We're heading to Oaxaca (wee hah kah) today. A 5 hour bus ride. Apparently its a 2nd class bus but its quite comfortable, and a good road through some great mountain scenery. Arrived around 1pm, and checked into Casa Arnel. Really pleasant place, seems to be family run, and the building has a real Spanish influence. Built around a courtyard, this one has a beautiful garden, lots of birds (in cages) and a great rooftop area. Into town for lunch and an orientation tour. The afternoons are starting to become really hot. Oaxaca is typical of most towns, a main central plaza with a cathedral on one side and the palace or government offices on another and shops on the other two. This one also has many pedestrian only streets and most streets are cobblestones. Again, a really pleasant relaxed atmosphere. Plenty of cafes/restaurants and bars in this place. No trouble at all finding a feed or a beer. Unfortunately the cathedral is surrounded by protesting teachers who have set up a virtual tent city. This protest has been going on for around 8 years. There is also a very busy market here. The sellers are under tarpaulins with their goods generally spread out on the ground. That night we had dinner in a restaurant come arts & craft gallery. Some brilliant items on display. Grasshoppers tortillas with a mango salsa. Absolutely sensational. Finished the night in a lively little bar. Next morning we had booked for an all day trip to some petrified waterfalls, a mezcal factory and some Zapotec ruins at Mitla. Today also marked 4 weeks since I had flown out. The time has gone so quickly. The waterfalls are caused by limestone and other minerals leeching from the ground and solidifying. Quite spectacular really. But the best part was the opportunity to go swimming in one of the pools. It was like a natural infinity pool with a mountain backdrop. All it was missing was the pool bar!! From here we went to Mitla where there is a Zapotec temple. The standout was the carving which had been done for decorative purposes plus the ability to actually enter one of the underground tombs. It was very cosy and quite humid in there. Then onto the Mezcal factory. We had been hanging out for this one! We were given a tour and explained how they make mezcal. Mezcal is related to tequilla. However mezcal can be made from any agave plant whilst tequilla is only made from the blue agave plant. Oaxaca is recognised as the principal production area for mezcal. Some of it has an alcohol content as high as 50%. This particular factory made 25 flavoured varieties, plus the traditional versions which are aged for up to 8 years in wooden barrells. We made the most of the free tastings but also bought plenty. Back at the hotel we decided to have a night in. We ordered pizzas and tacos, a few of us went out to purchase beer and with a few bottles of mezcal and some music we had a great night on the hotel's rooftop terrace. But how would we feel in the morning??