After three weeks of school, our last week in Oaxaca was a serious change of pace. Once again, our daily routine fell away and we suddenly had the time and opportunity to really explore the sights and do whatever struck our fancy.

Even though we had been in the area for some time, there was still a lot we wanted to see and, in these last days, we saw some truly incredible sights. Although we’ve adjusted somewhat to this way of life as our “new normal”, there are still times when we almost have to pinch ourselves as we realize that all of this is indeed real. This week was filled with such moments when we were touched both by the friendships we’ve formed and the sheer beauty of places we’ve visited.

One of the first sites we took in was the ruins of Monte Alban. Although none of the individual structures were as immense as those of Teotihuacan, this City is spectacularly preserved and it was not difficult to visualize how it may have looked over a thousand years ago and how the people may have carried out their daily lives.

Following this, a trip to the Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca was in order. This gorgeous museum (housed in the restored convent of Santo Domingo Church) documents historical periods of the area. The major highlight, however, was the massive collection of artifacts recovered from Monte Alban especially the treasures from Tomb 7.

The natural attractions in the area proved just as impressive. East of the city, we stopped at Santa Maria del Tule to visit “el tule”, a massive cypress tree with a trunk the size of a house and branches that reach 15 stories overhead. Its claim to fame is as the world’s largest living biomass. At an estimated 2000 years old, this tree would have taken root before Monte Alban reached the peak of its 1200 year reign.

Hierve el Agua is another site that was a real treat to visit. This natural spring, located high in the Sierra, seeps from the side of a limestone mountain and trickles into a huge basin that serves as a natural swimming pool. The view and the dip were definitely worth the hour-and-a-half drive up winding mountain roads.

We also used these last days to say goodbye to some of the friends we had met and what better way to bid farewell than over food. We had an awesome dinner with fellow Spanish students Kabi, Steve, and Eva at “La Biznaga”. After careful consideration (and trying as many options as possible) we have deemed this our favourite restaurant in Oaxaca. It was an incredibly fun night full of great food and great conversation.

We also said goodbye to Clemencia and Odilon over food. Clemencia insisted on preparing a traditional Oaxaqueñan meal for us that included Mezcal (complete with the worm to make it more flavourful), a delicious corn soup and an unbelievable mole negro. We followed this up with a visit to the Mezcal Fiesta that was set up in the park. For an entrance fee of only 40 pesos (free in Clemencia’s case, as she is over 60), we had the privilege of sampling the wares of close to 50 local producers. Clemencia guided us from booth to booth, ordering up countless “vasitos” of mezcals and liqueurs for us to try. Her tiny frame belied her impressive stamina and we were both entertained by her genuine appreciation for the strong drink. For once, it was Dave and I who had to suggest that we call it a night and head for home while we were still on our feet.

We wrapped up our time with the Guelaguetza, a festival that celebrates the state’s ethnic diversity and culminates in major performances in the City’s huge amphitheater. The word “Guelaguetza” means “offering” and this fiesta is a massive gathering of the major indigenous groups so that each can showcase its costumes, folklore, music, foods and art. During the major performances, crowds of thousands are treated to a flurry of costumed, whirling dancers. Some of the performances involved various pyrotechnics (of course) and some involved animals (one man actually danced with a live turkey in his arm for nearly 15 minutes). Each show concluded with the dancers tossing offerings of fruit, candy and handicrafts (typical of their region) into the audience.

Our last day was spent prepping the camper for departure. This included indulging ourselves in a little art project. In response to the aggressive drivers everywhere, we decided to pick up a sharpie and create a multilingual slow vehicle sign on our camper door. We have already gotten some smiles with it and we are fairly pleased with the results. 🙂

After a month of living in the apartment, we had grown accustomed to the luxury of space and it was a bit of a feat to stow all of our belongings again. We managed it but we did opt to leave a couple things behind. Most of these were practical choices and were fairly insignificant – what could we do with three extra sombreros (given to us at Gualaguetza and Mescal Fiesta) anyhow? Our hardest decision was our choice to part with our bicycles. By this time, though, we were down by one tire (thanks to that wild road somewhere near Tapalpa) and we had lost all of our maintenance equipment (due to the break-in in Puebla). On top of this, the salt, moisture and humidity have been wreaking havoc on the gears and chains…never have I seen rust develop so quickly. At such a rate, it was unlikely that they would even be usable after a year. We decided to offer them to Clemencia and she was pleased to take them. We expect that, by now, they will have found a new home with her nephews.