Mexico – Oaxaca 14/11/16 – 17/11/16

Welcome to Oaxaca – pronounced Wahaka! And I thought the Maori language was difficult to pronounce.
We took the cheaper bus (van), to see the difference of cheap and crap travel. Well we will never be taking the VAN again. Our tickets stated a 6 hour journey, which turned out to be 9 hours. The seats were cramped, very narrow and packed solid as the driver made many stops to take the locals a couple of miles. Our mistake was that we had not thought there were more than 1 bus station in each town. So as we did in Italy we bought the next bus ticket as soon as we landed in that station. Big mistake on our part. There are many bus companies in Mexico, each one offering a completely different service to any town, with most travelling to the same destination. Each company has their own bus station, so my advice is do your homework and opt for the ADO or OCC Services. Although the van service was bad we did however enjoy the scenery as it was terrific and spectacular, going through jungle terrain and high into the mountains.
Once arrived at Oaxaca, there appeared to be a huge demonstration happening in the city. So much so that the protesters had blocked off several major roads, so our van driver had to unload us somewhere on the outskirts. We could hear the chanting of many people – in Spanish- but couldn’t work out what they were saying. With no idea where we were, we just walked with our cases trying to head away until a man stopped us and asked where we were going, (in English). We just said we needed to get to a taxi to take us to the centre. He pointed us in the right direction and off we went. I did ask what was happening, and his only response was that Mexico was having problems!!!!! We found a red taxi and jumped inside, (this was another mistake on our point), and waited until other random people got in. Again we were squashed in like sardines. We were all going to the centre of town, however he dropped us two off at a very busy random dark corner, where he guided us into a yellow taxi. Where we were then taken to our hotel. Once there we were informed the red taxis anywhere in Mexico are “collective taxis” which mean they stay put until it is full, whereas the yellow/blue or green taxis are private, therefore you and only you get taken to your destination.
By the end of all this we were shattered so didn’t go out that evening as it had now turned 10pm.
The following day we decided just to walk around the city as we only had 2 days here. The city of Oaxaca is very pretty indeed. It has an unspoilt air to it, no high rises buildings, no world leading store names to see, and every building is painted in amazing colours from yellows to blues to greens to pinks to purples, every colour imaginable. The city itself is like a grid system, with the Zocalo, (main square) as its centre. We came across its cathedral and basilica which are both fantastic structures. As I mentioned before most buildings are single storied therefore getting your bearings is difficult to say the least, but this just adds to the fun of getting orientated. Every street has market stalls on them, each selling great little Mexican trinkets, again in the most creative colour combinations. No tacky plastic souvenirs here, they are all made from metal, wood glass or material, and very nice they are too. The majority of shops are Artisan shops, each person selling their very own hand made products. We hadn’t realized at first but when you initially step into a small shop and wonder through it, only then go you realize that you’ve just entered a cornucopia of many little craft shops all within a large courtyard. Really amazing and everyone is very helpful, amazing and friendly. Little English is spoken, and we have an even smaller vocabulary of Spanish, but sign language gets us through ok. Dotted between the colourful shops and courtyards are some very nice bars and restaurants, which we explored further that evening. After having great food we ventured into the many bars to find that Mexico was playing an international football match against Panama, therefore each bar was showing the footy live on many screens. Not sure if it was an important match, but a lot of locals were out watching it. In one bar we couldn’t decide on which cocktail to have so the waitress pointed a local one out to us. Again neither could speak the other persons language, but it was fun trying to understand each other. What we ended up with was a cocktail made from Mezcal, (similar to Tequila but made up from a mixture of the Agave plant and other ingredients). This was awesome, however mine had more rosemary storks in it than Tina’s.
The next day we wondered further afield in Oaxaca, beyond the grid. This is where the non touristy place is. Many many buildings in different stages of disrepair, rubbish everywhere, streets with huge pot holes in them, it’s a world away from the man grid of Oaxaca. Still we didn’t feel anxious at all walking around here, the locals (who appeared to have nothing), we’re just as friendly and had lovely smiles on their faces.
Once back in the main grid, we opted to walk around the inside of the Basilica – price MXN 65 pp. What a lovely and tranquil place it is. Like everything else in Oaxaca, what appeared to be a small building from the outside, turned into a sprawling metropolis with corridors everywhere. The inside has been turned into a museum, therefore what was once small bedrooms are now full of ancient artefacts from many centuries ago. It has 2 floors to ponder around, in a square formation all surrounding a large courtyard. It’s library is huge, all books behind doors made of “chicken wire” dating back centuries and stretches a few hundred meters along the ground floor. As you walk around there is evidence of original artworks that was painted directly onto its walls. It has a grand stairwell made of stone, with its ceiling as ornate as that in the Vatican City. Corridor after corridor with tiny rooms leading off, very few windows on the upper floor giving magnificent views of the mountains behind it. We read that not so long ago, a human skull had been found in Oaxaca during an excavation, and on this skull was still the brightly coloured Aztec mosaic in brilliant blues and greens. This is now the centre piece of the museum in its own glass cabinet. It’s serial yet fascinating and beautiful at the same time.
That night as its our last one in Oaxaca, we decided to have a few pre dinner cocktails, therefore frequented several bars. At night Oaxaca comes alive, street venders, street entertainment including the famous Maratchi bands are all around. We had dinner in a lovely restaurant overlooking the Zocalo, expensive for Mexico prices, but still cheap to us. We had mains and wine for under NZ $20 pp. From our advantage point we were able to see everything going off in the main square, people of all ages dancing in the streets to all the live bands playing. Like most of Europe, the Mexicans bring their families out late for dinner, children everywhere enjoying the evenings social scene in the square.
This city is truly an amazing area to visit, where time has never appeared to have moved on from bygone eras. It’s very slow in its pace, very peaceful and very colourful. It has the most friendliest locals that we’ve come across anywhere on our trip and really is a “must visit city”.