...so after dramatically winding back the pace for a few days at zipolite, we decided it was time to move on. zipolite turned out to be a bit hit and miss. the beach was great, but still brutal.... had some great pizza, and a couple of bads ones. all up though, well worth the visit.

Broomy did not manage to completely recover from his little bout of gastro, and when it came time to leave was very emotional. we decided to head on thru puerto angel another little fishing village down the road where i thoroughly enjoyed a spot of jetty jumping, but broomy could manage to muster the strength to do anything.

we decided to avoid easy transport options, and get collectivos around... which was great... taxi drivers are the best to learn about the local lifestyle and language. unfortunately for sam, he was stuck riding the gearstick in the front of a tiny car wedged between two sweaty guys.

we had a few hours to kill in pochutla (the town where we were to get an overnight bus from), and spent it exploring the buzz of the local markets. the fresh fruit and veg is amazing... especially the mangoes!

...anyway, we braced ourself for the overnight bus to San Cristobal!

... so after we got a little better, we decided to head down the road about an hour to another beach town - zipolite. very very quiet town. heaps of cheap accomodation right on the beach. once again... very hot. the surf is a little more forgiving down here.... but we´ve found ourselves without surfboards and most upset about it (cant decide whether to go buy some or not!)

... Broomy managed to land himself sick again and his paradise has so quickly turned into a prison! regardless, i´m doing my best to to have a fun time..... off to hire (damn rip off), a board for a few hours!!!

...going to chill out here for a few days, then move on!

So we didn´t get the first bus we wanted to puerto, but instead had to wait a couple of hours which was all good as we got to see the zocolo (square) in Oaxaca without the protesting teachers that were there the days before...

...the bus ride was fairly hectic. Mexico roads have a ways to come.... a 200km journey took 7 hours! the whole way there were either speed bumps (tope) or an extremely winding road!!!  oh well... we made it in the end...

we had already arranged to stay at a friends hostel of the last hostel we stayed at (does that make sense?).... which is pretty cool. there is a pool, big rooms, and a pretty good vibe. WE met some aussie guys and english girls all staying at the same hostel, and had an evening filled with scrabble and cards... quite fun!

the next day we explored puerto..... headed to zicatela for a bit to eat. food was mediocre, but the surf was massive! heavy, heavy 8ft wave. only one person out surfing, more just on body boards... still getting smashed though. Then we headed to playa carrazalillo.... a neat little cove, lined with little huts... there was no-one there when we arrived at midday... but soon filled up about 2pm... it seems people really do like to sleep in around here!

we rented some surfboards, and for the most of the time, did nothing but float around on them.... waiting.... waiting.... for the sets to come through. when they came, it wasn´t a bad wave. Was a bit dissapointed in myself when i got seriously burnt.... not cool. sshouldn´t have floated in the water for so damn long!!! it´s just such a nice temp!!!!

that night we headed down to zicatela for some sheisha (yuk), and a bite to eat..... it was here that i was to get a harsh lesson in consuming in mexico... the next day, was feeling a little crook... but in the afternoon, it really set in. Montezuma´s revenge got me a beauty!!! so that led toa quiet night, and still feeling a little crook.

will take it easy today and tomorrow, before heading down to zipolite.... another small beach down an hour down the road!!!!

...so we caught a pretty neat bus down to Oaxaca. We were hoping for something budget to suit our wallets... but ended up with a bus which we found out later was actually better than 1st class! oh well... it was nice...the driver was a bit of a rogue - not scared to overtake on windy roads! the ride was great though... very serene...

This place was literally empty when we arrived - due to the previously mentioned lag in tourism. The innkeeper, Manfred, is a super friendly Deutschland ex-pat, who gave us our pick of the house for an amazing price. We basically had the entire hotel to ourselves. Manfred would bump amazing blue note jazz in the morning and serve us coffee and fruit, and we'd either hire a cab for a five minute drive to Zicatela Beach, the town's main strip and surf spot, or walk across the street to a more secluded Carizalillo Beach, with friendlier surf and local flavor. The bungalow where we stayed had an outdoor kitchen and hammock on the patio to lounge and read a book or snooze in the middle of a lush garden. This place is really a hidden gem, for as long as it's been a favored surf destination, I'm surprised how it's managed to slip under the radar for this long.

We stayed here after an amazing stint in Puerto Escondido, with sand and surf to rival Hawaii. Probably wouldn't even have gotten a reservation were it not for the fact that Oaxaca's tourism industry had been struggling for the past year due to the intense but commonplace rioting the summer before. Bugambilias is spanish for bouganvillias, which blanket the entire hotel and shower down fresh magenta blossoms every morning as the guests stream into the dining room for a communal and authentic Oaxacan breakfast. Situated conveniently close to yet far enough away from the Zocalo's bustling activities, and just a short walk to one of the best salsa clubs I have ever encountered. The presentation is seamless - fresh flowers on your bed, vibrant decor, and amazing staff. In addition there is a cozy living area, with books, internet, and movies so you can chill and unwind if you feel like staying in. The hotel's renowned restaurant, La Olla (amazing), offers service to this area and live music on the weekends.

see guadalajarra blog for details.

See Guadalajara blog for details.

See blog #1 for details.

See blog #1, Chilango Style for details.

We spent a week at Amigos del Sol taking 4 hours of Spanish classes a day. Rogelio is amazing and probably the friendliest person on this trip. We were in Oaxaca over the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the dead) celebrations and they went out of their way to show us around, even going so far as to drive to one of the cementeries in another town without charging us anything. I really wish we could have stayed longer. For anyone who's considering learning Spanish in Mexico, I cannot recommend Amigos del Sol enough.

we arrived into Oaxaca after a 12 hour bus ride across mexico. we were stopped about 4 times and we had our bags searched by armed army- little bit nerve wrecking! Foley had bought Cuban Cigars in Cancun so was a bit scared that they would take them off him or that he would be in trouble but all was good. arrived at 6am to Oaxaca. our tour to monte blanc was at 10am so we had a little rest for the morning. we paid extra to have a tour of the city too which was worth it cause we saw some pretty cool stuff that we may not have seen otherwise. Monte blanc is another 500m above sea level. These ruins had only been discovered in the 1930s so they are still excavating them. the kingdom would have had a population of 600,000 people at its peak, and the king would have had charge of 11,000 tribes. the city itself is all over the surrounding hill tops.

Funny in the afternoon on our way back to the hotel after a long hot day of sightseeing and shopping, neither of us could remember the name of our hotel or where it was. it was very early when we arrived and we had not had much sleep. but we got some help from a local and found our way in the end.

early morning transfer to Mexico City. Just arrived, we have booked some tours for the next few days.

We took a bus from Puebla to Oaxaca de Juarez, the capital of the state Oaxaca, and the place of recent riots and deaths due to the protesting of low wages paid by the government. It was peachy though when we were there as the military police has been sent in, i never felt so safe in my life... it is really a beautiful city...and we went to a nice nightclub, wasnt that busy, but was really nice. Checked out there famous Cathedral which is amazing, covered in gold and hand sculpted engravings throughout (walls and ceiling) After one night in our beautiful hostel there, which was a bargain for $30US/night, we headed onto our 11-12 hour bus ride, which involved 1 kid puking about 20 times in the bathroom, that same kid flying out of the bathroom while taking a piss, and one jackass getting himself locked in their for about 15 minutes...hilarious, oh and wait till you see my dylan sleeping pics. It is impossible to describe the bus ride, imagine 11 hours of twisting and turning, or aka a 11 hour roller coaster ride, my insides have probably shifted, we both felt like

garbage, much more windy and crazy then the Rocky Mountain highways, and with many more potholes...words dont really describe it. Oh ya...forgot to mention our bus driver stopped for 20 minutes to fill up 4 gasoline containers full of a special Oaxacan liquor called Mezcal (spelling?), yup our driver stopped to pick up booze, i love this place.

Well we have arrived in Puerto Escondido, a crazy surfing/beach town, that you can drink on the streets at night, and there are crazy parties of a mix of ethnicities: mexicans, americans, canadians, germans, scandinavians, australians, everyone from everywhere...its a cool diverse place, the first day here i had some weird quesadilla thinger that ended with my face in the toilet for half a day... i am feeling a lil better now, going to take it easy, go lay on the beach and relax...the best thing to do in this town.

Well today was the 5th, checked out 2 beaches, first we went to a really excluded beach, probably about 50 ppl there total, and chilled, nice sand and hit the ocean, was

nice and warm and picturesque, it was called Playa Carrizalillo. Then we went back to near our hotel on Playa Zicatela, which is constantly rated as one of the top 10 surfing beaches in the world, waves were big, and it wasn't even surf season.

After finishing off our beachin, we hit the road, southbound for 3 hours on our bus and are now in Bahias de Huatulco...or in English: The Beaches of Huatulco. Letcha know bout it in a couple days.

Another shot of the Golden Boy
Hahahahaha

Our Room in Puerto Escondido
Not too shabby and right on the beach, just messy cuz of us.

Sunset over Puerto Escondido
Ya was pretty nice

Playa Carrizalillo in Puerto Escondido
Awesome beach we went to, really quiet.

Dylan Taking on the Waves
Dylan showing the waves of Playa Zicatela who is boss...one of the top 10 surfing beaches in the world.

Today Jerry and I made our way south of the Zocolo to the market to check out the arts and crafts and have lunch in the covered food market.  All the people in the food market were trying to wave us towards their tables and we had to run the gauntlet to get to a stall that wasn't so vocal.  We sat down and the lady asked us what we wanted but we had no idea.  She was rambling in Spanish naming off all the things to eat but we were bewildered and didn't know what everything was.  We kept asking for a menu but she just kept shrugging.  Obviously not a place geared for tourists.  The one right behind had menus and the lady smiled and was very nice.  Jerry got the tamales which looked like no tamale I had ever seen in Cleveland.  It came steamed and wrapped in a large plaintain leaf and was more crumbly than the kinds I had seen before.  I had a mixed beef and chorizo grill with some sauce...delicious.  The ladies kids were playing and coloring there and it was cute..I took a picture of them.  On the way over to another hotel to catch a bus to Monte Alban archeological site, Jerry bought a large straw hat to keep the sun off his head.  I bought some grasshoppers covered in chile but they were very very sour.  There must be a lot of lime juice in them.  I had a bite but the sourness discouraged me from eating any more.  Otherwise I didn't mind the crunch.  They'd be much better drenched in chocolate..now those I would eat!  We also stopped for some Oaxacan shaved fruit ice that came in many different flavors.  Jerry and I didn't know what half of the fruits were so we just guessed at a few.  I liked one of my flavors and Jerry's pineapple but not the guyabana fruit.  I kept looking for a coffee but there was nothing to be had and the locals kept telling us to go back to the Zocolo.  I didn't want to walk many blocks just for a coffee and we kept going in the direction of the hotel for the bus.  At the hotel I finally got a cup of coffee but instead of the espresso it was surely powered instant coffee.  It was weak and tepid and it took a long time for them to bring it.  When I asked for the check he told me it cost 30 pesos!!  I was outraged and I told him that was ridiculous.  I tried to pay with a 50 note but he didn't have change so he took the other bill I had, a 20.  Jerry saw that I was fuming and we had to wait an hour for the next bus so he wisely ushered me out to take a walk.  The hotel was in an area with nothing but hardware stores.  Finally we began to understand the Mexican system.  You don't put a cafe where the hardware stores are!  Nor a clothing store where all the banks are clustered.  Later, in Mexico City, we learned that the ancient Aztecs clustered all similar stores on one street or block.  That system must continue today.  It doesn't make sense to us capitalists but it's the way they do things.  We had fun laughing about it for the rest of the afternoon and our trip.

Finally we got the bus but my stomach was rumbling a bit and I was feeling a bit funny.  When we got to Monte Alban I needed the bathroom.  Then, when on top of the south platform and my batteries in my camera went dead I needed to go back and buy some more to take more pictures and I needed the bathroom yet again.  Jerry also reported similar symptoms...uh oh....Yes, we were sick.  We tried to figure out where it could have been from and then we realized...the shaved fruit ices!!  The bacteria was in the ice.  Well, it was to get worse in the evening and night and it took some dosages of pepto bismal, a pill of Immodium, and a dose of the anti-diarheal antibiotic I had gotten by prescription back in the States.  It stopped the runs, but not the pain and I spent the night shifting positions in my bed.  Between the pain in my stomach and Jerry's snoring (sorry Jer!), I only got an hour before we had to get up at 6 am to catch the bus to Puerto Escondido on the Pacific coast.