Back into the Mountains

(Pinotepa, MX - Oaxaca, MX)

We made our way from Pinotepa yesterday morning for a loooooong day of riding up into the mountains to the state capital of Oaxaca. The first couple hours along the coast to Puerto Escondido was fairly mild and boring , but as we turned inland this all changed. The road quality varied anywhere from absolutely aweful to mildly tolerable. I was actually quite entertained with the winding curves, steep climbs, and constant game of "Avoid the gaping hole in the road." Sometimes I would lose this game, and it would hurt.

We found a great hostel downtown very close to the main plaza for only 150 pesos a and pulled the bike inside. Dinner at a taco stand and then drinks in the main plaza made for a nice relaxing evening before passing out for 12 hours. (Grace only slept for about 10 actually. She woke up earlier and took a nose dive into her current obsession... Twilight.)

Oaxaca is a fantastic town. The weather has been cloudy with spatterings of rain and we spent the day wandering about and taking photos. Cathedrals, museums and art galleries are surrounded by colorful store fronts of all sorts. We both feel really comfortable here and the weather is a nice break from the heat.

Tomorrow we head South back to the coast and then on to San Cristobal and the Mayan Ruins at Palenque before we cross the border into country #2. Ciao.

Photos:
1) One of a hundered streets in town that is colorful and bustling
2) Common store fronts
3) Cathedrals can be found every few blocks or so in the downtown area.
4) Style. Clearly the kids in this town have it. How bout dem?
5) Food lines the roadways near the markets, some of which I find more appetizing than others.
6) grasshoppers