Oaxaca
So I left the shitty most boring hostel in the world in Puebla after no sleep due to 'call me maybe' amongst other treasures being played on loop until
2am. Got a cab to the bus station stood in a long line to get my ticket only to be told only cash! Anyway cash in Hand now I got a $30 ticket for the 4 hour trip to Oaxaca. Had a quick churro fix before I left and this one she squirted the chocolate into it.......the best! 2 hours into the bus ride and I can see the landscape change. No more cities and billboards but cactus and mountains as far as the eye can see. It's beautiful. I was obsessed with cactus when I was little so I'm in heaven. I even saw a legit couple of Mexicans in ponchos and sombreros herding goats with their donkey! So I'm sitting back in my giant comfy chair in the last row, ive been picking this seat because it seems no one sits up the back so you get the whole area to yourself. Now I know why. A guy just dropped the smelliest shit I have ever has the displeasure of inhaling. The aroma was so thick I thought I was going to die. I swear he must have had a Mexican buffet for breakfast heavy on the frijoles.........fark me! Note to self, sit away from the dunnies on a long distance bus. Got into town after the stink bus ride was over and caught a cab into the centre and found my hostel. Nice and clean but has the no flushing the dunny paper policy..........not bloody likely! Walked into the zocalo where it was party central with music, dancing, balloons, colour, just gorgeous. Yet another beautiful city, the streets leave me speechless. One thing I've noticed about Mexico is they are huge fans of public displays of affection and I say good on them! Ate some awesome thing that looked like a quesadilla but had pork, beef and chicken and coriander, delish. Went for a wander up to plaza santo Domingo where it looked like all the well healed locsls were having a shin dig. Ball gowns galore straight from a 90's ep of bold and the beautiful! Walked past 2 cantinas which were pumping but have opted for a couple of cocktails in a bar with some live music seeming I'm flying solo. They give you these awesome peanuts with chilli and fresh lime. Another thing I've noticed is that street sellers just ask once and then leave you alone. They should give lessons on this in Bali! Mexicans are very happy people and love to socialise but do it with their entire family and don't seem to disgrace themselves like some other countries do. It's nice. My lovely waiter just asked me if I was from Australia and if I know any koalas or good swimmers, bahahahaha! I also asked him if the 'hielo' or ice is ok to drink, his reply "you can drink all the ice as big as the mountains and you will be fine"! Ive managed to avoid montezumas revenge so far, so we will see. I'm now being entertained by a mariachi version of 'Africa' by toto! I pinch myself everyday that I'm actually seeing the places ive dreamed of seeing my entire life and count myself very lucky. Ok so there's a stack of mariachi and other entertainers who perform out the front of the restaurants and they are great but bad form by some young farkers playing shitty music. I had just sat down and the feral out of towner came through and asked for money for the music. I literally had 1 peso in change so I apologized and gave that to them. The little farker came back and said "I don't mean to be rude but here is your peso back it's not enough for 4 of us". Well my response was you are being rude and how about you get a real job and stop taking money from the local musos. Fark off feral. Really put a downer on a great night.........there's always one. Just to spite them I'm giving this current mariachi band a motza!
Day 2
Had the dorm to myself again because my slightly strange 50 yr old roomie didn't get home last night. Dirty stop out swaggered in at about
11am doing the walk of shame! I walked through the markets today to find the shuttle to the monte alban ruins. Found it next to a coffin shop and a video arcade called 'vagolandia'.........where else would it be?! Took the dodgy bus up the mountain to the nicest ruin site I've seen so far. Beautiful green lawns overlooking the mountains and valleys. How the hell did those Mayan farkers get up and down those pyramids all day? Well worth it though. U watched as the tourists got charged 60 pesos to get in and the Mexicans walking through for free, I guess it belongs to them so why not! I'm trying to get a charter flight to a coastal town in Oaxaca called Huatulco with the hope of avoiding the dreaded night bus to San cristobal. Not only is it a spew worthy journey but a couple of Dutch girls just told me they are doing it tonight but did hear there have been rapes as well. Well that put the nail in the coffin really. Aerotucan aren't open Sunday's to book the bloody flight though, so the travel agent is trying for me now. Fingers crossed or its rape bus!
Went back to the hostel and met my new roommate eske from Belgium, we got along straight away so decided to go out for dinner, Anna tagged along too. This was a bonus because she was kind of local she took us to a place to eat typical Mexican food which was delicious. My fave a potato and chorizo number and the rice milk drink. We then walked around looking for a bar and we ended up in the zocalo again at a little mezcal bar. I can honestly say without a shadow of a doubt that I have tried every kind ever made! We also had to drink it with dried crickets and salty dry worm powder which is pretty tasty actually. Anna also taught us the way to tell a good mezcal or tequila from bad. Rub some between your fingers and wait for a minute, if it smells the same as it did before you rubbed it then it's good. There was someone having a birthday on a table nearby and the waiter brought out the cake. No shit, there was fire crackers going off all over it and not small ones! We got back to the hostel just before midnight and hit the sack only to be introduced to Anna's snoring. Now words will not be able to describe the sound of this. Think male elephant crossed with walrus with asthma. Fark me! At about
2am I hear elske say "Belinda, is it like this every nigt? can you sleep?" I just laughed.
Day 3
I bolted down to the travel agent
at 8am and bought a plane ticket to tuxla near San cristobal. In my eyes paying a few extra bucks to avoid sitting on a bus winding through mountains for 11 hours is WELL worth it. So I'm set for tomorrow flying out of Oaxaca via Mexico city and should be in tuxla by lunchtime. Elske and I took a tour
at 10am to see the petrified stone waterfall, the ruins at Mita and a textile display as well as yet another mezcal tasting! We saw exactly how much work goes into those beautifully colorful Mexican rugs and things. The ruins at Mita are actually quite good, in a place called the village of the dead. You can actually climb into 2 tombs that were discovered by an archeologist. One was for the kings the other for the priests but farked if I was going in there with my claustrophobia! I got eske to take my camera in for a snap. We went to the mineral springs high up in the mountains and it was spectacular. There are green hills and mountains as far as the eye can see with cactus and other wild vegetation and then there's this natural spring overlooking it all like natures infinity pool. I don't think the photos will give it justice. We then hit a restaurant for an overpriced buffet. Elske didn't partake being on a strict backpacker budget so I nabbed some tacos and stashed them in my sunglasses case for her to munch on the bus! At he mezcal factory we saw how it was made and it's a pretty cool old school method. I got distracted by about 6 little puppies that looked like Labradors. I gave the one that looked sad a biscuit.........I call him biscuit! Tasted all the mezcal again and bought a peanut flavored one to swig tonight. It will be an early one for me with
a 6am start so I'll be writing again when I get to San cristobal tomorrow. Adios!
