Surprisingly, we got up okay to catch the bus (for us this was surprising, because last time we tried to get up early we had to go back to bed, but apparently we can blame this on the high elevation that Mexico City is at (2240m). Well, I can. I don’t know what Andrew’s excuse is (I wasn’t sleeping at that elevation is apparently his excuse. Pfft). The bus ride was LOONG. I couldn’t get properly comfortable (wasn’t one of those gorgeously deluxe buses that I have become accustomed to) and the movies were, well, crap. At least beforehand I didn’t mind trying to figure out what they were saying because the movies were okay, but they were C-grade kid-suitable chick-flicks. Yawn.
We FINALLY arrived in Oaxaca (pronounced Wahaka) around 4pm and took a cab that cost us an amazing $3.50 to our hotel.
We strolled around for a couple of hours, looking at the city. I had been told it was a stunning city, but in all honesty it wasn’t anything special. Don’t get me wrong, it was nice and I liked it, but I’ve seen prettier cities here in Mexico. It had many colonial style buildings, with a strange mixture of the beautiful colours I have come to expect from Mexico, to dull stone-facades. One of the highlights I found in Oaxaca was the beautifully vivid ultramarine blue that was regularly used to decorate the fronts of the buildings. I was the fabled moth.
Another beautiful area was the zocalo and the surrounding gardens. Although packed full of people, there were many plants, a fountain and myriad wrought-iron seats to relax in and take in the atmosphere. We retired reasonably early, as Andrew’s version of a snack satiated us for the entirety of the night.
We got up the next morning and had a bit more of a stroll, and a fantastic breakfast (just simple fruit-yoghurt-granola mix and toast, but it is so damn hard to find a breakfast that doesn’t involve eggs and beans here). I also had a really nice fruit smoothie. We walked around some more, then jumped on another bus to make the 5 hour journey to Tehuantepec, a small town roughly halfway between Oaxaca and San Cristobal de las Casas (our next destination). Tehuantepec was really just a stopping point to prevent being on a bus for 12 hours or something ridiculous. It was a cute little town though, and definitely not a tourist destination. Apart from another couple in the hotel we stayed at, I’d say we were the only gringos in this small town. It stuck to the dog-town law (the smaller the town, the more numerous the dogs), and had a cute little market with many native Mexicans selling their wares. Probably the most notable attribute of the town is the use of motocarros, a three-wheeled motorised vehicle where people stand in the back tray to catch the breeze whilst the driver taxis them around town. Adding to the ambience of this is the fact that many passengers in these motocarros are native Mexican women, again with their beautifully coloured garments, standing tall in the much needed breeze in this sauna of a town.
The air stuck to us the minute we stepped off the bus, covering us in an thick layer of sticky. We stupidly got a room that had not an air conditioner, but a fan. It wasn’t too bad I guess, well it would have been if the bed wasn’t lumpy. It was a long night of lumpiness and sweatiness. We even had to have a cold shower to try to rid ourselves of the humidity, but unfortunately it was back within minutes. We did have a really nice dinner with the most unbelievable pina coladas. They were bloody fantastic. Even Snuffy loved ‘em.
So a completely restless night and up early at 7 to catch yet another bus to get to San Cristobal de las Casas. We had to change buses part way at Tuxtla Gutierrez, which is the capital of the Chiapas state but apparently nothing special. We didn’t really get to look at the town, just wander around the vicinity of the bus station, but I’m told we didn’t miss much. And so to San Cristobel where we are staying in a hostel. It is supposed to be a gorgeous little town so I’m looking forward to exploring it. I will post again as soon as I can, but with the complete lack of internet we’ve been experiencing, who knows? Peace out!
Oaxaca City and Tehuantepec photos
