Jan. 9/11 – Mexico
Day 161/163 – We have been driving full days since we left Mazatlan, though the distance we’ve gone has been minimal. We have been very impressed with the quality of highways throughout Mexico, with only a few exceptions. For the most part, they have been very well paved, or in the process of being repaved, making them comparable to the United States. The road along the coast is twisted and has a few mountains to go over, at times making the drive very slow.
donkeys and lots of them.. they are my favorite so far! Jason says I can´t have one though 🙁
Cows, lots of pastures in Oaxaca
The town we stayed in after Pie de la Cuesta was Puerto Escondido. Puerto Escondido is another tourist town, with mixture of Europeans and North Americans. There is a nice downtown right on the beach. A market is created on one of the main streets in the afternoon and into the nighttime. Pedestrians wander down to look at the gypsies handmade jewelry. They also offer ‘rasta ties’, a strand of hair wrapped with colorful string in a decorative weave – I remember getting one in high school once, but not from Mexico, from Lake Chelan in Washington, 🙂 not quiet as exotic. People from the village outside of the city are also at the market, selling hand woven animal dolls and clothing.
The first change we noticed when we went from the state of Guerrero into Oaxaca was less trash on the side of road. In Guerrero there were times that it literally looked like that roadside had been collecting garbage for months from the nearby town. Mexico needs to find a better system for their waste in the rural areas. I know the people don’t have any idea what to do with it, and it doesn’t look like the state is stepping in to provide services. Even their yards are littered with wrappers and soda bottles. Oaxaca seems to have found a better solution; maybe they have been educated about the environment. I have no clue what the facts are; these are all just observations we’ve had from the roadside.
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Some lowlands with lily pads and flowers
Juchitan is the beginning of what I believe to be the windiest part of Mexico. We are on the edge of The Isthmus, where the land becomes very narrow and the mountains become quite low (250 meters high). This creates an area where the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean are within 210 Km (130 miles) of each other. The weather systems from both bodies of water mingle and create high velocity wind, which sometimes causes strong weather systems. The wind doesn’t ever stop blowing, it gusts in short cycles, making the window of our hotel last night rattle constantly.
lowlands getting blown sideways from the wind – hard to tell but it was a neat sight
The drive through the Isthmus the next day was not exactly relaxing. The strong wind tried it’s best to push us off the narrow road. We were able to cover a good distance though, because the roads were flat and mostly straight all day. We stayed in Tapachula last night. It is a bustling city right next to the boarder of Guatamala. Since the boarder crossing can take hours it is best to start in the morning.
sometimes it can be a lonely road
Tags: 08 - Mexico, driving, mexico
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Nice pictures!
I understand where you’re coming from about how cockfighting is just part of the culture you are trying to esperience.
However, by attending cockfighting, it seems to me that you are perpetuating a cruel sport which promotes pain and suffering for mere human entertainment.
Cockfighting employes razor sharp blades affixed to the fighting cocks’ legs. This ensures that even if a cock wins the fight, they are still under extreme suffering.
In addition, cockfighting exposes children to the a sport which promotes bloodshed and animal cruelty for entertainment’s sake. This sends many children exposed to cockfighting the opinion that animal suffering is acceptable.
Good for you guys to experience this and learn that it is not so much about the cockfights but about the social event. Cockfighting will continue in Mexico whether you guys are there or not–you are more informed by going to a fight than to sit back and judge like our inflamed writer here.
It may true that, as you say, Drewz, “you are more informed by going to a fight than to sit back and judge” – but does that mean that it is morally permissible to attend a fight? I don’t think so. Why would this be?
I totally agree with Uncle Dave. We all have opinions based on our references in life that are commonly transfered to us through society. If we do not experience the cultures of others, but sit at home and accuse them of wrongdoing, then we are just being upset becuse their square peg doesn’t fit in our round hole of society.
You kids have a great time!!!!
“uncle Dave Says:
January 15th, 2006 at 4:16 pm
go enjoy and see all the culture that is available to you. We need to understand other people. The world will only be a better place if we learn to see it through eyes that are not only our own. If you can agree with others, great ,if not at least try to view it as they do. Enough narrow mindedness is enough. Lets get our heads back to where the light shines.”
Hi Jason and April – I like what Mickel says and ucle Dave. I also think Jason should think about letting you have a donkey – if the van broke down it could tow it, Think about it!! What type of camera do you have that takes such great pictue? Enjoy Love Mom XXX000….
Its not the camera that takes the good photos its April! Trust me, mine do not work out so well…
Thank you for the birthday card.
love you two!
mom