Friday October 29, 2010
Oaxaca, Mexico
Cloudy and a bit cool
I've always wanted to visit Oaxaca and experience Day of the Dead festivities. Well, I'm doing it! Now! With my BFF and travel buddy Sandra. We met at LAX airport to catch the 1130pm overnite Flight to Mexico City which was only 3.5 hours and way too short when you've been sleeping only for 3-5 hours per nite for the past week. Anyhow, made it to cold Mexico City at 5am local time, took a cab to the bus stop only to find out that we had about 3.5 hours to wait for our bus. After many misunderstandings due to language barriers, we were able to get onto the 8am bus to Oaxaca. The 6 hr road trip to Oaxaca ended up being about 7 hours because of construction on the highway. We both got window seats hoping we have a great view but our windows were covered with a mesh so very limited view! I would have been extremely disappointed but I was so tired that I slept through about 3 hours of the 7hr ride so would have missed a lot of the views anyway. The bus made one pit stop in the middle of nowhere where we enjoyed a delicious tamale for only about 1$ which was one of the hilites of the bus ride. We took the 1st class (not premier) and it was nice. It only cost us about 35$ and also had a toilet on board including non stop showing of Amercan movies dubbed in Mexican. It's a pity we didnt' get to see the views as we travelled through the mountains and at one point were close to 8000 ft.
We arrived to a balmy but cloudy Oaxaca around 3pm. You can feel the vibe of the town as soon as you step foot on the soil. Everyone is very helpful and nice. We took at taxi to our bed and breakfast Casa Ollin which is just a block away from the hubbub of the town but quiet. And so quaint, clean with very nice and helpful owners. But most importantly, quiet.
After getting organized and cleaning up a bit, we headed to our first destination - Los Danzantes, which is one of the best restaurants in Oaxaca for a taste of the best of Oaxaca for lunch. However, while walking to the restaurant, we got distracted as we saw a bunch of kids all dressed up hanging around the Iglesia Santo Domingo. I thought Day of the Dead Festivities start tomorrow, but it seems it started today, where people got dressed up in costumes and parades were happening everywhere! It was quite a sight to see on my first day in Oaxaca. I'll right more about Day of the Dead and the history on another post as I will be experiencing it first hand.
There was a party for kids at the church it seems. The kids were all dressed up in goth costumes. Some were pretty creepy.
As we walked into town, we saw many of the stores decorated with Day of the Dead skeletons, creepy dolls, etc.
Including at the entrance to the restaurant - Los Danzantes
The restaurant was gorgeous, big and airy. And the food was fantastic. We enjoyed it very much because we experienced flavors we have not had before. We shared two appetizers and a main course. We chose dishes that were based on Oaxacan cuisine and that also supported the local farmers.
We had a tortilla like cracker and some very good bread with home made salsas and butter to start the lunch.
Tlyada con Camarones y Chile Chipotle Meco: Traditional Oaxacan Tlyada with shrimp topped with Meco Chipotle Chile Sauce
Empanadas de Amarillo con Flores de Calabaza y Salsa de Chile: Empanadas with Squash Flower Blossom, Oaxacan Quesillo and Amarillo Mole
Pechuga de Guajolete Organico en Mole Jamaica: Organic Turkey Breast in Hibuscus Mole
As we were stuffed after lunch, we walked the town for about 2 hours but everywhere we went, there were parades and decorations to prepare for the Day of the Dead.
And more decorations
This one is an altar set up in one of the stores we visited.
And the young were out to celebrate Friday in the bars. It had a New Orleans' feel to it as kids were hanging out the balconies of the bars.
We then ended up back to our B&B where the owner offered to have us try some Mezcal. I am so tired now so will explain about it in another blog shortly but basically, it is a local very strong drink which some call the "artisanal" tequilla. I'm not a tequilla fan, but did find it going down smoothly after a few sips. We tried the 8 year old Mezcal which is in the center and the special one which is second from the left as it is made specially for our B&B Casa Ollin.
Weeks of not sleeping have caught up with me, so am calling it an early night as we have cooking lessons tomorrow and some sight seeing of the town. Stay tuned for more about Day of the Dead in Oaxaca.
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