Oaxaca - Allergy, Food & Ruins

Allergy
During my stay in San Cristobal, I started developing itchy bumps on my skin. Not rashes, more like insect bites. It couldn’t be bed bugs since the bumps weren’t all over my body. And since it was freezing there, I was wearing long sleeves and pants. What bit me?!?!
By the time I got to Oaxaca, the itchiness was at its peak. I couldn’t stand it any longer and I was starting to freak out!!! So the first thing I did when I got to the hostel was to ask for a doctor. The owner there recommended a “very good doctor, but he doesn’t speak any English”. Whatever, that was fine. (Can you tell I was desperate?!)
With Spanish-English dictionary in hand, I walked over to the clinic. I don’t particularly like taking cabs in an unfamiliar location on my own. Took me like an hour to get there on foot! The streets were very confusing (think - dead ending in one place, and then starting off the next block with the same name!).
Not that the doctor and I understood each other that much, but he diagnosed my bumps as allergies. Probably food allergies. Definitely not insect bites. The cause remains unknown… He gave me a prescription for some lotion and anti-histamine pills which I took over to a legit pharmacy (there are sketchy ones in Mexico!).

Man, healthcare is so cheap outside the US!
BTW – you can get a LOT of prescription-free medication in Mexico. Including birth control pills and painkillers like vicodin. Great!!!

Now that I knew what was wrong with me, I was in better spirits. Time to do some Oaxaca sightseeing!

Food
Oaxaca is Mexican food heaven.
I went out to the market a few times with my American roommates. Three very nice people, who met during a volunteer program in Mexico a few years ago.
We ate a bunch of stuff!!!
Chocolate seems to be the main staple here, resulting in a variety of chocolate dishes. Hot chocolate, tejate (also a chocolate drink), and mole (a chocolate based stew. Not sweet though. Just a mild scent of choco). Can I say, D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!!!!BBQ meat was also high on the YUM factor. Basically, you pick the meat at one of the many stalls and they grill it for you right there. Then, you choose the side vegetables, wrap everything together in a tortilla, and chow down!There’s also the spiced grasshoppers as well. Tried a few…rather bland.
I know. I’m having an allergic reaction to something I ate. But I keep eating more random stuff. Oh well. Food, for me, is one of the highlights of travelling. Can’t stop!

Ruins
The ruins of Monte Alban are located on one of the hills surrounding Oaxaca. Some people from the hostel invited me to go biking with them up to the ruins. I politely declined. Biking uphill was not my idea of fun. Instead, I took the local shuttle bus.
Monte Alban wasn’t nearly as remarkable as some of the other Mayan ruins I’ve seen over the past few weeks. The overall complex was pretty small, and each of the structures small and flat. But I did like this one. Unique. Or I just got a good angle… I thought about spending an extra day in Oaxaca to visit Mitla, another set of ruins outside the city. It’s famous for its walls, which are decorated with beautiful mosaics. Then it dawned on me…haven’t I had enough of ruins?!?!?! Probably.