I knew early on in the planning of this trip that I would celebrate a pretty big birthday on the road. On October 24th I turned 30 and was not at all how I imagined I'd celebrate reaching a new decade of life. If you had asked me a few weeks ago what I was going to do for my 30th birthday I would have said I would probably be in Mexico City, at a club with a world renowned DJ spinning good music and having a blast. Instead there was an opportunity that when I first heard about it I knew it was … [Read more...]

In the heart of the small city of Tlacolula, just 30 minutes south of Oaxaca, lies one of the oldest markets in Mexico and Central America. People from the villages surrounding the city come to sell their goods each weekend just as their ancestors did hundreds of years earlier. I came to the market to see what it was like and to try a special snack found mainly in the state of Oaxaca. For weeks while riding my motorcycle from California through Mexico I would see the roads covered in … [Read more...]

On a hill 10km away from a busy Walmart in the city of Oaxaca is Monte Albán, the ruins of a grand ancient city that ruled the region for 13 centuries. From 500 BC to 850 AD, Monte Albán is considered to have been the regional political, spiritual, and cultural capital of the Oaxaca Valley. Before arriving to Oaxaca I didn't know of Monte Albán but when I arrived I heard that it was one of the largest ruins in Mexico. I decided to go check it out with Marcelino, Ace of Cakes, who works at … [Read more...]

The Road from Tlacolula to San Cristobal de las Casas I wanted to stay in Tlacolula and continue to help out at the children's home but I have to keep making my way south to get to the boat on time to sail to Columbia. Believe it or not I was hoping to do another cement pour before I left. Leaving Tlacolula is easy as there's only one road. I followed 190 south into the mountains for about 3 hours. Gorgeous vistas around each curve. View Larger Map The road leaves the … [Read more...]

I didn't have any place to be for a while so I spent 3 days in San Cristobal de las Casas. I could have stayed longer as the city and surrounding area have plenty to offer and the family I stayed with was awesome. Located in a valley high in the mountains of Chiapas, San Cristobal is small but has an endless number of roads each with something to explore. I got in at night and after putting my stuff away I went out to the centro with Kevin, my host and fellow lover of ska music. It was his … [Read more...]

Chicken Sacrifices for the Cleaning of the Soul A few miles outside of San Cristobal de las Casas is the small village of San Juan Chamula. Kevin and I drove over one day to see what life was like outside the big city. Kevin and his father work in sustainable agriculture/development and they work with a lot of local farmers in the area. You would think that many of the farms in the small villages would use farming practices passed down from previous generations but most now use seeds … [Read more...]