Oaxaca!!! (pronounced Wa-hawk-ah!!!)

The meaning is "among the huaje trees" We have "huaje" trees in Texas too. This is a huaje tree.
Oaxaca sits in a valley wrapping around the mountains. Since I visited during rainy season, everything was green and in bloom.
Oaxaca is known for it's variety of plants. I am told that something is always in bloom year around and I did notice the tall skinny cacti that are only found in Arizona in the US.
They even have chocolate plants with their own special variety of hot chocolate. Which brings us to something else Oaxaca is known for... It's special food varieties, including a type of string cheese which we call Oaxaca cheese. The cheese is one of the most popular items and can be purchased at any grocery store across Mexico.
Also, they sell really large tortillas.
Then there are the "aguas refrescas" or juices which are specially mixed. This one is a plain strawberry and cream one.And yes, I did try the grasshoppers!All of these food items can be purchased at the HUGE Benito Juarez Market.
The market is locate near the central plaza along with other main city sites.I went to the large museum of Pre-hispanic art. At this point I have been to so many museums the thing that impressed me the most was the building design.
The main cathedral near the plaza had some amazing frosted windows.
One of the days we spent at the plaza, there was a military band playing. I am not sure what the occasion was, but maybe they have started celebrating their day of independence.
That was definitely the case when we went to the nearby town of Tule.

Tule is the name of a tree, also known as the tree of life.
It says here the tree is over 2,000 years old.

This is how large a 2,000 year old tree is. Yes that is all one tree and yes that is a large building beside it.The branches are low making it impossible to get a clear view of the entire trunk from this angle, but you can tell it is pretty thick.
Here is what it looks like under its branches.
They have a strict no climbing policy and here the sign reads "I am a living being, do not cut my branches. Take care of me."
A little farther down the highway, you can take a road that winds up and over a mountain pass ending at Hieva De Agua (boiling water). These natural springs have formed pools, waterfalls, and a natural beauty.
Here is what it looks like from the bottom, up.
Here is a smaller spring boiling over.This is what the larger springs look like.
The springs are located near the tiny town of Mitla, where some ruins are located. The city cathedral is located right in the middle of the ruins. As shown here the ruins are on the right and the cathedral is on the left.
From the back it becomes apparent that they used some of the old temple ruins in the structure of the church.
On the other side of the temple they are building on apartments...
Here is a tomb that we were able to crawl into.
I love all the zig-zag patterns they placed in their brick decorations.On the other side of Oaxaca is Monte Alban, one of the larger archeological sites of Mexico.
Only government officials and priests lived on site. This is a tomb located in one of the houses. This definitely changes the meaning of "He died and went downstairs."
It wasn't all work and no play, because they had onsite tournaments. Here's the directions of how to play.
Here's the field. They still do not know how the winner was determined. In other places it is believed that they sacrificed the winners, but there is no evidence that anyone was sacrificed at this location.
Here is a lager view of the main courtyard of the site. In the middle is an observatory thought to be constructed around the birth of Christ. I wonder what stars might have interested them.
On the opposite end is a smaller courtyard.
Here is a medical facility. The stones have carvings of people to explain/describe different diseases and operations such as Cesarian sections.
It was fun to go and spend sometime learning more about Mexico and it's beauty. I also got to spend some time with a like minded friend whom I met in language school. She did a great job being a tour guide and I feel I now know Oaxaca and it's surrounding area.

El Macchiatos Gourmet Cafe

So this isn't the best picture, but this is what my favorite refuge looks like. It is a little coffee house even though I don't like or drink coffee (though I now will order an Oreo mocha).

They always have an abundance of employees because they do deliveries. It isn't all that unusual to see on or two employees caring drinks down the sidewalk while I wait for my bus.

Since there is normally more than one person behind the counter it is like a welcoming committee when you walk it. Everyone is extremely friendly, for example, when I went to leave today my umbrella fell apart and they offered to let me borrow one of theirs... Starbucks doesn't stand a chance.
Here is my favorite table where I sit for hours completing my homework or reading a book. I like this spot because it is near the stairs (there are tables upstairs as well), the door to the kitchen, and the entrance behind the counter so it is easier to talk to waiters and waitresses as they pass by. At the moment they have some decorations up for their Independence Day.

Don't Drink The Water In Mexico

Growing up on a farm in an area that receives an average of 18 inches or precipitation annually, I grew up understanding the importance of water. Even though we had occasional trouble with the wells, there seemed to always be water and we could always drink it... Not here.
There is a store near me that I call to have drinking water delivered. I used to go there in person because it is hard to talk in a second language over the phone, and I would always remember the woman at the well, "Please sir, tell where I can get this water so I don't have to come back here again."

The water system here is a bit different. City water comes two or three times a week to fill the under ground cistern. You can see it filling up here... What you can't see are the little crickets and spiders I found when I opened the door.

Some places have a pressurized pump to create water pressure for the building. My building has a pump that pumps it up to a tank on the roof to create water pressure. My building also has a float system to that it automatically turns the pump on and off. Most houses do not have this convenience. The family I lived with didn't and there were a couple of times that the water ran out while I was still had conditioner in my hair.
We all need water... We can live in places where we can go day in and day out not realizing our need. Then there are places like here where the black tanks on the roof tops scream the need. But there are places where people understand their desperation and walk miles to obtain their daily need of it. I think I understand a little better the offer made that day to meet the daily need of the woman.
So if you think the water system is different, wait until you hear about the natural gas system.