The first stop after Mexico City on my way south to Chiappas and then to the Yucatan peninsula was Oaxaca.

Oaxaca is a really beautiful colonial town, with coloured houses in all the streets...:






and a really nice cathedral:




(in the foreground is the Agave plant... which is of course used to make the national Mexican spirts Tequilla and Mescal)


Near Oaxaca is what they say is the biggest tree in the world: "El Arbol del Tule".
It is not the highest but the "fattest" tree in the world and the biggest single biomass growing in the world.



The tree has a circumference of 58m, it is 48m high, has a diameter of 14m and is estiamted to be over 2000 years old and weighing about 640'000 tons!




Also near Oaxaca I went to see more ruins, this time not Mayan (they were further south) but from tha Zapotecs.
The place is called Monte Alban and was founded in 700 BC.



At the peak of the Zapotec culture in 300 AD about 50'000 people lived here... more than in every other city in Europe at that time!




But back to today's Oaxaca... which is also notorously known for demonstrations and protests.
And so when I was there the teachers decided that they did not get enough money fro their work and staged a one week demonstration.
This was done by putting up "tents" and camping on all the streets in the inner city pedestrian zone:



This had three major effects for me:
- it is hard to see anything!
- it is hard to get from one place to another
- walking upright is virtually impossible because there are strings and cords all over the place
- a lot of nice restaurants had to close because 'teachers' were camping in front of their doors



So even though this would be a nice place to stay for a while I decided to leave after two days because this protest has become such a hassle.

The fascinating thing about Mexico City is the fact that it is a very international but then very destinctly latin american city with the typical latin american streetlife!

And one important thing about Mexico is food - all the time and everywhere!

Like this Taco booth:


(Tacos are small soft corn tortillas with usually meat and finely chopped tomato-onion-cilantro (coriander leaves) and spicy green or red chilli sauce. And they are just delicious, nothing like the super heavy Tex-Mex-food that some of you might know!)

Or anther one:




Fruits in any colour:


(most fruits are sprinkeled with chilli powder here in Mexico and this really brings out the taste of these sweet fruits even more)

Another typical thing that I have seen in all central american coutries as well: drinks are often served in small plastic bags.




An indigenous woman selling corn on a cob, which again (of course) is sprinkeled with spicy chilli powder!


(nice sun hat, huh?)


Anther important thing are music CDs and movieDVDs



(by the way, The DaVinci Code was available on DVD in several languages two days before it's international release... for 110 Pesos which is just under 10 USD or about 7,5 Euros)


Nothing special really, but I just like these over-filled latin american newsstands




And one thing that is always in the news and that is present in dayly life is the so-called Lucha Libre... wrestling! Yes, mexican wresting! The special thing is that almost all of the wrestlers are wearing this really silly masks. And it is a real family happening, from little kids to grandma's, everybody goes to the wrestling matches:



Pretty stupid, as expected, but quite athletic sometimes:

I arrived in Mexico City on May 9 first but only stayed one night before I went to the USA quickly to return to Mexico City on May 15.


(the main square - Zócalo - on that first night in Mexico City)

Even though I only spent a night in Mexico City then it was easy to see that this country is of course by far different than the last few I visited (Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica).

We are talking about a developed country and a capital with almost 25 million people - his place is huge!




This is the Palacio Nacional at the Zocálo, the government building (the president doesn't reside here anymore though).




The Zócalo is also a place for all kinds of activities, demonstrations, concerts a.s.o.

Here a group of indigenous people holding a special ceremony (in front of the catholic cathedral...)



And since there are presidential elections inthe beginning of June the Zapatistas also show their presence at the square.




Another thing about a city of 25 million people is of course traffic. Mexico City has a really well working underground system, lots of loud busses and even more taxis... in any sort of colour. And they all block the streets at all times of the day!



World famous are of course the Volkswagen Beatle taxis (the seat in the front right is usually removed so one or two or more passengers can get in and out much more comfortable:




And then there is also a variety of architecture to see in Mexico City, like the Palacio de Bellas Artes:




Torre Latinamericana - the highest building in Latin America... noteably Mexico City has a lot of earthquakes but this building was build by a insurance company who claims it is earthquake-proof!




And this is part of the Museo Nacional de Antropología!