Mexico
Trip Start
May 27, 2007
1
8
27
Trip End
Dec 23, 2007
Mexico City to Tehuantepec,
Mexico
Thursday, July 19, 2007
I met up with my new group for the first 2 weeks through Mexico on the luxory part of my travels. It would be hotels all the way to Guatemala for me! There was 24 of us plus driver and guide on an air conditioned coach which meant plenty of room to spread out!
Our first stop was Teotihuacan ruins which was a Mayan city that was later also inhabited by the Aztecs (boring bit over). We had a guided tour around the city which has been restored in many places to give a better idea of what it originally looked like (well how the archeologists assume it looked like). We climbed to the top of the pyramid of the sun which was 246' high... starting to realise just how unfit I am... before walking down the main plaza to the pyramid of the moon. We could only climb halfway this time due to restoration (a good thing as not sure my weak little legs would have made it to the top of another pyramid!). Looking back now I have to say that this was my favorite ruins site that we went to and as you're about to read... we went to a lot!!!
Lunch was an excellent spread made by our guide and driver... so much choice and you just took what you wanted. They managed to have the right amount of food as well which is incredible seeing as they had that many people and no idea about appetites or dislikes! (we had a little leftover that was given to the locals).
Our stop that night was in Puebla where we ate tacos that cost 10 Pesos, 50p! We moved on the next day for a long drive to Oaxaca (pronounced Wha-haka). Myself, Nicki, Ed and Hannu sat at the back of the bus where we had a table and played cards for pretty much the entire day. I don't think Ed won once and in fact lost most of the time. We were playing various games with the common theme that when you lost a round you had something drawn on your hand. Ed ended up completed covered in pen. We played a final game where the loser ended up with a penguin transfer (free with my cookies) on your face! You've guessed it... Ed lost again!
Upon arrival in new towns we were taken on short orientation walks. Birgit (guide) advised us that we might need raincoats... we didn't listen. The words drowned rats just doesn't do justice to how wet we were! The local speciality in Oaxaca is grilled grasshoppers. Ed felt adventurous and ordered an entire plate of the things and we just stole a few. They're a little bit spicy for me as seasoned with chilli but overall not as unpleasant as expected! Our eveing entertainment was Guelaguetza dancing which is traditional dances from different regions including the pineapple dance (women literally dancing with pineapples) and another rather energetic dance by men with huge feather hats!
The following day we went to Monte Alban, another ruins site which looked rather spectacular in the morning mist before exploring the town of Oaxaca. I decided upon street food for my dinner and had the best ever corn on the cobb (inc baby corn) and pancakes with chocolate-caramel sauce. The evening was spent celebrating Fiona and my birthdays (both 18th July) in style at a local club with 2 for 1 cocktails. Neither of us bought ourselves a drink all night and ended up happily merry (honestly, we weren't drunk!?!). It was actually the eve of our birthdays and at midnight we were presented with a bunch of flowers each, a small birthday truffle and a 'mantrap'. Essentially a woven paper item with a lead that when put on the finger and pulled is impossible to get off!
In the morning of my birthday I woke to another bunch of flowers from Hannu and a breakfast croissant and also a helium balloon from the group (which they were told they had to pay for after the event!) Our first stop of the day was at Tule tree - an enourmous tree, I forget the details as was walking around in a bit of a haze as was most of the group! Our next stop was at a Mezcal factory where the make the drink with the worm (contrary to popular belief you don't actually get worms in Tequila!). We were taken on a tour of the factory and the process explained before being given free samples of the drinks made and for the brave (and those who weren't too hung over) a Mezcal worm! I managed to eat a worm (horrible feeling whe you bite into it and the alcohol from inside explodes into your mouth) and even got as far a trying to drink a shot of the Mezcal before deciding that my stomach may have actually been feeling a little delicate following the birthday celebration! To my credit though... I wasn't actually sick, just had to move away from all the alcohol! We visited another ruins site where I bought myself a birthday present of a stone Aztec calendar. In hindsight this has proved rather difficult to carry and too heavy to send home but I love it so will have to just put up with it until Peru! Thanks mama :) x
Our evening stop was in Tehuantepec - in a hotel with a pool! Most of the group just dumped their stuff in their rooms and headed straight to the pool as the atmosphere was so hot and humid we needed to cool off. That night we had a massive thunderstorm that woke the entire group but cooled the air down so nobody complained!
I'll leave you for now as am going for a farewell dinner but will continue the update soon x x
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