So after Tequisquiapan, from which we returned on the Sunday morning in order to make it in time for Tea at grandma's, the week was fairly uneventful, but plans had taken shape for the weekend :)
On Thursday my cousin took me to go see a stand up comedian called Polo Polo. He's Mexican, old, bald, but funny as hell!! My cousin had promised to take me since I was sixteen! five long years ago. Alas this comedian is also an alcoholic (or if he isn't you wouldn't be able to tell) and so all his shows are done in fairly small bars that have a drink minimum... naturally I had to be eighteen before I could go. Crazily enough my 18th came and went and it wasn't until this summer that he finally got round to taking me. It was hillarious, I had such a brilliant night, and discovered that I actually quite like Jack Daniels!
Early on Friday morning my mum and I left for Oaxaca (at like 6:40am) to catch up with my aunts and uncles (who had left on Thursday) to go sight-seeing for the weekend. We stayed in a super-cool boutique-y hotel in Oaxaca city center. We rendevoused at a place called Monte Alban where there used to be a massive Aztec city... with plenty of cool pyramids and temples and stuff.
After Monte Alban we went for lunch at this increadible restaurant known as (though not actually called) the 100 dish buffet. Basically it's all you can eat, massive buffet with loads and loads of different dishes... I didn't quite count 100 but it looked like it could have been! So we totally pigged out and were pretty pooped. There was an awesome plane in the garden, a very old one (I'm not good with the old model numbers and stuff, so forgive me). Basically it was almost like heaven :p
That evening we went around the central Square and went to a couple bars, which was fun... basically lots of talk...
The next day we hired a tour that took us to five pretty awesome places. Firstly was the "Tule" tree, named after the Tule plants that grow around it... It's a massive tree who's age is estimated at 2-4000 years old (they're only certain it's older than 2000). It's not that tall, but even it's 42m height is quite a lot (twice as tall as the church next to it). It has a 58m circumference and is as deep as it is tall... and weighs 636,107 tons!! It's big.
Then we were taken to Mitla, which was a place built by a race previous to the Aztecs that were dying out, and this was to be their final resting place. There are no huge pyramids or things like that, just some tombes and a small palace. But the remarkable thing is that it's still there (in an earthquake prone zone) and its ancient pain is still on many of the walls!! It's super cool and pretty :p
We were then taken to lunch which was followed by a demonstration of how the locals make Mezcal which was a pretty sacred drink of the Aztecs but now anybody who wants to get wasted fast drinks it. Its made from the more spikey looking cactus (there are lots of diferent types...) and tastes similar to tequila, but is not the same. Not a fan I have to admit.
Then came Hiervel Agua, which comes from the Spanish meaning "boiling water". It's a spring, at the top of a cliff where water comes out (duh)... but this water is very high in salts and minerals, and as it falls down the side of the cliff (very slowly, like a small trickle) it evaporates in the sun leaving the salts and minerals behind. Over millenia, this had formed some giant white structures (of salt etc.) that look a lot like water falls, made of rock in essense... so they're knon as the frozen waterfalls... because that's what they look like... an utterly amazing sight!
Finally we stopped of at a town known for making some stunning carpets, all hand woven and hand coloured. All the colouring is done naturally from plant, bug and seed extracts... I won't go into the details of the colours but they can make literally any colour just by mixing the right ingredients... and just about any pattern, it's crazy how amazing these people are. Respect.
That's the major Oaxaca stuff, and I highly recommend going there if you get the chance! It's a fantastic place!
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