Hola amigos,
First off let me just say the "sun is shining and the weather is sweet" here in Austin, this place is hard to beat when it's not hotter than hot. We have made it back to TX and it's so good to see family and friends. We spent the last two months down south in vacation mode after our job ended. I'm so glad we did, but it made it really hard to leave. In reflection all I can say is that it was an amazing experience in an intense place during a transitional period both for us and Puerto Escondido. That crazy little beach town really sunk its claws into us and we'll have to return for a long visit at least. Karlie left for Chiapas-Guatemala-Mex City on Oct.6th. I've been where Karlie was and it is one of the best journeys one can take into the Mayan heartland.
I left Pto. on Oct. 26th for the solo drive home, the first day was ten hrs. to Veracruz and eight to Tampico the next day. No biggie, not much rain, some bad roads here and there, too many speed bumps, a given. I promise that after I left Oaxaca I didn't really see any pretty girls, maybe a couple in the cities. My three day drive soon turned into five and was no fun, just another learning situation and chance to practice Spanish. I got stuck in Tampico for an extra day and then south of Matamoros for another day, where you don't want to be, I promise. Mexico teaches patience but when I was so close to the border I was getting frustrated. I had some brake issues that weren't solved until I got back to Austin. I had to limp the last four hrs. to Corpus and then the last four hrs. to Austin on Halloween to catch some much needed good music. Luckily, I was able to vote in Corpus on Friday.
Right now we need to have a little pow-wow and figure out what to do and where to live in the near future. We were thinking about SF, but we'll see if we are happy here in the US. Usually, it's hard for people to live in the states again after such a different life in a beautiful, tropical fishing/surf village. The only catch of course is money, there's still not much work in Oaxaca. Yoga of course is in demand. For now, we'll be in Austin working and catching up on things til Jan. or so. Karlie and I will travel to NOLA-Houston for Thanksgiving and be in TX for Christmas with our families. A year flies by, lemme tell ya. Austin is now just more expensive and there's a lot more people living downtown and in the '04. "As we go 'round and 'round, life is just a moment in time."
If you noticed the artists that I ripped off in my aging hipster way, then you are cool. Viva Mexico!
Hugs, Mike
