Oh, the sights you'll see!

Public transportation in Oaxaca. It is rather amazing how many places you can get to on public transportation around here. I make use of it 5 days a week, and each day proves to be a new adventure.

Off to the races! There have been a couple times now when I've had bus drivers racing one another, usually both headed to the same place and wanting to get more customers than the other guy. Well, that's my guess as to why they do it. What it means for the passengers is a jerky ride as you speed up, only to brake for the next speed bump (generally used in place of stop signs around here). The buses also get unbelievable close to each other on the narrow roads. And I mean unbelievably close. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride has nothing on these guys ;-).

Luis Palau. Just these past few weeks, Mr. Palau's face has started showing up on buses and billboards. I first heard it from friends in the U.S. that Luis Palau was coming to Oaxaca to put on a festival here. They're certainly making sure it's well advertised now - as Luis seems to be all over. Hopefully I'll be able to go check this festival out.

Off to the races again - literally this time. Today my bus had to slow down for the traffic police blocking a lane of the road. As everyone peered out the windows, I did likewise and saw a camera man standing amongst all the police. Then we came upon 4 sporty race cars, lined up in a row. Curious.... I might have gotten off to see what was going on had I not been on a time limit, and had there not been dozens of police standing around. I have a healthy wariness of Mexican police :).

Door to door service. I imagine a decent price for avocados in the United States might be a dollar each? Well, this week when my bus stopped at a gas station, a woman got on to sell some nice avocados. 7 for $1. Not bad, not bad. I did not need 7 avocados, but I did buy 3 for $0.50 :). Other things you can buy from the side of the road: maps, pillows, phone cards, balloons, roses, freshly squeezed orange juice, popsicles, bubbles, churros, statues of horses, marshmallows... to name a few :).

Creative routes. Buses and taxis, along with the rest of traffic, are always finding interesting ways to get around blockades - and I think there were blockades every day this week. This morning was no exception, as the University professors protested their low salaries ($3.50 an hour - yes, I would say that is low pay for a college professor). Because of issues with getting around the strategically placed blockades, I arrived at school an hour late. As I walked in, the principal informed me I could no longer just mosey on in whenever I feel like it ;-).

God is THE best artist, ever. I am blessed with beautiful sights on my rides here and there. I've always wanted to be able to paint the majesty I've seen in nature, but unfortunately I have not honed any of those skills - yet ;-). I wish photos could do it justice, but they can't - especially not with a camera that kids have "made good use of" and now each photo has a black dot in the upper right corner and a brown blob in the lower left :). Plus, speeding along on a bus with tinted windows and trying not to look like a tourist also makes it difficult for a good shot. So, for now you will just have to imagine misty morning clouds rolling in over the dark northern mountains and the evening sun casting shadows on the valley filled with stunning mesas. :)