I cannot believe I am only 2 weeks behind now! Almost there! And as I feel inspiration writting in English, I will keep going. Сорри, мами!
Oaxaca city
So after unexpected detour to the mountains I was back on track and planned to continue to Oaxaca. Tickets were suprisingly expensive, but well.
Oaxaca is another colonial city founded soon after conquistadores came to New World. Nice city center, beautiful colonial cathedrale of Santo Domingo, many cafes, many superior markets (yes, that is where I spent my first full day in Oaxaca: visiting markets), cultural centers, right balance of indigenous and european culture: people in the streets were speaking zapotec languages. The only problem was artesanal and everything else market on the main square. There was also tent town: people protesting. There was also a good food courts with regional food. And Oaxaca region is famous to have good food. The town felt like I could spend here more time. Well, I ended up staying a week around.
Santo Domingo Church
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Streets of the city
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Monte Alban
First I did not plan to go, I did nt plan anything really, except hiking in Oaxaca, but I ended up going to the ruins of zapotec town of Monte Alban with two guys from the hostel.
First about guys: they met in Mexico city and continued travelling together. Slovenian guy (not that many Slovenians travelling around) is mecatronics engineer student and yogi. He is very stereotypical slavic: swears a lot, has strong slavic accent, but behind all this 'awesomeness' nice guy with interesting (yogi) view on the things. His friend is from US, California, although quite smart, but also quite stereotypical American with very American view on life: success is to get merry, have kids and blah-blah, so he suffers because he does not have it and because it is not what he wants. Well, blah-blah, usual stuff.
Monte Alban, although is advertised everywhere in Oaxaca and in every guide book, is a quiet site with not that many visitors, this allows to enjoy the tranquility of the place and walk around piramides without being disturbed. We met a few looters selling ancient artefacts that they found around the ruins. They say it is to feed their families. They say they know it is prohibited. They say museum still does not need these small items. They say they would never steal big ones. They sell it on the site, so I assume museum workers know about this illegal business.
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Pueblas Mancomudades
A group of villages in highlands just outside of Oaxaca put together in ecotourism program. There is a lot of hiking between villages with an option to stay in cabanas with shower and fire place! However, hiking alone is not recommended as it is in the forest.
We went to one of the villages that are easily accessible by public transport planing to stay there overnight and do some hiking around without a guide. We came to the place, saw cabanas and... fall asleep in hammocks. This is how we decided not to do any hiking, but just relax in a quiet pine forest. We did still walk around for a couple of hours in the forest, had food in one of the three comedores in the village and relaxed around fireplace in the evening.
The villages with their cabanas and comedores are very well organized. We did not see many people around, just a few women working in cafes. Apparantely, as it all comunity organized, every member of the community should work for the program for a year for free. There are people taking care of cabanas, comedores, guide, horse riding guides, bike riding guides, etc. The trails are not marked (except those that are straightforward) and confusing: I felt like it is done specially for tourist to ask for guide services. The villages also have a tour operator in Oaxaca, the funny thing is that the prices for packages in Oaxaca are much higher than the prices for the same type of service, but purchased in villages themselves.
Fire!
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Forest
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It died! Again!
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Although it did feel a bit of a money extortion program, I did enjoy staying in the forest, sleeping on a bed of pine needles (it was cold in a shadow in the hammock, so I moved to the Sun), sitting in front of fireplace, watching the stars (I just realized I am back to Nothern hemisphere, so skies area bit more familiar. But no).
Market in Tlacolula
Market in Tlacolula is one of the biggest indigenous markets in Oaxaca, it is on every Sunday and one can buy there just about everything, as always in markets. My objective was to try all the unusual food I encounter there. Ok, I did not encounter anything unusual, but I ate everything fun I could find: pan de elote, grasshoppers, quesadillas (always quesadillas), chicken, fruits, icecream, caramelized mango with chilli, etc.
Oaxaca city
So after unexpected detour to the mountains I was back on track and planned to continue to Oaxaca. Tickets were suprisingly expensive, but well.
Oaxaca is another colonial city founded soon after conquistadores came to New World. Nice city center, beautiful colonial cathedrale of Santo Domingo, many cafes, many superior markets (yes, that is where I spent my first full day in Oaxaca: visiting markets), cultural centers, right balance of indigenous and european culture: people in the streets were speaking zapotec languages. The only problem was artesanal and everything else market on the main square. There was also tent town: people protesting. There was also a good food courts with regional food. And Oaxaca region is famous to have good food. The town felt like I could spend here more time. Well, I ended up staying a week around.
Santo Domingo Church
Streets of the city
Monte Alban
First I did not plan to go, I did nt plan anything really, except hiking in Oaxaca, but I ended up going to the ruins of zapotec town of Monte Alban with two guys from the hostel.
First about guys: they met in Mexico city and continued travelling together. Slovenian guy (not that many Slovenians travelling around) is mecatronics engineer student and yogi. He is very stereotypical slavic: swears a lot, has strong slavic accent, but behind all this 'awesomeness' nice guy with interesting (yogi) view on the things. His friend is from US, California, although quite smart, but also quite stereotypical American with very American view on life: success is to get merry, have kids and blah-blah, so he suffers because he does not have it and because it is not what he wants. Well, blah-blah, usual stuff.
Monte Alban, although is advertised everywhere in Oaxaca and in every guide book, is a quiet site with not that many visitors, this allows to enjoy the tranquility of the place and walk around piramides without being disturbed. We met a few looters selling ancient artefacts that they found around the ruins. They say it is to feed their families. They say they know it is prohibited. They say museum still does not need these small items. They say they would never steal big ones. They sell it on the site, so I assume museum workers know about this illegal business.
Pueblas Mancomudades
A group of villages in highlands just outside of Oaxaca put together in ecotourism program. There is a lot of hiking between villages with an option to stay in cabanas with shower and fire place! However, hiking alone is not recommended as it is in the forest.
We went to one of the villages that are easily accessible by public transport planing to stay there overnight and do some hiking around without a guide. We came to the place, saw cabanas and... fall asleep in hammocks. This is how we decided not to do any hiking, but just relax in a quiet pine forest. We did still walk around for a couple of hours in the forest, had food in one of the three comedores in the village and relaxed around fireplace in the evening.
The villages with their cabanas and comedores are very well organized. We did not see many people around, just a few women working in cafes. Apparantely, as it all comunity organized, every member of the community should work for the program for a year for free. There are people taking care of cabanas, comedores, guide, horse riding guides, bike riding guides, etc. The trails are not marked (except those that are straightforward) and confusing: I felt like it is done specially for tourist to ask for guide services. The villages also have a tour operator in Oaxaca, the funny thing is that the prices for packages in Oaxaca are much higher than the prices for the same type of service, but purchased in villages themselves.
Fire!
Forest
It died! Again!
Although it did feel a bit of a money extortion program, I did enjoy staying in the forest, sleeping on a bed of pine needles (it was cold in a shadow in the hammock, so I moved to the Sun), sitting in front of fireplace, watching the stars (I just realized I am back to Nothern hemisphere, so skies area bit more familiar. But no).
Market in Tlacolula
Market in Tlacolula is one of the biggest indigenous markets in Oaxaca, it is on every Sunday and one can buy there just about everything, as always in markets. My objective was to try all the unusual food I encounter there. Ok, I did not encounter anything unusual, but I ate everything fun I could find: pan de elote, grasshoppers, quesadillas (always quesadillas), chicken, fruits, icecream, caramelized mango with chilli, etc.
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