Updating with a post after our trip to Oaxaca (Oaxaca: Wah ~ Ha ~ Ka - The lessons continue!)
Getting up early from the night of the big Party in Puebla we ventured to the Bus terminal to get a much downgraded experience.......(Sad) but it was fine for a quick 5 hour bus journey to Oaxaca! Sarah managed to sleep through the entire bus ride (briefly waking up to realise we were drive about 1 foot from the edge of a cliff and quickly closed her eyes again!). Arriving in Oaxaca we realised our Uber was useless and being too accustomed to the 21st century we needed to relent and flag down a taxi........(dark days) but splitting with two other girls travelling to our hostel halved the price from 4 euro to 2 euro (as they say in Tesco "every little helps").
Venturing out of the Hostel for food we were treated to my first Mole, which not going to lie was amazing, and also introduced to the idea that there is chocolate ingrained in this towns culture from their food to there morning cup of hot chocolate (Cadbury's got nothing on this hot chocolate!). Waking up early we got in a walking tour with are more similar in age travelers (feeling my age in these hostels!), we walked the city trying all sorts of food, drinks and even getting a look into the traditional Zapotec Cocoa preparation process! Ending the tour and going to the famous Mercado 20 de Noviembre (A massive indoor market which is like a butcher shop and they will grill up your meat infront of you, nearly lost Sarah a few times with how thick the smoke was!).
Exploring more of the town on foot we went to the Barrio de Jalatlaco with streets upon streets of Day of the Dead graffiti and artwork (we were just fresh after watching Disney's Coco so were definitely in the mood for some skull and bones!). We got our first load of laundry in to (can't all be fun and games and my t-shirts were struggling to hold on any longer with the heat of the place!). Doing what is the number one recommended thing to do in Oaxaca - Eat and Drink! Felt like a sin not to go for nicer dinners here and try the towns delicacies as well as their Mezcal!
Our last day in Oaxaca we did what we are getting surprisingly good at (Packing our Bags!) and hit the streets for a collectivo to bring us to Monte Albon (the ancient economic seat of the Zapotec's high in the hills above the city). Wandering around ancient ruins and getting that step count up we tooking in a culture over 2000 years old. Back to the hostel and made preparations for our long 10 and a half hour overnight bus to our next stop Puerto Escondido (we later found out it is only a 4 hour drive.........but saving on accomodation for a night isn't the worse........it was the worse I got 2 hours sleep, Sarah got a full 10 and a half........#Justice4Gareth)