December 11, 2009

[Sorry my blog is so far behind–I am trying to keep my story in order]

So after my nice siesta, I made plans to meet up with Michael (on ADVrider.com he is known as “Bouldergeek”)

We’d somehow found out about each others’ trips, and were finally in the same place and decided to met. Michael was on his way UP to the US–he’d already ridden through Central America and back and was on his way home to Colorado.

We met at his hotel because there was safe off-street parking, and decided to explore Oaxaca on foot.

Meet Bouldergeek

It was the night before the festival of the Virgin of Guadalupe, and the Zocalo (main square) was packed.

We sat for a bit in one of the cafes, had a soda, and got to know each other a bit…but every three minutes we were interrupted by people trying to sell us stuff. Some of the young kids were VERY good with the sad eye treatment!

Eventually we tired of this and began to walk again.

There was music and dancing in the Zocalo.

Lots of people out for an evening stroll, wandering through the main Church

In the Main Square

We crossed the street somewhere and were amazed by the collections of figurines on the dashboard of this car

Oaxaca is famous for many things. Among them, the mole’s.
We walked past the local Molinero shop. (Aurora later explained to me that people either take their good to the molinero to be ground, or order from the molinero how they want their mole made–what percentage of chocolate, chilis etc. There are as many moles in Mexico as there are curries in India.

Here is more information on Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mole_%28sauce%29

We walked past lots of people selling things

Michael commented I have no pictures of myself on this blog, so he insisted on taking one of me. Here I am in front of a store that sells liquores.

We were talking around the square and I got tapped on the shoulder. It took me a moment (she says I gave her the evil eye) but I finally recognized Nancy the bicyclist from Batopilas (I’d had dinner with her and her companions at the bottom of Copper Canyon about two weeks ago. (Sorry no pics)

We decided to sit and visit with her and her partner Matthew. Their other friend was off meeting his girlfriend who was flying in for a visit.

It was great to catch up–I really like their easy company.

But I was not myself. My stomach was rolling, and while I was hungry, the thought of food wasn’t pleasant, although I did eat a bit.

It was a nice evening.

Ultimately it had to end, and I rode back to Rubens house hoping that I would be able to find the turnoff because I had to ride at night. Luckily it was pretty easy–I caught the turnoff, but missed the house, yet that was easily corrected about a mile later.

I fell asleep exhausted.