My birthday and the craft village tour

So, I had all these big plans for my birthday and it kinda turned out to be a bust. Well, it started out great...Friday night I had a wonderful dinner with my friend Steven and then we partied with other friends till the maldrugada--so I can say that the first 5 hours of my birthday were great. But as it turns out, the flu was lurking behind the corner and only need a late night and a vulnerable immune system to crash through the gates. On Saturday, I had a fever and couldn't keep food down, but I had wonderful people taking care of me.

On top of that, you can't keep a good girl down and I will be making up for my birthday like hell. That's what birthmonths are for! Anyway, as promised here are some pictures from when I took my roommates on a craft village tour of Oaxaca. We started out in Ocotlán, where we saw this lovely fountain:
Not sure what it is with fountains and young boys and their penises, but there you have it.

Once in Ocotlán, I took the girls to see God in the local church. As you can see below:
...he's just hanging out in some sun rays with the angels.

After checking in on God, we went and had lunch before going on to our first stop, Sto. Tomás, which is a craft village famous for its weaving.Here is an older woman is weaving on her loom. At this village we scored some belts and other cool things.

Unfortunately this is where the pics end. For our next stop we went to San Martín Tilcajete to pick up some alebrijes, these fantasical wooden creatures that are usually brightly colored and made of copal wood. In San Martín you visit people's workshops and talk to the artists themselves, and the pieces are very affordable and really cool. I didn't take any pictures there cause of the many signs that said not too.

At the last place we went to (first place we visited and of course went back to for some awesome stuff cause the artist was going to give us a discount), I was speaking to the artist and owner of the shop Francisco Fabian Ojeda--and we were talking about the ancient Zapotecs when he told me about this fermented cactus pear drink--tuna in Spanish--that used to be ritually prepared. Apparently there is one abuelita in town who still makes it, and he offered a copa to me and the roomies. After tasting that he asked if I wanted some mezcal he had, which turned out to be homemade and very strong. It was wonderful. So I had a few of those and some more of the fermented tuna drink, and of course since the mezcal was so strong I had to finish my roomies' copas.

Suffice to say that by the end of it, I was quite tipsy and therefore did not take any pictures at our next stop, San Bartolo Coyotepec, where we went for the barro negro, which is famous Oaxacan black pottery. I picked up some really cool pieces, including a small skull with flower designs in the cap. All in all it was a really fun day and later on in Oaxaca we sat in the zocálo and had a few beers.

Well, to end this post, here is a picture I took of myself with a flower in my hair that I picked in Sto. Tomás. Till next time!