Oaxaca
Trip Start
Aug 27, 2010
1
77
103
Trip End
Ongoing
Oaxaca, Central Mexico and Gulf Coast, Mexico
Monday, May 2, 2011
I was very impressed with the standard of the busses. Admittedly, we caught an executive class bus rather than the local chicken bus. But it really wasn't a lot of money for the six hour trip into Oaxaca and it completely put National Express to shame.
Oaxaca is a charming colonial town which is steeped in culture and is famous for its plethora of art galleries and museums. How many art galleries and museums did we actually make it in to? Well I cant remember the exact number but it was roughly around zero. But we did look at a shed load of churches and cathedrals.
Our main activity was to book a local taxi driver to take us on a big tour of the ancient Mayan ruins which surround the city. This included a visit to Monte Alban, Mitla and Yagul. They’ll probably all look the same in the photos but each one had their own characteristics and it was brilliant to start seeing the ancient buildings from this pre-colonial time. We finished off the tour by visitng the oldest tree in the world. I’m not sure if this is officially the oldest tree in the world, but at 2000 years old, it was pretty impressive. Cal me a geek, but this was actually the highlight of the trip for me.
When dinner time came around, I decided once again to try my hand at a bit of the local fare. I ordered a mixed special that came with a bit of everything that is famous in the area. The highlight of which was the little tub of grasshoppers. They were actually delicious. Quite small, nice and crunchy and very salty. Definitely a thumbs up if you're ever in the area.
On a separate note, after spending so much time among the amazingly friendly people of Asia, we weren’t sure if we would be in for a bit of a culture shock when we hit the more rough and ready areas of Central America. Well it couldn’t be further from case. Everyone we have encountered so far has been absolutely delightful. So helpful and friendly and very proud of their country. Plus my Spanish is coming along famously so we are all getting along like a house on fire.
Au Revoir.
