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| WEEKLY SKY MAP | SOLAR SYSTEM | CONSTELLATIONS | PLANETS | EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE | ASTROLOGY | OUR PLACE | MUSIC | HIGHWAY 61 | MEXICAN SKIES OBSERVATORY |
Two days from my destination, I woke up in the back of my truck on a bright sunny morning way up in the mountains looking down at the ocean hundreds of feet below. I was hungry, and determined to stop at the first decent looking place and eat a huge breakfast. But I was out in the middle of nowhere, and there were no restaurants in sight. Still, it was incredibly beautiful, winding my way through the mountains looking down on the surf way below. I was groovin' to the tunes, and really starting to enjoy myself - when my transmission blew up. It happened just as I was passing through a little hillside village, population maybe a couple of hundred souls, and not one of them spoke a word of English.
But that's when the spirit of the Mexican people really shone through. Everybody in the village tried to help me. I finally ended up getting into the only vehicle in town, an ancient pickup that just barely ran. No seatbelts, and the doors were held closed with rope. A very nice man named Pedro drove me about twenty minutes to a slightly larger mountain village where there was a mechanic. He couldn't help me, but managed to phone a tow truck driver from still another little place, and we drove back to my broken vehicle to wait for the tow. On the way Pedro pulled a tattered business card out of his pocket that said he was a Mariachi player. So while we waited for the tow truck to show up (about two hours) we took turns playing each other songs on my guitar.
It seemed half the village was keeping me company by the side of the road, not wanting to leave until they knew I was safely on my way. It had been a long morning without food, and Pedro invited me back to his place for a meal. But I didn't want to chance missing the tow truck, so I was forced to politely decline. The next thing I knew this little girl about five years old shows up carefully balancing a bowl of soup on top of a stack of tortillas, just for me. She was very cute, and I was touched and grateful. I gave Pedro a few hundred pesos ($40) for his gas, time, and kindness, and handed out some cervesas from my cooler (which were a big hit) and finally the tow truck arrived.
It was the biggest, loudest, scariest tow truck I had ever seen, and the wild drive along that narrow mountain road had both me and my truck hanging on for dear life. After an hour or so we made it to a big town called Lazaro, where a very busy mechanic working on about six other cars dropped everything to help me after I told him I was a musician who was supposed to play a concert in Puerto Escondido in three days. I figured a little white fib was in order, or I could have been waiting forever. As it turned out, two days later I had a completely rebuilt transmission for $250, a hell of a lot less than it would cost back in the U.S. or Canada. Even the tow only cost $70, and it was a very long way. And I got to spend two relaxing days in a high class hotel with bellboys and everything, including wireless internet for $48 a night. So what could have been a disaster, turned into a great Mexican adventure.
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| INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - The latest news from the first Human home in space. | THE FRANK GALBRAITH LEGACY - The legacy of a Cariboo musician. |
| FREE ASTRONOMY SOFTWARE - The best things in life really are free. | THE MEXICAN SKIES OBSERVATORY - Santa Elena, Oaxaca, Mexico. |
| ASTROLOGY - Astronomy's Evil Twin? | MEXICAN SKIES ARCHIVES - Selected articles from previous years. |
