Post 17 - Six days in one place, and slowing down the pace

Efrat abramson
Feb 21
9 min read

2/18/2026

After a few days in Cholula, we hit the road again, trying to leave in the morning, making coffee for him, tea for her, sandwiches and fruit for the road, and let's go. The road is beautiful, winding through the mountains, and we cover great distances today as we head south through mountainous central Mexico.

Our next destination is the state of Oaxaca, and its capital city of the same name.

Just before Oaxaca, we stop at an ancient site called:

Monte Alban

This ancient city sits on a high mountain ridge about 400 meters above the Oaxaca Valley, and the climb up with the bear is leisurely and relatively smooth, unlike the stressful descent that follows. The city was built by the Zapotecs around 500 BC and flourished for almost a thousand years.

I'll just open parentheses about the Zapotecs for a moment because we weren't entirely aware of them. They are less famous than the Inca and Maya, who were magnificent empires that we will meet later. The Zapotecs were also an ancient, advanced culture that laid important foundations for the development of Mesoamerica (Central America), especially in the Oaxaca Valley, which we arrived in.

They were among the pioneers in building planned cities, developing hieroglyphics, practicing astronomy and calendar systems, and constructing well-planned cities with plazas, pyramids, and temples. They were a hierarchical society with rulers and priests, and had a developed culture of ancestor worship and rituals related to nature and time cycles.

They were a sedentary agricultural people who grew corn, beans, and squash and developed regional trade networks.

In short, they left a very significant historical mark on southern Mexico.

What is amazing about this place is not only its size but also the geographical choice: leveling the mountain's peak to create a vast ceremonial plaza in the heart of the sky. From here, they ruled the valleys, conducting worship, astronomy, politics, and trade.

At the heart of the site is the Plaza Principal, a huge plaza surrounded by pyramids, temples, and terraced buildings. One of the most mysterious signs is the “Danzantes” reliefs, figures carved in stone that probably depict captives or defeated rulers, evidence of the strength of regional control and a developed political system. Another intriguing structure is the “Observatory”, an unusual angular structure that indicates advanced astronomical knowledge and precise observations of the sky.

Beyond the history and stone, there is a sense of strong, open energy, exposed to the wind.

To stand there is to feel a direct connection between heaven and earth. The eyes are drawn to the wide horizon, the heart descends to the earth.

A reminder that we are part of the earth and do not own it. It came before us and will remain after us. The connection to it is a relationship, not ownership.

It seems that the Zapotecs understood this thousands of years ago, the movement between stars and fields, between worship and sowing, between celestial knowledge and deep roots in the soil.

We walk around the plaza, touch the ancient stones, climb the stairs, listen to the wind, and feel like we are just a link in a long-standing human chain.

As usual, we don't sleep in the city but in a small village adjacent to it called Tule (an abbreviation, since the real name is very long). The road there is beautiful, passes through mountains, not very populated. We park in a parking lot that is actually the backyard of a German couple who have lived here for several years and run a small trailer park. Finally, there are sparkling bathrooms and showers, everything is neat and clean, and it's nice to be here. We stay for five nights. We work, travel, and, most importantly, feel ready for the first time since we bought the bear to separate it into two parts to let them rest a little from each other. That way we can travel with the car separately and travel without the whole burden on us.

Guy takes advantage of the separation to tighten all the screws that have loosened on Mexican roads.

The village where we sleep turns out to be ecological, and we find ourselves separating our trash, after months of not doing so, because it wasn't possible. We ride to the grocery store, and there we get a plastic basket to collect what we want to buy, without using any plastic bags. Then we notice that it's in many places, mostly small ones.

We are settling in and getting a little grounded. I'm making sauerkraut, cooking a little, doing laundry, and feeling at home.

We unhook the bike and ride to the center of the village, where it turns out that the widest tree in the world (Arbol del Tule) is located. It is a Mexican cypress tree, 1500-2000 years old, and 40 meters in circumference. What a huge, living creation, which reminds us of the sequoias and redwoods in the United States. Its trunk twists, and as we walk around it, we see figures inside the enormous trunk, a crocodile, a face, and all sorts of other things that the imagination can conjure up.

Cooking Mexican food

We decided to learn a little about Mexican cuisine through a cooking class in Oaxaca. We joined a group of tourists like us, of different ages, from different parts of the world, and together we spent a fascinating morning with Chef Oscar, who first took us on a market tour.

Along the way, we stop by various trees, flowers, and shrubs that are hidden in the middle of the city, and he tells us about each one and how it can be used in the kitchen.

At the market, we split into two groups, going through the various stalls of vegetables, fruits, spices, cheeses, meat, and chicken, stall by stall, receiving attention and detailed explanations about the different types, when and how they are used in the local cuisine. We begin to understand what we see in our wanderings through the markets, and how each herb, fruit, and vegetable is used. It is fascinating to see the different types of hot peppers, truly endless. And each type is used for a different dish, salad, or other sauces.

Clockwise from top: In the red bags are grasshoppers (we didn't taste them); Oscar explains the types of avocados; hot tortillas from the oven; beautiful pictures; and just a few of the many types of chili peppers available in the markets, all of which are spicy to varying degrees.

We return from the market tour and start cooking a full meal. We all get aprons, roles, and work. We cut, put, season, fry, sauté, and cook, and within two hours, everything is ready. The table is set with impressive aesthetics, and we are invited to sit down and start eating. The dishes are incredibly delicious, the margarita is also great, and with each shot of mezcal, we all finish the meal as best friends at the table, with Americans, Canadians, Scots, and even a Korean girl. Everything is colorful, delicious, and varied. We return happy and in good spirits to "home."

The cuisine is so diverse, and the use of flowers, different seeds, grains, fruits, and vegetables is fascinating. Above, Guy is grinding a sauce of burnt tomatoes and lots of hot peppers. I'm making tortilla dough with zucchini flowers. Below the picture, I have all the ingredients for a special sauce called Mole, which contains something like 18 ingredients. It is cooked for many hours, often alongside some kind of animal protein. Right below the ingredients, you see a dish of chicken with the aforementioned sauce. Below that, a dish called Tamale - here we see a corn leaf with a filling of vegetables/meat of your choice, steamed in a pot with water. In other places in Mexico, banana leaves are used. And of course, margaritas, excellent spicy rebatos, and vegetable soup.

During our stay at the German campsite, we finally met the lovely Sarit and David, an Israeli couple who are traveling like us, more or less on the same route and with the same dust on their wheels. We have been in virtual contact for at least two months, but we have not yet had the chance to meet. In general, we do not meet Israelis who take this route at all. Mostly Canadians, French, and Germans.

We sat together, Guy made coffee for everyone, we talked about everything that concerns us on the road: borders, mishaps of all kinds and kinds, the beauty we encountered on the road, the places that still await us, plans, worries, as well as conversations about Israel, about life in Israel, and about the vague future. There is a relief in talking to people who don't have to explain; we understand exactly the language, the atmosphere, the real feeling of a small community in the middle of the road. Sarit and David bought a vehicle, worked on it themselves, and turned it into an upgraded, beautiful camper. The videos show the process for those interested:

https://youtu.be/KOJ4UpCt9ic?si=aBRMs4rWmHIrM6Mo

And that leads you to detailed explanations of the spectacular result:

https://youtu.be/BnKfiCUC7XQ?si=c-wNkczSxZ1JFHHb

The roads in Mexico damage the car, the bear, and the device that holds our bikes. Even though we upgraded to a stronger device in San Diego, as those who remember, it still suffers. Stefan, the campground owner, recommends we consult with a professional he knows, and we have time this week. That's how we get to know Francisco, who comes to the campground to have a look and offer a solution. Together, we come up with an idea; he takes measurements, and the next day, he works all morning on reinforcements and connections to the device in the trailer's infrastructure. When he finishes, it looks strong and stable, reassuring us for the rest of the journey.

Working hard and having fun, taking pictures at the end, Francisco on the right or under the bear with his cute assistant

Some photos from the side streets of Oaxaca

Hierve el Agua

We go on a day trip with just Sylvie, what a feeling of lightness and flow without the weight on us. If she could talk, she would tell us how happy she is. We travel on a winding road between the mountains, going up and down, until we arrive at the place.

The name means boiling water, but it's not really hot at all.

This is one of the unique sights in Oaxaca – “fossil waterfalls” that seem as if time has stopped. The mineral-rich water, which flows from small springs at the top of the mountain, drips down the cliff and, over thousands of years, has created white calcium formations that resemble a frozen curtain of water.

Next to the formations are small natural pools with beautiful turquoise colors. We stand there and marvel at the sight, and the slow process by which nature patiently sculpts such beauty.

There are only two similar sites in the world with such stone waterfalls: here and in Turkey, which makes the place very unique on a global scale.

The water here is not only an impressive natural phenomenon, but also an ancient story of culture and faith. The Zapotecs saw water as a sacred force, built canals and sophisticated agricultural terraces here, and channeled spring water for irrigation. The rainwater was seen as an expression of its divinity, and therefore, the place may also have served as a ceremonial site. A place where rain is asked for, water is a gift, and we are reminded that the land is not ours, but we are part of it.

As we sit in the small pool facing the valley, it's hard not to feel that ancient connection.

There is a lot of desert in Mexico.

We set out on a hiking trail that circles the falls from below so we could take photos from all directions. We are in the desert, and it's hot.

On the way down, we are smiling; on the way up, a little less.

Teotitlan del Valle

After the mountain and the stone, we descended to one of the most beautiful villages in the valley. A traditional Zapotec village known for weaving natural wool rugs and using dyes extracted from plants, flowers, and even insects.

We wandered through small workshops and family-run workshops, and the touch of a hand felt in every thread. We found a colorful Mexican tablecloth to remind us of this moment, and real wool scarves full of character (I can't really use them because they're so itchy).

Sitting in a small cafe, overlooking the village and the surrounding mountains, and taking a moment to breathe, looking at the rooftops and the fields.

Staying in the same place for six days allows us to slow down, take a break from the challenging roads in Mexico, and meet other travelers like us. We allow the inner movement of the journey to occur, something opens, the body relaxes, and the layers of the place slowly reveal themselves. We discover that it is not only the roads that change us; the rest and the stay are equally significant.

On the left, Sylvie receives a thorough Mexican wash for 10$. On the right, she also receives a picture with a view, even before the wash, with mud from Baja California...