We weren’t able to score a ticket to the main event – long sold out – so instead we happily sought out the electric vibe on the street. Tantalisingly, wherever we went you could hear the roar from the auditorium (a vast, open-sided tent set on a hill overlooking the city), further amplified by huge…

And finally, wandering through another excellent downtown market, we turned a corner and were met by dozens of heavily armed police and a blocked off street… all locals staring, pointing and happily making shooting / stabbing gestures, the police deadly serious, so no photos. I wanted to delve deeper, but Anthony dragged me sensibly away,…

Our wake-up call this morning was a 5.7 earthquake, first the city siren with calm evacuation instructions, then a few seconds of shaking. Nothing really to report home about beyond a brief adrenalin spike, but thank god for the house chihuahuas, Yoko and Michael (yes, both named after music world identities – Michael has a…

After what seemed an eternity, we sauntered off deeper into the garden and eventually came to the native cactus and oh my, these are enormous and such a variety of shapes and forms, quite incredible. The design of the garden was inspired by a pre-Columbian step-fret zigzag design which surfaces most dramatically in a massive…

We spent a good couple of hours in the gloriously exotic Jardín Etnobotánico de Oaxaca, in the heat of the day mind you, so we were rather thankful for the large shady trees and high brick walls. The garden is a former Dominican Monastery and within the grounds of the Church of Santo Domingo, which…

Lunch options in Oaxaca. Anything take ya fancy? How about Tacos de Chapulines (Grasshopper Tacos) or perhaps a Baguette de Quesillo a La Plancha con Chapulines (Grasshopper Club Sandwich) – No? Or maybe Penne Rigate con Salteado de Chapulines al Mezcal (Penne with Sautéed Grasshoppers in Mezcal) Ok, best stick to the Mezcal then. After…