Bus stop to reality

Hey,

I am glad to know others adore gremmy (true he is a Gizmo, but we affectionately call him Gremmy) and want to see a gremmy blog! You will be happy to know there is a blog in the works and it should come out right around the same time his first documentary does. stay tuned!

we finally peeled ourselves off the coast and took the 8 hour bus ride, up, over around and down the mountains into Oaxaca. What a sensational ride! Then we got into Oaxaca and although I will probably change my tune many times before I leave my initial feeling is, I know dont get mad... disapointment. I thought it would be smaller and less trafficky more beautiful and economical. However, I think my cranky reaction has been more from having my bliss bubble burst that I floated in around the balmy coast. It is warm and sunny here in Oaxaca and the main plaza is musical and magical as I find many plazas down here. We arrived on Valentines day and vendors had bundles and bundles and bundles of red hearted cutesy balloons. I thought the whole square might float on all this helium! It was dreamy and crowded with people eating and sitting and kissing everywhere.

As all the popular haunts we have traversed down here, there are many tourists. We are like 25 years too late for the sleepy quaint town I expected to find here. In addition to Oaxacas growth from poor rural dwellers moving into the city and looking for a better living its a real tourist attraction. It may be the the craft capital of the country that draws most people and I am really excited to hit the markets. The markets down here are so beautiful! The colors, artwork and smells, I drift around them sniffing and gawking but buy almost nothing. I feel like a baby walking around pointing "what is this? What is its name?" Discovering how to call the things I like and those things I am afraid to try.

The housing is very expensive here. We spent 200 dollars for a studio apartment in Merida, Venezuela the month we stayed there. After searching all day and checking with the language school the best we found here was 500 dollars for a one room apartment for 3 weeks! Andy and I both wanted to keep traveling after realizing the whole staying put to conserve funds would not actually do that for us. Zarha is amazingly eager and excited to do this 7 hour a day spanish school, how can we let her down! These are her fertile mind years for language and she has so much ambition we feel responsible for her spanish language aquisitiuon. without the school we wouldn´t push ourselves in the same way, beyond our daily basic spanish.

So we are staying in Oaxca taking the pricey apartment about a 10 minute walk from the school and trying to find food we like. cuisine is meatier here and much smaller portions. I got quickly spoiled by large diverse fruit platters and incredible juices on the coast. We have yet to find a meal we really like. However the chocolate here is amazing! I think it is grown in this state and it is blended with crushed almonds and cinamon and sugar. That alone can get me through the tough days of study and crowded streets.

Well, I dont have time to get into this or post requested photos of the Grem!
we have to get our bags from our hotel from last night and hike to our new apartment, and then we have to find sheets and some kitchen things because the apartment doesn´t have all these extras.

I think I will adapt, becasue hey its not 4 degrees outside and that would make me a lot crankier!
still grateful for the journey but with a veil of crankiness that could lift after my nap. wait and see
d