Oaxaca

I left Mexico City on a bus to Oaxaca which took 6hrs and went through some varying Terrain and gave me my first glimpse of 'real' Mexico, some of the scenery was amazing as we passed through mountainous areas and almost deserts I expect during the dry season they are pretty much that.

Upon arrival I decided to get a taxi rather than try and walk it, a wise move as the pavements are almost single file and it was really, really hot! I'd written the address of the Hostel down and in true English style I resorted to pointing at the address hoping the driver would understand. The Hostel was a bit of a dump but you can't argue too much for $9 a night, the beds were clean and there was running water albeit cold water. After dumping my bags I quickly got chatting to a couple of English girls that were playing Chinese poker, after a few games they asked if I'd eaten and since I hadn't we all went for a bite to eat in the town. We hit the zócalo and I was supprised to find that the prices were still fairly reasonable even thought it's a tourist trap, 10 quid for 3 mains and a beer each!

The next day I explored the markets and the town properly with a Yank called Suzy, she's ok for an American and even gets sarcasm, we took in the famous-ish Mercado 20 de Novembre and were assaulted by the many different smells and sights. We sampled some freshly made gooey chocolate stuff for making hot chocolate with and some real street food that cost 30 peso's which is about 15p!

On Thursday I visted Hierve el Agua which is a natural warm spring which contains air trying to escape, the name "Hierve el Agua"means “the water boils”. The water is also full of minerals, so as it runs off of the edge of the nearby cliff, calcium carbonate and magnesium in the water create a petrified waterfall.