The rest of the week

Must say things got a little easier as the week progressed. Sarah and I packed my luggage and hers and, of course Mehnu, into her Mini Cooper and set out for Oaxaca the next morning. It's a long but beautiful drive from Mex. City to Oaxaca. You wind your way up into the Sierra mountains to about 8,000 feet and then back to about 5,000, which is the altitude of the Oaxacan valley. Spectacular scenery that reminds me a little of southern Utah.
We arrived in the village of Teotitlan at about 5:30pm and were met by Mary Jane Gagnier at the village market. She led us through the back streets so we could find the easiest way to get the Mini up the steep and rough roads that lead to Casa Sagrada.
Mary Jane is the owner and operator of Casa Sagrada and the woman who will be providing me with a roof over my head for the next few months. She is originally from Canada, but has been living in Oaxaca for 25 years.
Sarah, Mehnu and I gladly found our rooms, dumped our bags and made ourselves at home. Mehnu met the resident labs, Choco and Luciena, and acted liked he couldn't be bothered. Walked right under their noses with a look on his face that said, if I pretend they are not there they wont see me. Priceless moment! Choco and Luciena are used to cats, so they quickly lost interest.
Sarah's boyfriend, Leo took the overnight bus down, so Sarah would have company on the way home. They stayed til Sunday and made sure I was settled in.
On Sat. we all got on the horses and went for a great ride through the valley, if you didn't realize horses are the big reason I'm here. I thought I was in pretty good shape but 3 hours in the saddle showed me the errors of my ways. Man was I sore!
Also riding with us were a couple from Northern CA, Cynthia and Forrest. They are endurance riders, who have ridden all over the world. Forrest is a retired wine maker and Cynthia owns a couple of restaurants, as you can imagine, we had a lot in common. They were at Casa Sagrada for a week long equestrian vacation, giving us plenty of time to get acquainted.
A couple from Vancouver arrived on Sunday. Jamie and Alise were also here for a riding vacation. Jamie is a ship builder and Alise is retired from working as an administrator at an art college, where she was instrumental at producing educational TV shows. They have also traveled a lot and have seen much of the world.
I've spent most of the week either riding with these fine folks or ferrying them and the horses to different parts of the valley so they could see some of the many sight to be seen here.
Got to get to my Spanish homework or I'll never learn. Bye for now!