Oaxaca: 05 (final)
Here is the final, and biggest, dump of photos from our trip to Oaxaca. Actually, this collection features no photos of Oaxaca City. This was when Jai and I took a trip to Teotitlán del Valle and Tlacolula de Matamoros. It was a great idea she had. For us to get out of the city for a bit. It was the off season. Very little tourists because of the heat. “Calor!” We learned that word fast. It was also Quiet. Perhaps too quiet, but necessary. Decompression. Foreign cities, while exciting, are draining. Go to Oaxaca City and ride the busses. You’ll see what I mean.
We love Mexico. When we tell people that they always told us we have to visit Oaxaca then. Those people being English speaking Mexicans, American immigrants in Mexico, and US citizens who have traveled to Oaxaca. We really built it up in our minds as this place that would steal our hearts before we had a chance to see the rest of the world. That did not happen.
Why do I feel a sense of sadness/guilt/shame looking over these photos? I think it’s because I’m looking back and wondering if I did it all correctly. I know our mind plays tricks on us. Especially when looking into our memories. I can’t help but feel like I was ungrateful. I know that’s not true. I did a lot. We enjoyed a lot. Speaking for myself, when it comes time to leave, I am more than ready to get the Hell out. During those last days, I have a tendency to focus on the negative aspects of a situation. I think about how it could be better. I focus on what I’m fed up with instead of being grateful that I get to experience it at all. It’s a problem. I’m always working on it, but it’s my nature to drop a situation that no longer suits me, and drop it hard.
I do wish we had spent our time in different parts of the state. We unfortunately could not rent a car. We did manage to get to the coast and of course to the places featured in these photos. I suppose we saw a fair amount of Oaxaca as two adults without a car and full time jobs could see. You––I have to remember we weren’t on vacation. We were living. We saw four major locations in Oaxaca in our month there. Puerto Escondido, Teotitlán del Valle, and Tlacolula, and of course the capital. That’s good. Right? Can’t see it all. Probably wont see it again.
