Day 5: Amby headed to the gym early for a workout, then returned to the room with coffee for Cristina, our daily ritual, home and away. The gym is half a block away and worthy of photos another day. There are three coffee shops within a half block also, but only one that opens early. It is directly across from our hotel. Couldn't possibly be easier, more convenient. Cristina headed out for a short run and gym workout, then we had the free breakfast that comes with our room charge. The menu is very limited; every day we have the same thing: coffee, fruit cup, scrambled eggs with a little refried beans and cheese. The fruit cup is the highlight.

In late morning, we attended a "Oaxaca Orientation" talk at the English Library. The speaker was the local hiking and mountain biking 
guy, friendly, but very dry of presentation. We learned that Mexico has a higher bus density than any other place on earth, and that no one understands the Oaxaca bus system. There are something like 10 or 12 private bus companies plying the same basic routes. The good news is that if you can figure out where you want to go and find the right bus, it will only cost you 7 pesos, about 30 cents. Also Larry the speaker said that most Americans living full time in Oaxaca are here not because they are rich, but because they can't afford to live in the U.S. on their meager retirements. We had lunch at a very nice 100% Natural restaurant (according to their own publicity) overlooking the Llano park two blocks from our hotel.

There's a rather colorful bus parked next to the park. The story is that the couple who own it have been driving North from Patagonia since 2008. They're headed for Alaska. I guess they're taking their time.

We had dinner at our fifth restaurant in five evenings. This time, at last, a "dive." Taco Roy's, "the best since 1965."  How can you beat that? On the way home, we bought chocolate, which Oaxaca is famous for, but we had been sadly lacking. Now we've got a room full.