On the road again.....

Trip Start Jan 07, 2008

Trip End Ongoing

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Where I stayed

Hotel Oasis Loreto

Flag of Mexico Tehuantepec, Mexico
Monday, June 9, 2008

Finally on the road again and it was an interesting adventure from the get go. I traveled from Mazunte via camionetta for 30 minutes to get to the town of Potchutla to catch the "big girl bus" to Tehuantepec for an overnight and then on to San Cristobal De Las Casas the next day. About half way through our trip we hit a road block, and when I say hit it, I mean almost literally. There were only three cars in front of us. We just made the cut off for a sit in by the locals protesting some sort of ill treatment from the government. A peaceful protest, but none the less, a protest that cause great headaches for many folks traveling in both directions along the coastal road. We were held up for three hours (there was no turning the bus around on this thin stretch of roadway) and eventually let beyond the confines of the roadblock when the protesters got the attention they wanted. Mexicans love to protest by screwing up traffic. They did it all the time when I was living in Oaxaca.

I arrived in Tehuantepec, not really a metropolitan mecca, but the best place for me to stop en routeto San Cristobal

Dinner????

. There were only buses that went straight through without stopping during the over night hours. Doesn�t make much sense if you want to "see" Mexico, so I broke it up into a two day trip.  The trip getting there was quite lovely.  After months of brown and dry, Mexico is starting to turn green and it is like being in a different country. Just gorgeous.  I arrived late in the afternoon and check into a hotel quickly to roam the streets a bit and get a feel for the little town. I had an 8 am bus the next morning so I didn�t have much time.

This place was totally cool. It reminded me of Cuba in many ways. The people were exceptionally friendly and I discovered pretty quickly that this little po dunk town doesn�t get many tourists.  People were stopping and staring at me.  Some asked blankly, "Europa?" European? Hell no Americans ever come to this place. It was an odd sensation, but I enjoyed that folks wanted to chat. I came, I ate, I chatted and I left the next day. Glad I made the effort to come through. I would highly recommend it as one of those cool places to check out as you are piecing together bus travel in tihs part of Mexico. Three are many options along the Isthmus for connections, and I would highly recommend this one.

The women in this area still dress in very traditional clothes. Brightly colored long floor length skirts and frequently mismatched, but still brightly colored tops. They braid their hair in the tradition of many Mexican Indians with long colorful satin ribbons running through the braid and then tying the two together at the bottom.   Very dramatic agains their long black hair.

Next Stop..... San Cristobal

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