Gringo Tour 08/09 - Part 28

For breakfast – we decided to go “up-market” and buy a bread roll, a banana and a drinkable yoghurt from the Super-Mercado down the street from the hotel. We were on a bit of a mission to go to Monte Albon, a nearby archaeological site which involved getting a 15-minute bus to the site. Ant found the LP bus station but it was sin staff… We happened to get touted a couple of minutes later by a couple of Mexicans… One was offering us a price of 60 pesos with a guide, the other 40 sin guide – we went for the latter – not because we are tight – but we kinda get pretty bored with guides that go on and on and on about stuff that you probably won’t remember or care about.

We got our tickets and about 10 minutes later – we were on our way. Like many buses in Mexico – this tourist bus seemed to pick up random locals at non-bus stops and would drop them off along the way – all of which didn’t appear to pay anything to ride the bus… which makes you sorta pished about paying top dollar for a non-express clapped out bus. The bus ride up to the mountain was a little reminiscent of our Culca Canyon bus ride with Elvis – however this bus driver enjoyed accelerating into corners with steep cliffs on one side of the road. LP seemed to make the daft suggestion that you could walk up to Monte Albon – but:
a. there were no footpaths;
b. there were heaps of slum parts along the way which wouldn’t be all that safe for Gringos to walk around; and
c. it would take you half a day to walk up there…

We survived our ride up to the Monte – and bought our tickets for about 50 pesos. Monte Albon is another one of those UNCESO World Heritage Sites which we could tick off. I had Ant take my picture in front of the sign just for some proof on file. Also of note was the “No-Carbonated Sugar Based Drinks” rule at the site. Although – technically – I think Diet Coke by-passes this rule (there isn’t any calories) and I had smuggled a couple of bottles in.

Monte Albon is a fairly big Aztec site where the top of the mountain had been completely excavated to build the site. There was an impressive ball court (where they used to play gladiator-esque ball games), a few pyramids (a couple of which you could climb to the top) and plenty of stealthy touts who were playing it rather low-key due to the rules on the site not allowing the selling of goods or artefacts. We also spotted our nemisises – a couple of british tourists who were on our bus from Pubela. We had spotted them yesterday outside the cathedral in town – and again here at Monte Albon. There was also another couple (an American girl and british guy) who were on our tourist bus here – who strangely reminded us of some friends we know back at Oz (American girl, Australian guy… and a pizza place). We were a little disappointed that the tombs at the site were closed – Don’t Know said that “Tomb No. 7” was a highlight – but all you could do was walk on the top of the tomb – not go underneath. We weren’t sure – but we sort of got the feeling that the tombs were permanently closed and that Don’t Know was now out of date…

Our bus back to town didn’t leave till 2pm – and we had pretty much finished the site around midday. So we decided to eat at the overpriced touristy restaurant at the museum next to the entrance. And to kill some more time – we ordered three Coronas each (as you do). Our british nemsises were there at the restaurant – as well as the loud American girl/quiet british guy couple – I think everyone was killing time until the bus arrived to pick us up.

After paying our bill at the restaurant (or La Quanda) – we headed back outside where the bus had left us. It was really pretty hot and not much shade – so it was a little bewildering being out in the sun after knocking back tacos and three beers. And there was some freakish European couple who kept hogging our bits of shade.

We caught the bus and decided to jump out early (due to the really slow Oaxaca traffic jam) and headed to a nearby market which was absolutely amazing. It was quite hot outside – but when you enter the indoor market – there was this big rush of smoke and heat – and a truck load of people selling and cooking meat on charcoal hot plates. I hadn’t really experienced anything like it before and had started to wish that we hadn’t had lunch back at the restaurant. The rest of the market was pretty cool too – you could buy heaps of fruit and veg, bakery stuff, chickens (all of which had a “yellow-zombie” look), aquarium fish (!), junky market stuff, piñatas, clothes and everything and anything else. I was rating this place as one of the better market experiences in the world.

We were being a bit slack and decided to chill out at the hotel room for the rest of the afternoon (given that we had drunk 3 beers in the heat at Monte Albon). Ant and I did some more unnecessary facebook updates and I did a bit more blogging.
When it was dinner time – we headed out to the piazza for dinner. I had spotted a Gringo-couple at one of the touristica restaurants drinking Maragritas. I usually associate Mexican food with Margaritas – and for this trip – it was completely devoid of them. So I dragged Ant to the restaurant – where I ordered some Tostardos (tortillas with salad and chopped up sausage on top) and Ant had some tacos (non-tex-mex style). I of course ordered a Margarita – but Ant instead had a beer. I was a little worried about the food and drink (lettuce and stuff in the dish which probably involved washing it in water and ice in the Margarita – which I thought was a sure-fire way of losing 7 kilos in 4 weeks) but I think it was OK. Because we were in a prime-position at the restaurant to get touted – we did – about 7 times including by a tone-deaf girl with piano accordion who might last two-seconds on “Mexico’s Got Talent!”. Both Ant and I were dumbfounded to see people paying her – which only encouraged her to play more excruciatingly bad “music”.

Speaking of bad – I settled back at the hotel for another bad movie – Jean Claude Van Damn in “Wrong Bet”. You know you are in for a bad movie when you see “Story by Jean Claude Van Damn”. My favourite scene is where Jean Claude’s brother is doing a coke deal on the mean streets of LA where he announces in a bogus French accent “Hey Man! This s### is sugar!” before he is doused in petrol and set on fire… LOL.