The first longish haul bus experience was very comfortable. Nice plush seats that recline, a clean, working toilet and power for my devices saw the 5 hour journey through the mountains pass very quickly from Puebla to Oaxaca (wah-hah-kah) City. The state of Oaxaca is rich in culture, colour and cuisine. The people are warm and friendly and very helpful. Especially when only 2 weeks into my trip I have managed to already lose my bank card. Rosie from my hostel called the bank, and then called the right bank as I got confused and then even walked me back to the bank to try and retrieve it but no such luck, the cards when left in the ATM are destroyed immediately.

The first couple of days in the city saw me go camera crazy with the colourful, cobblestone streets and the amazing architecture.

I especially enjoyed the different angles of the Templo de Santo Domingo, getting an insight into the strength of the catholic faith in the city. I was lucky enough to time it to see a wedding mexican style, wow who were the lucky couple to get married in this grand church.

Recovering from a few days of Montezuma’s revenge I jumped into a day tour to explore some surrounding sites.

First stop is a small town called Santa Maria del Tule, it is famous for a big cypress tree, El Árbor del Tule, and is the widest tree in the world with a circumference of 54m.

Next up, the art of Mezcal making and of course tasting. Midday drinking, in 30+ degrees in a full stuffy van, on windy roads, recovering from a funny tummy spelled recipe for disaster but luckily my decision to try as many Mezcals as possible did not come back to bite me.

It was interesting to visit a traditional rug/textile place and seeing how they make all the colours from seeds, bugs, flowers to then weave to make the bright items seen in the mercados. The ninos learn the art by practicing on the bottom of a chair as young at 5 years old.

Another stop at some impressive ruins at Mitla which functioned as the main religious center before the Spanish arrived. And then final stop Hiever del Agua for a welcome swim. Here there are amazing rock formations created from fresh water springs that contain water with minerals that form petrified waterfalls.

A full on day that crammed a lot in but was well worth it. Had some good yarns with some girls from America that were here on holiday for a week and another couple from Denmark that had already been travelling for 8 months. With my still poor to no Spanish it was nice to make a connection and speak some English. Now to finish off the day with one of these…

Tlayudas – a giant slightly crispy tortilla topped with all the things, almost could be described as a mexican pizza. This one was hanging off the edge of the plate about 4cm the whole way around. No idea whether to use a knife and fork, cut it up, pick it up, what is the etiquette …I just cracked it down the middle and then pulled and used my fingers to pull it apart. Provecho!