Eve of Dia de Independencia in Oaxaca

Diary:

Keiko got up early to go out of town to the Sunday markets at Tlacolula. These were the kinds of markets where buying a fresh chicken means taking it home by the neck while it's still kicking and squiriming!

The Zócalo was jumping today. We ate dinner again at the same stall as yesterday. Then we just mingled and watched all the Indenpendence Day entertainment - local dancing, music, bands, etc. Around 10:30pm we were getting a little tired of the maniacal push and shove and so we quickly went back to the Hotel to drop off Keiko's daypack. Wouldn't you know it, but the actual celebration happened at 11pm, just as we were scampering back. Who knew? Of course, we missed the fireworks, the speech by the mayor, the ringing of the bells, and all the ticker tape. What a bunch of losers we were that night! But we had no idea what time "it" was going to happen and had assumed midnight as the logical choice. Wrong!

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