Riding out of Mexico City this morning I realized that my 12 mile walk yesterday really didn't even scratch the surface of this massive city. Maybe if I had walked 100 miles. It being Monday morning the traffic was heavy and required a lot of patience. Once on the highway headed toward Puebla the road climbed over a 10,500 foot pass before dropping down to about 2500 feet. Puebla is also a sizable city and the traffic between Mexico City and Puebla was relentless. It was tight and very fast without an apparent speed limit. I would often be doing 80+mph and have cars flashing their lights at me to clear the lane. It's not like the road was straight either as it was climbing through the mountains. I was eager to get off this road. Fortunately after passing though Puebla I turned south on Mexico 115. This was a smaller rural highway which was very fun to ride as it headed back up into the mountains. It wound along the edge of a long canyon climbing to about 8500 feet. My afternoon was spent soaring along sweeping curves and open sky. I rode into Oaxaca at about 3:30. After some searching for a hotel with secure parking for my bike I found one in the historic district. Once again the owner of the hotel told me to pull my bike into the lobby. Easier said than done. I had to ride the wrong way on a one-way street for a half block, turn perpendicular to the curb, pass between two parked cars, jump up over an 8” curb onto the sidewalk and then pop-up over a 10” step into the lobby. All in one maneuver. Looking at it I knew I would have to hit that 10" step pretty hard to get both the front and rear wheels up and over. Tiggrr came roaring up into the lobby with a mighty bounce. The hotel staff who were watching this spectacle gave a bit of a shriek as they jumped back laughing. My bike is now an artistic centerpiece taking up most of the lobby space. After getting settled it was time to explore. Food! People come from all over the world to enjoy Oaxacan cuisine and after a hard day in the saddle I was ready. I found a restaurant nearby and sampled seven kinds of molé. I think it was my best culinary experience ever. Since I arrived late today, I think I'm going to take a day to look around tomorrow before heading on.