We´ve Now Started The Shopping Leg of Our Voyage

We arrived in Oaxaca, Mexico yesterday at 1 pm after a truly epic 25 hour stretch by bus from Guatemala City to here. It involved 4 transfers, arrivals in destinations made strange by night time arrivals, and lots of bags of chips and bottles of sprite, which have become staple bus snacks to keep the motion sickness at bay. The trip was well worth it though. WE had avoided Oaxaca on our way down due to the reports of extreme unrest coming through nearly all media channels. We found, as we contemplated coming here no the way back up, that we couldn´t even find current reports of any kind. Taking this as a good sign, we decided to come.

Sitting in the zocalo, you would hardly know that just a month ago Oaxaca was the seat of Mexico´s most serious rebellion since the Zapatista uprising in 1994. The tourists are back (though not in the numbers that, apparently, are typical for this time of year. Discounts are common.) the zocalo is streaming with music and people and lights, and the hot cocoa is flowing as freely as ever. All that we´ve seen are some areas of grafitti (mostly condemning Ulises Ruiz, Oaxaca´s governor), federal police blockades at the entrance points to el centro, and fire scars still marking the un-used supreme court of the state building. Other than that, nothing. Its a far cry from Mexico city´s central square, which always seems to be teeming with protesters of one sort or another.


Oaxaca is a truly beautiful city and, overall, its great to be back in mexico after cetnral america. I was stunned speechless yesterday when we found the taxi drivers outside the bus station actually lining up in order. the car at the front of the line would get the passengers and the rest would move up a slot to fill the space. Not a single taxi driver accosted us, tried to grab an arm or bag, nothing. Weird. This is a town of old and beautiful churches, excellent food, and tourists. Interstingly enough, we were surprised to find that the great bulk of the tourists here, at least right now, are mexican. Lots of extranjero families, too, from all over the world. This seems to be the place to travel if you have a hoard of kids with you. Anyhow, from the roof top of our hostel we can see at least 7 gorgeous churches rising from the cement and tin.





But, sight-seeing is not why we are here. Shopping is! We explored Oaxaca´s vast central market today. It is a wonderfully confusing place, full of every imaginable sight and smell. Now that our time is running short and we are nearing the end of having to haul our bags around we can afford to stuff them full of weighty items. That is what Oaxaca is for! Well, that and eating. And drinking hot cocoa...



We wish everyone a happy new year!

Ian