LA VIDA ES BUENA

Here we are back in Mexico. This picture is of Brooks and Mary and us on our way to Oaxaca. We will be gone from home for a little over 2 weeks. We stopped for lunch just outside of Mexico City. This trip will be Oaxaca, Puerto Escondido, Acapulco, Zihuatenejo, Morelia, and then home.
More pictures soon, we have been on the move every day.

This was in Tula De Allende where we spent overnight. The town is located on the North bypass of Mexico/City. Wow! what a nice road, and you don't have to even go close to Mexico City. It's called Arco Norte.

Couldn't resist taking this picture while walking around Tula De Allende.

White capped mountai

In a restaurant on our way to Oaxaca.

This is a huge tree in Tule, a small village near Oaxaca. It measures 90 meters around.

I thought I was a tree hugger but this takes the cake.

They have to pump 10,000 liters of water into the ground every day for it to survive. It is 2,000 years old. Also on the grounds was a 1,000 year old tree and another smaller one that is only 200 years old. It looks like several trees, but it is only one. It is in the cypeiss family.

The Government building in the town square.

They had a beautiful garden in the town square. Sculptured trees Etc.

This was another town (Tlacochahuaya) with beautiful church.

All of the walls and ceilings were hand panted. The church was full of fresh flowers.

This was from the organ room at the back of the church. The organ is a working pipe organ. More pictures of the organ later. It is played by one person and another works the bellows. Very old but restored in the 90's

Dome ceiling, hand painted.

Next we visited a indigenous rug shop. Here we are watching a demonstration of how the wool is dyed. All is done with natural dies, a process that was passed down from generation to generation.

Here is a rug weaver at work.

These two ladies were learning the trade.

Lunch time, this was a restaurant at a Mescal factory.

Yes, those are worms from the Agave plant. You will find them in most bottles of Mescal. I did eat one or two.

Moving on to the next day. This the family of Osvaldo Gonzalez. We hosted Osvaldo and his mother for three nights at our home when they were in Chapala for an artisan show. They weave Oaxacan wool rugs. They treated us to a nice lunch. They are wonderful people. Osvaldo was out of town, but his mother greeted us like we were friends for many years. That is Osvaldo's dad in the yellow shirt and Mom in the corner of the table and wife in the other table corner. This was a real treat to visit them. Of course the meal would not have been complete unless Mom brought out a bottle of mescal. Everyone except the kids had a shot. We will see Osvaldo on Sat. when he is in Oaxaca.

This family is a real gem.

These taxi's can be seen everywhere around Oaxaca in the small villages.

This is in the Zocolo in Oaxaca centro.

Lots of restaurants in Oaxaca Central Square.

This is the Opera House in Oaxaca.

This is another day of tours. This is Monte Alban. A very important ruins that were discovered and restored. Very interesting. It was occupied from 300 BC to 700 AD. Please don't hold me to these dates. Wow, it is looooong time ago.

They are still restoring as well as discovering more and more. They claim that only 10 percent has been uncovered.

The place was huge. Lots of exercise. It is on the top of a mountain.

This was a very important church. It is where many indigenous were baptized. Our tour guide explains how the indigenous were baptized in large groups. There were just too many to do one at a time.