Monte Alban

Joe and Carolyn are off to the laundromat.  I may have to wait to use my scrubba because they were willing to let me throw my little bag of laundry in with theirs.  I forgot to charge my camera so I am writing this while I wait so I can head out to visit the cemetary a couple of blocks away. I can't visit a cemetery and not take pictures.

Back to yesterday:

Monte Alban is a Zapotec archaeological site that sits on a hill above Oaxaca City.  We did a bit of research and discovered that there is no city bus that goes there.  But there is a bus that leaves from downtown every hour for 50 pesos (updated to 55 on more current info, actual cost - 60 pesos return ticket which is about $5).  That was the station that we tried to find the night before.  What we had found that night was a door that looked abandoned.  Next morning, it was a bustling  business.  We bought our tickets and waited a half hour.  (side note, that station was my first visit to a 'old style' Mexican bathroom - bucket flush, bring your own paper & tetanus shot).

It was a cloudy morning so we were good in that many tourists would skip going if there was a risk of rain, but we were bad if it rained.  We lucked out, no rain and a nice cool day to explore and climb ruins!

I left C & J at the first structure and was immediately distracted by a bird.  It was at this point that I remembered that my Mexican bird book only shows pictures of birds only found in Mexico. So, if a bird is listed in the Western or Eastern North American guides, there is no picture in the Mexico book.  That's a lot of birds that I won't be able to identify.  So, I have to be able to take a picture so I can look it up later (if I am lucky).

I'm looking at you looking at me

I found a little visited ruin behind a bigger building, as far from the big platform as possible.  This forested spot was tourist poor and therefore bird rich!

Secret Hill behind the big stuff

This crazy flower

Wander, wander, lots of pictures.  I finally found C & J when I stood at the top of the big platform and they were at the bottom waving at me.  They figured I would show up there eventually.

The place was almost empty of tourists

Yup, I am heading to those stairs

Here they are...

At the top! looking down.

Joe and Carolyn waiting for me at the bottom

This baby hummingbird just sat there patiently
while I tried to find it in my view finder.  You can see the fluff on its back

Carolyn's new hat!  (Full price)

I was a bit obsessed with the walking vendors.  They were all so photogenic, rough men against rough stone.

We headed back to town @ 1:30pm.  The bus 'station' is quite close to the big market with all of the food stalls (20th of November market).  Last time I visited there, years ago, I remember being completely overwhelmed, there were so many people and so many choices.  But I really wanted to get started on my 7 Mole mission.  C & J decided to head home so I was on my own.  Fortunately, I got there a bit before the big 2 o'clock lunch rush.  I found a stall that listed multiple moles and ordered "mole roja" - Red Mole.  It was, of course, delicious!

Mole #1 - Rojo

,After lunch, I walked around the stalls.  This is when I discovered that Mexico is no longer the Mexico I used to know.  I found a shopping bag I liked and asked how much.  70 pesos.  How much for two?  140 pesos.  Ok, I will keep looking.  I found those bags at four stalls and they were all exactly the same price and there was no negotiation, that was the price.  WHAT!!  no haggling in Mexico.  What has the world become?  I mean, sure, 70 pesos is only like 4 bucks but still, it is the principle of the thing.

Apparently, I only took two picures in the market,
chicken baskets and mole paste

I'll see if this is consistent across the city (I suspect it is from a few other minor interactions where I 'walked away' and they let me leave without a counter offer,  and for example, Carolyn's new hat at Monte Alban)

I got home around 4pm and was so bagged from my two days of non-stop walking that I was in for the night.  C & J and I played Scrabble on Carolyn's tablet.  It was a form of community scrabble since we could all see each other's letters and we all giving each other suggestions.  Carolyn is very good.

C & J have just come home and brought Pan Dulce (sweet bread) so that means I am done for now.

Pan dulce!

Here are a few street art photos to finish off:

getting here, day one - Zocolo, day two - walking and shopping

We made it without any catastrophes.  I lucked out in Vancouver when they called for people to check their carry on luggage.  So, I didn't have to lug my big backpack all over hell and half acres.  The overnight flight was a bit of a slog but it was fine. I watched Crazy Rich Asians followed by a couple of hours of gravol and free rum induced sleep.  Then a four hour layover in Mexico City, a quick hop to Oaxaca and a taxi to our apartment.

Waiting in Victoria Airport

Mexico City is so big, we flew over it forever before getting to the airport

Mexico city airport is FREEZING!

Flying into Oaxaca is beautiful, all rolling hills and farmland

We arrived at the apartment and it isn't quite as shown. Not bad but each room has a double bed instead of a double and two singles.  They'll change out the  beds when my new guests arrive.  I think the five apartments shown on airbnb are somewhat interchangeable.  You book Natalia but get Margarita (or whatever).

Then it was down to the business of setting up apartment.  First, water.  I bought a garafond from the family who run this place.  Then we went in search of groceries.  We found a market which of course here means tiny stalls and unrefrigerated meat.  We skipped the meat, I have to work Joe and Carolyn up to that level of Mexico, but we bought fruit & veggies (MANGOS!!!, AVOCADOS!!!), tortillas and some Oaxacan cheese.  And three kinds of fresh salsa.  And coffee.  

This is where we bought our fruit and veg. 
She never got off the phone the whole time.

Came back here for lunch.  I made quesadillas.  (Oaxacan cheese makes the best quesadillas).  And then we headed into downtown and the Zocolo which is the main square.  Even on a Tuesday at 4 in the afternoon, it was a busy place.  Lots of people selling stuff, food carts, restaurants, churches (of course).  Carolyn and Joe are not shoppers so hanging out with them is going to save me some money.  We wandered a bit and sat a bit.  But, no sleep the night before meant we were all pretty bagged so we headed home around 6.  

My rule is always, stay awake until 8pm in any new city, no matter the time zone or how onerous the trip. I may not have quite made it.  J & C went to bed at 7.  I went to bed around 7:45 and read.  I turned out my light at 7:58 but I don't think I was still awake at 8.  I think that still falls within the rule. 

I slept really well that night.  Our apartment is surprisingly not hot (I won't go so far as cool).  I woke up at 4am and ignored that and slept again until 7.  Nothing like a good 11 hours.

Eggs for breakfast.  Then I somehow convinced C & J to follow me to Chedraui.  Val and I used to love Chedraui (Supermarket) in Ciudad Del Carmen when we lived down there so I always look for an opportunity to visit one.  

I dutifully wrote down the directions and we headed out.  Regular readers of my travel blogs will know where this is going.  We walked and walked and never found the street we were supposed to turn on.  That, of course, did not stop me from turning on some random unmarked street.  C & J, being far more sensible than me, decided it was time for me to ask someone.  She looked at me like we were crazy, no Chedraui around here.  Next guy, nope, it's a million miles away.  

So, we ended up at another market, buying fruit from old ladies sitting on the ground - just like Safeway.  10 000 steps.

This lady was very nice.  When we bought avocados and garlic,
she said we just need lime to make guacamole (I think). 

I also managed to get some hanging meat - chorizo sausage
for our eggs which we forgot to buy

We went home.  Joe looked up the actual directions to Chedraui while we ate lunch.  I turned right when I should have turned left.  Pretty standard for me.  Joe was keen to try again.  He is looking for whiskey.  So, off we went again.  Carolyn, probably wisely, stayed home.

This time we made it.  Shopped a bit.  Bought some more food.  We should be set for a while.  Joe ended up buying his whiskey at OXXO so he didn't have to carry it so far.  Home again.  20 000 steps and an impressive sunburn on my ankles. 

A terrible picture of Chedraui (for Val)

After a wee siesta, we headed back to the Zocolo for dinner.  But it started raining fairly soon after we left so we ended up nipping into a coffee shop and having sandwiches for dinner. Not exactly the most exciting first restaurant meal in Mexico.  It stopped raining and we eventually made it downtown.  

We stopped and listened to a live band and watched the people dancing

Then C & J, having learned nothing over the last 12 hours, followed me to the Monte Alban ticket booth, down some dark and empty roads.  I'm sure Carolyn did not love that but, trooper that she is, she came along.  But the booth was closed.  We will just show up tomorrow and buy whatever is leaving next.  

Dark street

Selling drawings 

Joe and Carolyn in Oaxaca

Then I led the way home with only a minor, multiblock detour.  I tried to tell them to never trust my directions but either they didn't believe me or decided I was still better than nothing (wrong!).  We were literally standing next to our building and I said it's on the right.  But it was RIGHT there, on the LEFT.  I am pretty sure this has finally convinced Joe to take directional charge in all future endeavours.  30 000 steps.  

It is past bed time so just a last couple of thoughts.  My Spanish is getting us by.  I am falling right back into life living in Mexico.  I love it.  

Joe and Carolyn figured out how to turn on the hot water.  We all had a shower before that happened.  I was willing to just live with cold showers since that is just normal, but J & C assumed this was not normal and they were right.  

Tomorrow we head to Monte Alban.  

Well, this isn't good

Gas Shortage in Mexico:
https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/11/americas/mexico-gasoline-shortage/index.html

(I love how this situation massively & negatively affects the people and economy of an entire country but the american news has to spend multiple paragraphs on how this is going to mean no avocados for super bowl.  Now that is the REAL tragedy).

Going to Oaxaca

It all started with a casual conversation with my mom.  We were talking about my aunt taking her kids and their spouses on a trip and we said, 'we should go on another trip'.  And my mom said, we should go to Oaxaca.  And I said, yea we should.  But she left it there. I did not.  I called her the next day to say that round trip flights are under $600.  Then I looked to see what an apartment would cost and called again with my results - cheap.  But mom was wishy-washy.  So, I said, well, I might just go by myself.  And then I booked that cheap flight.

This all basically happened over the course of a day, really an hour between looking up the flight and booking the ticket.

I found many decent looking apartments on airbnb but I decided to go a bit more expensive to get a second bedroom with two beds.  That way, I could invite friends to come and stay for part of my month there.  Within a day or two, I had some on board with this crazy plan.  Mom is coming for the second half, and Carolyn and Joe are coming for the first half.

Here is the apartment
And just in case, there are five airbnb apartments in this building.