Up The River

On Good Friday the Mysterious Chinese Woman and I decided to take a hike up the Rio Cuale with the Mysterious Chinese Woman. We have walked up this way before, but never as far as we did today. We walked well beyond the end of the line for the bus that goes up there, and that is a fair hike indeed.

Our first stop was a restaurant that we have been to before. Quite an interesting little place right along the river. This place would have been the end of the line for most hikers, but for us it was just the beginning.

Cuale Paraiso


We were a bit too early for lunch so we simply settled for a couple of beers.

A Beer At The Bar


They had a number of stuffed animals, birds, and animal skins from what were indigenous species before they were all stuffed and skinned.

Keep An Eye Out For Predators


Nice Little Birdie


They have a number of tables inside but also a few outside right next to the river. The last time we were here it was in the evening and I would highly recommend you apply bug repellent before you go. We got pretty bitten up by little sand fleas, or whatever they are.

On The Patio


I didn't get any bites on this day but the Mysterious Chinese Woman, delicate flower that she is, managed to get a few.

Of course if you are walking along a river you need to, on occasion, get to the other side. There were a number of alternatives, but this one was, by far, the most interesting.

Ah, I Don't Think So


The idea was to climb up a small ladder and then two of you could sit facing each other and crank yourselves over to the other side.

To The Far Side


I am not sure if this thing was even operable, but we weren't about to find out.

As we hiked further up the river we saw fewer buses but the locals seem to have other means of transportation at their disposal.

Saves On Car Insurance




There were a few little stores along the way, but they weren't exactly your local deli.

They Did Have Beer, Though


Across from this store was what looked to be an old ranch. It didn't seem to be occupied though, but the gate was impressive.

Anybody Home?


From this angle you can get an idea of the road we were hiking.

A Bit On The Desolate Side


And then suddenly we felt like we were in a Mad Max movie.

A Little Chicken For Dessert, Perhaps?


A bit further along we saw yet another well crafted bridge across the river.

Wading Might Be Easier


Given that this is the dry season I suspect this was just a temporary bridge, at best.

The Mysterious Chinese Woman, always searching for some botanical discovery that could either be made into a soup or a medicine, spotted these interesting flowers blooming or about to seed.

Must Be Good For Something


Of course she had to collect a specimen for latter analysis.

Oh, So Pretty


We soon moved out of the Mad Max setting into more of a Clint Eastwood scene.

The Good, The Bad, And The Horses


The Bad And The Horses, What Happened To The Good?


We come across the Mexican equivalent of a lemonade stand. Little kids were selling fruit and juices along side of the road. I particularly liked the stairway up to their house made of old tires. Not much goes to waste.

Papaya On A Stick


By the time we got here we hadn't seen a bus for quite awhile and I wasn't sure just what we were about to encounter.

The Gateway To...?


Actually, we didn't really run across much of anything other than a lot of Mexicans who were taking advantage of the Easter weekend to camp out along the river.

Camping Out


Everyone looked like they were having a great time, cooking and eating and drinking while the kids frolicked in the river.

The Kids At Play


After hiking for about another half an hour or so we realized that we weren't about to stumble across a town or anything so we decided we better head back to where we last saw a bus so we could catch one and head back to town.

The Bus Stop


Luckily this bus stop was right outside a little store that also sold cerveza, and believe me, I could use one.

Uno Cerveza Fria


And along came our bus.

Home, James


It was a long hike, even with the bus ride back. The Mysterious Chinese Woman had had enough.

Zonked Out


I pretty much did in my Minnetonka Moccasins on this little trip, although to be fair they weren't in that good of condition when I started.

The End Of The Line


I Wonder If There Is A Money Back Guarantee


It was a pretty exhausting day but there was a neat looking little restaurant next to the bus stop that I would like to go back to visit. It was closed because it was Good Friday, but one day soon I will take a bus back to check it out.