Oaxaca

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took a 6 hour bus from Mexico City to Oaxaca. someone was next to me the whole time. got in Oaxaca at 6am, but it was too dark to walk so I waited in the bus station for 45 minutes until it was light enough outside. passed the hostel but luckily I had the lonely planet, so I was able to find my way back. couldn't check into the room. went back to the bus station to buy a ticket for Palenque. on my way back to the hostel I went to the market across the street from the hostel and got some delicious fresh juice for 12 pesos....carrot and papaya mix. met Gabriella from Switzerland. she changed hostels to one that only cost 70 pesos a night!! (I paid 120) at Ponchon Hostel. looked for a bus to get to Monte Alban. had people on the street help us out. got way too much attention from the men because of what Gabriella was wearing. definitely confirmed my idea on wearing more conservative clothes that weren't too revealing. got a deal for 30 pesos round trip. paid 51 pesos to get in. lots of ruins to see, but not as impressive as Teotihuacan. the view was nice and it was good to see it though. it was on top of a big hill. couldn't really go at my pace because Gabriella, oh well. the museum there was VERY small. went back into town. went to Mayordomo, which is a famous chocolate place. you could smell the chocolate from the store a block before we got there. smelled great. first tested grainy chocolate then other kinds of chocolate. had mole with some tortilla chips. ordered some hot chocolate. nice and creamy! got some bread with it and dunked the bread in the chocolate---nice! 15 pesos for that. got 3 tamales (plain) for 10 pesos. went back to the hostel to shower. met back with Gabriella and her friend. went for dinner. had grilled carne asada and tortillas. pretty good, but i paid the most! what the freak?! 42 pesos! they had some shots of Mexcal. i tried a sip of it----not my thing. saw a lot of people dancing in the street with a live band in the background. then parted ways because i didn't want to be the third wheel. went back to the hostel and chatted with Nicole from South Africa.

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