Returning from Yagul on the second-class bus, we decided to venture off the beaten path and visit the weaving town of Teotitlan del Valle.

In retrospect I can't believe I did. The bus dropped us off in the middle of nowhere on the main highway between Mitla and Oaxaca and the driver told us to wait for someone that was driving in the direction of the village.

I couldn't see a village. All I could see was a dusty highway where we had been dumped and an even dustier one-lane road that intersected with the highway. So here we were trying to hitchhike in the middle of nowhere. Two Blondes in the Desert - what a great title for a lousy B-rate flick.

I was starting to regret my sense of adventure. Minutes seemed like hours and our nerves frayed immediately. But sure enough a flatbed truck pulled up after ten minutes or so and offered to take us to the village. (Again, probably not the safest thing I've ever agreed to do.) We sat on the bed and bumped 15-20 minutes on a dirt road into the city center, which consisted of a couple of shacks with kids outside that had lollipop saliva dribbling out of the corners of their mouths.

We went to the Mercado de Artesanias and purchased some Escher-inspired rugs, as well as more traditional ones too. It seemed a bit dead in the Mercado, but we didn't really care at this point. Just get the goods and get the hell out of dodge since it's getting a bit late and we still have some negotiating to do regarding transportation.

I can't remember how we got back to the main highway or how we managed to flag down a bus headed toward Oaxaca. I must have blocked it out to preserve my sanity.