Oaxaca Archives - Iron Roamer

Motorcycling Serviced in Veracruz

Upon leaving Oaxaca I had two priorities, get my motorcycle serviced and get out of Mexico by March 28 when my Temporary Import Permit expired.

Servicing my motorcycle is especially important for me since I really know nothing about mechanics 🙁 I know, I should have taken a course or something before I left. You are right. But right now prevention is the key.

There are BMW Mottorad service departments in Puebla and Mexico City. But I have been to those cities already. There is also one in Veracruz which isn’t too far away. So off I go.

The Road to Veracruz

It was very weird to be on my motorcycle again after 3 and a half months! It was also nice though as I was back traveling again.

I decided to take the toll roads to Veracruz. This was to avoid topes, turns and slow riding that all put additional stress on my core and my hernia repair. I also planned on stopping every hour to rest.

It was a nice ride. Toll roads in Mexico have little traffic on them. I am guessing it is because they by-pass villages and the tolls are fairly expensive. I spent about $19 CDN for the trip.

As is my usual method of operation, I got to my hotel, Hotel Oliba, at around 2 pm.

This gave me the opportunity to do some exploring before dark. I specifically chose this location because it was close to the BMW dealership, a couple of malls and the sea.

I looked around and grabbed dinner in the mall before heading to bed.

BMW Vecsa

The next day was reserved to service my bike. I walked into BMW Vecsa and hoped someone spoke English. I waited for a bit before a young woman with a nice smile approached me. I was in luck, she spoke English. The only one there that did. I must have looked like an English speaker ha ha. She ended up being my interpreter as she directed me to the Mottorad office and the service technician. After explaining what I wanted they said it would be ready by 6 pm. Lots of time to kill.

When I was at one of the malls the day before I noticed a Starbucks. Of course! That is where I headed. I spent the whole day there relaxing and taking in the views of the Caribbean. Sooooo relaxing.

While it may seem like it, I am not a big coffee drinker. For me, Starbucks is a piece of home. It is not the coffee but rather home that I like Starbucks.

The day went fast and it was time to pick up my motorcycle.

When I arrived I was greeted by another young women with a great smile. I don’t know what the servicing is like, but the smiles certainly put me at ease and are welcoming. She told me that she was there when I came in in the morning but was in a meeting. They had called her as there was an English speaking guy there ha ha. But she couldn’t come.

My bike was ready.

As I drove away I noticed a couple of problems right away. First, my ignition switch was sticky 🙁 And second, the right front turn signal was still not working. Although regarding the turn signal, they advised me that they may not have the bulb for it. I guess they didn’t.

Oh well …. I’ll have it checked out again in Merida or perhaps Guatemala City.

My Route for March 21, 2017

My Location for March 22, 2017

Back in Oaxaca

March 14, 2017, I flew back to Oaxaca.

Airbnb

When I arrived I took a cab back to the Airbnb I had left two and a half months ago for 2 weeks ha ha leaving all my belonging behind in my room.

Susanna at the Airbnb was kind enough to take care of my bike and belongings while I had my extended stay back home for surgery.

As I entered into my new room, all my belongings were waiting for me inside! What a great place :-). I can’t say enough about Susanna and her Airbnb. They were so kind and accommodating. I will be forever grateful.

Meeting Fellow Adventurers

I couldn’t stay for long at the Airbnb though as I was meeting Curt and Lynette for drinks and dinner. It was going to be a long day 🙂

Curt and Lynette have been traveling the world for 3 years now. They have been to Europe, Russia, Asia, Australia, and now central america. You can find there website at http://www.twoxtw.com.

I have been keeping track of them as they have bounced from country to country. When I saw we were going to be close to each other in Mexico I wanted to meet up with them. However, I was just going to miss them. Fortunately, they decided to stay an extra day in Oaxaca so we could meet up.

When I got to the location where we were to meet, Brad Ringstmeier, another world motorcycle traveler was also there!

His website is at http://perpetual-moto-discovery.com/.

Our time was spent exchanging “war stories,” discussing what it meant to be a motorcycle adventurer, and advising each other what lied ahead on our trips since I was heading south and Lynette and Curt were heading north.

It was really nice to meet fellow travelers, but I was also tired from a very long day. I could also feel a cold coming on.

A Week in Oaxaca

I had booked a week in Oaxaca to rest more from my surgery and get readjusted to life in Mexico.

The plan was to see the sights I had not seen while I was there before. Plans, plans, plans, … instead I ended up with a bad chest cold. Those plans changed because of it. I just wasn’t well enough to go out and instead needed to recuperate before heading out of Oaxaca in a weeks time.

The week was low key and consisted on going to my coffee shop, Cafe Brujula, for my morning coffee before walking back to my Airbnb to rest up.

It was nice being back in the sun of Oaxaca. Things were pretty much the same. But gone were all the Christmas decorations including the tree and ice rink.

The Zocalo was still the buzz of activity with things happening everyday.

The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption was as beautiful as ever.

And now the flowers were starting to bloom.

This “spring” all seemed strange since it has been hot all of December when I was here last. It had hardly felt like winter. I guess it was spring now ha ha

The week went by fast. My cold was still pretty bad. But I needed to move on as my Temporary Vehicle Import Permit for Mexico was to expire on March 28. That meant I needed to have my bike out of the country by then.

My Location for March 14 to March 20, 2017

Hiatus Hernia Surgery

With the wedding now past, I turned my attention to my need for hiatus hernia surgery. My lingering fear was that I would be put on a waiting list and I wouldn’t have the surgery for months. Meanwhile, my bike and belongings were in Oaxaca. The temporary import permit for my motorcycle expired on March 28. I needed to have it out of Mexico by then.

I kept mulling options in my mind. Take a chance and fly down there and ride my motorcycle back home? This would end my trip 🙁 Perhaps I could just leave my stuff there and beg for mercy when I left Mexico with my bike. Then there was the issue of where I would stay while waiting. I couldn’t stay with my son in his small apartment long term. It was all very depressing.

Surrey Thoracic Surgery Group

My surgeon was Dr. Wen from the Surrey Thoracic Group in Surrey, BC. A lot of my fears were relieved when I had my pre-operative appointment with him. He was so kind, understanding, and accommodating of my predicament. We spent a long time with his assistant trying to figure out ways to get me in for surgery fast. No matter what though, if an emergent case came in, eg. lung cancer, I would take a back seat. We finally decided on a plan. I was booked for surgery in 2 weeks.

As luck would have it, the day before my scheduled surgery it was cancelled 🙁 We needed to work out another plan. One option was to book me into the hospital. Once there I would become a priority so to free up my hospital bed. Another Dr in the Thoracic Group, Dr. Ashrafi, had surgery time coming up that wasn’t booked yet. I took it and hoped for the best.

Jim Pattison Centre

The day before my scheduled surgery I wasn’t to have anything to eat, and I had to attend the Jim Pattison Centre for blood work, xrays, CCG, and appointments with a nurse and the anesthesiologist.

The blood work turned into an ordeal. I can’t remember how many vials they took, but at one point I got faint. Many years ago I use to faint with needles. However, 15 years ago, after a month in the hospital with pneumonia and getting many needles, this went away. But it came back today.

There was quite the response to this … nurse, security, attendants, code blue, and a CCG. Well, at least I got my CCG without having to wait ha ha. I think it was all because of not having anything to eat and the stress of my situation.

After a bit of rest I was onto my other appointments. This was an all day event.

Surgery

The day finally arrived and no cancellation. The two biggest fears I had about the surgery was the anesthesiologist putting a mask over my face to put me out, and having a tube put up my nose into my stomach and waking up to that. I let them know! ha ha. I just hate anything over my face. I panic. The nurse gave me some ativan while I waited.

I walked into the surgical room and layed down on the bed. I could feel panic starting at the prospect. The anesthesiologist was no wear. I just wanted this over with. Finally she came. Instead of putting a mask over my face she gave me an injection into my IV tube. I was out.

The next thing I remember was being wheeled into a room. My hands were velcroed to the bed. I wanted them loose! The attendants were yelling at me to stop pulling the tubes then ha ha ha. They undid my hands and I could feel them pulling the tube from my nose that led to my stomach. I felt relief at that.

The next thing I remember is being in the Thoracic Ward in the hospital.

Hospital Recovery

I was in a daze for the most part as I recovered in the hospital. Lots of medication and only liquid food. The nurses were great. For a couple of days I had a student nurse and I was her only patient ha ha. So lots of attention.

They were going to release me until a complication developed. I got Arrhythmia. This required more drugs and more time in the hospital in the hopes it would go away. It did.

I finally got to go “home.” Home meant to my son’s place. I don’t have a home. Although home is really where ever you are when you are a traveler.

Home Recovery

My son Nick is one of the most caring and loyal people you will ever meet. Many people would not know that about him. For the next 5 weeks he would be nurse Nick.

His place is not big. I slept on the floor. But I was very comfortable there.

I spent my time watching the news, getting sucked into meaningless Facebook debates about Trump, watching Netflix, going to Starbucks, eating a fluid diet, and watching old time TV shows.

It was nice though being able to spend time with Nick. And a couple weeks later Carllee and Ian when they returned from their honeymoon.

I was also able to stay long enough to be there when my oldest son, Mike, and his family moved back to Vancouver from London, England.

Two days before I was booked to fly back to Oaxaca I celebrated my grandson’s first birthday 🙂

Back to Mexico

The time had finally come to fly back to Mexico. My 2 week trip home for my daughter’s wedding had turned into a 2 and a half month ordeal.

I had mixed feelings. I was becoming comfortable where I was at. And I especially enjoyed being with family. It was hard to leave. At least I was going back to familiar territory – Oaxaca.

My Location from January 15 to March 13, 2017

My Location for March 14, 2017

New Year and Back Home Hospital

It is almost the new year, 2017, but I am more focused on heading back home to Vancouver, Canada, for my daughter’s wedding.

New Years Eve

To usher in the new year I planned on going to a Mezcal bar called In Situ.

Mezcal is all the rage here in Oaxaca. There are Mezcal stores, tours and bars everywhere. Tequila seems to have taken a back seat. Unlike Tequila, which is only made with blue agave, the Mezcal varieties are achieved with a mixture of different agave families.

I started my New Years Eve with a walk around town to see what was going on. The Zacalo was buzzing with people setting off fireworks. Unlike Canada, there seems to be no regulations. They were being set off everywhere. Some just missing people watching.

It was getting close to midnight so I headed off to In Situ. To my surprise it was closed! I guess it is more of a lounge than a party spot.

There are lots of bars and clubs in town so I walked around a bit to see if there was anything that would interest me. Most of them were pretty quiet and I didn’t feel like going in by myself. So I went back home.

As midnight struck there were lots of fireworks being set off. Interestingly though, there were more fireworks on Christmas Eve. It appears that the biggest celebrations are reserved for religious events.

Like the old guy I am, I went to bed 🙁

Going Home

More important than New Years was that I was going home on January 4 to attend my daughter’s wedding on January 14. The plan was to return back to Oaxaca on January 18 and stay there until the 31st.

The flight home was uneventful. I picked up a rental car and went to my youngest son’s place in Langely where I would be staying while I was here.

The next day we met up with Carllee and her fiance Ian at where else ….. a Mexican restaurant in Vancouver for dinner.

Hospital

After I got back to Nick’s place (my youngest’s son) I started to feel ill. I thought it may be just travel fatique and perhaps something I ate. As the night wore on it got worse and worse. I was vomiting and had diarrhea. Later rather than sooner I realized this was not an ordinary illness. I was in lots of pain. Nick drove me to Langley Memorial Hospital.

The hospital energency room was packed. There was no place to sit. But I had to sit somewhere. I took a chair that was obviously reserved for someone but there weren’t there now. I didn’t remain seated for long. In pain I went to the floor and vomited. That is one way to by-pass emergency room line-ups! It wasn’t long and I was in a hospital bed hooked up to morphine.

Once the pain had subsided I went for numerous tests. The results? I had a hiatal hernia. Complicating matters was that my stomach had slipped through it and was now twisted in my chest! Apparently this is rare for adults. This would require surgery.

The surgeon at Langley Hospital told me the specialist in this procedure were at the Surrey Hospital. A transfer ambulance later I was there.

Decision Time

For the next three days I had nothing but jello and juice 🙁 And for the last day nothing! The Doctor came into my room and said I could have the surgery right now if I wanted.

After some discussion, he said there would be a 20% chance I would miss Carllee’s wedding. But if I didn’t take the surgery now who knows when I would get in again. That meant my trip could be in jeopardy if it took months. Compounding the problem was that my motorcycle permit in Mexico expired on March 28 which meant I needed to get the bike out of the country by then. In the end though it really wasn’t much of a decision. The 20% chance of not walking my only daughter down the asile were odds I was not willing to take. I said no to the surgery.

With the decision made, and my twisted stomach settled down, I was released from the hospital to attend Carllee’s wedding.

My Location for December 26 to January 3, 2017

My Flight on January 4, 2017

I did make a stopover in Mexico City though.

My Location from January 4 to January 12, 2017

Spending Christmas in Oaxaca Mexico

This year I decided to spend Christmas in Oaxaca, Mexico. I will head home for 2 weeks on January 4, 2017, to attend my daughter’s wedding.

This isn’t the first time I have spend Christmas alone. I have done that 4 times now. It isn’t the best, but then again, Christmas is not my favorite time of the year. There are so many expectations that have to be met and I always feel like I don’t meet half of them 🙁

My favorite Christmas ever was going to Disneyland with the family. The expectations were few. It was all about us and having fun together. And being at Disneyland meant there were lots of things to do :-). I really don’t like just sitting around during Christmas.

Routine

It has been awhile since I posted 🙁 This is largely due to getting into the routine of staying in one place for awhile. It is actually a good thing for a bit after traveling for 5 months.

I wake up … go to Cafe Brujula for coffee.

In the courtyard there is a nativity scene. Don’t ask me how the baseball players got there 🙂

After coffee I do errands like Christmas shopping, grocery shopping, laundry, etc … walk around the city to see the sights.

Then it is back to my Airbnb where I watch the news, study Spanish, play a computer game and just relax.

Oh … and watch my toe nail come off. This was from Japlan where I banged my foot against the pavement while trying to control my bike as I hit loose gravel around a corner.

As it gets dark at around 6 pm I head out again to see what is happening at the Zocalo and grab dinner. At night I watch some of the TV shows I downloaded before I left. Then bed.

Zocalo

The Zocalo, or town plaza, is bordered by restaurants, a church, and a government office. It is a place where people gather to eat, relax, and just walk around. Every night during the Christmas season there was entertainment. This included, bands, orchestras, dance, nativity scenes with a petting zoo, a food craft display, and even Mass.

At this food craft event the place was packed. At one point I was moved by the crowd and there was nothing I could do but laugh.

I find the different priorities between back home in Abbotsford and here in Oaxaca interesting. Back home it appears to be more about saving money, creating and maintaining infrastructure and cleanliness. The puritan work ethic I guess.

You wouldn’t find free entertainment each night at a central place like here in Oaxaca even though Abbotsford, and Canada in general, is much richer. Oaxaca seems to do this at the expense of infrastructure maintenance and cleanliness.

I am not saying one is better than the other, only that the priorities are interesting and thought provoking. Perhaps we have something to learn.

Ice Rink

By the church there is a Christmas tree and ice rink. People love watching people skate. Well … most people don’t actually skate. They get onto the ice, hang onto the boards for dear life, and then inch their way around the boards until they get back to the door. They have fun though experiencing walking on knives on ice 🙂

Christmas Eve

For Christmas Eve I was invited by the Airbnb host to a pot luck dinner at 9 pm with others in the Airbnb complex which consists of 4 residences Only one other couple showed up besides the Airbnb hosts. However, it was fun. The other couple, from San Francisco, just got married and are traveling the world for a year before deciding on where to settle down.

At midnight it was like New Years Eve in Canada. Fireworks erupted and lots of noise. They love fireworks that just make a loud boom in the air. I don’t get that as I much prefer the fireworks with a colorful display.

We ended our get together at 2 am. However, I could hear loud parties until 4 am.

Christmas Day

Christmas Day was pretty subdued. Most the people on the streets were white tourists. Where did all the Mexicans go?! Sleeping I guess 🙂

My Location for December 13 to 25, 2016

Oaxaca Christmas and Our Lady of Guadalupe Day

Oaxaca is preparing for Christmas and on December 12 celebrates Our Lady of Guadalupe Day.

Preparing for Christmas in Oaxaca

OK … it seems a bit strange seeing Christmas themed decorations in Oaxaca when it gets up to 30 C on some days. Especially when bands start playing I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas! But Christmas is everywhere here. The Zocalo is being decorated with poinsettias, nativity scenes, a huge Christmas tree and even an ice skating rink!

Tire Fixed

My rear tire had a shank in it and I was afraid that as the rubber wore down it would push the shank in further and puncture the tire.

My landlord at my Airbnb recommended a motorcycle mechanic shop where they worked on large motorcycles like mine. So that is where I took it.

After a hour and a half I picked it up. They had removed the shank and had washed the bike too. Bonus! I’m not sure if they should have put something in the small slit left behind or not. I am not a mechanic at all so I don’t really know. Because I no little about mechanics I make sure my bike is checked over often for any potential problems.

So as I left the shop my tire warning light started flashing. My rear tire had low pressure and my front tire was borderline. I guessed that they probably lowered the pressure to make it easier to get the shank out and didn’t put the air back in. At least that is what I hoped.

Rather than go back I headed off to the nearest Pemex gas station for air.

Now I’ll see if there is a leak or not. Good thing I have another month and a bit here to make sure it is good.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Day

December 12 and the days around it are big days for the religious community in Mexico.

According to Wikipedia

Official Catholic accounts state that the Virgin Mary appeared four times before Juan Diego and one more before Juan Diego’s uncle. According to these accounts the first apparition occurred on the morning of December 9, 1531, when a native Mexican peasant named Juan Diego saw a vision of a maiden at a place called the Hill of Tepeyac, which would become part of Villa de Guadalupe, a suburb of Mexico City. Speaking to Juan Diego in his native Nahuatl language (the language of the Aztec empire), the maiden identified herself as the Virgin Mary, “mother of the very true deity”and asked for a church to be built at that site in her honor.

Based on her words, Juan Diego then sought out the archbishop of Mexico City, Fray Juan de Zumárraga, to tell him what had happened. As the bishop did not believe Diego, on the same day, Juan Diego saw the Virgin Mary for a second time (the second apparition); she asked him to keep insisting.

On Sunday, December 10, Juan Diego talked to the archbishop for a second time. The latter instructed him to return to Tepeyac Hill, and ask the lady for a miraculous sign to prove her identity. That same day the third apparition occurred when Diego returned to Tepeyac and, encountering the Virgin Mary reported the bishop’s request for a sign; she consented to provide one on the following day (December 11).

By Monday, December 11, however, Juan Diego’s uncle Juan Bernardino had fallen sick and Juan Diego was obliged to attend to him. In the very early hours of Tuesday, December 12, Juan Bernardino’s condition having deteriorated overnight, Juan Diego set out to Tlatelolco to fetch a priest to hear Juan Bernardino’s confession and minister to him on his death-bed.

In order to avoid being delayed by the Virgin and ashamed at having failed to meet her on the Monday as agreed, Juan Diego chose another route around the hill, but the Virgin intercepted him and asked where he was going (fourth apparition); Juan Diego explained what had happened and the Virgin gently chided him for not having had recourse to her. In the words which have become the most famous phrase of the Guadalupe event and are inscribed over the main entrance to the Basilica of Guadalupe, she asked, “¿No estoy yo aquí que soy tu madre?” (Am I not here, I who am your mother?). She assured him that Juan Bernardino had now recovered and she told him to gather flowers from the top of Tepeyac Hill, which was normally barren, especially in December. Juan followed her instructions and he found Castilian roses, not native to Mexico, blooming there. The Virgin arranged the flowers in Juan’s tilma, or cloak, and when Juan Diego opened his cloak before archbishop Zumárraga on December 12, the flowers fell to the floor, and on the fabric was the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

The next day, on December 13, Juan Diego found his uncle fully recovered, as the Virgin had assured him, and Juan Bernardino recounted that he too had seen her, at his bed-side (fifth apparition); that she had instructed him to inform the bishop of this apparition and of his miraculous cure; and that she had told him she desired to be known under the title of Guadalupe.

Sanctuary of Guadalupe

So on December 12 I went to the Sanctuary of Guadalupe in Oaxaca to witness the celebrations.

The park outside the Sanctuary was filled with rides! It was difficult to find the Sanctuary through the maze. When I got there, there was a long line to enter the Sanctuary to take part in successive masses being held.

I didn’t want to participate in the mass, only to sneak a picture and experience a few minutes of it. So I snuck in through the exit.

Right around the sanctuary were a lot of displays of the Virgin of Guadalupe where people would have their picture taken.

Procession

My timing was great as I saw a procession was about to start. I followed it through the streets around the Sanctuary.

Basilica of Our Lady of Solitude

On the way home I pass the Basilica of Our Lady of Solitude. I could hear a band playing and figured a celebration was taking place there as well. I was right. Fireworks were being lit, food was being served and a band was playing.

Always lots happening in Oaxaca 🙂

My Location for December 11 and 12, 2016

Benito Juarez Market and Oaxaca Culture Day

The highlights over the past few days has been the Benito Juarez Market (Mercado de Benito Juarez) and the Oaxaca Culture Day.

Days

I have gotten into a rhythm here in Oaxaca. It consists of waking up and hoping I have hot water for a shower ha ha. Once in a while the pilot light goes out on the heater.

Then it is off to Cafe Brujula for a coffee and to work on my blogs and social media. There are a few regulars here at the same time I am. One of them is a guy doing his PhD in Archaeology from the University of Michigan. He comes to work on his thesis. I think that will be my next adventure, a PhD.

After coffee I take a walk around and do errands as I head home to my Airbnb. I saw this cool Vulcan the other day.

There I catch up on the news and work on my Spanish. By then it is late afternoon and time to do some cleaning and organizing of my gear.

In the evening I go for another walk around Oaxaca to see the sights.

They have been working on this outdoor skating rink.

I usually pick up a sandwich to take home for dinner. Going out to a restaurant by myself isn’t that inviting unless there is football on the TV or good people watching. Once in awhile I will force myself though. Especially when I am in the need for a good meal.

I have to admit that at times it would be nice to have someone to share the day with.

Every couple of days or so I go do some sight seeing like going to the Benito Juarez Market. Other times I just happen to run into an event like the Oaxaca Culture Day.

Benito Juarez Market

There are several cool markets in Oaxaca. One of them is the Benito Juarez Market. I’m not big into markets for shopping. But it is cool looking around. Here are some of the sights.

Nope … didn’t eat crickets or buy anything.

Oaxaca Culture Day

I just happened to run into the Oaxaca Culture Day event when I was walking around. It was an all day event and I got some of it in the afternoon and then again in the evening. Now, this was no talent show. The dances performed by mostly young people were very elaborate and long. They had to be in good shape!

The costumes were very cool.

This one group was so excited after their performance. They were yelling and screaming and throwing people in the air.

And while all this was going on, there was a wedding happening in the church behind the stage ha ha. There seems to be always something happening around town.

My Location for December 6 – 10, 2016

Temple of Santo Domingo Wedding!

After a couple of days of resting and figuring out where things were around my Airbnb, I decided it was time to do some sightseeing at the Temple of Santo Domingo. Pretty much everything here is within walking distance.

A little wall art along the way.

Temple of Santo Domingo

Wikipedia says of the Temple:

As its name implies, the church and monastery were founded by the Dominican Order. Begun in 1575, they were constructed over a period of 200 years, between the 16th and 18th centuries. The monastery was active from 1608 to 1857. In the period of the revolutionary wars, the buildings were turned over to military use, and from 1866 to 1902 they served as a barracks. The church was restored to religious use in 1938, but the monastery was made available to the Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca. In 1972 it became a regional museum, and in 1993 the decision was taken to undertake a full restoration. This was completed in 1999. It is an exceptional example of conservation architecture. The architect responsible was Juan Urquiaga.

The church has also been fully restored. Its highly decorated interior includes use of more than 60,000 sheets of 23.5-karat gold leaf.

When I arrived I couldn’t explore inside because a wedding was taking place. Perfect! I get to see a Mexican wedding.

Mexican Wedding

What a magnificent place to have a wedding!

The wedding was really formal and included taking communion for everyone who wanted it.

People really got dressed up for it. I loved some of the dresses.

When the bride and groom came out the solemn ceremony ended and the celebration started. I really like how it was all in on both aspects.

After some dancing and celebration on the plaza outside of the church, the wedding party started walking the streets around the church periodically stopping to dance. Pretty cool!