Here's what Knoxville's all about

And you thought Knoxville was just about mountains, crazy football fans, and hillbillies! Well, check out this recent New York Times article on how to spend 36 nice hours here. Granted, my big city bias initially made me silently wonder how one, as a tourist, could honestly spend a whole weekend here and not get bored. And though it sounds like most of the 36 hours were spent eating and the article makes Knoxville sound slightly bigger and more exciting than it really is (honestly, guys), it's a great piece that shows just how much there is to do and see here (and how many cool restaurants there are). So: Thank you, New York Times! I know what places I'll be checking out this summer...

first harvest/ erste Ernte

We returned to a yard full of sweet herbs, fruits, and vegetables. Naturally, we are very happy about this and feel encouraged to grow more of our own vegetables in the future. The radishes were ready to harvest, so were the strawberries and the herbs. In the meantime, our little lavender from last year has grown into a full-size adult lavender blooming in every direction and we've got zucchini, egg plant, parsnip, squash, onions, cantaloupe, tomatoes, raspberries, and hopefully soon also potatoes on the way.

back home

Sorry for the late post - we made it back home alright very (!) early Friday morning. We spent another great day in Mexico City on Wednesday. On Thursday we had breakfast and left for the airport, from where we took off to Houston, then Tampa, then Nashville (where we got at 11.30 pm local time) and driving to Knoxville. We finally pulled into our driveway at 2.30 am. House and garden were still standing and in good health (from what we could tell). Ben and Elly, our dear neighbors, took excellent care of both and we are very, very thankful for that. Now we've arrived, unpacked, done laundry, and caught up with friends. Tomorrow the life of teaching and being taught starts again (then again...I guess we really teach and are taught a little something every day, regardless of profession). All philosophy aside - I start teaching in the truest sense of the word tomorrow and Patrick has two days before he heads out to read this year's AP US History essays in Louisville for a week (and some monetary compensation, yes).

And because the working life has not yet started entirely, below are some more pics of Mexico City - a city, we conclude, that's vastly underrated. People try to make you believe it is a huge, ugly, dangerous, polluted place. While the first and last are true, the other two we think need to be qualified. We walked around the city day and night and took the metro - all of which were perfectly fine. As for ugly - it is loud and that's ugly somtimes, but the city itself certainly has a lot (!) to offer and we can only recommend you check it out when you're headed to Mexico.

Mexico City, one last time

Oaxaca coast

Pochutla (above)

hanging out in hammocks (below)

swimming with sea turtles...

our favorite place to eat

the coast and our cabaña

Puebla & Oaxaca

Back in Oaxaca

Buenos dias!

So, we made it on the overnight bus - got here right on time this morning, actually 15 minutes early after a MUCH smoother ride. We both slept most of the way and apart from a few loud talkers the ride was really much smoother than any overnight flight or train ride I can remember. At this point, I think we can really honestly rave about the Mexican bus system. It is clean, affordable, comfortable, and safe. Truly an efficient way to get around, not just as a tourist (in fact, Mexicans seem to use the bus for long-distance travel a lot). Two thumbs up!
Now we're wondering through Oaxaca one last time (and spending time online, yes). Our flight back to Mexico City leaves at 7 pm and we'll get there at around 8.30 pm. That's really all for now. I'll try to upload some pictures now...

Adios...

No pain, no gain

Hola everyone!

We made it to the beach on Friday...after a HORRIFYING, nauseating, awful drive through the mountains. 14 of us plus luggage crammed into a minivan for 5.5 hours, driving up and down the mountains at scary speeds on curvy roads with steep cliffs left and right for a good 3.5 of those hours (I kid you not!). About half way into the drive we both took a Dramamine (thank God, otherwise we would have puked, absolutely no doubt). I don't think I have been this sick to my stomach in a long, long, long, long time. So when we got off that "bus", we knew, come hell or high water, we would not take that same route back. No way. Alternatives included renting a car and doing it on our own time (no car rental agency here, though) or taking the big overnight bus that takes the much longer, but supposedly drives on less curvy roads. Well, the latter option won and now we are getting ready to get on that 9 hour bus ride. Yay. It had better be less curvy, because the only thing worse than driving up and down mountains is to do so at night. Yikes.

The bad drive, however, was all worth it when we got to the coast. The climate had changed drastically, everything was a lot more tropical (i.e. hot) and we could smell the ocean in the air. Pochutla, the little town in which the bus dropped us off is still a good 40 minutes away from the actual coastal towns of Mazunte, Zipolite, and San Agustinillo. Since we wanted to do it the backpacking way all the way, we ended up taking a camioneta...a pickup truck that has been rebuilt to seat about 15 people in its bed. It cost 1/10th of a taxi ride and was certainly an experience (pictures to follow as soon as we come by a faster internet connection.) Once we got to the beach we knew it had all been worth it. Our cabaña was right by (!) the beach, with hammocks to hang out in and not too many tourists around (though that area has been known as a key place for backpackers to hang out in the past). We spent three nights here and the days pretty much only at the beach and in and on the water. Exciting (and scary) events included a scorpion on Patrick's leg (he reacted quickly and brushed it off, with no harm to anyone), fishing on a small fishing boat, and swimming with sea turtles (Mazunte has a bis sea turtle museum and research center). Just hanging out in hammocks and reading was divine after all the running and driving around of the past two weeks and the Oaxacan coast is certainly a place I'd love to come back to...if only it weren't for the pain it took to get here (either way you take, it seems, everyone there was complaining about the same thing...).

Now we are, as mentioned, back on our way to Oaxaca, from where we fly back to Mexico City tomorrow night. We'll spend another day in Mexico City before flying back to Tampa and Nashville on Thursday.

For now wish us luck for the busride and we'll hopefully be back with a faster internet connection and pictures tomorrow from Oaxaca (where we also have a full day inbetween arriving and leaving again).

Adios!

Oaxaca

Thism morning, we're off to the beach...a 6-hour bus ride across the mountains (we have been warned that frequent puking-stops will be necessary...sounds like fun! Thank God I've got my Dramamine packed :)). We are both excited about the beach, so hopefully it will turn out to be all the relaxation we are hoping for. Though the last two weeks have been vacation, too, we have been on the road and on the move constantly. The last two days in Oaxaca have also not been the most relaxing days ever - the city is quite packed with people (likely for another demonstartion, for which Oaxaca is famous?) and LOUD, oh boy! Maybe it's not so much the city itself as the room we ended up with. The hostel (Hostel Paulina) is very nice & clean, it has a beautiful green yard and rooftop terrace and all, but their rooms happen to be out to the street, in the middle of the city center.... hence, you feel you are sleeping on the street. For two days, there has been constant (!) street noise of cars and people walking by, cars honking, buses accelerating, cars honking some more...and the guy across the street who is advertising his business by repeteatedly (by that I mean every 10-20 seconds, from 7 am to 11 pm) screaming something that to us sounds like "gecko". Fun.
Also, I (Lydia) have gotten my first round of anticipated digestive issues (TMI?)...we ahve been warned about it, but I think in my case it has a lot do to with eating irregularly and small portions (try to find something without meat here, especially if your Spanish is barely good enough to say hello and goodbye!). Thankfully, Oaxaca sees lots of tourists and their restaurants seem to cater more to gringo preferences - here you can get pasta, pizza, sandwiches with organic (and disinfected) lettuce, veggie soup (really, without meat!), etc.. Oaxaca is also famous for its chocolate, arts (which, chocolate here jsut might be), and crafts. We enjoyed some of all and will hopefully bring some of each home to share.
I've got to leave you now...it's time for breakfast (a nice, big breakfast with juice and fruit and all :)) and then the bus. Wish us luck for the ride. We shall report from the beach...given that we can find internet access there (we're going to some really tiny places...Mazunte & Zipolite should be on the map).

So then... Adios, once again...

Puebla

After a smooth, though less luxurious, bus ride we got here lst night at around 8 pm. Our hotel is fine, a few block away from the city center, or zócalo. This time the owners seem a lot more laissez-faire than in previous places we have stayed (the lock to the room is slightly broken, but alas; when we got there the owner took us through 3 rooms before he found the one that was actually ready; light and warm water don't really work, etc.). Today we took the somewhat chilly and cloudy day to explore the old colonial town of Puebla, which is famous for its tiles and mole sauces (a sauce with 30+ ingredients, among them chilis and chocolate). The city is vibrant and has a distinct European feel to it. Other than that, there really isn't too much to report at this point. It's been a slow day, really. Tomorrow morning we're heading on to Oaxaca... a place about which we have heard lots and lots of good stories and are both very excited. More from there, then...and more pictures again, perhaps!?

Hope all is well in your part(s) of the world...

Adios!

Taxco

So, yesterday we got to Taxco, an old silver-mining town southwest of Mexico City. We took the bus (the most luxurious bus I have ever been on - and all for $10!) and got here in about 2.5 hours. After the hustle and bustle of the big city, this tiny little place was just what we needed. Walking around the city center takes a mere 15 minutes (though the actual city spreads all over the nearby mountains) - unless you stop at the hundreds of silver-selling places. Supposedly, this is one of the epicenters of handcrafted silver jewelry in the world. The hotel we stayed at - Mi Casita - couldn´t have been better. A sweet old house on the side of a mountain, very tastefully restored and decorated. We only stayed for a night and as beautiful as Taxco is, we believe it was a good decision for us to head on today to the old colonial and Volkswagen production city Puebla. The bus leaves at 4 pm this afternoon and we should get there by about 8 or 8.30 at night. For now, however, some Taxco impressions. More from Puebla or Oaxaca (we´re headed there on Wednesday)...

Taxco pictures

La Casa De Los Amigos

If you ever need a place to stay in Mexico City - this is it! This Quaker Peace House is not your ordinary youth hostel. It hosts people from all over the world, mostly those looking for a quiet place in the middle of the city and like-minded people. It organizes daily meetings and discussions that people can participate in and provides lots of volunteer opportunities. The breakfast they offer is amazing - a truly welcoming and great place! (More details in the latest Lonely Planet Mexico.)

Teotihuacán - pyramids of the sun and the moon

Mexico City, II