Points of Interest: Oaxaca, Cuajimoloyas
It’s election time for many states in Mexico and as I explored the city of Oaxaca the signs of political strife were evident. The campus was overrun with teachers from all over the state protesting wages. I listened to accounts of corruption under the current PRI party and observed a general pessimism toward the electoral process. As I ventured out from the campus I heard the flip side of the coin and how the teachers’ labor dispute is unwarranted given current government compensation and retirement. The political climate is not too unlike that of my own country. The weekend’s events culminated with a protest march that threw the downtown into gridlock, as I was returning from the Cuajimoloyas no less, an opportune time to give my passenger a first hand lesson on creating detours with the SE.
Oaxaca is home to the Zapotec and rich in Pre Colombian history so I took advantage of its offerings. I spent a number of days dodging afternoon rainstorms capturing images and learning the history of many artifacts left behind by a people we’re only beginning to learn about. As an aside, I’ve been on the road a while now and I’m getting more comfortable with being a tourist, an activity that hasn’t always agreed with me. I don’t know if it’s the mob scenes and tour buses or just the way some people descend on tourist sites like vultures, I don’t know, but it’s always put me off. Being alone and on foot is my preferred mode of tourism.
I should state for the record the bike has run near flawless since I left Phoenix (*knocks on wood*). All the R&R work and modifications have paid huge dividends and I’m thankful for Spencer’s and Omar’s input on the bike’s preparation. The closest I’ve had to a problem is the poorly thought out preload adjustor of the rear shock. The added weight of my gear requires significant preload to keep the bike up in the stroke (to avoid head shake) and the collar adjustor of the rear spring is a royal PITA. It’s more of a nuisance than a problem so I shouldn’t complain.
