Ice skating, radish festivals and smashing plates bring luck for the New Year!

Yes, this was the first time the city of Oaxaca, has had an skating rink and to top it off its an outdoor one. With average afternoon temperatures of 28c. Its so strange I felt the urge to skate here, I am Canada! I can skate and play hockey all year round but to do in Mexico under the sun. I guess it was a novelty to me, but in the end the lineup was just too long of a wait 2hrs plus

dam its hot waiting to ice skate in Mexico

this is the line for the skates (aprx. wait time 2hrs plus)

skating patrol guards almost out number the skaters

ambulance nearby for any lost fingers

this is a nono in Canada, playing in zamboni ice. just kidding its artificial snow

The year ending radish festival is big thing here in Oaxaca. I ask a few people why radishes? didn't really get a good answer but the one story I liked, goes they had an abundance of radishes one year and ever since then there's been a radish carving festival. Not too sure if its true but there is more than just radishes, flower displays and corn leaf models that are really detailed work. Another interesting thing we saw was people braking plates after eating its supposedly bad luck to use the plates twice near the end of the year.

radish sculptures





corn leaf and flower displays
love the detail and the kids look
smashing plates to bring new year luck!

Feliz Navidad Everyone!

Strange having Christmas without our family so we had the next best thing a party at our home with our new friends. Perfect day for a home cooked Christmas dinner and lots of drinks. Everyone helped out and its one very memorable feliz Navidad, Cheers Everyone now we have to find out where's the New Year party!

Merry Christmas form Oaxaca
roof top BBQ with views
carefully preparing the best salsa and guacamole

warming up with a few drinks

Mexican X-mas dinner fajitas with salsa and guacamole, paella, pasta salad, kimbob and BBQ

rescured this little pinata from getting smashed

after a few drinks

Typical weekend dangerous market, drinking eating and X-mas caroling

Friday after class 1pm we headed out for lunch at our favorite buffet. After 2.5 hours of feasting we all went to Tule, at town famous for its large tree. Its recorded at the stumpiest tree in the world and is around 1600 years old not bad for a tiny town.

enjoying a nice lunch under a palm roof with mexican christmas music gotta love it

Tule's town church nice little town very clean and quite

the giant tree of Tule largest trunk and over 1600 years old

the branches extend pass the surrounding fence

Saturday morning we went to the largest outdoor market in latin america, something like 17sq. blocks, were unable to take pictures because everyone told us it would be too dangerous to carry a camera around the market. We could buy almost anything from live animals, to furniture wish we had pictures of it. That same night we met up with some classmates at a local rock bar.

rock club la salamandea

school of rock meet nocho libra

Sunday we thought would be a day of rest but no. Our building was having its Posada local festival to celebrate Marys walk to find a place for the birth of Jesus.

setting up the pinatas

close up of the birth of Jesus display in our lobby. very pretty
caroling in the streets in only shorts and t-shirt

look at the nice pinata

Jieun's turn

Jieun beat that pinata and almost knocked out that guy on the ground on the far left

Frida kahlo lives and making art work on people

A day with the Laird and Lady of Lochaber

We've been very fortunate to befriend Ellie on the first day of school, and its a friendship we know will last on far past our stay in Oaxaca. I guess she being Canadian had first drawn us towards her but shes much more than a canuck in a strange land. Ellie is a warm, selfless, and caring person with lots of feel good stories and is willing to share them with others. She recently had us over for lunch and introduced us to her husband Shawn, they both shared stories and we strolled around there their home.

Thanks guys for a great day that we won't forget.

casa de Shawn and Ellie

teacher and students

abandoned 500 year old church door way

enjoying more stories in a grave yard

Zuly and boyfriend, Zuly is Jieun's spanish teacher

colorful cemetery

to Ellie and Shawn thanks guys