Adios Oaxaca, hola Tehuacán.
On my way to Tehuacan, sitting at the bus station in Oaxaca at the moment. This is a very modern station I might add, and is nothing like the downtown bus station from where I took the bus to Mazunte last year, which is more like the “classic” crowded, dirty, and noisy station one might expect. But this bus station is the main station with first class buses, and is as modern as they come, clean, comfortable, and filled with natural light from large windows.
Tehuacan is a stop along the route for this bus, and hopefully I’ll know when we get there, and equally hopefully it will be easy to get to my hotel from there, or I’ll take a cab if not. Once there, I’ll figure out the rest of the day, with my tour to the biosphere tomorrow.
I might have liked to stay another couple of days in Oaxaca as it is such a lovely place, although I would have wanted to take more trips outside of the city, and see more of the surrounding villages and their arts and crafts. Spending time with Rachel was lovely… but I’m only saying that because Rachel might be reading this. Call me later and I’ll tell you the truth. No, I jest. I I really enjoyed the time we spent together.
OK, more later.
I’m on the bus right now, no problems, and I’m feeling a little more comfortable traveling solo without language (bit just a little). The Spanish lessons definitely helped a little, and I’m so glad I took them. I at least now have a far better of what I should be listening for, and better understand the importance of conjugations in Latin-based languages. I would never have thought about taking lessons had it not been for Rachel’s suggestion.
The traffic leaving the city is massive and slow-going along the roads that ring around and lead into and out of the city. In walking around the central part of city itself, you never experience this rush hour traffic. It is slow going getting out of town, but there is a movie being shown; I had forgotten that they showed a movie on my bus trip to visit to Mazunte last year as well. Still, I’m writing my blog as we go, so need for entertainment.
As we continued along the journey, more or less north-west, the bus began to climb into the north range of the Sierras, and boy did it start to get beautiful. Again, difficult to get any good photos while on a moving bus. I tried, though.
As the bus heads into the Sierras north of the Oaxaca Valley, the road climbs through steep ridges and valleys before descending into a much drier region, reaching 6,500–10,000 feet as we pass through the mountains.
After crossing Sierra Nord, we descended into the Tehuacán‑Cuicatlán Valley, which is extremely dry, getting 10-20 inches of rain each year. Considered a semi-arid desert, or a “xeric desert” (who knew?), although technically not actually a desert, it has the greatest diversity of cactus species anywhere in the world, growing 40-60 feet in some species, and some over a hundred years old. It is the “rain shadow” that produces this dry heat, as the Sierras create a zone where moisture is stripped away as the air passes over the rising mountains, sending dry and parched air into this region. Cactus literally line the mountain sides for as far as you can see, for miles and miles and miles (and miles), creating what are called cactus forests — forests made up largely of cactus, although there are also pine and oak trees, and I’m sure other species as well.
I remember when I first visited Mexico in 1981, traveling south through the Baja California peninsula, and seeing cactus everywhere along the way, mile after mile, and receding across the desert into the distance for miles. I recall sketching them from the bus, and I still have those drawings. But nothing like this. This is amazing.
The views are spectacular, like so many along this route through the mountains, but no way to take photos. I wish we could stop and walk around and really view the scenery.
One thing – reminder for future first class bus rides. I should’ve worn my sweatshirt. It was freezing on the bus, because of the air conditioning.
After about 3½ hours we arrived in Tehuacán, and then I really did have to figure out where the hotel was, and hot to get there. THat took a while of searching my computer at the bus station, trying to figure the address and how to get there, and it dawned on me this was not actually a hotel, but more of a collection of inexpensive single rooms rented by locals for short-term stays, or just passing through. So, no front desk, and a locked building that required a pass code for entry, as well as a pass code for the room. What?!!
I prevailed. I managed to reach a manager by phone, using Google Translate to help, and he spoke some English, and the codes were texted to me. I confirmed the address and found it on the map, and Francisco said he said he would meet me there later for payment. Things went from where-the-hell-am-I-and-where-do-I-go to taking a mile or so walk to the accommodation (definitely not a hotel). Once there I had to figure out to actually get in as the outside keypad had no obvious keys, digital or otherwise, and I was happy to get to my dorm-like room, with a giant bed and not too much else (although it did have a TV).
There are three bedrooms on each floor, so I shared a bathroom and ante room space with the other two rooms, except I was the only one there. Fine for me, but little in the way of conveniences, or even a side table or bedside lamp. Bring your own everything – but it did have towels.
By the time I got there, got into my room, took a shower, and walked into town, about a mile, it was getting dark, and was dark by the time I reached the downtown area. Of course, I saw the town in the daylight on walk to Sensity House, and it struck me as regular, working-middle class day-to-day town with little extraordinary about it; which is not intended as a put down. It’s just a regular no frills town, and the second largest in Puebla state, next to the city of Puebla itself, with a population around 350,000, so not tiny. Population-wise, it’s not that much bigger than Oaxaca, but a completely different feel. It sits in the Tehuacán Valley, near the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve, which I’ll be visiting tomorrow
The city, and this area, does have some special features though. The city is surrounded by one of the world’s richest deserts for plant life, with over 3,000 species, and unique giant cactus forests. It is also known as a birthplace of agriculture in Mesoamerica and the Americas, and one of the earliest places that maize (cornn) was grown and was domesticated, dating back 7,000–9,000 years. It also has famous naturally carbonated mineral springs, that were so well-known that “agua de Tehuacán” became synonymous with sparkling mineral water across Mexico.
Once I reached downtown, I walked around for perhaps a couple of miles, enjoying the busy street scene, and especially as I reached the very bustling and active street market. For a Monday night, these are busy and active streets.
Finally, after looking for somewhere to eat, I found many street food stands and small eateries but few larger scale restaurants. That was fine with me, and my preference actually, and I settled on a small place, sitting in an arched area facing the Cathedral, and had a delicious (and filling) meal of Tacos. Yum.
And then a mile or so walk back to Sensity House, write some blog, and to bed.
Tomorrow the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve and Botanical Gardens. I’m not quite sure how the guided tour part of this is going to go, as the tour operator, Vagabundos Tours , was difficult to reach, had no English speakers and seemed completely unprepared for me, including not knowing where they were picking me up or that the tour was from 8 am till noon, instead changing it to 4 pm, returning here at 8:30 pm, plus I’m not sure they will be able to translate tomorrow, and I’ll be only one on the tour. Well, I guess we’ll see. One way or another, I’ll be glad to see the biosphere and botanical gardens. But now, to bed.