| It can take as little as 4.5 hours and be traffic and | | | | there's an open air marketplace. On Sunday there's an |
| problem free, but just as easily you can be met with | | | | even larger series of temporary stalls selling crafts, |
| congestion and road repairs, extending the trip to six | | | | plants, etc, two blocks down. In the same area is the |
| hours or more. On the other hand you can elect to | | | | area known as Parián, and the Barrio de Artista, |
| increase the length of your journey by taking in a few | | | | both not to be missed. Of course there are nearby |
| select sites and some interesting scenery, including a | | | | ruins and other sites, but for a brief stopover it's the |
| snow-capped volcano near Puebla and another peak | | | | downtown that's the "must see." For a splurge spend |
| near the Orizaba / Córdoba cut-off. | | | | the night at Mesón SacristÃa (written up in a |
| The first leg of the trip is from Mexico City to Puebla. | | | | coffee table book about the 1,000 best inns in The |
| The main problem you will likely face is leaving the | | | | Americas) in Los Sapos. For economy, stay at Palas |
| nation's capital, along a thoroughfare known as | | | | or Palace, on 2 Oriente, a block from the zócalo |
| Zaragoza. Unless you happen to be starting out very | | | | and about four blocks from Los Sapos. |
| early, or late at night, there will be congestion, so much | | | | The drive from Puebla to Oaxaca, without stopping |
| so that vendors of soft drinks and water, snacks, | | | | other that for a couple of pit stops, takes about three |
| freezees, and an array of other foodstuffs, will be | | | | and a half hours. However, during 2007 and at least |
| walking ever so slowly, meandering through the lines of | | | | well into 2008 there are two or three road construction |
| stopped traffic, plying their products. And therefore, | | | | sites which will slow you down. Again, be patient, turn |
| arriving at Puebla can take anywhere from one to | | | | off your engine, and see what the vendors have to |
| three hours, the latter applying particularly during | | | | offer. And at the toll booths there will be even more |
| extended rush hours and on the weekends. The name | | | | offerings, from uniquely Poblano sweets known as |
| of the game is patience, plain and simple. And if you're | | | | camotes, to wholewheat tortillas, to puppies. Two |
| picking up a rental car at the airport, ask your | | | | lanes become one and a half, as you approach the |
| attendant to draw a map, and regardless of its quality, | | | | turn-off to the right to continue on to Tehuacan and |
| at every opportunity ask other motorists and | | | | Oaxaca. You'll see the breathtaking snow-capped |
| pedestrians how and when to turn onto Zaragoza. | | | | peak as you look ahead towards Orizába (but |
| Once on this "highway" your only difficulty will be | | | | don't take that road or you'll end up in Veracruz). |
| getting off of it. To give you an even clearer picture of | | | | Next there are two recommended stops, unless you |
| the congestion on Zaragoza, in 2004, while driving a | | | | also want to spend time at Tehuacan. The first is at |
| three ton cub van on the roadway, the police wanted | | | | the onyx / marble village of San Antonio Texcala. |
| to pull us over (for who knows what reason), the | | | | Take the second Tehuacan exit (after the Tehuacan |
| cruiser several vehicles back with siren blaring. We | | | | toll booth), onto highway 125 leading to Huajuapan. |
| elected to simply ignore the command and continue, | | | | After 6 km you'll arrive at the village, with five or more |
| hoping the traffic would never allow the police to catch | | | | factory outlets where you can by almost anything into |
| up and they would eventually give up. It worked. | | | | which these stones can be shaped --- tequila sets, |
| Virtually the entire roadway from Mexico City to | | | | plates, sinks, lamps, tables, bowls, boxes, unicorns, fish, |
| Oaxaca is well-marked and -paved toll road. Signage | | | | hash pipes, and of course a number of diverse |
| is large and clearly lettered. However, a few key | | | | ornaments with religious imagery. Prices are about half |
| pointers are in order. You want to be where it says | | | | of what you'll pay elsewhere. |
| "cuota" and not "libre," the former being the toll road | | | | Next is the Museo de Agua, or water museum, |
| and the latter the much slower, single lane highway. | | | | actually a misnomer because it is so much more. Take |
| "Autopista" is invariably the toll road. En route to Puebla | | | | the well-marked next exit after your return to the |
| you'll see signs directing you to the city, and then from | | | | autopista, for Sangabriel and Chilac. There will also be |
| Puebla, the signage will indicate Oaxaca. The highways | | | | signage for the museum. You'll be given a tour (in |
| are either two lanes each way, a lane and a half, or a | | | | Spanish) in the main building, and of the outside |
| single lane. However, custom dictates that cars going | | | | surrounding landscapes. You'll learn how progress is |
| slower move to the right and onto the paved shoulder | | | | being made to teach villagers in desolate regions |
| when they see you coming, so regardless of the type | | | | where water is scarce and soil fertility is lacking, to |
| of highway, most of the time you should be able to go | | | | conserve and recycle water; to use compost, worm |
| at the speed to which you are accustomed. There | | | | culture and other techniques to enrich the land; and to |
| are, however exceptions as with any rule. Sometimes, | | | | grow and market nutritious produce such as amaranth. |
| for example, large tractor trailers are too wide to | | | | In terms of the land and townscapes, near Tehuacan |
| move over enough to let you pass. But when they see | | | | you'll see long narrow white-topped buildings where |
| that the roadway ahead is clear, they'll put on the | | | | poultry is produced and then trucked throughout the |
| left-hand signal, telling you it's okay to pass on the left ... | | | | state of Puebla and further abroad. There will be a |
| assuming you trust them. A solid center line tends to | | | | couple of locations demarcated as stops for tourists |
| be suggestive only and you'll quickly learn that with | | | | to pull over and appreciate and photograph the deep |
| cars moving over to the right for you, you can pass | | | | valleys and high mountaintops. Long well-marked |
| notwithstanding the solid line ... except when there's a | | | | expansion bridges serve to showcase the valleys and |
| significant curve, peak or valley up ahead. There are | | | | mountains. You'll pass over a geological fault. There will |
| many gas stations along the entire route, most of | | | | be several kilometers of impressive "telephone pole" |
| which now have "The Italian Coffee Company" | | | | cactus. Close to the approach to Oaxaca you'll see |
| franchises alongside, with clean washrooms. Credit | | | | vendors on each side of the highway selling brightly |
| cards are generally accepted for filling up, and now as | | | | colored miniature wooden trucks. |
| well at the many toll booths ... except when the | | | | The last toll booth is called Huitzo. About 15 - 20 |
| system has broken down. | | | | minutes further you'll approach Oaxaca. A few |
| Leaving Mexico City you'll pass through a number of | | | | minutes after entering the city, you'll be given two |
| stretches of comedors along each side of the | | | | opportunities to turn to the left (one of the signs is |
| highway. You'll gradually ascend, through a number of | | | | difficult to interpret), but unless you've been provided |
| easy curves, leaving the smog of the valley behind. | | | | with specific instructions to get to your hotel or B & B, |
| The scenery is nothing special, but the ease with which | | | | and know it's in a northern suburb, best is to just keep |
| you'll be able to negotiate the curves at a reasonable | | | | driving straight, eventually entering onto a one-way |
| speed will more than make up for the non-descript | | | | street which will lead you to the core of the |
| landscapes. The curves and valleys will become more | | | | downtown area and the zócalo. |
| dramatic, to the extent that there will be a red line on | | | | Until 1995 when the toll road opened all the way from |
| the pavement demarcating how vehicles with failing | | | | the capital to Oaxaca, for much of the route you were |
| brakes should proceed, leading them off the pavement | | | | required to travel along secondary roads and |
| and onto a roadway ending at a soft a embankment | | | | highways, pretty well doubling the length of the drive. |
| of straw. | | | | Now you have the benefit of a much shorter and |
| You will see at least a couple of exits to downtown | | | | definitely a safe trip along quality well-marked |
| Puebla, marked as "Puebla Centro." Puebla makes for | | | | pavement, with the added feature of the option of |
| a great stopover for a day or two, if you're in no great | | | | getting off the main highway and venturing into some |
| rush to get to Oaxaca. It's large and sprawling, but the | | | | villages to take in additional sites, scenery and local |
| downtown core is quaint, small and full of interesting | | | | culture. The only cautionary note is to not drive outside |
| shops, crafts, restaurants and clean, inexpensive hotels. | | | | of any major urban center, and in particular on the |
| Within a couple of blocks of the zócalo are good | | | | highways or even toll roads, at night, unless absolutely |
| hotels, an extensive pedestrian walkway with many | | | | necessary. Lighting tends to be lacking or insufficient, |
| shops, and Los Sapos, a few streets filled with crafts, | | | | and laws regarding impaired driving are rarely |
| antiques and collectibles. Arrive on a weekend and | | | | enforced. |