Saturday October 31
Did not sleep very well last night but got enough to get by on. Was out of the room by 7:00 and saw Cindy walking around the court yard. She told me the time I needed to be in the lounge so I got my computer on the WI-Fi which I was unable to do last night probably because it gets turned off. I met the team members that were not here last year Rodney, Bill, Jan and Bruce. JoEllen led us last year and will again this year. We had devotions led by Jan and then had breakfast. The Pasado Chencho http://www.mexonline.com/chencho.htm is the bed and breakfast where we are staying and they have a beautiful building and good menu. After breakfast we met to view the latest DVD’s of the Covenant in Mexico and discuss our concerns and aspirations.
We then drove closer to town and did some sightseeing and shopping. JoEllen is very knowledgeable in the history and culture of Oaxaca. We had lunch at a sidewalk café in the Zocalo. The Zocalo is the main square of Oaxaca and has a beautiful park with huge towering trees. In the center is a high ornate bandstand and around it there are many fountains. The buildings on all sides are characterized by high arches. One side holds government offices the other three sides feature hotels and sidewalk restaurants. As you eat venders ply their wares at your tables and musicians hold forth with a variety of portable instruments and then solicit change for the diners for their performances. The afternoon was taken up with more shopping and sightseeing and then a stop at the Italian Coffee company for what was advertised as light supper but ended up to be more in the line of frappes and deserts.
As we were getting ready to leave a brass band was coming down the street followed by a group of 30 or so masqueraders dancing and swaying to the music. Just passed the restaurant in the middle of an intersection they stopped and the dancers showed their very best steps there on the pavement while traffic came to a standstill. We eventually made our way back to the parking garage and then on to the bed and breakfast. I was exhausted. Nothing makes me more tired than shopping. I took a half hour nap and then succeeded in getting back on the web. I called Ann on Skype but as soon as I got to my room I lost the net. I sat on the balcony and talked to her for awhile and then came into the lounge where the rest of the team was watching a movie on VHS. We called Malcolm on Skype. He was supposed to be with us but could not come at the last minute. He was back in KC carving pumpkins and passing out Halloween candy. We then called my sister Carol and her husband Alan. They were also unable to come with us this year. Tomorrow we will head out early for Tehuantepec so I am going to try to post this before the internet goes off.