Just got back from bumping around the dirt roads of Oaxaca's Valle Central. The Civic performed admirably in the mud and potholes, although the beautiful wash-and-wax job I got in Guadalajara has faded into memory. Oh, and not to mention the "sellado" stickers and spray-on windshield numbers that my car attracted during its brief stay in the towing yard ... but we won't dwell on that.
The drive was flat-out amazing. Guys were using everything from hoes to oxen to tractors to get the crops planted out here in the Oaxacan breadbasket (tortilla-basket?). Everyone was very friendly, except for the one store owner who thought I was crazy to suggest that she could do a lot more business if she dealt in money transfers. "Demasiado complicado," she kept saying. I'm sure she's right, but it's a bit disheartening since that's what our project is focused on at the moment.
The highlight of the trip definitely had to be La Trinidad de Zaachila, a town so small I almost passed it up completely (it looked out-of-business). But once I got inside to the main plaza and started chatting up the locals in front of the municipal offices, the mayor came out to answer my questions about banking and telecommunications. Turns out they've got an Internet center, and it just happened to be an unsecured wireless network so I could discreetely check my e-mail from my car, parked next to the chickens.
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