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The Peace Train Mexico Tour 2021
October 21, 2021 - November 3, 2021
We’ll be convening people from across the USA in San Diego, California. From there, we’ll cross the border into Mexico for workshops and rehearsals with youth and families in Tijuana in preparation for filming a music video at the place where the mural-covered border wall extends into the Pacific Ocean. Then we’ll all board The Peace Train and travel along the northern border of Mexico that’s used by many asylum seekers and give a concert in a local community with indigenous musicians. Next, we travel to Mexico City, Puebla, and Oaxaca for workshops and performances with indigenous groups, visits to important historical and cultural sites, and opportunities to sample the culinary specialties of each region.
Our tour is during one of the most important periods for cultural and spiritual renewal in Mexico, and a fitting antidote to the pandemic. Here are the details:
Oct. 21 – We’ll all meet up in sunny San Diego and be transported across the border to our hotel in Tijuana. We’ll have a rehearsal and a real Mexican dinner tonight.
Oct. 22 – Breakfast at hotel and then we’ll visit one of the shelters for migrant children and families where we’ve been working this year. Next, we make the short trip to Playas de Tijuana where the mural-painted border wall extends into the Pacific Ocean. Meet the staff, choir members and their families from our partner organization, Promotora de las Bellas Artes, and record a music video together: “Vamos en el Tren de la Paz.” Presentation on the situation of migrants and asylum seekers at the Undocumented Café. Tonight we dine at the famous Caesar’s Restaurant where the Caesar salad was invented and then go to Praga to hear Sharon’s Tijuana band perform while we enjoy dessert. Return to Tijuana hotel for overnight.
Oct. 23 – Pick up your boxed breakfast and beverage in the hotel before boarding our bus to travel to the train station. Board The Peace Train for our ride with the choir to the town of Tecate. Snacks, activities, and rehearsal onboard. Arrive at Centro Estatal de las Artes (CEART) cultural center in Tecate. While the choirs from Tijuana and Tecate rehearse, our group will have a workshop on the significance of Catrina dolls in the Dia de los Muertos festivities and then we’ll make our own Catrinas. After lunch, enjoy a performance at CEART featuring the choirs and indigenous Kumiai musicians and dancers. Next, a short ride to Parque La Puerta for the Dia de los Muertos Festival and performances. Return to Tijuana hotel for overnight.
Oct. 24 – Early breakfast & check-out. Board the hotel shuttles to the Tijuana airport for our flight to Mexico City for 4 nights. Check-in at our hotel near the Zocalo, have lunch, then a short, guided historical walking tour to Palacio de Bellas Artes, a dramatic marble performance hall and museum featuring murals by Diego Rivera. Tonight you can enjoy walking in the Zocalo or music at Garibaldi Square or Zinko Jazz Club
Oct. 25 – This morning we go to the world-renown Teotihuacan heritage site for our Hot Air Balloon Ride over the Pyramids. Coffee upon arrival and breakfast at the end of our ride. Rest of the day and night at leisure to explore the city using your ticket for the Hop On & Off bus.
Oct. 26 – Full day tour including a boat ride with the best mariachi bands accompanying us in Xochimilco; an exploration of the Coyoacan neighborhood & a special visit to Frida Kahlo’s home.
Oct. 27 – Today we visit Chapultepec Castle and the extraordinary Anthropology Museum. Tonight is a very special treat as we enjoy the Folkloric Ballet of Mexico.
Oct. 28 – After breakfast and check-out, we board our bus heading to Puebla, stopping enroute to tour Cholula where the Dia de los Muertos festivities begin. Arrive in Puebla and check-in at our hotel. Walking and tasting tour of Puebla, famous for its chocolate mole sauce and cable car. Overnight in Puebla.
For our last 5 days, an extraordinary treat: Oaxaca during the unique
Dias de los Muertos rituals!
Oct. 29 – Nov. 2: After traveling from Puebla, we’ll arrive in spectacular Oaxaca and check-in at our hotel near the Zocalo for 5 nights. Each day will be a feast for all your senses!
We’ll explore the arts, history, culture, music and culinary specialties of the city and surrounding villages and have workshops on traditional rug-making; paint our own alebrijes; learn how mezcal is made & taste several varieties; go to the market with a chef and have a cooking class on preparing (and eating) Oaxaca’s culinary specialties; visit Monte Alban; and visit people’s homes and altars as they go through the spiritual rituals to honor those who have gone on.
Nov. 3 – After a fantastic time together, we say goodbye for now as you make your departure back home.
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COST: $2,900 includes 13 nights hotel & breakfast daily; ground and air travel within Mexico, support for local groups, and fascinating experiences daily. (Per person sharing a double room. For Single room, add $555. Does not include your travel to San Diego at the start of the tour or your return home from Oaxaca at the end.)
$500 deposit due by June 1st and refundable if COVID-19 makes your travel impossible. Balance due August 1st.
$500 Deposit can be made by PayPal or Credit Card
Or mail a check to:
Sharon Katz & The Peace Train
c/o 4477 Mataro Drive
San Diego, CA 92115
Space is Limited.