Oaxaca

Pronounced waa-haa-kaa, Oaxaca is a state in southern Mexico. We spent a few days in the city of the same name. 

The City is home to the Monte Alban and Mitla ruins, which are spectacular. We also visited Hierve el Agua, a petrified waterfall and natural infinity pool in the mountains. 

These mountains also took the time to point out that we have two leaks in radiator hoses. Thanks mountains.

Oaxaca is known for food including mole (a savoury chocolate sauce served over meat), and tlayudas (various toppings on a pizza sized crisp tortilla), as well as mezcal, which is basically tequila, but is not limited to blue agave.

Above, the ruins at Mitla, which are unique due to the stone mosaic decorations. The Spaniards built their church here directly on top of one of the pyramids.

Above, Hierve el Agua, which is a series of natural pools and a 'petrified waterfall',

high up in the mountains of Oaxaca.

Above, the ruins at Monte Alban, which was the ancient Zapotec capital from around 

500 BC to 950 AD. The site has stunning 360 degree views of the surrounding country, which is doubtless why the Zapotecs chose this location for their capital.

Holy Megatropolis Mexico City!

Yep its a pretty sizeable town nestled high in the mountains. After some dire warnings about traffic and the driving style of chilangos (Mexico City's locals), the Gladiator braved the freeways and emerged victorious.

In the city we visited the famous Zocalo, the massive town square and site of the presidential palace. This square was also the site of the Aztec capital. Cortes decided to just plonk his capital on top of it. Near the Zocalo, we visited the Secretary of Public Education building with 120-odd fascinating Diego Rivera murals lining its courtyards.

We also had a big night out where we visited the lucha libre wrestling (Mexican WWF with cool masks), and hit up a rooftop Xmas party.

We were lucky enough to meet Jerry, then Josephine, through couch surfing. They put us up, gave us all kinds of tips for what to see and do in the DF, and helped us with our Spanish. 

Teotihuacan: where men became gods

It sounds like a tagline to a Hollywood movie, but this is the name of an impressive archaeological site just north of Mexico City.

This site is the ancient capital of the Teotihuacan people, Mexico's largest pre-hispanic empire. After this society collapsed in around 600 AD, the site was occupied by various others, including the Aztecs many centuries later (and up until the Spanish rolled in to town). The Aztecs were in awe of the abandoned city and believed it was built by the gods.

The city was a planned grid area dotted with temples, plazas and pyramids. The Calzada de los Muertos (the Avenue of the Dead) is the main strip running north to south. The two biggest pyramids are the Piramide de la Luna (Pyramid of the Moon), and the Piramide del Sol (Pyramid of the Sun). The latter is the third biggest pyramid in the world. 

We are now in Mexico City- we braced ourselves for a crazy drive through this sprawling metropolis of 20 odd million people, but it wasn't that much worse than driving around some parts of Auckland. Here is one of our favourite musical acts from DF if you want something good to listen to:

Central Pacific Coast

We are now headed inland after an eventful couple weeks on the coast. We visited sleepy San Blas, pretty Los Platanitos, friendly La Penita, low key San Pancho, crowded Sayulita, modern Puerto Vallarta, racoon-infested Melaque, and barreling Pascuales.

We finally found some surf, and spent a few days at the fun beach break of San Pancho and again at the famous heavy barreling Pascuales. 

The trip was not without incident. We were raided at night by a crafty gang of racoons, had our first military check point search (surprisingly friendly and courteous), and suffered a couple of mechanical issues. 

Luckily there is a mechanic workshop on every corner in Mexico, and they are cheap, honest, and good. One guy rebuilt our alternator with refurbished spare parts- it took him hours and he charged the equivalent of $20 (we threw in a couple of beers for good measure). Another mechanic spent a few hours welding our exhaust that was mangled in a few places, and that only cost about $70. Adios catalytic converter.

We are now heading through the central highlands to Mexico City.

Ba dap ba ba dap ba dap dap, tequila!

We recently visted the home of tequila, a small town called Tequila (funny that) in the state of Jalisco. This is were the likes of Jose Cuervo decided to set up shop.

We have both stopped thinking of tequila as something you do shots of then regret the next day. Good tequila can be sipped like a decent whiskey. The Gladiator now has a bottle at all times, ready to share with guests.

Tequila is made from the pina (heart) of the blue agave plant. The pina is steamed, fermented, distilled, and often aged. Mexican tequila laws (similar concept to the USA bourbon laws) tightly control quality of Mexican tequila. 

Go grab yourself a bottle, and pop this track on to get you in the mood:

Spanish 101

Since we dropped ourselves in the deep end of the espanol pool with no training, we are rapidly trying to learn spanish. Here are a few crucial phrases you can use, should you find yourself in a spanish speaking country and need to take care of business:

1) Estoy apprendiendo espanol - I am learning Spanish (I think this is more proactive than "no hablo espanol")

2) Mas despacio por favor - <say that> more slowly please

3) Todo bien - sweet as

4) Como se dice...... - how do you say......<in Spanish>

5) Estoy lleno - I am full (handy if your new Mexican family is feeding you too much)

6) Es segura? - is it safe? (can be used in conjunction with your index finger and a road map)

7) Necessito una cerveza - I need a beer (conveys more urgency than "una cerveza por favor" - one beer please)

8) Estamos conduciendo a Argentina - we are driving to Argentina.



Kellie and I are going to try to speak only Spanish to each other tomorrow. We really need to do some kind of formal training though.

Hmmm need a picture to go with this post...here is a picture of my beautiful girlfriend happily eating ceviche on the beach.

Back on the Pacific Coast

The Gladiator has made it back to the coast! After being largely landlocked for a few months, we are back to our favourite ocean. We have spent a couple days in San Blas, and we are heading south this afternoon after a boat trip to see some crocodiles and birds. Only hitch in my plans is that there is no swell at the moment...

San Luis Potosi

We stopped into San Luis Potosi and ended up staying five nights with our new Mexican family. We met Maelena through couchsurfing, and she invited us to stay with her amazing family. Maelena, Rosa, Dora, Samuel, Dora (again), and Fernando showed us the sights of San Luis Potosi, and really looked after us. Dora and Fernando spoke only Spanish to us to help us learn.

We also went camping at La Laguna de Media Luna. A warm, clear, freshwater spring fed lake in the countryside. Great for snorkelling and scuba diving.

Saltillo

In Saltillo we visited the excellent Museo del Desierto, a museum dedicated to the geology/zoology/botany/anthropology of the Coahuila region. The deserts of the region have a fascinating history from dinosaurs, to mammals, to indigenous tribes, to conquistadors, to modern Mexico.

We went out afterwards for street nachos and to see the city at night. 

We also saw our first live banda. It was quite an experience.

Bienvenidos a Mexico!

We crossed the Rio Grande from Eagle Pass in Texas, to Piedras Negras in Coahuila, Mexico. If you are familar with the film No Country for Old Men, it is where Llewelyn Moss staggers across the bridge seeking medical attention for a gunshot wound. 

We managed to secure six month visas and a six month importation sticker for the gladiator. The drive down State Highway 57 to Saltillo was beautiful (and there was not a cartel hitman in sight).

We rolled into Saltillo in the late afternoon, a quiet and tidy 500 year old city in the mountains. We met up with our coach surfing hosts Javier, Teresa and Mariana who took us out for taquitos. They wouldn't even let us pay. First night and already experiencing amazing Mexican hospitality.

28 states visited

Today is our last day in the US. We are driving south through Texas to Eagle Pass and then over the border tomorrow morning. We have been busy these last three months as you can see:

A few nights in Canyon, Texas

After all of the amazing hosts we have had on this trip, we definitely didn't think it could get any better. Well, Torrey's first cousin once removed (it's easier to just call her aunt Stephanie), proved us wrong. Aunt Stephanie and uncle John were incredible hosts, wonderful cooks, excellent canyon tour guides, and all around great company. Their little slice of heaven was a great place for us to recharge after a couple months of racing around the country. The hot tub did not go to waste! They even sent us off today with a homemade pumpkin pie, a new chilly bin/cooler full of goodies, and a new audiobook. Thank you so much guys, looking forward to repaying the favor in NZ!

Palo Duro Canyon

Went hiking this afternoon with my Uncle John in the Palo Duro Canyon, the 2nd biggest canyon in the United States. It was described as a "burning seething cauldron, filled with dramatic light and colour" by painter Georgia O'Keeffe. It was beautiful.

A quick stop in Lubbock

Lubbock was the perfect stop between Dallas and Canyon, TX, and Torrey's cousin Kelsey and her husband Dusty were lovely hosts. Their pack of dogs were super cute, as were the residents of Prairie Dog Town.

Goodbye to Sean and Tris

After a couple days of relaxing at our lovely host Lauren's pimp pad in Dallas, we said goodbye to our travel buds of the last few weeks, Trisna and Sean. They are heading to Florida for a Caribbean cruise, and we are heading up to Lubbock and then Canyon, TX to get everything ready for the central American part of our journey. It's been awesome having those two with us, hope to meet up again soon!

The Peoples' Republic of Austin

Had the full Texas experience in Austin thanks to our amazing host Alana. This included, but was not limited to: barbeque, firearms, and music. Here is a song from an impromptu concert put on by our new friends Eddy, Logan and Kyle. All the best y'all and thanks for showing us around Austin.

As yet unnamed Texan band - Streets of Bakersfield

The Big Easy

New Orleans is definitely one of the coolest cities we have visited. We enjoyed some good food and music, and soaked up some history of the region. We also got two flat tires due to potholes, which made for the most expensive day of the trip so far.

Little Band O' Gold - Spoonbread

Breakfast in Nawlins

Our breakfast this morning consisted of chicken andouille hash, red beans and rice, a boudin po-boy with homemade remoulade sauce, and a biscuit with gravy.

This breakfast order reminded us of this:

Nashville, Tennessee

Had a great time in Nashville, visited honky tonks, ate super spicy Nashville chicken, and went to the Grand Ole Opry, the "Mother Church of Country Music". We saw one of my favourite bands Old Crow Medicine Show. Here are some of my favourite songs of theirs:

Cumberland Gap

The Cumberland Gap is where three states meet: Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky. It has served as a pass through the Cumberland mountains for modern travellers, native tribes, frontiersmen and civil war troops. There is a beautiful National Park with a great view of the three states.

On the Kentucky bourbon trail

What is straight Kentucky bourbon? As we were told multiple times yesterday, federal law states that it must be: 
- made in Kentucky
- aged in a new charred American white oak barrel
- be at least 51% corn (the rest is usually rye and barley)
- be bottled at at least 80 proof.

We visited three big distilleries around Lawrenceburg: Woodford Reserve, Four Roses, and Wild Turkey. We also stopped by Corsair, a newer and smaller craft distillery. The pick of the whiskies we tried? Corsair's triple smoked...(and its not even a bourbon it's a scotch style whiskey).

If you ever find yourself on the Kentucky bourbon trail, make sure you bring lots of inbetween drinks*. They don't pour much at the distilleries and they don't have on-licences.

Felice Brothers - Whiskey in my Whiskey

*panamericangladiators recommend that you convince someone else to sober drive, freeing yourself up to get your drink on.

Justified

Driving to Kentucky today. There is a small chance we may swing by half a dozen whiskey distilleries...

We are driving through the Cumberland Gap and Harlan County on our way to Lexington. Anyone familiar with the show Justified will know these areas, as well as this band which provides the theme track.

Gangstagrass is a rap/bluegrass group, here they are sampling a 1930's song by Jimmie Rogers "Pistol Packin' Papa".

Remember acid rain?

Spent a day checking out the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We were lucky to get the van to the summit of Clingman's Dome as the snow was waist high on the sides of the road. Trisna was lucky to walk the kilometre up to the true summit as she was wearing ugg boots. Sean was lucky to not get knocked out when he threw a snowball at me, but missed and hit a husband and wife couple. From the top we could look east into North Carolina and west into Tennessee. Stunning views. 

Remember acid rain? It sounds pretty "nineties" now, and may have dropped off the radar lately, but it is still having an impact here. From the summit you can see that thousands of the trees are dying as the precipitation is 5-10 times more acidic than it should naturally be. This impacts soils, streams, plants and animals. Acid rain is caused by pollution from vehicles, industry and power generation being taken up by clouds and falling back to the earth with snow and rain.

That old time mountain music

The Blue Ridge Mountains are considered the birthplace of American folk music. English and Irish folk music (fiddles, dancing) combined with African rhythms (banjoes, drums) to create music known today as traditional/folk/bluegrass music. These hills are still producing amazing music, and are well worth a trip if you want to soak it all in. We stopped in at the Blue Ridge Music Center - an excellent museum which chronicles the musical history of the region. Anywho- this is my jam:

Greensky Bluegrass- Demons

Blue Ridge Mountains

Some photos from our drive today through Shenandoah Valley and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Check out them autumn colours...

Baltimore & Washington D.C.

We spent a few days staying with Uncle John and Randi, and catching the train into DC to do some sightseeing. We saw all the typical DC sights- tour of the Capitol building, checked out the White House, Lincoln Memorial, WWII memorial, Vietnam War memorial, Washington Monument, and the necessary discussions around Forrest Gump. We also spent several hours in both the Natural History Museum and Air and Space Museum. Quotes of the trip (so far): 'who's Aaron Space?' and 'I don't really believe in space'- courtesy of the lovely Ms. Trisna. 

John and Randi were wonderful hosts, who took good care of us and fed us amazing home cooked meals. We spent Halloween with them giving out candy to the adorable trick or treaters, and staying up until 2am playing cards and drinking wine. We had a great time, thanks guys! Looking forward to repaying the favor on your trip to NZ!

For some presidential music, check out Bob Dylan's Theme time Radio Hour, Presidents' day special: http://www.themetimeradio.com/episode-68-presidents/
I like the Soul Stirrers version of "Tell Me Why You Like Roosevelt"

Maryland blue crab feast

Maryland is famous for blue crab. Kellie's Uncle John and wife Randi took us out for a good old-fashioned crab feast. The crabs are steamed, seasoned, and piled in the middle of the table. The table is covered in brown paper and everyone gets a mallet to smash open crab shells. Messy and delicious!

It was sunny in Philadelphia

We made a flying visit to Philadelphia on our way to Baltimore. We stopped in at Sonny's for a philly cheese steak sandwich, a must do in this city. It is really thin sliced beef fried with cheese in a bread stick. The pub next door is owned by Mac from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, great show if you haven't seen it.

The littleist state in the union

Left Rhode Island this morning, many thanks to Uncle Murph for his hospitality. 

Had a veritable seafood feast last night involving lobster, crab, oysters, mussels, swordfish, and New England clam chowder (of course). If you are a kiwi, clams are the same as cockles. If you want to make it, grab a bucket and head down to Pauatahanui Inlet or Otago Harbour to get the necessary molluscs. Here is a recipe I found for you: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/contest-winning-new-england-clam-chowder 

                         

New England

Arrived in New England and staying with my uncle in Rhode Island. Thinking of having lobsta and clam chowda for dinner tomorrow. Listen here to see why Jonothan Richman and the Modern Lovers love New England:

The Big Apple

We had a great time in the crazy, busy, wonderful place that is NYC. We are pretty stoked to have met up with our Wellington buddies Sean and Trisna who will be joining us for the next few weeks of our road trip. Torrey's cousins Helen and Lauren, and Helen's boyfriend Jesse, were the best tour guides in the city. They showed us the best roof top bars, neighborhood parks and bagel joints, comedy shows, free Statue of Liberty tours, and hole-in-the-wall music venues, none of which we would have found on our own. Huge thanks to Helen and Jesse for putting us up and being so awesome. We can't wait to return the favor in NZ, and look forward to seeing you guys in Peru!

New York City

We are currently having a great time hanging out with my cousins in NYC. Doing all the touristy stuff, seeing live music, eating good food. Here are a couple good bands we saw last night:

What state is round on two sides and high in the middle?

Ohio!

We spent a night in the middle of farm country where Kellie's mom grew up, and where the Dulin family has been farming for 200 years. It was great to catch up with Uncle Dave and Aunt Marilyn, and visit Grandpa Joe, who gave us a tour of all the Kenton sites, including the scrap yard, football field, fertilizer plant, new elementary school, all of the current Dulin farms, and several Amish homes, complete with horses and buggies. We also drove through Cleveland where cousin John showed us around University Circle and took us to the incredible Cleveland Art Museum. Great family time all around. 

The other windy city

Chicago, like the great city of Wellington, can be pretty cold and windy if it wants to be. We had a whirlwind tour of the city and got to hang out with our favourite Chicagans (is that a word?)... Natalie, Jimmie and Ophelia. We had deep dish pizza which is helping me towards my goal of 100 kilos. Don't tell Kellie.

South Dakota

Currently driving across the Mid West. For hours all we have seen is this monotonous brown grassland and these bugs splattered across our windscreen. Posts to come on Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Devils Tower... plus photos of a grizzly bear we saw. Yes you heard right.

The legend of Devils Tower

Devils Tower (a.k.a. Bear Lodge, Rock Tree) is a geological curiosity in Wyoming's North East. Well worth a trip if you are ever in the area. The tower sticks out a good 250m from the prairie around it. Geologists agree that it is an "intrusion" of cooled magma into a softer sedimentary layer of earth and that the soft stuff has eroded away. Exactly how this happened is a mystery as there is little evidence of volcanic activity in the area.

I like the Kiowa tribe's version anyway. In this legend, a group of seven sisters were being chased by a huge bear. They came to a flat rock which told them to hop on. The rock grew into a huge tower, which the bear started to claw at creating huge grooves in the rock. The sisters then fled up into the cosmos and became stars, and so did the bear in hot pursuit. This is why at times of the year they can be seen directly above the tower as the constellation Pleiades (what we call Matariki in NZ), being chased by another bear shaped constellation.

Le Grand Teton

The Grand Teton mountains lie just south of Yellowstone and made a great detour after the rolling hills and geothermal activity of its northern neighbor. Grand Teton means 'large teat' in French, likely named by French CanadIan explorers. We did some good walks, and Torrey had a swim in a glacial lake after an afternoon run. 

Yellowstone National Park

Fall is a great time to visit Yellowstone, crowds of critters instead of crowds of people. We saw elk, bison, antelope, a coyote... even a grizzly bear. He was rummaging around some bushes near the road into the Old Faithful geyser area. He must have been loading up on berries for his winter siesta. Old Faithful dutifully erupted at the advertised time.

Thanks Canada

We have left Canada and are now on the way to Yellowstone National Park. We had a great time staying with the Fisher family, celebrating our first Canadian Thanksgiving, and exploring Invermere/Banff.

Twin Peaks

Yesterday we visited Snoqualmie Falls and Salish Lodge, which you may remember from the intro to Twin Peaks. Lucky for us Bob was nowhere to be seen.

Spokompton, Spokanistan, the lilac city

Our first stop of the trip is Spokane, the largest city in eastern Washington, to see the always lovely Ms. Kori. We had a big night out with Kori, Ryan, Taylor and a few friends, and Kori graciously put us up for the night in her own bed. It was also great to see Margie the next morning at brunch. So many great people in this place!

Ryan and Torrey feeling a bit rough at the Satellite at 4am.

Off on our road trip for real

We are heading off on our road trip for real today. First stop Spokane (by way of Snoqualmie Falls and the Cascades), then the Canadian Rockies for the weekend. Lets hope the Gladiator likes mountains...and that the McDonnell green car curse doesn't rear its ugly head.

Moondoggies at Fido Fest

Went to "Fido Fest" yesterday (I think it was a music festival for dogs?) and saw the appropriately named Moondoggies play. Check them out, I particularly like this song:

Chihuly Gardens, Seattle

We had a great time in Seattle yesterday with the always hilarious Joe Bell, longtime friend of Torrey's family. The Dale Chihuly exhibit at Seattle Center was spectacular, check it out!