Friday, March 27, 2009

I left more than my heart in Oaxaca. Almost.


Originally our plan for today was to head into town with Ana and Simon and actually explore it. However, my burn was still smarting and walking around in the sun didn’t seem like a good idea. But it also meant that enjoying the pool at La Villada wasn’t an option for me either. So I thought I’d spend the day catching up on the blog which was quickly becoming a blob. Of course, that soon changed. At breakfast we met some new guests, Jackie and Dean, an American couple just finishing up their own RTW adventure and Mika, a solo Aussie who’d been backpacking around the Caribbean and Central America for the last five weeks and was just about to relocate to London (hi Mika). This meant a lot of chatting. So the blog remained the blob and socializing took over. Well Mika and I socialized. Adrian spent another day in the pool and the Americans spent half the day hunched over the computer looking up the cheapest deals on their next five destinations and the other half drinking both of which made talking difficult. Mika and I swapped stories and tips about various destinations, and about escaping similar jobs and relocating to London. Photos, facebook info and emails were exchanged with a promise of a reunion drink in London on the other side of our trip.

Mika was off that night to Mexico City and then headed to the airport so she asked me if I could mail her postcards for her. Not a problem, we’ll do it from San Cristobal. I stuck them in my diary and the money in my purse. And said goodbye. I finally coaxed Adrian out of the pool and had just enough cash to settle our bill (thanks to Mika’s postage money). Then it was our turn to catch a bus. But where was Adrian? Playing pool with the Americans. Once again I dragged him away to our beeping waiting taxi hugging the staff goodbye and promising to visit again when we were next in the area.

We got to the bus station early so I could pick up the tickets I had booked online. Adrian went to find a bank machine and I tried to check the bags but we were too early and there was nobody there to collect them. At that moment I realized that I didn’t have my diary or Mika’s postcards, oops. I had minor freak but was snapped out of it by Adrian who told me I had enough time to get them before the bus arrived. So I hailed a cab back to La Villada where they were waiting for me. “Told you I’d be back.” I said. They had my book waiting for me. Phew, I felt much better now. So I rushed back to the bus station and still had enough time to grab dinner across the street – all that worry for nothing. And on the comfy overnight executive bus I had plenty of time to exhale.

2 comments:

Cheryl said...

im so jealous of all you RTW'ers! (but glad your book and mika's postcards were safe :)

liz and adrian said...

there are so many that it doesn't feel like a big deal, except when you meet a european who's "only" on a 5 week trip. canadian holiday time sucks.