Don sombreros for roadside cacti photo shoot, then onwards to Puebla

Hunting down somewhere open before 8am for breakfast at Oaxaca proved quite a challenge. Pounding the pavement for several blocks, we eventually found a café that opened its doors, racing in we grabbed two crossaints and ran back to the hotel to make the bus for an 8.30am start – today we are travelling to Puebla, and it is another long trip.

A few hours in, and about three repeats of The Killers' latest album on my Ipod, we stop by the roadside on the highway at a fantastic collection of cacti – tall ones, short ones, and round ones. We muster our Mexican props: sombreros, ponchos and Mezcal, and take turns posing for photos. But it's clear we Aussies and Kiwis (and one Irishman!) couldn’t compete with Louis’s (our fantastic Tucan Tour driver) pose – very authentic!

We pile back onto the bus and continue climbing the altitude of 1500m-2000m to reach the next town, Puebla – the city of tavavera tiles, and home to the famous Mole Poblano, a chilli chocolate sauce. As we enter the city, which unlike the previous towns is not indigenous, it is evident through the stunning streets and the building’s intricately tiled walls, that the Spanish brought with them a distinct European influence. A large, bustling city, with a more middle-to-upper class demographic, I spot the first suit I’ve seen in almost three weeks in Mexico.

During the orientation walk, I made a mental note of all the clothes stores, boutiques, and jewellery stores, and promise myself to get some retail therapy in after the group dinner. After dinner, we ran through the rain, dodging droplets by tip-toeing under store awnings, and it is at night time that I notice just how truly beautiful the town and main square is. Bundles of balloons for sale add vibrant splashes of colour to the dark night sky, while fairy lights twinkle through the branches of the trees. Jazz music floats through the air, and I wish we were spending more than just one night in this town.