The Astrobus has become a second home for our group this month. I loaded the bus this morning, greeted our steadfast driver, Benito, and made my way to my typical seat in the back. Everybody has marked their territory in one fashion or another. Jennifer pins her recent croqueting projects on her seat. Heather has a towel that has been "drying" for a couple of weeks over the seat. I have my favorite hoody and rain coat ready for use. Today was our longest journey, from Oaxaca to Mexico City. We followed our typical journey routine: Jaques makes announcements about our day before we all snuggle into our sweatshirts to fall asleep for the first leg of the trip. Soon, Jaques decides it is time for us to learn more and plays a Carlos Fuentes movie, a documentary, or music related to our destination. We all catch up on our journaling, reading, or project designs for a while. I'm in the high-frequency section of the bus because I am by the snacks and the bus-size resource library for all of us to use as we are working on our projects. Near the end of the ride, the back of the bus moves into restless mode. We dig in the snack box, play ridiculous games, laugh at things that probably aren't that funny, and read aloud from the Lonely Planet about our next destination.
Today's travels were broken up by a lunch in Puebla. We dined in the wine cellar of an old flour mill turned restaurant. My bus attire made me feel underdressed for our setting. We sat at a long wooden table, wine racks surrounding us in the dim light. We began our meal with appetizers of ant eggs and fried worms. Even as I am typing this I squirm a little. Feeling like I shouldn't let opportunities pass, I quickly ate a small bite of both. The idea of what I put in my mouth was quickly washed down with a red wine and hearty meal.
Challenged and nourished, we reloaded the bus for the final stretch to Mexico City.
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| Ant Eggs...with a little guacamole |
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