Topolobampo & Copper Canyon, Mexico

Yesterday was an exceptionally long day – we arose at 3:30 am and had a quick breakfast at the buffet, where mum and I opted to sit outside even though it was pitch black and drizzling. As you can imagine, we were the only passengers sitting out there! I was so bleary-eyed that I managed to slam my thumb in the bathroom door - ouch! By 5:00 we were on our bus leaving the port at Topolobampo and by 7:00 our train was on its way to Copper Canyon. Princess booked the entire First Class train on the Chihuahua-Pacifico Railroad for our group, and about 140 of us made the journey. The scenery was breathtaking, and the vegetation changed quite drastically from cacti at the beginning to pine trees and red cedars as our train climbed up high into the mountains – they had just had a snowfall the night before, so that was pretty thrilling for the Americans onboard! Our guide, Guadalupe, was excellent and very informative – he kept us well entertained. Six hours later we arrived at Copper Canyon, which is seven times larger and much deeper than the Grand Canyon. It was truly a spectacular sight! We had lunch at a hotel perched on the edge of the canyon and then had time to walk along the canyon rim and purchase hand-woven baskets, shawls and other goods from the local Tarahumara Indians. Then it was back on the train for the six hour ride back to the station, and finally the bus ride back to the ship. We were back onboard by about 10:45 last night, exhausted but very pleased about our fabulous trip! On a side note, mum wanted me to mention that we'd love to hear any comments, questions or news any of you might have. We may be far away, but that doesn't mean we're not interested! Next up is Valentine's Day in Los Angeles – we just found out upon our return last night that not enough people signed up for a day at Universal Studios and the trip has been cancelled, so now we have to figure out what we want to do!