Sunday, January 10, 2010

Oaxaca

After our last post, we decided to stay a few more days in Mexico City, and we sure are glad that we did! Our CouchSurfing host´s friend Ulises took us to the Square of Three Cultures, it´s pretty obvious which ones :) The cool thing about this place is that the church is built out of the stones taken from the pyramid, which at its biggest was around 60 meters tall. The pyramids in general were built like this one here: the new, bigger structure is built over top the old one, thus creating many layers inside. These are the different historic layers.
The way to Oaxaca tooks us three days. The weather soured up, which the locals say is unheard of - it never rains in the winter! Well, it did, but luckily for us, we met Carmen and Bill, owners of a temporarily closed retreat in a small village of Agua Escondido. They served us delicious mexican food in big quantities, and showed us some clay artifacts from near-by fields. They let us camp on the veranda, so we were able to pack our tent up dry.
Our next campsite was in the pasture, amidst cow cakes and near this giant asparagus, which is actually a shoot from an agave-like plant.
When we finally got to Oaxaca, our luck dried up (or so it seemed). It was drizzling, cold and wet, and none of the people we wrote to through CouchSurfing replied. As we had nowhere to stay in this busy place, we headed to Monte Alban, only 7 kms up the hill from town. We camped on the outskirts of the main archeological complex, on a platform between three old pyramids on the top of a hill.
Our strategic campsite allowed us to be the first (yeah!) visitors to the ancient city, early in the morning, chilly and beautiful!


8 comments:

  1. This is a good way to celebrate your birthday, Anastasia!!
    Happy birthday!

    Your Family:))

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  2. Hi guys. I'm amazed with all your adventures. I have to said that i'm with a little of envy of your trip, but i'm sure i'll do some trip like that some day. Your story about Monte Alban is great, i think you camped over a pyramid, some hills around the archaeological site are ruins not excavated, jeje. Oh and the giant asparagus is calld quiote, is like the flower of the agave, in some places of Mexico you can eat it. Well, i wish you all the best in your future adventures and hope that some day you can come back to Mexico some day. Give some time to find some books of Mexico's history in english.

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  3. Hey Ulises,
    Yes, we camped on an ancient site, it was powerful, maaan, to wake up in that courtyard and to survey Oaxaca from the top...
    We'll be waiting for your literature advice :)

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  4. Настя! Есть хороший человек в Мексике, Паша, играет и поёт по-мексикански ;), вот его контакт, найдите его, он как раз ваш такой в чём-то-))
    это мой тебе подарок, скажите, что от меня через Таню Низюк-)))) felicitations!

    On seychas v Queretaro, i sobralsya v Mexico dney na 10. Ego mobilniy tam: +52 1 442 25 22800 ili bez edinici: +52 442 25 22800 (52 kod meksiki)

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  5. Thank you, we´ll give him a call, for sure!

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  6. Guys, please make sure that you'll visit SF on the way back, again :)

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  7. Ho, ho, ho, you did it!? Congratulations!!! Make sure to visit the BIG TREES, if you haven´t already! Humboldt county is soo good!

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  8. I will for sure :) And I hoped maybe you guys can show me stuff over there :)
    I'm still in Canada, going there on January 31st. :)

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