Escape from the city

On the road again

Finally we have broke away from Mexico City! I was starting to cling to that place like a barnacle and it's great to be on the road again, especially with my great travelling companion Ben. Ive been quite sick the last few days and feeling very grouchy and irritable, and Ben's patience with my foul moods and general spaced out, stupid slowness has been amazing.


The Church... on The Pyramid... in Cholula

We made a two hour bus trip to Puebla, a colonial town about two hours east of Mexico City. The night that we arrived there we indulged in some delicious street food for dinner (steaming hot cups of spiced corn for only $1) and watched some sort of amazin dancing circus act on a big screen in the Zocalo (main plaza o fthe town) Think like a Mexican Cirque de Soliel.


Christianity: under construction

The following day we made a short trip out of town to Cholula, where we visited a Cathedral that had been built on top of the ruins of the largest Pyramid in thw world (in terms of volume), with a stunning backdrop of a semi-active volcano in the distance. We journeyed into the deep belly of the Pyramid, exploring a series of tunnels which unfortunately only teased us with a series of closed off gates leading into the deeper depths of the huge structure.


Snow capped volcano on the way to Oaxaca

The six hour bus trip to Oaxaca city was the relief that my soul had been craving - the crowds, noise and urban sprawl melted away into a a shifting landscape of sparse desert, sheer mountains punctured with a million cacti, and a clear, ringing blue sky. The diversity of landscapes and plant / animal species in the state of Oaxaca is amazing.

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The last few days in Oaxaca have been very pleasant - the weather is much warmer here than in Central Mexico and the cheese is superb ;)

The central square of the town was full of federal police yesterday, armed with machine guns and tear gas launchers - it was surreal backdrop to the pretty christmas tree and cosy cafes. As soon as the federal police left town today there was almost immediately a rally against the government, locals marched down the streets spraypainting shops and restuarants in the street where our hostel is. We stayed inside but watched from the balcony as it was really pointless to be outside in the middle of it. Some other locals in our street gave abuse at the protesters, shouting in spanish that they should "work!" and "study!" if they wanted to improve their situation. I dont really know much about the political situation here yet but it certainly seems to divide people here very strongly - Oaxaca is almost one of the poorest states in Mexico with large Indigenous populations in the outerlying areas. Many Mexicans feel they are going to continue getting screwed over under the new government of Felipe Calderon.


setting sun

Tourism is way down at the moment in Oaxaca, and when Ben, David and I went to Teotitlan a few days ago it was like a ghost town. It was amazing actually becuase we were literally the only non-local people there!. This town is famous for its hand woven rugs, bags and clothing. Ben and David went nuts but I restrained myself and bought only a traditional Mexican longsleeve shirt for about 100 pesos ($12 AU) We had a very...leisurely Mexican lunch at the only restaurant that wasnt closed due too siesta or the general no-tourist lull. It took the ladies in the kitchen (what felt to my stomach at least) about an hour to bring out our meals - gaving us time to down some beers and talk about the state of the world (and its impending doom.) Due to a lack of buses leaving town we ended up getting a lift in the back of someone's ute which was hilariously fun and free entertainment for us.


In the woods

Yesterday we teamed up with some Israeli and German girls from the hostel and went on a tour in the Oaxhacan mountains with the owner of the hostel. We drove up to about 3000 metres and went for a hike in the San Antonio something National Park (I cant remember the full name)


On the spur

It was a beautiful walk but I was dead tired by the end due to a lingering cold and the high altitude didnt make friends with my blovked sinuses. I meet my first (and hopefully not only) Donkey (burrito), quite a charming chap you gave me a donkey kiss and proceded to try and eat my camera case out of my bag.


My oooonly friend

On the way back to town we stoped at a mescal farm, to see how they make the Mescal cactus liqour from the Agave Cactus. I thought the roasted Agave tasted like fruit jam, though Ben thought it tasted like smoked salmon. We sampled many different varieties of Mescal and I also got to eat a couple of the worms that they soak in the liqour, followed by a cone of fresh coconut & carrot ice cream on the way home.



Many other adventures have been had, and i will report back sooner rather than later. On Tuesday we will be taking 7 seater light-aircarft down to Puerta Escondida on the Pacific Coast - a short 30 minute flight rather than a 12 hr bus trip through the winding mountains of Southern Oaxaca. (and a bit dangerous too - lots of road accidents there)




























into the mountains


"The Road goes ever on and on

Down from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

And I must follow, if I can,

Pursuing it with eager feet,

Until it joins some larger way

Where many paths and errands meet,

And whither then? I cannot say."

- Tolkien