Our first DAY without an agenda!

February 6, 2010, Saturday

This marks our first DAY without an agenda!  We decided to go to Mitla.  We hopped a city bus to the second-class bus station where we thought we could get a taxi to Mitla.  It never occurred to us (gringos) that one doesn’t catch a southbound taxi from the northbound taxi stand!  We caught a second-class bus instead. The north bound taxi station is right next to the second class bus station.  As soon as we walked into the station a driver was calling out “Mitla-Tlacolula,” we hopped on the bus and it promptly left the station with only 6 folks on it.  We could not figure this out. Why would the bus leave with only a few folks on it?  Well it became clear as we worked out of town.  The bus stopped at all the local bus stops as it made its way to the main highway to the south.  As it turns out we could have walked about five blocks from our pension to the stadium and hopped the bus there. Such is learning a bus system when there are no transit maps! The bus took just about as long as a taxi with a tour around Tlacolula thrown in, and was much more comfortable we each had a seat. In the “community taxi’s” that go to the outlying communities there are typically 3-4 in the back seat and 3 in the front (2 seats).  The taxis are small 4 door Toyota sedans, so the bus ride was much more comfortable and it only cost 14 Pesos each!

We arrived in Mitla and searched for the weaver I had seen when last in Mitla with friends two weeks ago.

  Mitla is known for producing many of the textiles sold in the greater valley.

We found them and bargained for some of their wares.  We found a very nice place to eat.  The mole was excellent.  Again when we walked up to the bus stop, a bus was ready to leave back to Oaxaca, we hopped on and it left promptly. We then reversed our steps back home in plenty of time for a siesta and Stan to attend an engagement.

Rick and I had a great dinner at one of the places Nelly suggested.  I had never had stuffed Pumpkin flowers before.  They were stuffed with Oaxacan cheese, lightly breaded and fried.  They appeared as thick potato chips.  They were quite tasty. It was still early.  Rick and I went to the Zocalo for gelato and looked at a very tame clown act.  Since the audience was four people deep, I couldn’t see anything.  We didn’t stay long.