A SHORT SIDE TRIP TO ALAMOS, SONORA

Last year, we spent a couple of weeks in Alamos, an old mining town set at 1,400 feet in the mountains of Sonora, Mexico. We had arranged to take 2 weeks of Spanish classes there, and loved the charm of the colonial town.

After leaving Mazatlan, we headed back to Alamos for just a few days to see if we enjoyed it as much as we remembered.

Oh, yes!


The drive east from Mex-15, the main highway, was a great surprise. For one thing, all the highway construction that made last year's drive a terrifying challenge for a big rig has been completed. The new road is smooth, two lanes with with four foot wide shoulders... absolutely wonderful.

Also unlike last year, Alamos this year had an average amount of rain, and the blooming flowers and trees were living proof of the wet weather. The top photo shows the gorgeous Amapa trees blooming throughout the foothills, and Alamos was ablaze with blossoms.

Alamos is a town of colonial architecture, arched verandas, ancient cobbled streets, hidden gardens, and friendly people. The street in the second photo is said to be one of the oldest in Alamos, leading to the cathedral and main plaza.

This building houses our favorite restaurant in Alamos, rather off the beaten tourist path. It is named Dona Lola's, but everyone who knows of it calls it Cokie's - I think that is the name of the cook. This appears to be the family home, with a large and crowded kitchen, one good sized room for dining, and a door that leads from the dining room to the living quarters in the back.




This trip, we ate at Cokie's both nights - the Pescado al Mojo de Ajo (Fish with Garlic Sauce) can't be beat. I think the price was 50 or 55 pesos ($5 or $5.50 US) - it had gone up about 50 cents from last year, but the restaurant had upgraded from disposable dishes and plastic cutlery to china and silverware.

This last photo is from the large, extremely crowded and showy cemetery, a nice walk from the RV park we call home in Alamos.