Eating our Way Through Mexico - Part Uno

We have been eating our way across this country and as always the food is fabulous. But we feel like we have reached a new level here in Oaxaca. Everyone has to eat, but we know that some (most?) of you are as excited as we are about making it be an enjoyable part of travel. It has taken us several attempts to find a place that is serving moles that inspired us. The first few tries we just 'didn't get it' about what the attraction and hype was all about. Turns out the reason we thought the moles were bland and boring was because they were just a mass market attempt. We have found a couple of small places that are inexpensive and making foods that are spectacular. I finally had a mole that was complex and exciting ... not just some brown goo all over my plate. Steve has had some excellent tamals wrapped in banana leaves and chile rellenos stuffed with meat and nuts. Unfortunately we can't take photos of a lot of the meals without being obnoxious tourists so you will have to do with this small sample. For those of you who are ""foodies", we hope you enjoy this sample of delicious meals.











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Monte Alban

We spent most of today at the ancient Zapotec capital of Monte Alban atop the hill just a few kilometers above the town. This spectacular site has a commanding 360 degree view of the valley and was first occupied around 500BC. At one point they figure there were 25000 people living in the surrounding valley and this was the center of the priests and/or ruling leaders. As always the pictures cannot really capture the magnificence of the place but it was a perfect day with very few visitors and peacefully quiet. We were awestruck to just be able to sit and take it all in.

Music, Vibrant Life, and Shaking Earth

Our new hotel is a little scruffy but cheap and clean and a little closer to the Zocolo or town square in the center of the historic district.
This town is beautiful with old colonial buildings painted in vibrant sun kissed colors and the Mixtec people are dressed in hand made clothing with beautiful decorations. The town square has buildings with covered arcades around it and a huge bandstand with music playing nearly every evening. Lots of fireworks on Saturday night and everyone out late having a great time. We are really loving it here and feel very at home. Lots of international tourists and international residents and we found a great Italian place around the corner and we were able to have pizza and gelato



We have spent our first couple of days just wandering the historic district and getting oriented with the town. We have found a great coffee roaster/shop close by and a another small shop were they are grinding fresh chocolate a few blocks over. There are 3 bakeries within a few blocks and we have both had the best Mocha's ever! Love this Oaxacan coffee and chocolate. Lots of shops and stalls with beautiful embroidered clothing, woven goods, pottery and crafts on every street and corner. Glad we don't have a car or I would be tempted to load it up with stuff I don't really need.
Last night just before we went out to stroll the square and have dinner we had a short earthquake. Another interesting experience. Turns out it was a 5.9 but centered between us and the coast so was just a rocking/rumbling/shaking for us. It set off the car alarms on the street and then the warning sirens came on all over town with loudspeaker announcements. Great system they have here. We hear that this city has been nearly destroyed twice by earthquakes in the last few hundred years. Our hotel is in a very old building and we are on the top/second floor so we think it will hold up fine, if not we will at least be on the top of the pile if it goes down!
We are going to be heading out for day trips to some of the small villages were the crafts are made, and two of the ancient cities over the next few days. They have some really good week long Spanish classes and some short one day cooking classes but we haven't decided how long we will be here. The reason this place is so wonderful is because it is fairly isolated in a bowl at 5000 ft and it is surrounded by higher mountains. So we will have to make some hard decisions about getting out of here. West down to the coast is a grueling 8+ hour bus ride on a road that is famous for making the most hardy and well seasoned traveler car sick, then it will be several hundred miles and many days winding up the coast by bus back to Puerta Vallarta. South and east is a 10+ hour bus trip to Chiapas and then maybe another 12+ hours to the Yucatan and a change of tickets to fly out of Cancun. Or else a trip retracing our steps back through Mexico City and then west. At least 3 days of bus travel that way. There is a small airport here but flying is not in our budget. Then again we are pretty close to the border with Guatemala. Hmmm. Lots to think about and we cannot believe that we have been gone a month already. It has gone so fast. We are still having a great adventure and not ready to see it end. More later.

To Oaxaca

The bus trip to Oaxaca was a beautiful journey through agricultural land, small towns, fresh snow on active volcanoes, and remote mountain travel. High bridges and steep terrain and not all buses made it. Glad that we were traveling in a first class new Volvo bus. It was a long trip, nearly 7 hours. We arrived late afternoon on Sat and checked into our hotel. A beautiful place behind a wall with rooms set around 3 courtyards. We were only there for a couple of nights and have now moved to a less expensive place without all the gringo ambiance.

Mexico City

We had a tough day getting out of Morelia. Lots of flooded streets and bridges out. Our bus trip to Mexico City was supposed to take about 4 hours and it was closer to 6 hours and we spent an hour and a half on detour on a back road that we are sure was not designed for a Greyhound style bus ... more like driving a big bus on Lost Mountain Road. then an hour stuck in freeway traffic trying to get into the city. Wind and rain the whole time so it was hard to get any pictures but we saw lots of flooded rivers and fields. It seems like Morelia was the center of the storm and had the worst damage. Got into Mexico City late and decided against another bus trip farther north. Teotehuacan site was having water related infrastructure problems. So we called and got a room at an inexpensive hotel a few blocks from the Zocolo in the center of the historic district. Our taxi driver was a real jerk. You have to buy a taxi ticket at the exit of the bus station and then take it outside to get assigned a cab. Our driver was angry at our destination, we guess, he took our ticket and crumpled it up and threw it on the front seat next to him and then shouted at us something that we could not understand. He drove like a maniac in traffic that appears to have no rules, tried to tell us that we did not have a reservation at our hotel, and then pulled over and got out and put our packs on the curb and shouted and pointed and told us we had to walk the rest of the way. Turns out it was about 5 blocks down city streets in the rain. Welcome to Mexico City. Fortunately the folks at our hotel were nice and we had a great room on the 4th floor with a balcony for really cheap. The next morning was clear and sunny, the air was not polluted yet, and we could even see the surrounding hills. We spent most of the day at the Anthropology Museum. We are both so glad we did that. What an amazing collection! We were not able to use a flash on our camera in the museum so the photos can be a little dark but it was an amazing place. The art and technology of these cultures was incredible. We have lots of photos and will just post a few here. Tomorrow a 6+ hour bus ride south. Glad the weather has improved. We are ready for more sun and some heat.

More Rain and Lightening

Thunderstorms and heavy rain are making for a very interesting stay in Morelia. This is supposed to be the 'dry season' and it has everyone confused. Our first night the lightening was hitting so close that the percussion of the thunder was setting off all the car alarms on the street below us. We changed hotels after the first night to a place about 2 blocks away that had a room on an inner courtyard and no open bathroom skylight, still no heat, but we are a little warmer. It was less expensive too so we got a double bonus. Last night we were awoken at 4 am by another large explosion of thunder and it has been raining ever since. The heavy downpours are really something to get caught in. Steve's gore-tex parka is holding up well but my light rain jacket that has served me well in the northwest cannot keep up with the deluge. I am getting soaked through all my layers so we got a small umbrella for me today. We are still both getting completely drenched from the knees down with run off from our jackets and splash from the deep water we are walking through. We are figuring that there has been over 6 inches of rain fall in the last 48 hours. Since we pack light and our clothing is limited it gives an entire new meaning to the phrase 'wash and wear'. We spent most of today at the the Artesan's Market and Museum. Women were demonstrating weaving and lots of fantastic handicrafts were on display. There were folks from all around the region and dancers in the square. Despite the ugly weather we are having a good time and this city reminds us very much of being in Spain. We will head tomorrow for Mexico City. Weather is supposed to clear everywhere on Friday so that should make us happy. You can click on any of these photos on the blog and they should open at full size.

  

 

 

 

 

Morelia

What a beautiful colonial city! This is our hotel, El Carmen, it is a semi-funky converted colonial mansion and our room is on the top floor on the left. Only $35./night which is our price but no heat, the balcony door does not close very well, and the tiny bathroom is open air. A little chilly in here at 6350 ft elevation. It is right across the street from the Plaza Carmen so the view is stunning and it is just two blocks from the main square and the Cathedral where the hotels are all $200+ (and I am sure they have heat.) We got in this afternoon and had an hour or 2 to walk around and grab a quick late lunch/dinner and then the sky opened up with a massive lightening storm and rain like you would not believe. We holed up under cover around the square but the water pouring off the cathedral spouts was incredible and coming down like a fire hose on parked cars. The streets were about 5 inches deep in water in minutes and glad we had our raincoats, but we got pretty soaked from the knees down. Back in our room now and making plans for our next move. We will stay here one more night but the weather will be raining. Everyone says it is very unusual for this time of year. We have decided against going higher into the mountains to Patzcuaro. Thinking about  heading north of Mexico City to The Pyramids of the Sun and Moon, Teotihuacan, Mexico's biggest ancient city.