8000 miles – near Tehuacan, Puebla
We’re in southern Mexico! Wohoo! We are sitting in a pleasant hostal in downtown Oaxaca – a city we have been looking forward to visiting since we entered Mexico. In the past week we left the striking pyramids of Teotihuacan and crossed into three new states. We saw the second-largest pyramid in the world in Cholula, got partially lost on some dirt back roads, camped in a soccer field, and climbed back into (yet) another mountain range.
From Teotihuacan to Oaxaca
To avoid the traffic in the Mexico City area, we decided to take some back roads on our way to Cholula. I (Jason) mapped out a path using Google, and we decided that two 5-mile sections of dirt roads would be an acceptable adventure. And what an adventure it was!
Daisy is “excited” that this dirt road turns into a dirt track?!
The day before we left Teotihuacan, I re-mapped the route so I could write down turn-by-turn directions. Little did I know at the time, but I did not have the same route I had so meticulously checked previously! We turned onto a dirt road much sooner than expected, and then bailed as it disintegrated into a steep path up a hill. Ha! (This is what we have come to call a Google Maps Fail.) We saw some power lines to our left, and decided to cross a couple fields in order to get over there. Next to the power lines was a paved(!) road and my spirits lifted. We were back on track. (More or less…)
The dirt road we had intended to be on was actually in great shape
And being in the countryside provided us with spectacular views
The pyramid at Cholula is actually more of a pyramid complex that looks like a hill. When the Spanish arrived, they didn’t notice the peculiar dimensions of the hill and proceeded to build a cathedral on the top. This made for a church with a nice view!
Cathedral on top of Cholula’s buried pyramid. Note that there are plenty of vendors on the walkway up
One of the archaeological tunnels through the pyramid
The pyramid had been built and rebuilt several times over many years. To visit, you enter a tunnel that passes under and through the hill. The archeologists have cut out several side paths that show different stacked rock formations of the different pyramid stages. In total, there are over 8 km of tunnels! However, us tourists can only access about 800 m. Out back there are several exposed staircases, plazas, and altars. It is quite an impressive sight, although much, much different than Teotihuacan!
A plaza out back with several staircases and platforms
One of the altars. Animal, human, and other symbols were often carved into the stones pillars in this area
Nice lines! Since the ruins here were buried they were better preserved than the ones at Teotihuacan. We got the impression that the Mexican government didn’t rework/rebuild as much on these structures, showing more of the original condition.
On our way out of Cholula, we had planned to skirt around Puebla and back out into the countryside. However, Puebla is the fourth-largest city in Mexico and the traffic combined with roadwork made for a very unpleasant highway experience! Luckily, we were rescued by two local cyclists who gave us directions on a better way to get through the city. We were directed to a very new raised bicycle path that was still being built!
Jason is lovin’ the bike path, aka: ciclopista
Mexican suburbia. Don’t think single-family homes surrounded by grass!! Think thin, townhouse apartments crammed together in a more efficient use of space.
That night we arrived at a small town and decided we weren’t willing to pay the (relatively) expensive price for one of the local hotels. After talking with a few locals, Daisy got permission from the police to camp at the sports field complex. We set up next to the baseball field and were treated to a nice sunset while cooking our dinner.
Sunset by the ball fields
This is what it looks like when the police wake you up in the middle of the night. And we felt just about as groggy
We were sleeping well, until about 11 PM. That was when 3 police cars showed up! They woke us up to say that we needed to move camp because they didn’t want drunk people to bother us when the town fiesta was over. I asked when that was, and they said 3 AM! We groggily moved camp onto the new turf soccer field which was surrounded by a fence. One police officer stayed in a car outside the gate all night to keep watch. A nice guesture, including the fact that he woke us up at 5 AM to let us know he was leaving to wash the car. Ha!
Our end-campsite fulfilled Jason’s dream of sleeping on a turf soccer field
On the way to Oaxaca we descended and then climbed back up some mountains. There isn’t too much to say about this, other than that it was another beautiful climb. We took the toll road, which had many rock cut-outs and views of untouched valleys. The pictures say much more than words!
We crossed from Puebla to Oaxaca state and began to climb
Although there is little human settlement, there is enough for goats to be found!
Daisy views the nearby valleys
Daisy is excited to be back where there are large trees. We are reminded of home
As we stopped for a break, we made two new friends: Daniel and Fabiola. Congratulations on your marriage and enjoy your hippie-van honeymoon! :)
Nice bike shop logo!
