Salina Cruz, Mexico to Oaxaca, Mexico
December 21, 2009

Grinding the aguave
Filling my barrel
Mountain range to Oaxaca
Aguave cactus

Well by now most of you are either ready for Christmas or will be in another 4 days. So Merry Christmas all and I hope that all of you get everything you wish for that you really need. Boy a lot of people may be disappointed.
Today was not a long distance to drive but a long driving day. From sea level to where we are I counted that we crossed at least 4 mountain ranges. Yessirree, not mountains but mountain ranges. Slow going on a two lane road with hairpin turns every few hundred feet. Pueblas with lots of topes or here they call them reductors. We left at 8:00 AM and arrived at about 3:00 PM to travel a total of about 150 miles. There were a few short stops but nothing to speak of just really slow driving and after trying to pass once and nearly having a head on that was the end of passing for me for the day.
The countryside changed again dramatically from what would seem to be scrub oak and Manzanita to some pine and cactus.
After crossing the first two mountain ranges we noticed plantings of what looked to be aguave cactus that they make tequila out of. Then after the third mountain range we stopped and it was not tequila they were making but mescal. Now I do not know the difference in the process or the cactus used but it looked like it was probably the same. We tasted some of the cactus at a small (and I do mean small) distillery. The taste was like a sweet candy and you could say that you could eat it just like that except for the stringiness of it. So we bought two bottles of the non exported stuff and then a small barrel of it. Oh well it lasts forever you know and I got to take a picture of the burrow that was mashing the cactus.
It was then onto Oaxaca and then try to find the RV park. Well down the wrong street and bottomed out there and then squeeze by cars that were double parked on both sides of the street. Bev had to guide me thru that. Then we came to the street it was on and could not go further because of construction on a building on that street. The cranes had completely blocked that direction and you had to go around if you wanted to get thru.
I got out first and looked for ways to get around and then asked directions for the 4th time and this time the woman in the store on the corner said no that it was right there and the entrance was just in the middle of the block. So by moving the barricade to the street we were able to get into the park without having to go around the block. Thank god because that would have been a chore not welcomed.
We are staying in the Oaxaca Trailer Park which is the closest one to the central part of town. Tomorrow we will check out the main center of town and then see what else there is. Probably take a taxi the first time before I venture out with TT (our scooter).
We are planning on staying here till Sunday which will be a long time for us, but with Christmas coming I do not want to move so soon and it will be nice to relax for awhile.
Now if I can find an internet café tomorrow the blogs will get posted and I also need to find a machine because we are running out of cash