After deciding to leave early this morning, Nicky and I went out last night, and so all the benefit of the long sleep we had the previous nights was totally negated. We were going to drive 600 km from Oaxaca to San Cristobal de las Casas. After getting out of Oaxaca, on to a very straight, long, flat road, all was looking good. We got to the end of this road, and due to some misleading signs, ended up in a Quarry. Not to worry, we turned round and were soon on the motorway once again. This was another very winding road, and with a lot of downhill stretches. The only problem with an automatic (or our automatic) is that you can't use the engine to slow down very easily, and so we could soon smell that burning rubber smell from our brakes. In fact, when we stopped our brakes were smoking, but there was nothing we could do about it.
The road was absolutely incredible. We saw what was by far the best scenery so far, and probably the most amazing landscape I have ever seen. We were once again in huge green forests, with waterfalls and enormous, sheer mountains. The only problem with the road we were on was that it wasn't the right road. Indeed, after about 5 hours of driving, the road ended, at a small indigenous village. After realising that this was clearly not the way, we went and asked the locals, who told us that we could either turn round, or go down a little dirt track which lead us towards where we wanted to be. We decided that turning round was too much of a setback, and after convincing a shop owner to make us some tuna sandwiches, and filling up at the world's most backward petrol station (they didn't have pumps, just syphoned it into the tank) we set off. The road was awful, and full of bumps and scrapes, but nor more than before. Or so we thought.
About ten minutes down the road we hit a bump, by no means the biggest we had hit, and the car stopped. We couldn't start it again, the engine wasn't flooded, and there were no obvious problems. After a lot of swearing, we packed a bag, and were about to set off on what would have been at least a two hour walk back to the petrol station, where we knew there was a mechanic. Luckily, someone drove past at the right time, and after checking the car much more thoroughly and with far superior knowledge, told us we needed a mechanic and offered us a lift. We eagerly took them up. So eagerly, in fact, that Nicky locked the keys in the car. We were about to throw ourselves off the edge (all our things were in the boot), when the guy who had offered us a lift simply opened the car with his key - “these old cars, you know”. And so, not knowing whether to be thankful or disturbed that you can open our car with any key-shaped object, we set off back to the village.
We waited a few hours for the mechanic, and when he arrived discovered he didn't have a car. After cadging a lift off his friend, he told us, after fixing a few things that turned out not to be the problem, told us that he couldn't fix it and that we needed to get it back to Oaxaca. Nevertheless, we returned with a three and a half tonne truck and towed the car up the hill to the village, where we were greeted with much amusement. We then set about solving the problem of getting a broken car from the middle of nowhere 6 hours back to Oaxaca. We had almost settled on being towed by the same truck, which was a terrible idea on such winding roads, but our only option, when a huge flat-bed lorry arrived. After talking to the owner, we discovered that it was going back to Oaxaca the next morning, and they could take us, if we could find a way to get the car on.
We settled that we would get up at five the next morning to sort out the car, and went for some beers with the mechanic and his friend, who despite not being able to fix the car, had been incredibly helpful. There's no bar in the village, so we went from shop to shop drinking whatever beer was on offer. Upon asking where we should sleep, they replied, to our amazement, “well why don't you just stay in the hotel?”. It turned out that this tiny village had a huge, new hotel. Big enough, probably, to house the entire population. I have no idea why they have one, but we were thankful for it, and after a few more beers and some science lessons (they wanted to know how the solar system works), we had set the alarm for five in the morning and were fast asleep.
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One Comment
hey darling. I am currently working (yes shock horror I am actually employed by someone!), ok well technically I am making myself look busy on the computer so that people think I’m working. Anyways, I have spent the last 10 mins reading stuff on your site to amuse myself & I will admit your ramblings are quite entertaining :p.
This seems like it will be the best way to get in touch with you, so I just hope you’re having fun– which going by your blog it sounds like you are. However, I do notice a lack of any of the stories you told me over msn messenger lol.
lots of love
xxxxx