Ivan The Cab Driver met us a little later in the afternoon and drove us about two hours outside of the city to see some more sights. The first part of the drive was on a paved highway, so my behind was grateful for that. The second part, however, was on a dirt path that swirled up and down in the mountains. Once again, twist and turns. This time, though, I didn't mind so much because I sat in the front seat. Ivan knew the back roads pretty well, so he didn't just drive us but he also gave us the history behind every town that we drove through. I swear, I felt like I was in a scene from Nacho Libre. I kept looking out for Jack Black to jump out in his stretchy pants and cape.Our ultimate destination was to get to San Lorenzo Albarradas so that we could experience the petrified water fall called "Hierve El Agua." Here I thought this was some wimpy water fall who was afraid of people, but Ivan explained that the fall was formed from the calcium carbonate and magnesium in the water thousands of years ago, as the result of dripping carbonated water. Hence, the "petrified water fall."
In any case, to get to Hierve El Agua, we had to drive through some very rural areas. Like I said, very Nacho Libre. At one point, we drove past a field that had a farmer plowing away. I saw the farmer tug on the rope attached to the ox and I knew that I had to get a photograph. I told Arty to ask him if I could pose with him and his ox. The farmer happily obliged. I think it came as a surprise to Arty and Kamila Kamila when I ran down into the field to strike my pose. I'll do just about anything for a photograph.
I first stood in between the farmer and the two oxen and then I moved on over in front of the two beasts. I didn't really think about it at the time, but Kamila Kamila later told me that the two oxen didn't look too happy and that they were preparing to move into charge mode. One of them did snort at me, but I just thought he was trying to clear his throat. The farmer must have sensed that the oxen were getting a little hostile because he yanked on their chain as if he were reprimanding them. I was very grateful that he did so, because I really did not wanted to be attacked by an ox or two.After the photo shoot wrapped, I thanked the farmer and gave him 100 pesos. I think that took him by surprise. I'm not sure what the annual salary for a farmer in a small town in southern Mexico is, but this farmer looked as if he had just won the lottery when I handed over that 100 peso note. He thanked me profusely. I then asked his two kids to pose in a family portrait with Khue and myself. The boy and the girl were very reluctant. In fact, they looked down right frightened. Arty had told me earlier that kids are told by their parents to avoid being photographed by strangers because that could potentially lead to a kidnap. However, this really only applied to the locals. Everyone there knew that I was tourist; I think the swim trunks, shark shades, and Nikon D70 strapped around my neck gave me away. It's not like I coerced the children into posing with us, and I did give them 10 pesos each. Boy, their eyes lit up when I handed them those coins. I also gave them an American dollar bill, but I don't think they really cared about that. To them, it was probably green toilet paper. The two kids may not have smiled for the family portrait, but they sure did when I gave them the 10 peso tip. In fact, they ran up to their mother to show their their prizes.
I'm quite content with both photos. The one with the farmer and the oxen really cracks me up because looking at it in hind sight makes me realize how crazy I was for pulling a stunt like that. The family portrait also makes me laugh because the children looks petrified and yet I have such a big grin on my face. It's also quite comical to me that I am wearing a shirt that says, "I'm Evil."
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