Oaxaca, Mexico

Posted 26 January 2011

Oaxaca city is the capital of Oaxaca state. We arrived at 06:30 am on Wednesday morning 19 January after a very exhausting trip. The bus was very comfortable, but the roads had so many curves upon curves and speed bumps that it made sleeping impossible. We booked ourselves into a very nice hotel across the street from the bus station, had a shower, a hour or two sleep, breakfast and then off to explore.

The city architecture is Spanish colonial and very well maintained. The city is big, with lots of people, lots of plazas with flowers, trees and grass. Very beautiful.

The ruins of Monte Alban is one of the archaeological wonders of the world. The most beautiful Mesoamerican site where the Zapotecan culture flourished and remnants of their elaborate gold jewels made using the wax technique have been found. The archaeological zone has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

We have been very lucky to meet Mario Rodrigues (tour guide) on the bus to Monte Alban. Mario agreed to give us a private tour and his knowledge of history and the ruins are great. Without him we would have missed out on a great history lesson. Around 2 pm. we finished the tour, paid for Mario's tour said our good byes.

Back in Oaxaca city we went to the museum and the culture centre. Again the buildings were just breathtaking, with lots to see. By this time we were limping from all the walking.

On our way back to the Hotel we walked pass a seafood restaurant, Marco Polo. This was the best seafood we had so far. They cook the seafood in an outside wood oven, similar to a pizza oven. We arrived back at the Hotel just before sunset.

Thursday morning 20 January, after breakfast we went on another tour with a minivan to visit Tule (Millenial tree, widest tree in the world), Teotitlan (Town of woolen tapestries), Mezcal Factory (Oaxacan liquor distillery) and Mitla (City of the dead, fine arhitecture and incredible stone designs on its walls).

We enjoyed this trip tremendously and walked away with a small tapestry for the boat and a bottle of Orange Mezcal for special occasions.

We arrived back in Oaxaca city around 4 pm and decided that the Marco Polo restaurant is calling us back. After a early supper we walked around the city sightseeing and also killing time for our overnight trip back to Huatulco.

This whole trip including the 8 hours bus trips, the food, tours and hotel cost us about 280 US $, well worth it.