Before I get to the details, I have to say that if one more person told us how dangerous Mexico was (keep in mind that none of the people who warned us had ever been to Mexico or had any real details) I was going to rip their lips off their face. I know it sounds a little drastic but it was totally getting on my nerves. Some parallels... 1. Children adopted from Guatemala have been abducted from their birth parents and sold. 2. Don't visit the USA. I saw on the TV that someone got abducted and shot. The media wants to entertain us and keep the pot stirred, they are going to highlight the few isolated cases to keep our interest. Someone did advise Scott though that we should be very careful... as cheap as his dad was, he'd never pay the ransom when our fingers showed up in the mail. :-) Mexico is a big country with many states. The towns close to the border (Juarez, Tijuana) and Mexico City ARE more dangerous and this is where most of the ugliness comes from. Cancun is an easy hit too as it is well populated with tourists who: A. have money on them and B. have hit the night clubs. Off the soap box now and on to the details!
Our dear friend Tello and his wife asked Scott and I to be the Godparents of their new son, Alex. Tello, pronounced Tay-oh, worked for us for 2 years and was one of the best employees ever. Most of our Mexican employees are from the state of Oaxaca. Oaxaca is on the south-east part of Mexico and is along the coast. Oaxaca is known for their black pottery. Many Oaxacanas are of Indian descent. Our employees represent two indigenous groups: Huaves and Zapotecos. Spanish is their second language. Most of our guys do not have beyond a 3rd grade education and come from very poor families. They represent the pueblos of San Dionisio, Huamuchil and Pueblo Viejo (an island). And now about the trip...
Days One and Two:
We left on Tuesday 03-30 with one of the guys, Javier, who was ready to return home. We flew to Houston and stayed over night there. The next morning, we got up and flew to Hualtulco, Mexico. Javier caught a bus and returned home. Scott, Cecilia and I decided to spend a day there. It was a racket at the airport. They only have airport taxis and we got screwed... $50 which came down to $45 to get us in town. Hualtulco is very nice. A little more expensive than I had hoped but our hotel was beautiful and cheap. If we go again, it will be with other people. Not so much fun with just 2 adults and a kid.
Javier, Scott and Cecilia
Cecilia and Me... she qualified for the overhead compartment
Day Three:
Our friend Humberto drove to collect us with his two taxis and his uncle, son and brother. Note.. with our guys from Mexico, everything is done in groups. We could have done it is one taxi had he come alone but hey... it was very kind of him to come get us. Cecilia got to ride "Guatemalan" which is seat belt, carseat free and with the occasion hanging out of the window. Try to break that bad habit! We arrived in Humberto's town, Huamuchil and immediately drank about 8 beers each. Sol beer is the most common type there... not Corona. It was so stinkin' hot there, I thought I would die. We went out on a fishing boat "lancha" which was a 22 foot outboard motor boat with 0 life preservers. When we returned, Victorica was preparing a dinner of fresh shrimp. They were the biggest, most succulent and sweet shrimp ever.
Going Guatemalan
Cecilia enjoying her coffee 
Linett, Humberto's 4 year old daughter
Humberto's sister, Maria Elia and his parents 
Be on the lookout for the next installment of "Oaxaca... off the beaten path"
1 comment:
I want Part DOS! It is cruel to leave me hanging.
BTW, didn't anyone tell you Mexico is dangerous???? Are you crazy?
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