Beautiful Oaxaca

It´s sunny and glorious here in Oaxaca right now, and I´ve come down from the mountain to a cybercafe to share a few highlights of this trip...so far. First off, it is another world from life in Portland in almost every way. Rural, communal, traditional, warm-tropical....It was emotional to see family members reconnect after so many years of separation.....we are so happy to be here.

Yesterday we hiked to the corn field or milpa, and people maintain a way of life that is literally ancient. That kids have MP3 players is a bit odd, but somehow it all works. Yesterday we lost electricity, and I drew portraits by candlelight to great acclaim. It was such fun to get immediate and positive feedback as I quickly churned out 4 fast portraits. Good practice for the art classes I am missing in PDX.

The Day of the Dead altars are in every home, no matter how humble, and tomorrow we head to the coast for more sunshine and the sea.....

Sorry that pictures will have to get posted later. I try to travel light and not drag around too much in the way of electronics. My travel motto is to blend in...which means I don´t snap as much as other tourists would.