March 1, 2008, Puebla/Cholula (Las Americas RV Park)
Pat and Alice sent us on our way this morning mindful of the pig area we were in.
Usually at this time of year Terry and I are at the Nascar Races in Las Vegas. Leaving Oaxaca today the taxicabs made up for anything we might have missed at the races. We had to maneuver the lanes ending up on the right side as if we had been to England and then back again. It is actually a very efficient way to move traffic but a bit disconcerting to use the wrong side of the road. Our travel day was relatively easy and interesting as we moved North and West today. We noticed a change of terrain as we climbed in altitude. At 6,000 feet we saw pine trees. We also avoided a car broken down that had used tree limbs to notify on oncoming traffic of their predicament. There were lots of kids outside the stalled vehicle and we noted how ingenious it was to use the local flora to indicate a problem. Our top altitude today was 7,950 feet but this was many up the mountains and down again. I’m sure our fuel mileage was not so good today. The mountainous terrain was very steep and yet we saw forests of Cardone cactus, thick much like you might have imagined pine trees. The cacti were single trunks and over 30 feet tall.
We followed the book and within the city of Puebla the traffic grew heavy and the PEMEX fuel station that was to be our meeting place if we got ahead of the caravan, was not so easy for Terry and I to find, so we missed the side road and waited on the interstate within the bus stop area, until the caravan arrived to lead us to this little RV Park.
At a wonderful Happy Hour tonight provided by Eileen, Shirley and Sherry, I was awarded the Goofy Award because at our lunch break, I noticed number 16 (Fern and Annette) parked ahead of us. I radioed on the CB. “Fern are you in you rig or in the restaurant? He was reminded of Doreen who has had this communication “issue” on earlier travels with them and thought of her as he awarded the Goofy to me AGAIN. I was just being neighborly. Sandy shared with the group a heart-warming incident that reflects on the positive nature of Mexicans. Hex had to pull over and assist number 14, Bill and Sherry with a slide out problem early in today’s journey. They pulled over in front of a local camper shell business and the guy opened his restroom so Hex could wash the grease off his hands. One never ever knows the boundaries that an act of kindness can travel.
We have passed from the State of Oaxaca to the State of Puebla and will have a city tour in the morning. Before we get too far away from the State of Oaxaca I wanted to share a few more details with you. I learned the city of Oaxaca is almost 800,000 people and has spread out into suburbs as the city continues to grow. Eugene related to us that one of the biggest problems Mexico has is Education. He asked if we had heard the bad news from their city a year age. Most of us had not. He related to us that the teacher union is the strongest in the country. They seem to strike or picket each Friday. Their workday is from 8 am to 12:30 pm including ½ hour for breakfast. The teachers involved are from Kindergarten to college. They are supposed to work 186 teaching days (about the equivalent of a California public school year 180 days) and they have 20 sick days, 9 days they don’t have to call in for anything special. They can get their credential from their parents if their parents were teachers for a mere $5,000. (Bribe) He showed us graffiti on local fences that were messages from teachers about their request for benefits from the regular demonstrations. The starting salary for the 4 1/2 hour workday is $1900 dollars a month. Plus they have medical and retirement. I will check these details again with Eugene, as I was so interested in Teacher Union problems that may have over stated the cause. I just recall from my workdays that negotiations for benefits and salaries with teachers were a stressful time.
Statistics:
Motorhome Miles Driven: 226
Temperatures: High 82 Low 43 Humidity 21%
GPS Coordinates: N 19 4 22.8 W 98 17 38.8