July 24 - To The City

What did I notice? 
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.

Ant Eggs...with a little guacamole 

July 23 - A Little Adventure

Today was our "free" day in Oaxaca.  Kate (fellow runner / teacher) and I decided to take the opportunity to find a little adventure.  For 200 pesos (less than twenty American dollars) we were geared up with mountain bikes, helmets, a bike lock, and a map with a great route from Oaxaca, to the Monte Alban Ruins, to the small town of San Antonio Arrazola, and back.

What did I notice?
I now understand why the ruins are called Monte Alban (White Mountain).  Our journey out of Oaxaca started comfortably.  We made our way out of town and began our ascent.  At first, we commented on the incredible view of Oaxaca below us.  Soon the hills quieted our conversation, leaving the noise of our shifting gears.  We occasionally pulled over to check the map, drink some water, and note our increasing heart rates.  As I was staring down at my pumping legs a man ran past us and amiably offered up a, "poca a poca" (little by little).   A little over an hour into our ride, we rolled into the parking lot for the Monte Alban ruins.  After a little granola bar break, we made our way into the Ancient Zapotec capital.  At first, the ruins seemed to be like many of the other archeological visits we have made, but when we reached the top pyramid we realized what made this location different.  Climbing to the peak of the pyramids allowed us to see mountains lowering in all directions.   The view was worth the journey.

The rest of our journey really was downhill, but offered some of its own adventures.  We turned off on a river basin road to head to the small town of Arrazola.  Trees shaded the road of red sand as we pushed forward, skidding through corroded sections of the road.  Thank you mountain bikes.   We stopped to ask a man with two oxen if we were heading in the right direction.  Soon we were in the town where we each contributed to the economy by buying one of the small, boldly colored animals.

We got back on our bikes for our last stretch of the journey. A steady descent took us quickly into the city traffic and smog of Oaxaca.  We pedaled into the bike shop five hours after we left, tired, hungry, a little sun-burned and very satisfied.

At the Ancient Zapotec Capital Monte Alban (White Mountain)

Navigation

Our Map...Some sections of our journey were clearer than others.