Longtime readers know that my outdoor travel plans usually involve mooching off family and friends.
It’s cheaper that way. And more fun. But mostly cheaper.
Last week, I visited my buddy Scott in Mexico. He’s a geography professor who does field work around Oaxaca. He likes to travel by bus, by thumb and by foot.
So we walked. We walked each morning and we walked each evening. We walked to the market, we walked through the sights and we walked everywhere in between.
We saw some amazing things, including the ancient ball court at Monte Alban, but the best view might have been just across the street from our hotel.
Pseudobombax?
They’re called “shaving brush trees” — Pseudobombax ellipticum — because their flowers sprout a ball of bright pink bristles.
Neither of these names quite capture the magic of these remarkable trees.
They drop their leaves during the dry season, so their huge branches are dark and stark, except for those freaky pink flowers that sometimes bloom for just a few hours.
One morning, I took photos of a tree full of pink blossoms. By mid-afternoon, nearly all of those flowers had fallen to the ground. Finally, at dusk, we stared at a tree pod until it suddenly popped into a pink ball.
Unbelievable — we actually cheered.
When we looked back, a few minutes later, dozens of blossoms appeared on branches hanging over the street.
‘Heuvos divorciados’
After covering spring training in Florida for the last month, I was hoping to catch a baseball game in Mexico. Our hotel was just two blocks from the home stadium of the Oaxaca Guerreros.
Unfortunately, we were a week early for Opening Day. Too bad.
Scott's wife Ella helped set the pace on day trips and night strolls through the city. We went to restaurants and tried mole and mezcal. We bought souvenirs and did the usual tourist things.
My wife Naomi came along to Mexico and did a lot of hiking. One day her iPhone said she walked more than 10 miles.
This is in Oaxaca, pronounced “Wah-ha-ka,” at an altitude of 5,000 feet, with temperatures that reached 95 degrees.
Her fuel came from breakfasts at a little cafe that served “Heuvos divorciados” — Divorced eggs. This dish offers a plate of fried tortillas and eggs covered with half green sauce and half red sauce.
Despite that name, we ate together, walked together and shared a fascination for a strange tree called the Pseudobombax ellipticum.
