¨Of all the places to get a flat tire, our 3-seater pickup truck decided on a "vaca" (cow) graveyard guarded by a posse of 30+ vultures on the side of Mexican Highway 200. Massive bones are strewn about this seemingly random highway pulloff, reminiscent of the elephant graveyard from Disney´s The Lion King. The stench of decaying flesh is nauseating. Katrina and I are guarding the truck and all our cargo with a piece of rebar while Aimee hitches a ride to the next town to buy a new tire.
The three of us ladies set out two days ago on a roadtrip from Mexico City west through Acapulco, down the Pacific coast highway to Rio Grande, Oaxaca, Mexico. Esperanza, the house-building organization I am interning with this year, is expanding its 25 years of work in Tijuana to an eagerly awaiting community in Oaxaca. The pickup truck we are driving was shipped from Esperanza´s headquarters in Tijuana to Mexico City for us (three friends from Seattle University) to drive down the rest of the way. Our first evening on the road we hit the tailend of a cyclone (i.e. terrential downpour). The driver´s side windshield wiper wasn´t doing its job, so we pulled over and switched the wipers with the help of two random young boys. No more than thirty minutes after hitting the road again, the driver´s side wiper disappeared altogether, lost to the highway in the blinding rain. Aimee did a magnificent job driving, bringing us safely to a flooded Acapulco after 8 hours on a construction-laden road and a late evening stop at a little mechanic shop to pick up new wipers, which the store owner graciously installed for us in the pouring rain.¨
From flat tires to incompetent windshield wipers, our roadtrip mishaps provided the many strangers we met along the way an opportunity to be good samaritans. The hospitality we have encountered both along the way and here in Rio Grande is incredible. It is not so much the Oaxacan people to fear in this part of Mexico, but rather the 3 crazy American women roadtripping without a spare tire! We´ve certainly learned our lesson.
La paz! Peace!
Hana T.
The three of us ladies set out two days ago on a roadtrip from Mexico City west through Acapulco, down the Pacific coast highway to Rio Grande, Oaxaca, Mexico. Esperanza, the house-building organization I am interning with this year, is expanding its 25 years of work in Tijuana to an eagerly awaiting community in Oaxaca. The pickup truck we are driving was shipped from Esperanza´s headquarters in Tijuana to Mexico City for us (three friends from Seattle University) to drive down the rest of the way. Our first evening on the road we hit the tailend of a cyclone (i.e. terrential downpour). The driver´s side windshield wiper wasn´t doing its job, so we pulled over and switched the wipers with the help of two random young boys. No more than thirty minutes after hitting the road again, the driver´s side wiper disappeared altogether, lost to the highway in the blinding rain. Aimee did a magnificent job driving, bringing us safely to a flooded Acapulco after 8 hours on a construction-laden road and a late evening stop at a little mechanic shop to pick up new wipers, which the store owner graciously installed for us in the pouring rain.¨
From flat tires to incompetent windshield wipers, our roadtrip mishaps provided the many strangers we met along the way an opportunity to be good samaritans. The hospitality we have encountered both along the way and here in Rio Grande is incredible. It is not so much the Oaxacan people to fear in this part of Mexico, but rather the 3 crazy American women roadtripping without a spare tire! We´ve certainly learned our lesson.
La paz! Peace!
Hana T.
ROADTRIP! Mexico City --> Rio Grande, OaxacaKatrina, Hana, Aimee
"Life is a highway!..."
Fixing windshield wipers on the side of the road..jpg)
Hot night out in flooded Acapulco!
" On the road again..."
VULTURES!
"Vaca" Graveyard, with a flat tire.
"Guarding" the truck with a piece of rebar.
Buying NEW tires!
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