I didn’t think I would like Mexico City due to the reported crime and pollution but I found it rather a nice change from any of the other big cities. First off its not your typical Metropolis of skyscrapers and fashionistas. There is a qualm about it that makes it truely Mexican. The zocolo area was pretty amazing. Throngs of people scattered about the ice rink that was at the center of historic Mexico City. You could weave in and out of alleyways and get lost in cathedrals, pawn shops and sidewalk cafes.

Any visit to Mexico City wouldn’t truely be a visit without wandering out to Teotihuacan. I was amazed at the size of the ancient city. There wasn’t much plantlife nearby much like Monte Alban but the size of the compound will put you in awe. Climb the Pyramid of the Sun and you’ll feel like your atop the world looking down. Truely amazing.

I arrived in Puerto Escondido about 9 am. As again I couldn’t find a place online so my first agenda item was to find a room. The hostels were full so I had to find a cheap hotel. I met a local fisherman that helped me. The hotel wasn’t very nice but it was right on the water which was cool. The beach here is nothing like the Carribean Yucatan. The color of the water is much like home, that dark greenish color. It was warm and pleasant to stick your feet in.

I wanted to go fishing as I had heard there was marlin, mahi-mahi and other fish just off the coast. The price to go out on the water was expensive, about $100 for 3 hours. the boat was small but for 3 people it was plenty big. It was hot on the water so I basically sat underneath shade for most of the time. We didn’t any bites for the first two hours on the water. We gave up and headed back and then suddenly there was a hit. A big 30kg Mahi-Mahi. It seriously took me about 20 mins to reel the sucker in. Every time he got close to the boat it swam away out even further. My finger kept getting burned and my left arm was getting sore. Finally after the thing got tired we hooked him into the boat and I was handed my first big game. On the way back I caught a smaller 10kg mackerel. Not as cool as the Mahi Mahi. When we landed on shore I hauled my catch to one of the restaurants where they cooked it up for me for $50 pesos. It was grilled with garlic and lime. Served with rice it was a good end to the afternoon.

Today I wanted to see Monte Alban which is another Mayan ruin up in the hills of Oaxaca about 8 km away. The tour group that the hostel offered was about twice the cost if I had booked my own transportation. I decided to walk down to the tour bus site and reserve a seat on their bus. The cost was $38 pesos which was a lot less than the $200 the hostel was asking.

The site was huge. Not as big as Palenque but enough to keep you busy for a few hours. If the site were in the jungle it would have been much nicer. The place seemed dry and baron. Don’t get me wrong. It was spectacular but after visiting Machu Picchu, Palenque, Tulum and Chichen Itza this was low on the wow factor. It did allow you to walk up the steps which you couldn’t do at Chichen Itza or Palenque. After taking several pics I got tired. The clouds were overcast which dampened my mood. I just picked a spot at the top of the stairs, turned on the Ipod to some gangster rap and watched people try and climb the steps up the rain. I stayed there for a good hour and then headed back into town for lunch which was a very good mole cheese enchilada at the Mercado 20. I walked back through the Zocolo one last time and then packed up to wait for yet another overnight bus ride to Puerto Escondido.

Another fun overnight trip from San Cristobal landed me in Oaxaca almost 12 hours later. I couldn’t book a hotel online so my first agenda item was to find a place to stay. After about an hour I was able to find a hostel with my own room. I checked i, showered and headed down to check out the cathedrals in Oaxaca. Passing through the smaller streets I immediately noticed the graffiti art around the neighborhood. It was amazing compared to the tagging back home. The graffiti here actually had depth.

I kept walking the cobblestone streets and eventually found the two biggest cathedrals. One being the Santo Domingo was huge and impressive. I walked further down to the Zocola in search of food. Being in Oaxaca was like being in Mexican food heaven. I was looking for the mole and found it at the Mercado 20. I enjoyed every bit of it. I ate so much I was tired and had to go back to the hotel and take a nap. 3 hours later I was ready for the night life of Oaxaca. All I can say is hang out by the Zocola and you can people watch for hours. No cars, just lots of people. Being that it was the weekend there were kids, bands, families to entertain just about everyone. I decided to sit, eat a Tlayuda and just watch the crowd fluctuate. I walked around the square a bit more and then headed back to the hotel to sleep. Along the way I even stopped to try Chapulines (roasted grasshoppers). That was a trip.

I really didn’t have much planned for today as I wanted to relax a bit. The bus rides have taken a toll and I decided to stay an extra night in San Cristobal. I slept in til about 9 and headed out to check out the Artesanias in San Cristobal. Didn’t buy too much and decided to head outside of San Cristobal to check out the scenery. I tool a collectivo (shared taxi) out to San Juan Chamula which was a small town in the hills about 12km outside of the city. There wasn’t too much there. It was a small community with a rather large market. Being that it was the weekend there were lots of locals and tourists out and about. I met two people from San Jose (Dennis and Vivian) who accompanied me through he city. We went to the cathedral and witnessed a few chicken sacrifices. That was rather cool. Apparently if you snap the chickens head it isn’t an instantaneous death. Anyways that was the highlight of the day. We headed back to San Cristobal de Las Casas, ate the best pozole ever and then I was on a bus to Oaxaca.