Oaxaca

Hey there

We're off to Cuba tomorrow so we probably won't be in touch for a few weeks. We've heard the internet access is not great there so this may be our last update for a while.

We've spent the last three days in Oaxaca, 6 hours south of Mexico City. It was a beautiful city, again with lots of churches and an amazing Cultural Centre in the old Dominican Monastery. Outside the walls of the church was an exhibition of clay statues which represent the thousands of Oaxacans who have emigrated to the USA. Next to the monastery is a huge church, Santo Domingo de Guzman, where we saw a large society wedding with a lot of sparkles and frills! All of the pews in the church were full. On our walk home after seeing this wedding, we passed a Oaxacan funeral procession with a large brass band leading the way. Hamish befriended a cat called Molé (Alida, I have posted a photo below) at a roof top bar, but didn't try any grasshoppers. We visited the largest market in Oaxaca City which was packed with clothes, shoes, veges, meat, spices etc.

Now we are in Mexico City again, about to go to the Anthropology Museum and meet a friend of a friend for dinner. Last night we watched the Super Bowl, which was HUGE here.

One final note - one of the guests at our hotel is a Bolivian "Conflict Management Specialist" who works in Afghanistan with NZ security personnel. He offered us his services when we told him we were going to Cuba tomorrow - what the!

xx

Santo Domingo de Guzman

Emigrants to USA

Monastery Garden

The old Dominican Monastery

Statute from the Cultural Centre

Courtyard at the Library of Oaxaca

Chilies! 

Grasshoppers - from left to right: whole, medium grind, powdered

Giant air balloons at the Zocalo in Oaxaca

Street scene from our restaurant

Hamish, Mole the cat and Hamish's mezcal

Society wedding at Santo Domingo de Guzman

Detail of the ceiling at Santo Domingo

Whole hillsides of cacti on our bus trip back to Mexico City