Day 63: Back in Oaxaca City

Travelers find travelers. It is a beautiful part of traveling. I spent one week at the beach, five days which were spent alone, met 6 washingtonites, 3 swedish gals, and 1 virginia gent. Shared stories, philosophies, and cookies. Although I miss the ocean I can still feel myself diving into her waves, being pulled to and fro by here energy, and taste her salty waters. I do not , however, miss the nightly bug bites in the hammock. I cherish my moments spent there, the friends made, the choppy spanish used. But as quickly as my feet moved through the hot sand to be cooled by her waters, something inside of me new it was time to move on.

After bidding the ocean adieu, I stepped off an 8 1/2 hour bus ride once again. But this time I did not step into suffocating heat, quite the opposite really. I knew I had been asleep for awhile, but was it possible that I was back in Michigan? The language answered the question, and I immediately wondered what the hell was I thinking to leave La Playa and the warmth behind. I immediately ripped my bag open and put on all the (slightly sandy) layers I could muster, stepped into a cab (for warmth) and headed to the zocalo (city center).

It was 7am, as I waited an hour and a half for my Andrea to find me, I shared the one sunny bench I could find with 2 old mexican men, them with their breakfast tacos, me with my headpones and bouncing knees.

The day was hazy, or maybe we were hazy, wondering the streets, visiting the same delicious organic market for 2 meals and arriving at casa chapulin for a presentation, an amazing meal, and news that made all the bug bitten hammock nights and bus sleeping grogginess worthwhile. While I was in Playa San Augustinillo having an inkling to return to my amigas, they had made friends with a band. To make a long story short, we had a free hotel room for the night: 2 beds, a pool, and mexican buffet breakfast included...very fancy. Shortly after arriving at the hotel we made friends with 2 musicians and 1 crazy spaniard, musical entertainment lasted late into the night. And just to top it off, the next day the sun shone warm on us as we laid with our very full bellys next to the pool.