http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Mexico/Oaxaca/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from North America , Mexico , Oaxaca en-us Sun, 12 Oct 2008 19:12:50 BST Sun, 12 Oct 2008 19:12:50 BST It was an interesting weekend one that included our first day off since wersquove been here. Saturday morning we arose extra early in order to head out to the pueblo of Teotitlan. After meeting at Omarrsquos school we climbed into our lsquocochasrsquo and headed for the mountains. It was an overcast morning but warm and we had the windows down with the radio blaring old Cranberries tunes. http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Oaxaca/Oaxaca/blog-331672.html It doesnrsquot feel like only a couple of days since I posted it feels more like a week or two So much to see and do and experience and take in. Monday we started our Spanish classes and they are amazingly intensive. No English is spoken and we have gone on trips to markets and a pueblo that we will be working in.I have noticed in the last few days that learning a new language requires a cer http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Oaxaca/Oaxaca/blog-330600.html Today we all got up bright and early even though it was Domingo Sunday and headed off to our first ruins. My Mexican mother stuffed me with food once again fresh fruit pan sweet bread cereal frosted flakes this time mango juice and a fresh Oaxacan cheese and avocado tortilla. How does one explain in Spanish that a big breakfast to me is yogurt and granola I met up with Christina and Ch http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Oaxaca/Oaxaca/Monte-Albon/blog-328805.html Yo quiero mi familia host Nada I love my host family They are so patient with me and I am really enjoying attempting to have conversations with them while they are enjoying all my Franglais Spanish. Tonight I gave them a few things from Canada the obligatory maple syrup and smoked salmon which we are having for comida tomorrow a 2010 Olympics bear bell BC ferries pen that has a doubledeck http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Oaxaca/Oaxaca/blog-328385.html Our trip to Oaxaca was better than the bus ride we even arrived an hour early. So instead of staring blankly at at arrivals at 6am under flourescent light we decided to hoof it to our unbooked hostel. My first thought was i packed to much and my second thought was exactly the same. The fresh air was welcome and the views of the mountain beautiful as the sun broke over the top. In Australia they sa http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Oaxaca/Oaxaca/blog-327155.html Another eleven hours this time on a luxury bus and I arrived in Oaxaca. I booked myself into a nice wee hostal and went about finding Steph and her mates. Again I could see straight away that Oaxaca was a beautiful colonial city with landmarks parks and churches everywhere. My first day was spent walking around the town taking in the sites and we ended up in some little bar called La Costumbr http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Oaxaca/Oaxaca/blog-326299.html Good daymorningBrad and I are hanging out in the hotel lobby getting a late start to the day. We had a very long 700 plus km ride yesterday. That isn't anything to long but with 6 toll booths winding high mountains rock avalanches fuel stations and a intense ride through Mexico city we are a little tardy getting on the road this morning.We really had a cross section of Mexico today. From http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Oaxaca/Oaxaca/blog-324629.html We spent just under a week in Puerto Escondido enjoying some much needed sun and surf. Puerto is not only beautiful with stunning beaches it is also filled with surfers and so has a great night life and atmosphere. They made the view from our sun loungers even better as there were always surfers out catching waves or just walking around and with their very tanned and toned bodies they made a http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Oaxaca/Puerto-Escondido/blog-322030.html Well we arrived on 16th August 2008 in Mexico City. Never seen such a long queue for a taxi or driven with such a crazy driver. Mexico City seemed fine. We met up with Tony and Trish for some tequila. We visited the amazing ruins of the Aztec pyramids and managed to see some local dancing on one of them. We then caught a coach to Oaxaca which was fantastic see photos and we chilled in the zocal http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Oaxaca/Oaxaca/blog-318396.html Without running the risk of crapping on about something completely irrelevant ill cut to the chase. Im very far behind in writing and with bloggable events occurring daily i better hurry upSo on to the night bus it was from Oaxaca to the famous escondido. Made sense don't have to pay for accommodation fall asleep wake up and theres the beach....easy.Well Mexican speed control had something to http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Oaxaca/Puerto-Escondido/blog-316222.html This capstone was unique in that it was taught by a medical anthropologist who was researching the occurence of diabetes in indigenous mexican populations both in Mexico and as they migrated to the US for employment. The course required academic research two weeks in Oaxaca and a followup written analysis. In a subsequent term I researched the epigenetic factors of diabetes in different pop http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Oaxaca/blog-315457.html Took a trip out to some small coastal towns south of Puerto Escondido. Went exploring Zipolite San Agustinillo Mazunte Playa Ventanilla and La Copalita river. The beaches were very cool Nothing but sun babes waves and cheap Mexican beer. Playa in San Agustinillo was my favorite but Mazunte is right behind it. Got to see some wild crocodiles and beautiful flowers and birds in a lagoon off http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Oaxaca/Zipolite/blog-313332.html Hey everyonea quick updateI traveled the rest of the Yucatan and the states of Chiapas Oaxaca and a little bit of Veracruz for a little under 3 weeks. It was great to explore the untouched beaches with the softest white sand made out of limestone annd great winds to try kitesurfing and some sailing. I also explored a lot of the mayans ruins and used the knowledge of my past clases mainly geogr http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Oaxaca/Puerto-Escondido/blog-312526.html i have finally showcased my food in a pimp restaurant today was my first day back at work and we are presenting the new menu. MY new menu... today we served about 2 thirds of the new menu tomorrow we'll also serve the ones we didnt today. the reaction has been GREAT there was only one copmlaint and it was about one of the dishes from the old menu the they decided to carry over about http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Oaxaca/Oaxaca/blog-311089.html hey everyone well finally 'home' after an epic bus mission involving 5 buses one boat and a dodgy border crossings spanning a nerve testing 32 odd hours. But the first hot shower made it all worth it and now after relaxing and eating for a day im already wanting to head off again But ill have to settle for reminiscing about the past month and our travels.Well our last adventure began in the st http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Oaxaca/Oaxaca/blog-310939.html Welcome to my Oaxaca Mexico Blog. June 28 thru July 26 2008 i successfully completed a spanish language cultural studies at Universidad Regional del Sureste URSE in Oaxaca MX. The Southern State of Oaxaca is incredible I entered the proram through OCC in Michigan and 10 students helped complete the 10th anniversary of the excellent immersion program or Intercambio Educativo Cultural Pr http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Oaxaca/Oaxaca/blog-310188.html Deuxime partie du voyage toujours dans l'Etat de 0axaca Puerto Angel Zipolite San Jos del Pacifico http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Oaxaca/Puerto-Escondido/blog-309802.html Voila un petit blog de photos pour partager quelques images de cette anne Mexicaine Premier Voyage avec Thierry dans l'Etat de Oaxaca du 7 Juillet au 16. http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Oaxaca/Oaxaca/blog-309776.html i finally got out of oaxaca i got to puerto escondido yesterday the place is beautiful HUGE waves nice beaches good lookin women.... I LIKE.......anyhoo my euphoria will probably be short lived. as it turns out the fish purveyor i was gonna work with isnt gonna be able to provide monkfish and sole all year. i therefore probably have to go back to oaxaca to solve t http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Oaxaca/Puerto-Escondido/blog-308757.html Puerto EscondidoWe arrived in Puerto a bit shabby after the bus ride and cruised around trying to find a hotel. We ended up picking one with 50 stairs up to our room...the office was all the way to the top. Dont know what we were thinking. Puerto is on the way to becoming the next Kuta. Theres heaps of photographers and dads shooting on the beach and a constant crowd in the water. Puerto Escondido http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Oaxaca/Puerto-Escondido/blog-307211.html So I finally took a trip out of Puerto Escondido and traveled to Oaxaca city. Aimee and I decided to visit our new friend Javier for his bday. Funny thing when we got to Oaxaca the city was having their biggest annual festival Guelaguetza. The city was FULL of people There were foreigners street performers parades tons of food fireworks....everything that Mexicans do to celebrate. T http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Oaxaca/Oaxaca/blog-306993.html we left Zipolite on friday evening after waiting 2 hours for the bus to turm up and arrived later than expected in Mazunte. This resulted in us searching round in the dark for a hostel and eventually finding a very questionable place run by a crazy mexican with one eye but it was cheap so oh well and the room came with our own pets a crab a gecko ants and thousnds of mosquitoswe went and h http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Oaxaca/Mazunte/blog-305686.html Saa saa man lige os tage til Puerto Escondido stillehavssiden af Mexico ankom efter en laaang bustur med ildelugtende og skrigende boern. Da vi ikke just havde sat os ind i omraadet slog vi bare op i Lonely Planet og fik en gammel taxachauffoer der lignede en bondemand til at koere os til Zicatela stranden. Her vidste han lige hvor vi kunne bo billigt..... for 500 pesos 250 DKK hos hans f http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Oaxaca/Puerto-Escondido/blog-304535.html The Oaxaca festival lasted most of the time we were there so we saw plenty of dancing music and had a cheeky afternoon at the mezcal festival sampling all the flavours literally all. On Tuesday Ricky and Samantha went on a day trip to swim in waterfalls at the top of a mountain a mezcal factory a big old tree and an indigenous village Daniel had fallen victim to a combination of mexican f http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Oaxaca/Zipolite/blog-304512.html Comida FoodEverything in Mexico seems to come with hot sauce or limon and chili. Here in Oaxaca there is mezcal flavored ice cream with chili in it. The salsa that people eat is either green or red. It is never chunky. Never. Sometimes the red sauce is not too hot just kind of smokey. The green sauce usually contains jalapeos and avocado. Sometimes the green sauce does not contain avoca http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Oaxaca/Oaxaca/blog-304163.html Friday night we went to see mexican wrestling at Arena Mexico this was crazy we had near ringside seats and saw 6 midgets fighting to start with and it ended with the much anticipated Dr Wagner v Perro Aguayo we were gutted when Dr Wagner lost and so were 15000 mexicans who started launching beer at the ring so we joined inSaturday through the day we went into Condesa and Coyoacan some nice http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Oaxaca/Oaxaca/blog-302763.html