I had been looking forward to the arrival of the weekend as I had booked a number of activities. On Saturday I was doing a tour with an organisation called En Via. They provide no interest micro loans to women in villages to assist them start a business or grow an existing business. The tour would involve visiting some of these women in the villages of San Miguel de Valle and Teotitlan de Valle. The process is very structured. The women must first attend a business management course before they are loaned any money. Even then the first loan is only 1500 pesos ( A $110). And it must be repaid within 12-14 weeks. They are then eligible for a second and greater loan. Repayments must be regular and attendance at review sessions is mandatory. Non compliance can result in a fine and/or a reduction in their next loan amount It has been operating for almost 10 years and the loan repayment rate is 99%. During the course of the tour we visited women whose businesses included tortilla production, embroidery, a cafe, weaving and chocolate making. It was very interesting and informative and the opportunity to visit some rural communities was great. That night I headed into town and got caught up in the biggest parade I have seen to date. It appeared to stretch from one end of the main street to the other. The footpaths were jammed with spectators. This month is a big month for celebrations and festivals so no doubt I will witness more of this. There is even a Festival of Mezcal about 15 minutes from home. That will be a must attend. Sunday was an early start for a hike to Quianlana, The Sun Peak. I was picked up from home at 7am and we headed to Teotitlan for breakfast. For the first time in a long while it was drizzling rain in the morning. During breakfast the heavens opened up and in usual style the streets were soon under water. My guide Eric was concerned about the safety of the walk as in places it was quite steep and slippery. He suggested an alternative and I deferred to his local knowledge. It meant a 90 minute drive to Llano Grande, a small village in the Sierra Norte mountain range. It also meant, along with Eric's 2 guides (Sergio & Antonio), we had to hire a local guide. So me and my 3 guides set off! I didn't know much about this walk but was able to discover it was about 8-9 kms and we would climb to an altitude of 3200 metres. Sergio spoke excellent English so I was able to learn much long the way about various plants, native animals and the culture of the area and its inhabitants who are all indigenous, principally of the Zapotec race. Whilst the weather hindered the views it was a great walk. Forests of fir trees gave way to rainforest and then to more open scrubland. Just nice to be out of the city again and breathing fresh air. A notable feature was the many different mushrooms that grew here, most of them edible. In fact this week the local village is having a Festival of the Mushroom. About 4 hours later we were back at our starting point and we then headed of to the village of Cuijamoloyas for lunch. And what a lunch, genuine home made Mexican cooking. Beef in spicy sauce, meatballs, potatoes, mushrooms (of course) and a combination of cooked chillies. The surprise was a warm drink based on oatmeal. It tasted surprisingly good and is supposed to be good for cholestrol. From there it was back to Oaxaca. My body was a little tired and after 2 big meals during the day dinner wasn't required. Oaxaca sits at the junction of 3 valleys and the surrounding mountain ranges are quite spectacular. This place continues to surprise and impress.