Off to a running start! (well, at least "fast walking"!)

It was late yesterday when I finally arrived in Oaxaca and got to my hotel (a small and comfortable "posada" a few blocks north of the city center), and by the time I unpacked, it was midnight (1:00 AM EST), and I was too tired to write.

It's now 2:30 and I've had a fun and productive morning. I started to put up some of the 200 posters I brought with me (designed by my friend Kathy Sumpter) to call local attention to the Oaxaca Streetchildren program. I have about 1/10th of them up at this writing... and know of several other businesses to check with this afternoon and during the next few days.

Help Marilyn Horn , a non-profit organization that provides support to more than 600 children and young adults in the region.

I was happy to have my favorite breakfast here--a plate of fresh fruit (mostly papaya) with yogurt and granola and deliciously strong coffee. I'm about to go back "downtown" to see my friend and awesome tour guide Diego, who picked me up from the airport last night, and then I'll head for the center of the city--a pedestrian, treefilled square called the Zocalo, surrounded on all sides by lovely colonial structures.

On one side is the Cathedral and on the opposite side is the government palace which now serves as a first-rate museum with some permanent as well as interesting changing exhibits. The other two sides are filled with side-walk cafes where you can linger for hours over a cup of coffee or other drink. Oaxaca is definitely a city that demands a bit of relaxation!

The president of the Oaxaca Streetchildren board was also on my flight from Houston with his wife and 4 colleagues, and Diego also dropped them off at their destination (and brought a large bottle of water for each one of us--not bad for a free ride!). I plan to join my new friends for dinner tonight at one of my favorite restaurants. I know David, the OSCGR president, since we've worked together for the past two years, but we had never met in person. I'll be back tomorrow with more photos and news from Oaxaca.