December 10: The search for Cesar - Queretaro, Mex

Hey,

The reason why I was going to Queretaro was in hopes of finding the family
who had sent their little boy to my house nearly 15 years ago.  All I had
was an address which my mom sent to me via email and so when I got off the
bus and loaded up my fully intact bike and gear I moved into detective mode.
  I found out that I had to go into the city of Queretaro (1 million people)
cross the city and find a suburb of the city on the other side.  I quickly
got reaquainted with the urban cycling tactics that I had used in Tijuana
and was able to navigate through the city with the help of 20 or so
direction givers.

I stopped at one intersection and began speaking with students from Benito
Juarez Technico Uno, a middle school nearby.  I hope to visit them on
Monday.  After lunch at a torta (sandwich) restaurant I found my way to the
highway Cinco de Febrero.  I unfortunately crossed the highway too early and
then got the great workout of hauling my bike up 50+ steps, crossing back on
the pedestrian bridge and lowering my bike down on the otherside.  Once on
the highway I soon found Jurica, a suburb or ´colonia´ of Queretaro.

As soon as I got on the cobblestone streets of Jurica I realized I was in a
more wealthy neighborhood.  But with or without wealth, the friendly
assistance of the Mexicans I have met stayed constant.  I know this for a
fact because I soon felt the unpleasant wobble of a deflating back tire and
a few young lads offered to carry my bike for me if I needed help.  I
thanked them but repaired it myself.

I pumped up my tire again and hopped on only to wake this sleepy suburb up
with the terrifying, gunshot-like explosion of my, yes, back tire.  I am
still not quite sure what had happened.  Maybe there was a fold in the tire
when I put it back in.  Anyway,  about a dozen construction workers,
building a nearby house, came out to catch a glimpse of this single shot gun
battle.  I assured them that the fun was over and that there was ¨nothing to
see here, nothing to see here¨.  I laughed a bit and replaced the tube and
this time wheeled my bike to Cesar's address.

Cesar had visited our family in Oregon for three weeks but that was almost
15 years ago and I had no idea whether or not Cesar or his family would
still be at the address I had.  I rang the intercom phone and in my Spanish
explained that I was from Oregon and an old friend of Cesar.  The door was
soon opened and I could see right away that I had come to the right house. 
Although I had never seen Rose Marie before, Cesar had her eyes and nose and
I knew it was his mother.  I told her my name and then saw the flash of
understanding jump across her face.  She welcomed me past their fence. 
Inside they had a full yard, the first I have seen in Mexico and a beautiful
home.  She kept on saying that I should make myself at home so I knew that
everything was going to be fine.

It turns out the Cesar works in Queretaro and is living with his family
until April.  In April he will be getting married to the lovely Lilian and
they will be moving into a home a few houses down the street.  She is a
dentist and he works in administration at his father's fire extinguisher
factory.

I got to meet Cesar's father Gabriel Sr. and his brother Gabriel Jr. before
Cesar came home.  When Cesar walked in the door I saw a resemblance of the
little boy I remembered from years past and I think he might have seen a bit
of eleven year old Tad in me. As I learned from this family, the experience
of seeing Cesar was ¨¡Que padre!¨ which means ¨Totally fantastic!¨.  We
hugged and began sharing stories and looking at albums.  It has been so
wonderful to be welcomed into this family after so many years.

Tomorrow we will be off to see the city of Queretaro and celebrate Gabriel
Sr´s birthday.

Peace(Bike),

TAD


P.S.  I will soon include a little video of Gabriel Sr.´s 59 Ford.  He loves
classic cars and this one has tricks of its own.