Oaxaca (O - Wacca) Or Not

Well after 3 days in the hostel it was time to move on and meet up with the group I will be spending the next 8 weeks with. There are 14 of us, mostly British with some Aussies, Canadians and a Dutch girl. We deposited our belongings at a hotel and drove to Teotihaucan - home to some very impressive ruins including the pyramid of the sun and the pyramid of the moon. These pyramids are extremely steep with very large steps and in a moment of madness we very quickly ascended both of them. My legs certainly got a shock that day.Not only my legs as I managed to burn myself as I forgot to take the difference in altitude into account. Don´t ever try to carry a rucksack with sunburn!
The following day we all climbed into the coach to begin an 8 hour drive to Oaxaca. A beautiful town famed for its twin delicicies of fried grasshoppers and Mesqual (a stronger, better type of tequilla). We arrived there to find our way blocked by a jack - knifed lorry. On closer scrutiny our driver came back with the not so welcome news that the road had been blocked on purpose. In fact all roads into town had been blocked and no-one, not even locals were being allowed through. It turns out that demostrations in Oaxaca have turned violent and at the moment there are angry mobs throwing bricks etc. This is not so much to do with the election protests but with demonstrations by teachers. The teachers have not been given a pay rise in over 20 years - although promised many. And I thought we were badly paid in Britain. So the teachers demostrated peacefully and the president has had the ringleaders shot and killed. Not surprisingly this has led to more violence in the city. Britain as its faults but at least we know we won´t be killed for disagreeing with the government.
Because all roads had been blocked we were faced with a dilema. The coach had to double back for 4 hours just to reach the intersection of the motorway. We could then go back into Mexico City or head in the opposite direction towards San Christobel - our next stop after Oaxaca. The driver assurred us he was alright to drive on, even though he reckoned it would take another 13 hours. We agreed to get moving on the understanding that as soon as Billy (the driver) felt tired he would pull over and rest at the side of the road. So we set off. We had been travelling since 8 that morning and by now it was 4pm. At 11pm we stopped for dinner - scrambled eggs for me. Billy showing no signs of tiredness urged us to keep going. At 8am the following morning, we pulled up at our destination. Our group looking awful, Billy with his super human strength said he wasn´t tired yet. There are no laws regarding how many hours drivers can be on the road here. A 24 hour jouney such as Billy had just done is quite common. Needless to say we all think he is a hero and have got no idea how he did it - and did it very safely.
So we are in San Christobel for 3 days. It is a beautiful colonial town situated high in the mountains. Watching the sun rise as we climbed into the mountains was spectacular. It is mainly an indian population here with a famous arts and crafts market. The buildings are all painted bright colours - red, blue and yellow and much to my delight they have a veggie restaurant serving local food.
Speaking of food (again) I was served papaya on eggy bread for my final breakfast at the hostel. Obviously I thought of you - Paul. Though to be honest the taste has not approved - but there is alot of time for that to change. Off now to have a good explore.