More Teco Pictures

Here are some more pictures from our visit to Tecolotlan!

I took some pictures of the convent where Sergio had his first communion, and of Sergio standing on the steps of his old school.

There are also some pictures from our hike to Sergio's grandfather's ranch: some along the way, one of a little boy with a bird that we stopped to talk to (the conversation went like this: Sergio asked if he could take a picture of him, and the boy said yes but looked awkward, so I tried to engage him in conversation. I asked, "What is your bird's name?" and I thought he replied, "Jose," so I said, "Oh, that's a nice name," etc, etc. When we walked away, Sergio told me that he thought the boy had replied, "No se," which means "I don't know." If this is the case, he probably thought I was totally nutty), one of Sergio with a donkey, one of Sergio dancing to the rap music that was blasting from somewhere (although we didn't see anyone around!). There's also a picture of the church in Teco.

More Cuernavaca Pictures

Here are some more pics from Cuernavaca! When we arrived in Cuernavaca, we immediately got lost. My guidebook notes that Cuernavaca is a notoriously difficult city to navigate, with streets that change names, stop in one place and start up again somewhere else. I thought I knew where we had to go to get to our hostel, but sure enough, we got onto a street that I thought was on my map which then abruptly changed names into something I didn't recognize and I wasn't sure where we were. After driving for awhile, we decided to stop and ask for directions, and we saw a small group of men and women wearing matching shirts and thought they would be a good group to ask. One of the men came over to the car, showed me where we were on the map, and gave us good directions. We thanked him and drove on. Local elections are taking place in Mexico on July 5, so there are political posters everywhere. A few blocks after we received directions, we saw a poster for the man we had just spoken to! He is running with the conservative "PAN" party, so Sergio made a joke about that, and I took a picture of his poster. Below that are pictures of the beautiful lunch we ate on the plaza, across from the Palacio Cortes; the gazebo designed by Gustave Eiffel, and Sergio at the Museo Robert Brady.

Puerto Escondido pictures!

Here are some pictures from Puerto Escondido! I have posted pictures of some of the fabulous food we have been eating, and of the view from the hotel restaurant palapa, and of the beach.

This morning, Sergio and I slept until 9 (after waking up at 4:30 for two days in a row, that felt like sleeping in late!), went for a run on the beach, had a beautiful and leisurely breakfast, and then went to the market (there's a picture of a parrot and of Sergio at the market, where he bought a shopping bag). After that, he went to the beach and I went to the laundromat to wash our clothes (how wifely of me!). Pictured are Julia and Laura, who helped me with my laundry and chatted with me while I was waiting. Now I'm back at the hotel, and I am going to finish uploading my pictures and then go swimming! Our hotel has two pools, and one is partially shaded, so that's where I will be.

Puerto Escondido = Heaven

We are in Puerto Escondido now, which is on the Pacific coast in the state of Oaxaca. The drive today was lovely, especially because we weren't sure what to expect. Sergio has driven this way before, but we had to leave the tolled highways when we passed Acapulco and drive along the coast on a rural highway, through villages and fields. We set out at 5 this morning from Cuernavaca (which was itself quite an adventure - we were staying at a hostel with a pet rabbit which escaped when we opened the gate to drive out, and Sergio had to chase it down the street and back into the hostel in the dark!), and hoped to make it in 9 hours but thought it would probably be more. I helped Sergio navigate out of Cuernavaca and onto the highway, then promptly fell asleep and when I woke up it was light. I asked, "Have we passed Acapulco?" (since I was supposed to help navigate the somewhat confusing task of bypassing Acapulco and changing highways), and Sergio replied, "No, but we're almost there." We successfully made it onto the road to Puerto Escondido, stopped for coffee, gas, and a newspaper, and then started what turned out to be an absolutely beautiful drive. We passed through villages that were built up around the road - in some places the road was lined with businesses, like a main street, and in others, there were only shacks, and we could see people lying on hammocks and doing their chores inside. We were struck by the poverty of some of the places we passed through, and also by the people. In all of the other places I have visited in Mexico, it seems like the population has been pretty racially diverse, but in both Guerrero and Oaxaca, everyone is very dark and indigenous-looking. Sergio and I definitely stick out down here (except in Puerto Escondido, which is the surfing capital of Mexico and populated by many hippies of all races)!

We got to Puerto Escondido around 2. It is incredibly beautiful - not at all built up like other beaches I've been to; there are no highrises or big hotels, just traditional thatched-roof buildings among the palm trees. We are staying at the same hotel Sergio and Beto stayed in when they were here a few years ago, and where they met Lila Downs, a famous Mexican singer who was also staying here at the time. It's a 5-star hotel, but Sergio got us a great price (thanks to the swine flu, everything is very cheap!!). It is right on the beach, and we had lunch in the hotel restaurant, which overlooks the water and serves incredible, authentic regional seafood and vegetarian dishes. I don't think we'll eat anywhere else while we're here! Sergio has gone to the beach now, but as I am trying to stay out of the sun, I decided to stay inside. After I unpack, I will probably go sit on our little shaded balcony and read.

We will be here for two full days, and head to San Cristobal de las Casas early Saturday morning. I am very much looking forward to having nothing to do but relax for two days, and I know Sergio will enjoy a break from driving!

Sergio's Pictures

Sergio just uploaded some pictures from his camera - here are a few! They are mostly of me since Sergio took them...look out for pictures of him when I upload mine!

Here's (in reverse order) me reading the paper waiting for Daniella, eating ice cream with Danny and Marta (Danny and Ali's little sister), me at Sergio's grandfather's ranch (most of the land is leased to Jose Cuervo), Sergio at the fountain in front of the Cuernavaca cathedral, the courtyard of Sergio's grandmother's house, and me and Sergio near the Cuernavaca cathedral (we are in front of one of the smaller churches nearby).

We had a wonderful afternoon in Cuernavaca, and we are excited about Puerto Escondido! More later.