Why stop with only one day without boat chores?
We decided it was time to visit the Sunday Market in Empalme again - the weather was sunny and clear and a 'day of rest' was in order.
[Teri: we do listen to your good advice!]
With a nod to Wikipedia yet again:
"The word empalme means "junction". At first, the community site was called Kilómetro Nueve because it was nine kilometers out of the port city of Guaymas. Unlike other towns or cities in Mexico, Empalme was built completely by foreigners, specifically the Utah Construction Company under contract to the Southern Pacific Railroad Company. Very few native materials were used in the construction. The founders owned a major railroad, affording easy transportation of materials and personnel. The purpose of the settlement was to provide repair facilities for SP operations in Mexico, with a large shop and roundhouse. They still exist today, although unused; repair and maintenance now being done in Guadalajara, Jalisco. Hundreds of the homes built originally still exist in Empalme, their design and materials unchanged."
Our drive is about 20 minutes from San Carlos, skirting Guaymas to the east via the "Libramiento San Jose - Puente Douglas" road, which connects with the carretera international (highway) at the large lagoon at the entrance to Empalme. The edges of the bridge (puente) are lined with 'shrimp and oyster' shacks were you can savour fresh catch of the day; fishing pangas pass under the shallow arches in the bridge and line the shallows; pelicans and other seabirds abound. We park near the fire station (bomberos) and walk a few residential blocks to the north end of the line of stalls which comprise the weekly market. As we mentioned after our December visit, searching for additions to Kelly's tropical shirt collection has become hard work! And prices have escalated! He found two at long last - 70 and 60 pesos respectively. Carol found a mint condition gauzy white shirt which will look dressy for a dinner out.
It takes effort to wend one's way down and back along the narrow walkway, especially as no one keeps to the right and sunshades tend to stretch and sag in the heat of the day. We stopped for "gorditas" just before noon, washed down with a jamaica (ha-my-ca) drink, made from dried hibiscus flowers.
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| What's on offer at the market |
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| Jamaica drink and condiments |
On this visit, we walked from the market towards the centre of Empalme, thinking an ice cream cone might be an excellent dessert. Too many people with the same idea when we came to the store. Along the way we stopped at the main plaza "Plaza El Tinaco", officially called Plaza Independencia. No informative plaque for this symbolic statue; however, it is backed by a huge concrete water tank - a
'tinaco', which signified the discovery of water for the new community.
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| Plaza El Tinaco |
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| The large water tank - a 'tinaco' |
No ice cream treat as mentioned, but across the street was the Railway museum, "Museo Ferrocarrilero", which opened in 1957 and is housed in a railway coach. We stepped inside to view the historical exhibits, only to find an interview being filmed; politely we took a few photos and departed.
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| Kelly and Caboose |
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| Museo Ferrcarrilero Empalme |
The location includes a statue to Jesus Garcia Corona, who was a Mexican railroad brakeman who died in 1907 while preventing a train loaded with dynamite from exploding. He is revered as a national hero, especially in the state of Sonora, where the accident took place.
"Jesús García was the railroad brakeman for the train that covered the line between Nacozari, Sonora, and Douglas, Arizona. On 7 November 1907 the train was stopped in the town and, as he was resting, he saw that some hay on the roof of a car containing dynamite had caught fire. The cause of the fire was that the locomotive's firebox was failing and sparks were going out from the smokestack. The wind blew them and got into the dynamite cars. García drove the train in reverse downhill at full-steam six kilometers out of the town before the dynamite exploded, killing him and sparing the population of the mining town."
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| National hero Jesus Garcia Corona, Empalme |
[There is more...adventures to be continued!]
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