Estoy cansada

I am so tired right now and am really ready to go to bed sooner rather than later even though it is only 7pm, not quite even that. We had quite a weekend out in a few surrounding pueblos. Yesterday afternoon we ended up taking a public bus to Teotitlan del Valle and, when we first got off in the quiet, dusty, little town I wondered if I had really made a good choice on this one for an overnight. Once we found out hotel, one of three rooms in the house complex of two mexican widows and an american ex-pat, it felt good. Our room was extremely clean and cheerful with two twin beds and patios from which we could see our neighbors yard including her chickens (many), one burro, and a turkey. After we got to our room we went to a Zapotec influenced restaurant in town and had some good food and great atmosphere and chatting with one of the sisters who owns the restaurant. It sounds like tourism is really suffering in the pueblos since the violence in Oaxaca two years ago. After eating we went textile shopping at the market which was fascinating but also hard to say no sometimes. We had to our else everyone we knew would be getting lots of blankets and rugs. Also, we hadn´t realized that there would not be a cajero (atm) in the town so we were a little tight on funds.

We definitely heard a lot from those animal neighbors of ours all throughout the night and can´t say that i had a great sleep. It was an experience for me to hear the burro winnying all night and i learned that chickens and roosters do not only call at the break of dawn but also around 1am and other times as well.

When we got up this morning we got breakfast on our terrace of chilaquiles with mole negro, papaya, mango, fresh orange juice and some cookies. Then we took a taxi to mitla. Mitla´s ruins were really incredible in a totally different way from those at Monte Alban. Mitla is much smaller and is in the midst of a current town. The ruins are only partially excavated, i think partly for funds and partly they can´t excavate where people are living. The stonework is something to behold. These were later than monte alban and were both built by zapotecs but i think also later by mixtec people and show these intricate carvings on the buildings. Dad and I got there early and usually were the only ones in the ¨rooms¨. We then found out way to the bus stop and took a bus to market day in the town of Tlaculula. The market was frankly a bit overwhelming for me. Tons of everything you could need. Especially if you need chicken feet with their claws still on.

Hypocritical though it is, the look of all the parts of animals is a little overkill for me. I know that this should not bother me or i should head on over to vegetarianism but I can´t seem to push myself in either direction. I was thinking last night and this morning, while looking at our chicken neighbors, that i should be only eating chickens that live this sort of life. They looked pretty content in their roosts and teaching their chicks how to peck around in the dirt--a very important skill for a chicken. About three o´clock in the morning I was also thinking that this is the kind of burro i should eat. Maybe just this particular one...

Anyway, we took the bus back from Tlaculula to Oaxaca and showered (once the water was available) and then went to dinner. Here I am now, ready to sleep. Tomorrow I have my super day of private tutoring--hope it doesn´t get weird. I also made my appointment for a temazcal for after i finish school on tuesday. I made it through a hotel because that was the only way i could figure out. It was relatively pricey and i just hope all the money doesn´t go to the hotel and that the temazcalera gets a good cut as well!

I am going to try to take my laundry to the lavendaria tomorrow morning and they will deliver it to the hotel by evening so i am told. It would be nice to smell a little better.