23 May 09 - Oaxaca, Mexico

"One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor". Our life in Mexico has so far, read like that infamous t-shirt. Only neither one of us have hit the floor…yet. That doesn't mean we're not feeling the toll this tour is taking on us. But surprisingly, Im feeling rather upbeat today. Much cant be said for Timothy.

We are in Oaxaca, a gorgeous town south of Mexico City. This place has so much to offer - fried grasshoppers, churros (Spanish doughnut) filled with chocolate - so much better than having to dip it yourself - and mescal. And the architecture is simply stunning! After a short walking tour around the city yesterday, which included a wander around a delicious market where we really did try fried grasshoppers (not really my thing I've decided) Ernesto took us to a quaint little bar called Case del Mescal (House of Mescal) for more tastings. And taste we did. After five shots in the space of 15 minutes we were all well and truly on our way…and didn't want to leave. So, along with some locals we met at the bar, the bunch of stayed there the entire afternoon, drinking (much to the bartenders' delight!), dancing, singing and trying like hell to speak better Spanish. Why is it that one thinks that they can all of a sudden speak better when no longer sober? But, with the help of Ernesto we somehow managed to get the life stories out of some proud Mexicans. Kind of.

The afternoon soon turned into night and we quickly realized we should eat some dinner and probably head home to bed. So we ate something, somewhere, then headed home. But Tim, not being "ready" to call it a night, said he was going to go for one more drink with Ernesto. Well, we all know that that didn't happen! Hahaha. He made his way back a few hours later and well, Im sure you can pretty much figure out the rest. Needless to say, Tim couldn't get up this morning and so he didn't come on the day trip to Monte Alban to see the ruins there. To be honest, we're all a little ruined-out, so Im sure he wasn't too disappointed. And oh, we went to a chocolate factory. One word - yummo!

We are all desperately in need of some down time, so what better way to do that than to head to the beach! We are going to Puerto Escondido tomorrow which is supposed to be magical. I cannot wait to lie by the water, relax and perhaps detoxify just a little bit. Bring it on!