“El Chepe” …
This is the mythical train of Mexico, from Los Mochis to Chihuahua … Its name resonates breathtaking landscapes, Canyons that have nothing to envy to the Canyons of the American West, and their inhabitants, the Tarahumaras Indians and the Cowboys, yes almost as in movies
“El Chepe”, the adventure, the west, the return to the past … We got on the train in the village of El Fuerte, small village in the valley… At 8h30 everyone was waiting for him… playing on the tracks, looking forward to seeing him roar, finally … And yes, before we saw it, we heard it… the repeated whistling that tells you it comes… It entered into the station, and people were so impressed that they remained on the tracks until the last moment, regardless of the danger, hoping to take one last selfie before the iron monster approached them. I didn’t dare challenge him…
“El Chepe” with its station managers dressed in green who all look like Hercules Poirot from Crime de l’Orient Express…
“El Chepe”, another world, a leap into the past … The spectacular scenery unfolds before our eyes … First the valley and its pink trees in bloom, then the mountains, arid, solid, to the sound wheels on the rails, rattling, rocking and whistling of the train …. We arrived in a station, in the territory of the Indian Tarahumara also called Raramuri of the Barranca del Cobre, one of the most beautiful Canyons in the world. The Tarahumara Indians, come to meet the train and to meet us, they wander on the rails, with their small sandals made of plastic tires, hoping to sell some pieces of their crafts … their dresses are beautiful, colorful, happy, but in their eyes we can feel that life is hard here … The Tarahumara are those Indians of northern Mexico who can run for miles barefoot or sandals and can ridiculise most of the ultra-marathoners of the world. .. Yes life is hard here, but here people are proud too, even if they have nothing … So when little girls with rainbow dresses look at you with their big dark black eyes, begging you “Compra?” , (“Buy?”), we, the strangers, we buy even if we do not really need those art crafts. At least we can “act as if” , we are so lucky and do not even know it …
“El Chepe” is also the city of Creel, the city of Cowboys and Pickups. The whole city is organized around the railway and the train. The atmosphere is in cowboy hats, and Santiagues, and horses … we would like to watch our Western movie classics, but the network is not so good in such end of the world towns.
“El Chepe” finishes its race arriving at night in Chiuhahua, the city of the Mexican Revolution. We still would like to go back in time, just take the train in reverse … just once … But now, already the trip is over …
“El Chepe” will start the next day, in the opposite direction, from Chihuahua to Los Mochis, with on board other intrepid travelers. But we still might be able to steal their tickets, besides where is my Colt?
© AnneCharlotte Guinot. The photos in this series have all been taken from the train or from the railroad.
