**從第二天行程起新增了很多影片。
**many newly-uploaded videos from the second day
在這間令我們相當滿意的hostal起床後（畢竟12床的混合房只有我們兩個睡實在很舒坦），我又完成了早晨大事，可喜可賀，不過壞消息是月經來了。我沿著狹窄的螺旋梯爬上天台看看早晨的街景。
After getting up at this satisfying hostal (After all, we were the only two travelers in this 12 bed mixed dorm. How could we not find it comfy?), I finished my morning business again. Congratulations on me, but the bad news was my period also came. I climbed up the narrow sprial staircase to the rooftop to see our surroundings in the morning.
一邊是市區，清晨人們正開始準備面對新的一天。
On one side it's the downtown. People were preparing for a new day.
另一邊是附近的住家跟遠方的山脈。
Nearby residential houses and mountains far away on the other side.
然後我們整理行囊退房，差點被一個喋喋不休的加拿大女人延誤，她非常興奮地跟我們說海邊的一切。我們立刻搬進廉價的紫色宮殿。今天稍晚我們會知道這座紫色宮殿為何這麼便宜。
Then we checked out. We were almost delayed by a Canadian woman who loves to talk. She was very excited to tell us about everything on the coast. We moved into the cheap purple palace right after that. Later today we would learn why this purple palace is so cheap.
房間就像豪華監獄一樣，一道鐵門一扇鐵窗。
Our room was like a luxurious jail with one iron door and one window.
委屈擠一張床的唯一一晚。整片藍色的牆壁其實好像在實現我小時候的夢想。
The only night we had to share a bed. In fact, staying in a room with blue walls was like living my childhood dream.
先尋覓早餐店，我們不約而同被一個店面很小、看起來有點不清潔的早餐店吸引。如果面向店面，右手邊是一個很傳統的鍋子，讓我想到中式傳統早餐店（雖然不知道到底鍋子長得是不是完全一樣），可以看到鍋子上方的熱煙和因熱煙變形的景象（我默默想他們多常清理這個鍋子，不過並不擔心，畢竟我的腸胃太強，幾乎吃什麼都吃不壞肚子，而且拉肚子總好過便秘），牆壁上掛了菜單，價格一目了然，左手邊有架子跟一張方桌放置食材，還有一個壓製tortillas的機器。
First of all, breakfast. We were both attracted to a small restaurant that looked a bit unclean. If you face the restaurant, on your right there is a traditional flat pan that reminded me of traditional Chinese breakfast place (although I don't know whether we have the same pan or not), and you can see the smoking smoke above the pan and things distorted behind the smoke (I secretly wondered how often they clean the pan, but I wasn't really worried. After all, I have a strong stomach, and I rarely get sick because of what I eat. Besides, having loose bowels is better than constipation.), and on the wall a menu with prices clearly written; on your left there is a shelf and a square table to put materials, and a tortillas maker.
後面廚房裡非常忙碌，因為這間小店其實位於街角，另一邊還有稍微大些的空間，不少人光顧，廚房一刻不得閒。
The kitchen behind was very busy. This restaurant is actually located on a corner. On the other side there's another bigger room, and many customers were there to keep the kitchen busy.
我們坐下以後，左顧右盼看其他客人吃什麼，又問了老婦人很多問題，最後決定叫了huarache（除了是菜名還有涼鞋的意思）。老婦人先拿了tortillas麵團和豆子和在一起，然後用機器壓成薄餅，放到鍋子上煎，肉（有chorizo跟豬肉片、牛肉條等）也放到鍋子上煎了好久，估計是要殺菌，等到該上鍋的都上完了，就裝盤，在甜甜的豆子口味tortillas上放蕃茄、生菜、酪梨、Oaxaca乳酪（就是圖中像雞絲的那個東西），老婦人非常大方，肉、乳酪、酪梨都給好多，這樣一大盤只要15 pesos。
We sat down, and looked around what other customers had and asked the old lady lots of questions (ok, I asked Dustin to ask a lot of questions). Finally we decided to have huarache (it's also the Spanish word for sandals). The old lady first mixed the tortillas dough with beans, and used the machine to press the dough flat, and then put tortillas on the hot pan. Meat (chorizo, pork slices, and beef strips, etc.) was also cooked on the pan for a long time, probably for the purpose of killing germs. When all that needed cooked was cooked, she put them onto a plate and then put tomatoes, lettuce, avocados, and Oaxaca cheese (the thing that looks like chicken breast in the picture) on the tortillas of sweet bean flavor. She was very generous, giving us lots of meat, queso, and avocados. It was only 15 pesos.
我還叫了咖啡（一樣很水），沒想到10 pesos還附贈一塊看起來很美麗的麵包，只是吃起來
，我又忘了墨西哥糕點的特色了——乾…好在拿去沾咖啡以後變得好吃多了…
I ordered coffee (very watery) but didn't expect that the 10-peso coffee would be served with a piece of delicious-"looking" bread, which tasted , for I forgot the characteristics fo Mexican pastry again--dry... Luckily it tasted a lot better after I dipped it in my coffee.
今天的重點是花150 pesos參加一日遊，雖然有半日遊的選項，但我們想看的重點（實為冰泉的沸水跟mezcal釀酒廠）都在下午，所以非得妥協參加一日遊不可。好在Dustin運氣很旺，前幾天我們在廣場上打聽時，推薦套裝行程的中年男子給我們150 pesos的優惠價，一般價是200 pesos。
Today our top mission was to spend 150 pesos on day tour. Although there was a half-day tour alternative, what we wanted to see (the boiling water that is not really boiling and mezcal distillery) belonged to the second half of the day, so we had to compromise and choose day tour. Fortunately Dustin was awesome. When we were asking for information of tours, a middle-aged guy offered us 150 pesos for day tour, while the average price was 200 pesos.
到了昨天搭小巴去Monte Albán的飯店，旅行業者起先還不願意給我們150 pesos的優惠價，經過一層一層向上級報告，賣票給我們的男子說：「這個價錢真的太優惠了，請不要跟其他客人說。」買完票後還有十分鐘左右車才開，Dustin的腸胃在早餐後正常蠕動，因此急奔廁所。結果小巴跟司機都來了，所有乘客都上車了，Dustin還遲遲不見人影，我只好去敲男廁門，還被經過的先生說女廁是另外一間…
So we went to the fancy hotel where we took the minivan to Monte Albán yesterday. At first the agent didn't want to sell us at 150 pesos. After reporting to higher levels, the man who sold us the tickets told us, "This price is really good. It's a special deal. Please don't tell others." There was about 10 minutes before departure, and Dustin's bowel had normal movements after breakfast, so he rushed to the bathroom. 10 minutes later, the minivan and the driver showed up, all travelers boarded, but Dustin was still missing, so I had to knock on men's room's door, and I was "reminded" by an old guy passing by that the lady's room is the other one...
我們倆坐在最前排，我坐在司機跟Dustin中間。事實上，司機不是司機，是導遊，原本的司機睡過頭了…這位導遊非常多話，英文不錯，一路上跟我們開很多玩笑，像是「車裡有西班牙人，一路上不得安寧了」、把右手伸到我前面護住我說「我們可以失去手，但不能失去小姐」。
Dustin and I sat on the front row, me sitting between the driver and Dustin. In fact, the driver was not driver but our tour guide. The driver overslept... Our tour guide was very talkative and speaks English very well (and I discovered that he speaks really good French too). He kept telling us jokes, such as "We have Spaniards on our bus. That means we won't be able to enjoy quiet because Spaniards like to talk and talk and talk." He would put his right arm in front of me and asked Dustin to put his left arm too and said, "We could lose our arms, but we could never lose the lady!"
第一站是世上最大樹Tule Tree，基本上要把整棵樹照進去根本是不可能的事，買張明信片或者上網搜尋還比較快…
Our first stop was the world's biggest tree, Árbol del Tule. Basically it's impossible to take a picture of the whole tree. You might as well just buy a postcard or google its pictures online...
下一站是所謂的傳統紡織村莊Teotitlan（但事實上相當商業化），導遊跟我們講如何從最原始的材料做成各種顏色的線，什麼樣的顏色是什麼材料染出來的，講得口沫橫飛，旁邊的太太就一面示範，默契非常好。
The next stop was Teotitlan, a traditional weavers village (but it felt quite commercialized). Our guide told us how they used the materials to make different colors of threads, and what colors were made from what materials. The woman next to him demonstrated with his bilingual illustration. They worked very well.
然後到隔壁房間看一個年輕人現場紡織，這個帥哥看起來非常年輕，但實際上已經41歲了…（墨西哥人好會保養啊～）
Then we went to the room next door to observe a young man using the traditional weaving machine. This handsome-looking guy looks very young, but actually he's already 41... (Mexicans are well maintained~)
由於一切純手工製造，每張毯子或其他各種工藝品都價格不斐，我們只有盡情大飽眼福的份。
Everything is handmade, so all blankets or any artworks are very expensive. We could only have an eye's feast.
下一站是遺跡Mitla，因為天氣太熱還有被月經打擾，我一直恍神，沒有辦法專心聽導遊說故事，所以就放放照片，請Dustin補充Mitla的故事好了。
The next stop was another ruin, Mitla. Because it was too hot that day, and my cramps was killing me, I couldn't concentrate on our guide's explanations and stories. So I'll just post some pictures and maybe Dustin will tell us the stories about Mitla.
有中國四元素水、空氣、火、土的雕刻。
We could see the carvings of China's traditional four elements: water, air, fire, and earth.
看起來很涼爽的屋頂。
The ceiling that looked very cool (temperature wise).
A-ta-ri!
兩千多年前的墳墓。
Tomb of more than 2000 years.
參觀完這裡半日遊跟一日遊的旅客就分道揚鑣，我們這些肥羊被帶往一間似乎頗高級的自助餐店，120 pesos吃到飽，食物多樣而且新鮮，不過我跟Dustin在前一天跟其他背包客討論時就決定不要浪費這一筆錢，加上我們吃了豐盛的早餐、天氣又實在太熱，我們也沒胃口，所以就拿出明信片、書來打發時間，後來我還累得直接趴在餐桌上補眠。
After Mitla, travelers for half day tour and day tour were separated. We were seen as cash cows and were brought to a high class buffet restaurant, 120 pesos for all you could eat. There were many kinds of dishes and the food was fresh, but Dustin and I had already decided that we didn't want to waste the money. Besides, we had a big breakfast, and it was too hot and we lost the appetite, so we took out our postcards and book to kill time. I even had a nap.
接下來的行程導遊換了一個內向含蓄的中年男子，不過Dustin還是跟他聊得頗開心。
We had a new tour guide after the buffet, a timid middle-aged guy, but Dustin still managed to have some chats with him.
一路上一對美國夫妻打開了話匣子，女的聲音非常惹人厭，講話講不停，內容也很空洞，完全是愚蠢的美國人的寫照。
On the way an American couple suddenly couldn't stop talking. The woman's voice was very annoying. They kept talking and talking, but what they said was boring and empty. Typical stupid Americans.
前往Hierve el Agua的路上要開不少山路，兩邊灰白的岩石很美。到了以後導遊說有一小時自由活動時間，一小時後集合出發，想爬山的人可以跟他去爬山，耗時大約一小時，想去池塘的人可以先自行下去。我跟Dustin在附近稍微走了一下，從上往下俯瞰Hierve el Agua。
We drove through some mountain roads with beautiful white rocks on the sides. We had an hour to spend there. The tour guide said whoever wanted to go hiking could go with him for about an hour, and whoever wanted to go see the boiling water could go down on their own. Dustin and I walked around for a while, overlooking Hierve el Agua.
古時候留下來的灌溉用渠道。
We found irrigation canal in ancient times.
然後我們下去來到有如人間仙境的冷泉邊。
Then we walked down to the pond that looked like the paradise.
我只顧著泡涼水吃香蕉看風景，就失去機會看附近的瀑布，好在Dustin有拍下來。
I just sat there, put my feet into the water, ate my banana, and enjoyed the scenery but lost the opportunity to see the waterfall nearby. Fortunately Dustin took pictures of it.
奇特的地理景觀。
The strange and cool geological thing.
只能在這裡待一小時實在太短了…不過參加旅行團就是這樣。
One hour was way too short... but that's what we had to give up to go on a tour.
最後一站是mezcal釀酒廠，路上經過很多agave田，agave就是做mezcal的植物。
The last stop was a mezcal distillery. We saw many agave fields along the way. Agave is the plant that Mexicans use to make mezcal.
釀酒廠小得出乎我們意料…
The distillery was much smaller than we had expected...
導遊開始介紹agave。
Another tour guide was talking about agave.
做mezcal的六個步驟（我不記得，要請Dustin補充）。
Six steps of making mezcal (I don't remember them. Dustin help me please).
發酵冒泡波波波～
Bubbling when fermented.
然後當然就是試喝時間啦，真是跟台灣的進香旅行團很像。可怕的是店家竟然拿出一盤幼蟲…喝mezcal配的…
Then surely the tastingi time, pretty much like the tours for old people in Taiwan. What was scary was that they took out a plate of larva... to go with mezcal shots...
我看了就腿軟，所以有請Dustin現身說法。
I lost my strength at the sight of larva, so let's hear from Dustin.
我只在旁邊試喝了各種水果咖啡口味的加了很多鮮奶油的娘炮mezcal。
I only tried other sissy flavors (fruits and coffee variations) mezcal with lots of cream in it.
終於結束我們的一日遊，回到市區可以大吃一頓犒賞自己了，我們走來走去挑了昨晚hostal對面的餐館，45 pesos包前菜、主菜、飲料、甜點，正好主菜又是我們想嘗試的amarillo（yellow mole）。Dustin說昨晚在hostal陽台看書時，觀察了一下這家開在二樓的餐館，清一色男性顧客喝啤酒看大螢幕上的足球比賽。我們走到二樓還是一樣滿是男性顧客盯著大螢幕轉播的球賽，我們一進去馬上引來不少好奇的目光。
Our day tour was finally done. We could now give ourselves a treat. We walked around first and finally decided to try the restaurant opposite to our hostal last night. 45 pesos including appetizer, main dish, drink, and desserts. The main dish happened to be what we had always wanted to try--amarillo (yellow mole). Dustin had some observation about this restaurant on 2F while reading his book on the balcony last night. There were only male customers drinking beers and watching soccer games on the big screen. We walked to the second floor and found that tonight there were still all male customers, who gave us a curious look after we went in.
我們的自助餐，可不用120 pesos呢。
Our buffet was much less than 120 pesos!
Yellow mole配雞肉。黃的沒有黑的跟紅的重口味。
Amarillo con pollo. The yellow mole was not as strong as the black one or the red one.
一面吃一面看到一個醉漢把晚餐全吐出來然後找店員打架，還看到一個中墨混血兒超級足球迷跑到場內然後被制服。
We witnessed a drunk dude throwing up and then starting a fight. We saw a super soccer fan, a Chino-Mexican, run into the soccer field to draw attention and get tackled.
吃完以後Dustin回旅館沖了涼，我們又匆匆趕到廣場的教堂門口，跟約好的couch surfer見面。晚間的廣場似乎更加熱鬧了，賣氣球的小販跟玩氣球的小孩，就是沒看到跟我們約的Gaby。左等右等都沒人影，大概10分鐘我就不耐煩想走人了，不過Dustin倒是相當享受擁擠又滿是家庭渡假氣氛的廣場，所以一時我們也沒離開。沒想到大概半小時過去，兩女一男走向我們，一個女的開口問我：「說英文嗎？couch surfer嗎？」原來他們約的是墨西哥時間啊…
After dinner, Dustin went back to the hotel to take a shower, and we rushed to the front gate of the church in the plaza to meet a couch surfer that I had been contacted with. It seemed that the plaza was even more crowded at night, balloon vendors and children playing with balloons everywhere, but no sight of Gaby at all. About 10 minutes later, I got impatient and wanted to leave, but Dustin quite enjoyed the crowded and family vacation atmosphere, so we didn't leave right away. Unexpectedly, about 30 minutes later, two girls and one guy walked towards us, and one girl said to me, "Do you speak English? Couch surfer?" They were on Mexican time.
Gaby和男友Tim帶了目前正在招待的Liz一同前來赴約，接著就帶我們走向一間氣氛不錯的lounge bar，走進去後院是露天的，可以欣賞到美麗的月夜，裡面有樂團表演。
Gaby and her boyfriend Tim brought Liz, a couch surfer they were hosting at that time, to meet us. Then they took us to a nice lounge bar. The back yard was outdoors so we could appreciate the beautiful moonlit night while chatting, and there was a live band performance indoors.
我們五個人點了啤酒跟熱茶，開起英語聊天室。Gaby和Tim才從南方海邊小鎮Mazunte渡假回來，他們強力建議我們搭小巴去不要搭公車（跟我們在第一間hostal碰到的女背包客完全相反），小巴舒服多了又省時間，公車也不過便宜10~20 pesos。Gaby原是West Virginia人，Tim是DC人，搬來Oaxaca已經半年多了，Tim正在考慮去MIIS念國際政策，就問了我關於學校的事情。Gaby描述大學室友粉紅公主活靈活現。Tim跟Dustin一樣是科學怪胎，成天逛DC的博物館也不會嫌無聊。Liz的大學室友是墨西哥人，此次春假就自己當跟屁蟲跑來玩，然後自己到處走走看看。
The five of us ordered beers and a cup of hot tea (well, my period was killing me that day). Gaby and Tim just came back from their vacation in Mazunte, a small beach town in the south. They strongly suggested us take the minivan instead of the bus to go to the south (which was totally the opposite of what the girl at pochon hostal told us), because the minivan is a lot more comfortable and time-saving, and the bus is just 10~20 pesos cheaper. Gaby is from West Virginia, and Tim is from DC. They've moved to Oaxaca for more than half year. Tim is actually thinking about taking internationl policy at MIIS, so he asked me about the school. Gaby gave a very vivid description of her college roommate, the princess of pinkness. Tim and Dustin are both science freaks and would love to spend all day in museums in DC and would never get bored. Liz has a roommate from Mexico, so she just tagged along during this spring break and then did some self travels.
聊到一半我已經眼睛都睜不開，只想快點回到旅館了。回去的路上才發現Gaby和Tim工作的旅館（也是他們的住處）跟我們今晚的旅館就在同一條街上，他們得知我們住的旅館是哪家後大笑，我們才知道原來那家旅館是阻街女郎（熟女）賺錢的地方…（還是有其他省錢的背包客啦）當場覺得好險我們只住一晚。
Before the end of our conversation, I could hardly keep my eyes open. All I wanted was to go back to the hotel and get some rest. On our way back, we realized that the hotel where Gaby and Tim work at (as well as where they live) is on the same street with our purple palace, very close by. After they learned which hotel that we were staying that night, they burst out laughing... because that's where hookers make their money, where people go for quickies... (well I still saw some other cheapstake backpackers) We were glad that we were only staying for a night.
這晚我們臨時決定既然重要資訊都蒐集到了，不如提前前往海邊，也可以早點找住處，免得到週末人潮暴增，因為下週是墨西哥國定假日Saint's Week.
At the end of that night, we changed our mind and decided to leave for the beach earlier than scheduled since we had already got all the important information we needed. If we got there earlier, we could start looking for hostals earlier to avoid the sudden inflow of tourists, who came to celebrate Semana Santa, Mexico's national holiday week.
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