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Last Updated: 21/04/2009 14:14:16
Rudd On The Road
By Steve Rudd
Part Seven: City Living in the South of Mexico
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What's a non-Spanish-speaking Englishman to do when he arrives in an unfamiliar city in the south of Mexico at the crack of dawn? In my experience, he lumbers over to the nearest beverage vendor whilst pawing in his pockets for money, hoping he's got enough loose change on his being to bag him a hot drink.
'What do you fancy?' asked Salvador, a pal from Ibiza who I'd met in Mexico City.
'A cup of tea, please, I grinned.
'Ah, that's so English,' he choked in mock disgust.
'What?' I wondered. 'The fact that I prefer tea to coffee, or the fact that I always say "please" when I ask for something?'
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\245Both!\245 chuckled Salvador, stepping up to the counter to order himself the strongest pitcher of coffee the irritated vendor could dredge up.
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It had been a long night. Well, it had been for me at least. Salvador had somehow managed to slip into the fabled Land of Nod with jealousy-inducing ease, leaving me to wallow in my depressing state of wakefulness. It wouldn't have been so bad if I'd managed to catch even a few winks of sleep, but I'd stayed awake for the entire six and a half hour journey, a harsh reality which rendered me both physically and mentally exhausted upon our early arrival in Oaxaca City.
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The only cure I could think of involved us finding some hostel accommodation pronto and getting a few hours rest before setting out to explore what is rightfully regarded as one of Mexico's most beautiful cities.
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Ever grateful that Salvador spoke fluent Spanish, I naturally let him do the talking when it came to negotiating the price for a taxi ride to the 'Mezkalito' hostel, a short walk away from the city's attention-demanding, tree-saturated Zocalo.
The ride ended up costing forty pesos, a fee which wasn't begrudged in any respect when it equated to little more than two pounds. Indeed, day-to-day living costs in general are remarkably cheap in Mexico, with the price of hotel rooms often costing less than what it costs to kick back in hostel accommodation in some towns and cities.
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Come 10 a.m. I was eager to get out and about, with Salvador persuading me to hit the market with him. While I followed my nose in search of food, he was determined to find a pair of shorts. In spite of my hunger, I couldn't help but sympathise with him: it was far too hot to wear jeans this far south in Mexico. By midday the temperature was soaring out of control, provocatively reflecting the somewhat Caribbean-esque vibes of the city.
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A major cultural centre and popular stopping-off point for folk on their way to the famous Oaxacan Coast, Oaxaca City teems with gorgeous churches galore, the majority of which pay homage to Mexico's fervour for Catholicism at every opportunity. What's more, paintings of Jesus are prominently displayed outside many of the churches. Worryingly though, such pictorial representations frequently resemble Chad Kroeger out of Canadian rock band Nickelback more than they do The Son of God. But never mind. It's the thought that counts.
For the most far-reaching views over the city, a stroll up to the planetarium is a must, just below which a huge statue pays tribute to Benito Juarez. Breathtaking views over the valley also come as standard from the nearby ruins of Monte Alban, to which daily tours run from a staggering number of hotels and hostels in Oaxaca City.
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The nightlife in the city should be experienced, too. What with a multitude of hip bars and restaurants, Oaxaca City after dark is bound to delight even those people who are on tight budgets. Having met an English journalist called Rachel Fitch and an Australian traveller called Cameron in the hostel, I soon found myself knocking back tumblers of Mezcal and Tequila after devouring a sublime crepe stuffed with squash flowers, a type of food which is synonymous with the Oaxaca area.
Needless to say, I had a lie-in the next morning, keen to sleep off a hangover that I should have seen coming all along...
To be continued..Part 8.
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Copyright \251 Steve Rudd 2009
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Places to Visit - Rudd On The Road Part Six: A Storm Over Troubled Pyramids By Steve Rudd
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Should any visitor to Mexico City be in need of a little fresh air or a drastic change of scenery, a visit to Teotihuacan comes highly recommended. Languishing some fifty kilometers north of the city centre, it makes for a simple day out, and it can be reached either by public bus or through one of the many tour companies operating out of Mexico City.
Read more...
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Places to Visit - Rudd On The Road Part 5 Mexico City: A Beginners Guide By Steve Rudd
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It's no mean feat getting to grips with what is purported to be the most populous city on Planet Earth, yet once you get your bearings, Mexico City is a deceptively simple place to get around, whether on foot or courtesy of public transport.
But where to go first?
The most obvious place to kick-start one's exploratory forays in Mexico City is at its main
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Places to Visit - Rudd On The Road Part 4 Cheap thrills on the Mexico City metro By Steve Rudd
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If you think travelling on The London Underground can be stressful at times, spare a thought for the millions of people who use Mexico City's Metro System every day, especially during peak hours when folk are attempting to get backwards and forwards to work.
Having said that, rattling along at high speed beneath the streets of Mexico City is an exhilarating experience not to be missed.
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Places to Visit - Rudd On The Road Part 3 A chance encounter with a city full of surprises... By Steve Rudd
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Ensconced in LA to write like never before, I didn't get much chance to make myself at home in Los Angeles before being offered a different writing job entirely, courtesy of a well-connected friend of a friend.
Vowing to return to LA as soon as possible, I promptly found myself heading back to LAX where I boarded a Mexicana flight direct to Mexico City, a short-haul of just four hours
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Places to Visit - Rudd On The Road Part 2 By Steve Rudd
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As I bustled onto an empty shuttle bus bound for Downtown LA, I reflected that the way I'd been granted access into the US this time around was a far-cry from the way in which I'd been 'processed' on my previous trip when I'd touched down at JFK airport in New York.
Back in 2006, on the cusp of a mad sixty day dash around the states via 'Greyhound' bus, the Customs official at JFK had wanted to know almost everything about me.
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Places to Visit - Cusco, Peru - La Ultima Cena Con Cuy By Ruth
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The flight from Puerto Maldonado was uneventful. The flight attendant served coca tea, Inca Cola, and Cusqueno beer to interested passengers. The city of Cusco, the historic capital of the Inca Empire, sits in the Andes Mountains. The elevation is roughly 11,000 feet. The updrafts buffeted the plane a bit during landing.
At the airport, old women peddling bags of coca leaves crowded towards the passengers.
x
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Places to Visit - Rudd On The Road - Catching up with Steve Rudd as he hits America in style ... Part 1 By Steve Rudd
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The flight from London to LA was a long haul to say the least, yet it was made more tolerable by the company. I'd barely got settled when the guy beside me introduced himself as Jim Becket, a film director and documentary producer who lived in a place called Ojai, a little north of Los Angeles. He'd just returned from working in Athens where he'd sold the rights of his latest documentary to
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Places to Visit - Playing Chicken In Turkey Part 1 By Steve Rudd
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It wasn't the best welcome to Turkey. It was the dead of night, we'd just crossed the border, yet there I was, beside a Mancunian called Liam, being frog marched back to the tiny hut that issued visas. Upon crossing the border, us English lads had been issued the correct visa, but the official had inexplicably neglected to stamp the visas with our entry date.
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Places to Visit - Roaming Around Romania By Steve Rudd
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I was worried. It was four a.m., I was on a train bound for Bucharest, and somebody was tugging at my bed sheets from below. Coming around from a bout of deep sleep, I urged my weary eyes to focus. They were having none of it though, refusing point blank to reveal the person before me.
'Is there a problem?' I asked, hoping that a response might bowl my way in English.
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Places to Visit - Gibraltar and La Linea, Spain By Mo
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Recently I went on a week long trip to Gibraltar and La LÍnea, Spain staying with my mum and dad in their La Linea flat. My twin sister and her boyfriend were also at the flat on holiday for a week and had rented a small car booked online for only 60 quid for the week. I think that included car insurance too so a pretty good deal.
They all met me at Gibraltar airport and we walked across the border with Spain
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Places to Visit - The London, Bath and Bristol Chronicles By Steve Rudd
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I knew I should have taken the train. Being stuck behind a combine harvester is never fun in a car. In a coach, it's murder. The battalion of towering power-line supports that stoically marched across the dead level Lincolnshire landscape didn't help. From their indifferent vantage point, they simply taunted.
'Technology is overtaking everything,' said the woman in front,
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Places to Visit - Kate Langan's Travel Journal - Thailand
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Tonight we ate at a Thai Taverna, there was a baby elephant going by so Becky took my photo. We are staying in Phuket also as we have found a really nice basic room that's really cheap. It's clean and got 4 stone walls - not like the wood hut! I loved the wood hut but was bitten to death by the mozzies. No mozzies here - yey! And I'm not a huge fan of the cockroaches!
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Places to Visit - The Three Peaks Of Yorkshire Challenge 10th June 2006 By Steve Rudd
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'Good morning gentlemen - rise and shine!' As I slowly came to my senses I couldn't
help but glance at my watch. I'd been warned the previous night that we would be
woken up at 4:15am sharp, and barely a second later.
Unfortunately, that really was the case, and as exhausted as I was, there
was a mammoth 25 mile walk ahead...
It's a shame that I'd only managed
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Places to Visit - A Weekend in Amsterdam By Dave F
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Amsterdam is a city of freedom which instantly appeals on a lot of levels.
What's the point of a holiday if you don't have the freedom to go and do what you want, when you want?
If, like me, you want to wander aimlessly from coffee shop to coffee shop getting as
stoned as humanly possible whilst ogling half-naked women through dirty windows
and snacking heavily along the way,
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Places to Visit - Christmas in Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka By Dave F
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I hate Christmas for too many reasons to mention and the chance to get away from it
all this year it was an opportunity too good to pass up. Knowing someone with a
house in Sri Lanka which stands empty for 9 months every year definitely has its benefits.
I'm travelling with a mate and his daughter who've been here several times before
so I get some insight
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Places to Visit - Skiing In Bulgaria - Part Two By Steve Rudd
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Giant Christmas trees loomed as far as the eye could see below, as I marvelled
at the extraordinary engineering it must take to make a gondola a reality.
After the thirty-minute ride to the top we were immediately greeted by a
stunning panorama of the surrounding countryside which was beautiful beyond words.
So pristine and so serene.
Well, serene if you can discount the
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Places to Visit - Skiing In Bulgaria - Part One By Steve Rudd
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I could have thought of worst places to be, seeing in the New Year, as the last
second of 2005 ticked over into 2006. Happy New Year indeed.
For the best part of the past ten years myself and my friends have contented
ourselves with heading into the town centre of Driffield every December 31st
for one of the few nights of the year when it genuinely hustles and bustles.
To drink
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Places to Visit - Walking The Pembrokeshire Coastal Path - Part One By Steve Rudd
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Get out of the city and into the country, sooner rather than later.
A great many people genuinely have no idea how scenically diverse and breathtaking some
swathes of countryside are in the UK, and such a fact is a great shame,
because while they might be spending all their spare time in dirty and cramped
urban environments, there's often fresh air and inspirational
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Places to Visit - Thailand By Rich Mills
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Expressing the experience of being here in Thailand is difficult to put into words.
The sensorial experience is so mind blowing that you begin to feel overloaded.
However it is the smallest of things that grab your attention, and stick in the mind.
We are waiting for a taxi to take us down to the ferry, so that we can go
over to the small island of Koh Maak.
This is where we will get the full
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Places to Visit - Ostend Weekend By John Allbones
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I needed a break. Well, you just do sometimes don't you?
The constant day to day drudge of the nine to five erodes your spirit until a
change of scene is all you crave. Nothing fancy, just a few days will do.
Preferably abroad, it just seems more of a break when you're on foreign soil.
I managed to grab a late deal on a long weekend in Ostend.
So desperate was I to get away,
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Places to Visit - Eight Feet and Two Weeks On Crete Part 2 by Steve Rudd
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One of the best ways of exploring the huge island of Crete is by car: in your own time, at
your own speed and in your own style.
Without the stress and cost of embarking on guided tours.
Head into any of Crete's major cities such as
Hania, Rethymno or Iraklion and you'll be bombarded by rent-a-vehicle establishments, all
of which are fiercely trying to
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Places to Visit - Eight Feet and Two Weeks On Crete Part One by Steve Rudd
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While I might be a massive fan of Michael Palin's epic travels, and while I do aspire to
follow him in many of his footsteps, up until now I've only ever been abroad three times.
The first time was in 2000, when I was lucky enough to accompany a work colleague for a month in Nepal.
The second time was for a holiday with some friends, last year, to the gorgeous
Read more...
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Places to Visit - Greetings From Amsterdam Part One
By Steve Rudd
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As the blazing red sunset slowly but surely cast Hull into shadow, the P&O ferry was ready,
and so were the passengers.
I'd never travelled by ferry across to the Netherlands, and thus was naturally overwhelmed
by the sheer scale of the ferry and the wealth of entertainment on board, what with
two cinemas, a kids play area, a restaurant and casino
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Places to Visit - On The Pennine Way Part Two By Steve Rudd
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After surviving the nightmare of Kinder Scout's mountainous bulk and getting back on track,
the next 'hill' of worth en-route along the Pennine Way is called Bleaklow.
Just like its predecessor, it could quite potentially be the death of you if
you're not careful in negotiating the peaty wastes as you go up and over and
onwards towards the tiny hamlet of
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Places to Visit - On The Pennine Way Part One By Steve Rudd
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Why on earth would anyone want to go walking on their week off work? That's the question that most people would routinely ask anybody who would do exactly that, as though walking - and long distance walking in particular - is something simply not to be indulged in.
I always argue that there is very little more
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Places to Visit - Down South By Steve Rudd
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Brighton has always been one hell of a popular place, but until one freezing cold
day in February of this year I had never before spent anytime whatsoever there
in my twenty-four years in this forever-overwhelming world.
I thought it was high time I paid the place a visit, and seeing as though
I was down in London anyway - and a return National Express coach ticket
down
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