Oaxaca City, Oaxaca

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With stinken hot, sweaty, drunken, Veracruz finally behind us, we had the Baru purring down the very scenic Mexico Highway 175. We past through tropical forrests, then up into fog soaked mountains and finally into pine forrests. The mountains are famous for their mushrooms that grow right on the roadside, only in the summer though unfortunately. I guess the Beatles, Bob DYlan, and the Dead all had a big party up there sometime. MAde it into lovely and colonial oaxaco city at nightfall and got a room at a nice hostel. I ate some ridicilous tamales con mole (chocalate and mole being the specialties here). Few beers at a pretty gritty local joint and two benedryls and a good nights rest for all. This morning we got up early and drove up'to Monte Albion, these crazy Zacatetic ruins or something.... they date back early than the Aztecs and all that.... real impressive...
We then drove 40 km east of the city to a town called Mitla where there were more ruins. Skipped those and drove 30m minutes up a steep gravelly, slippy, treacherous road all the way to Heuva el Agua. Crazy limstone cliffs with mineral water springs running out of them. I took a solo hike and cooled off in the crazy cold spring pools with some german and canadian tourists who talked about the legendary pot fields of California where you could pay 10 bucks to stuff your backpack full of plants...
stopped at a Mezcal factory and bought a big bottle after sampling the booze and the strange mezcal fruit before it is fremented.... on the way out to look for more chocalate products and perhaps a salsa dancing lesson......... then on to the mysterious beach of Zipolatai tommorow.
-Brown

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Photos

Beautiful Mount Albion
impressive ruins outside Oaxaca

Hueva el Agua
crazy limestone springs

Barton's gut on the edge of the world
A few too many Tortas perhaps

MEzcal Factory Oaxaca style
old school way to mKE SOME 100 PROOF booze