Days 64 And 65: Guachochi

Despite its location just 18 km from what is considered the most beautiful of the eleven Copper Canyons, the Sinforosa Canyon, Guachochi has a raw gritty feeling of people who have long suffered the turf wars of the drug cartels.  These days, the federal military presence is palpable, which is a good thing because local police forces in northern Mexico are often part of the problem or outgunned, so to speak.  Politically, Guachochi serves an important role for the Raramuri, as one of the first two locations for the National Indigenist Institute as well as the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of the Tarahumara.  Tourism here is basically non-existent but for the few intrepid souls that come to admire the Sinforosa Canyon.

Gonzalo and I decided to take a little time in Guachochi to rest because I was still feeling under the weather and Gonzalo was battling a backlog of work.  Since I don't do the whole "rest" thing very well, I took a short walk around town to see what there was to see.  Guachochi is by no stretch of the imagination a pretty town.  The streets feel abandoned with their empty storefronts, "for rent" signs, and dilapidated buildings.  But if you look closely, it's a town attempting to survive against all odds, from the warm cozy taco stand around the corner from our hotel to perfectly tended roses in front of a freshly painted house.

Mum, this one is for you.

I'm curious what significance John F. Kennedy had here in Guachochi.  The Googles tell me nothing.

A small lake in the middle of town provides an expected bit of beauty here.

A group of teenage kids enjoy a Friday morning rowing on a different section of the lake.

Local cyclist relaxes on the Plaza Esperanza.

This basic comedor on the Plaza Esperanza serves up a delicious filling comida corrida.  It is run by two Raramuri women who operate out of a clean open kitchen.

"Care for the environment."

Guachochi municipality is about to have its local elections, so I picked up the local paper to get some insight on the politics of the area.  After fifteen years in Washington DC, I've generally kept a distance from U.S. politics, but here in Mexico, politics are a completely different beast.  For example, a mayoral candidate in another municipality in Chihuahua state was kidnapped earlier this week.

Another bonus... working on my spanish!  This issue contains an editorial on farming in the Sierra Tarahumara, interviews with the municipal presidential candidates, coverage of the first meeting among the indigenous communities of the Ecuador, Perú, Panamá, and Mexico, the poverty problem (95% of the municipality lives in poverty), the obesity epidemic in Mexico (blamed in large part on "droga-cola"), a review of the "unofficial" version of Pancho Villa's life, and coverage of a horseback procession from Guachochi to Nonoava.

With the rainy season upon us, each afternoon, the skies open up and rain for a couple of hours.   Oftentimes, the grey clouds linger until dark when they give way to bright stars.  One afternoon here in Guachochi, the sun came back out and the promise of a beautiful sunset led us to grab a bottle of red wine and to climb up to the third story balcony of our hotel.  We spent the evening talking about just about everything from what we want from life, what this tour means to us, and in particular, what scares us about being a vagrant cycle tourist.  Gonzalo is a considerate and deep thinker, but doesn't mince words when he has an issue.  It's one of the things I appreciate the most about him because it allows us to have an open and honest dialogue.

Inspiration in the most random of places.

Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in telling the story of this adventure, but the real purpose of this trip is not the adventure.  What!?  What!?  This trip has had an evolving purpose since its inception.  In the beginning, it was an abstract idea that helped me focus my energies on getting out of education debt which tied me to my BigLaw job.  I was drowning in my day-to-day life in Washington DC, but if you asked me what my ideal job and lifestyle looked like, I didn't have any idea.  I just knew something had to change.  An extended bike tour just happened to be what I chose, not because I had a burning passion for it (don't get me wrong, I like bike touring a lot, but it's not my primary passion in life), but because it gave me a goal to work towards, one that allowed me to daydream, research, and create an action plan to make happen.

And then all of a sudden, I was there.  I made it happen.  Did it bring instant joy?  The moment I paid off my student loans, the day I gave notice to my work, and my last day at the office, yes... those were moments of sheer joy.  But I found myself with the following dilemma; the world was my oyster and I had no idea what to do with all the freedom.  I've come to realize that this tour is a complex and wonderful distraction which is filling the time until I figure out exactly what I want to do with myself.  And it is doing exactly that.  Long cycling days and extended stays in various towns to allow Gonzalo to work have provided me much needed time to talk myself into circles.  While I still have no idea what I want to be when I grow up, I have learned the following things about myself:

• Before I left for this trip, some of my friends thought I was never coming back.  I wasn't sure either... maybe I would continue onto Southeast Asia after Latin America and just keep going until the money ran out.  After over two months on the road, I no longer see this trip as one without an end.  When it will end is still up in the air.

• Bike touring should be a shared experience.  I cannot imagine myself continuing this bike tour without a cycling partner.  So the end will be when Gonzalo decides to stop travelling or I do.   

• I really miss having a home base.  While Washington DC will always feel a bit like home to me, it is not the home base I want anymore.  The American West calls me, in part, to be closer to my family, in part, to be closer to mountains and rivers, and in part, to live a more simple lifestyle.  Bend Oregon is leading the way right now, though I've got my eye on Moab Utah, Missoula Montana, Durango Colorado, and Boise Idaho.

• I am happiest when my life is an exercise in contrasts.  I like having a routine and breaking it up with adventures here and there.  A lot of people think, at least on a superficial level, that a year's travel with no responsibilities is living the dream.  And for some people, it may be.  But when I think back on the happiest times of my life, it was when I had just started my career in BigLaw... things were slow at the firm, so I was working normal hours, I had enough money to plan all sorts of fun weekend trips and an occasional international adventure, and I was deeply entrenched in the salsa, parkour, and outdoor adventure communities of DC.  I always had something to look forward to.  And that is something that is a bit lost on an extended bike tour.  The routine is adventure and there is no contrast, nothing to break it up, so it takes a more conscious effort to appreciate each day.  After this trip is done, I envision myself planning shorter trips... two or three weeks long and always with friends or a cycling partner.  

• Of all the things I miss, I miss my friends and family the most.  I miss having a sense of community, whether it is my salsa community, my parkour community, or my motley crew of adventure friends.  Nothing changes as those friends slowly scatter throughout the U.S. and the world.  It just gives me an excuse to plan another fun trip to visit them one by one.  And I look forward to the new communities I will find wherever I end up.