I was open early to catch a bus to Cuajimoloyas where we were to meet our 1st guide and hike about 10 miles to Latuvi. Our overnight lodging location.
It was still dark when I got to my friends hotel. I just sat on the curb until someone opened the door. She was ready to go and we walked the mile over to the 2nd class bus station on the West side of town.
There was a bustle in the city at 6am. Street vendors were getting their stalls and food cooking. We easily got tickets. I grabbed some food from a tamale vendor and before you knew it we were up in the mountains of Sierra Norte just north of town. I woke up when we made it to Cuajimoloyas
Our guide did not speak English so I thought it would be a quiet hike, but the language barrier did not keep him from sharing everything under the sun. I kept wanting to say, "were you here 5 minutes ago when we established that I did not speak Spanish." Now there was just a lot of uncomfortable nodding going on. I would look for 1 word I recognized in a sea of gibberish and then construct a hypothesis for the meaning of the rant.
It was similar to my trip into the Amazon last year. The guide was describing the medicinal properties of each plant. He would pass it to me and I would try it as long as the plants designed use was not for curing constipation I was good to go.
Here is a large Yucca plant. I am not able to find them often, but I love when a place makes Yucca fries.
When I first started this trip I assumed that I would not need a hiking guide. There were signs all over the place showing the path around the Pueblos Mancomunados
I read some reviews that the guide was necessary and besides it cost about $10 and help supported a good cause. As we followed through the forest I realized quickly that I would have been screwed if I was on my one. The signs seemed to be only mere suggestions as he did not follow them very often.
At a viewpoint we stopped to look over the valley
We waited for a few minutes and then tried to keep walking, but our guide kept motioning us to stay. We were a bit confused and agreed to sit and eat our pack lunches. Still trying to convince him to keep moving to make the next town, we spotted an elderly gentleman making his way up a mountain path.
We finally figured out they this was the hand off point. Our new guide led us down into the valley
When we got to the bottom I determined that this guy got the short end of the stick as he had to hike up the steep inline we just descended in order to meet us. He seemed to be ok with it, but what a chore it must be day in and day out.
We rested and tried to determine where we were to go from here. When we were back at the halfway point I spotted a town up an opposite ridge, so I knew we had to go back up, it was just a matter of how high
We followed a tight group of switchbacks along a dirt road and in pretty quick time were upon the city of Latuvi
Nothing to remarkable, just about 20, 7 ft tall cement buildings a school and a church. There were one very modern looking structure overlooking they valley that turned out to be our lodging for the night. I was impressed. Here I thought (secretly wanting) that we would be sleeping on a dirt floor with a blanket, but he had the best digs in town. It was already getting chilly out of the sun, so once we stopped hiking I had to put on an extra layer.
It was only around 3pm so I was off in search of some beers before a late lunch. I was directed towards a lady's kitchen where she pulled 4 beers out of the bottom shelf of a fridge. She charged me 70 pesos, but promised half back when the bottles were returned. Seemed odd, but maybe it was a new take on being environmentally conscious
We lounged about reading for a couple hours before heading across the street to another kitchen for lunch
The woman there prepared some beef in a chocolate mole sauce that I mentioned back when I was in Oaxaca.
Killing time before dinner we walked the village. Signs were all over the road about practicing safe sex and being environmentally aware with trash. They even had improvised recycling bins, A nice change to most of Latin America.
Before dinner I decided to shower and wash my clothes in the sink. Let's play a little game. It is kinda like that Photo Hunt game the kids play where you have to determine the differences between 2 similar pictures. In this case I only have one picture, but see if you can notice anything out of place.
It is not the poor color choice of the burgundy toilet. Look again. If you said the sink looked different, somehow, you ware right! I was washing my clothes and I somehow knocked the sink right off the wall and smashed it. I stood there for about 30 seconds wondering how to conceal this. I came to the realization that my roommate might notice it and I could not piece it together with duct tape and try to blame it on her when it collapsed. I walked outside and she asked what that huge crash was. I replied that I may have rearranged a few things in the bathroom and some things might not work the same as intended, but the pipes did still produce the intended hot and cold water. I walked up to the main building and the boss was not around. Some teenager was sleeping on the sofa. I told him to come with me after failing to convey what had happened in my version of Spanish. It is very difficult to come up with a lie or excuse in a foreign language let alone the truth. He was a bit hesitant to follow me into the bathroom, as he only assumed for some kinky American tradition. Eventually I showed him and he started laughing. I began to laugh thinking, "ok, I think I am not going to be hacked up with a machete if he can convey the same humor to the boss."
We eventually headed back to the same spot for dinner. It was in the upper 40s now outside and I was feeling the chill. The lady brought us hot chocolate and an Oaxacan traditional meal.
After dinner we watched the neighborhood kids play basketball. No room for soccer fields on the top of mountain I guess. Everywhere I went on this trip kids were playing basketball, not soccer. I am still awaiting the Mexican version of Michael Jordan to emerge on the NBA scene.
I was expecting a bunch of uncoordinated styles, but they were like the Mexican Harlem globetrotters. Knocking every shot down, underhand layups, behind the back passes. I was going to walk down there and impress them with my height and game, but glad I did not, and disgrace my country in the process.
We headed back to the cabin and found a stack of wood outside. I brought it in and found a fireplace of sorts built into the wall
We lit the fire and it was nice to fall asleep to the crackling warmth. All along I was thinking, if I burn this place down, then at least they wont find out about the sink.
Until Tomorrow
Darren
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