pictures & tejaban
JR------I am still in the stone age----no Digital camera, no scanner (that works). I notice that David K used a throw-away camera----is he using a
scanner? or do you know??
Neal-----thanks, Neal. I thought that you had led that trip. If you get the chance, you have to go there. We went with CALIFORNIA NATIVE, out of LA.
Great trip!!
Barry
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jrbaja
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4863
Registered: 2-2-2003
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Barry
I'm not positive but I think you can have 35 mm film put on a cd wherever you develop them and then download them on your computer.
If your on here , your not to far behind. And, there is great information available from people that know a LOT about that stuff on here. I'm just
learnin too!
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