So Close . . . So Different
Most tourist who go to Mexico are going for recreation and recuperation. Our journey to Mexico in May of 2004 was to visit our son Bret who was there teaching English for a year, ostensibly to better his own Spanish, but, I suspect, not yet having accepted that he had graduated college as an engineer. (He is presently enjoying a very successful career as one in New York City.)
We arrived at the Mexico City airport where we rented a car for the week. Driving through Mexico City is one of the Top 10 Most Stressful Driving Experiences requiring a passive/aggressive attitude. The major highlights of the trip were Teotihuacan, Taxco de Alarcon, Oaxaca, and Cuernavaca where Bret was teaching, the drive through the Sierra Madre mountains and the small towns encountered along the way. Apart from Teotihuacan, we were immersed in a tourist-free Mexico, guided by our son and his Mexican friend Monica.
The open road is an invitation to adventure, especially when it leads through the Sierra Madre mountains, the site of many an American cowboy movie. The colorful towns with their agave crops made the time pass quickly on our way to Oaxaca. One interesting stop was to explore a mineral pond, suitable for bathing, located literally on the edge of a cliff.
