Ruins and Good Food

Hope this finds you all well and happy. 

Today is Thursday, and I'm up at 3:00 a.m., probably because of the mescal tasting I did yesterday. I started this entry two days ago and didn't finish. That's why, if you came looking for an update, it wasn't there. 

I went to Monte Albán on Monday. It was amazing! I didn't expect to find ruins here like I saw in Yucatan. Actually, I didn't know very much about Oaxaca, just that it was colourful, and I should go there, but the ruins were very impressive with thousands of giant steps to be climbed up and down again. (Not my favourite workout.) I asked to go on the Spanish tour, but there were a few people on it who didn't speak Spanish, lucky for me, because I only caught half of what the guide was saying in Spanish, so I had a chance to catch up with the English explanation. There were three people from the Philippines and they helped me up and down the steps. They work in Mexico but don't speak the language. There was an American from Hawaii there too.

The rest of the van came from Mexico but quite a few of them spoke English. And here I was thinking I was going to practice my Spanish. We also went to a place where they carve wood and paint them into fantastic, mythical creatures. It's a tradition here to paint strange creatures in very bright colours. They're called alebrijes. The place we saw was a kind of collective. We also went to a famous pottery producer.

I've been shooting the people going about their business in town in the early mornings, when the shadows and colours are most eye-catching. Below are some of my favourite photos.

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Yesterday, I went to Hierve el Agua, a site of a geological oddity, a waterfall made of rock, Mitla, an archaeological site.We also visited an artisanal weaving business, and had a mescal tasting, which is why, as I said above, I'm catching up on my blog at 3:51 a.m. Alcohol wakes me up during the witching hour. 

 

I've walked through a lot of monasteries and churches and they're impressive: the architecture, the walled gardens, the quiet coolness of thick stone walls. The comedic relief comes from the  statues of Jesus dressed in lacy frocks.

That's not it exactly, not everything I want to say, but I'm aware that if I don't post this now, I may forget to do it later. The account of what I did today will have to wait until tomorrow because I think I may be able to sleep now. I haven't even mentioned the good food, but it's all very good, and it's worth coming to Mexico just for the tamales. 

Hasta luego!