Houston and Oaxaca Mexico, here we come!

I guess an afternoon flight is better than an early morning flight. But once you are packed then there is nothing to do but sit around and wait to go to the airport. And that is just what we did on New Year’s Day. 

Finally our pickup time of 5pm came round and we waited outside for our transfer. 

And waited. . .

And waited . . .

Well actually it wasn’t that long because we are both quite impatient types and at 5:06 Lance called our driver. We use this guy all the time and he is very reliable.  But alas, he now has a blot on his copy book. He misplaced the booking! Fortunately Lance’s brother Matt was on hand to whisk us off to the airport. Great start we thought. And hoped that this would be the only travel glitch on our three week jaunt to our destinations in Central and South America. 

The 13 and a half hour flight to Houston went well. The premium economy seats offered good space and legroom, which meant a reasonably comfortable night where we both managed a bit of a cat nap. 

Arriving at George Bush International Airport in Houston we were semi refreshed and flew very quickly through customs and out into the big wide world of America. 

Our last trip to Houston was in 2015 and we stayed in a hotel right on the Galleria Mall. On that visit we enjoyed a great meal at Del Fresco Double Eagle Steak House. I had checked to see if we should stay at the Westin Oaks Hotel again but the prices said no as there was nothing less than $500 US! So we found ourselves at the Embassy Suite Hotel just around the corner for a fraction of the price. Our room was spacious but a little tired, and epitomised the low lighting hotel theme! 

An hour or so was spent at the Galleria Mall, but very little purchases were made (jet lag will do that, put me off my game) and we went early to dinner. 

Everything was perfect at Del Fresco. We started with fresh oysters that were served in the shell with a tasty vinaigrette and a tinsy tiny bottle of Tabasco to toss around the oysters. They were delicious although much smaller than our New Zealand oysters, in fact one of mine was barely a sneeze. 

Complimentary pull apart bread was served dripping in butter. It was difficult not to stuff ourselves but we held off with a bit of a nibble until our main arrived. The rib eye steak was sliced off the bone and shared between us with accompanying lobster mac & cheese, the most delicious mashed potato and creamed cheesey spinach. Heineken was of course ordered and I managed a New Zealand Mt Fishtail Sav Blanc. Once again my intention is to support the NZ economy by drinking our own wine whenever possible. 

Our waiter was lovely. He was friendly, informative and inquisitive and helped to make it a very enjoyable evening.

The next morning we woke late and walked around the corner to a place called Snooze for breakfast. The waiter from the evening before had recommended it to us and everything was very nice and not too over the top as often American meals can be. 

Lance wandered back to the hotel and I went and got my nails refreshed and then it was time to depart for the next leg of the journey, Oaxaca Mexico!

The flight was only 2 hours 40 from Houston, but because we didn’t pay extra for seats we were several rows apart. 

I did feel the need for the toilet and decided that it couldn’t wait until we landed. There was only one toilet on the small aircraft and as you can imagine I was trying to be a quick as possible. My problem arose when I couldn’t find the flush button! It would have been several panicky minutes of pressing everything visible including a quick hover over one button that I quickly realised would call for help. I could no way leave what I had deposited exposed in that toilet! Finally, with a loud sigh of relief I found the button which was hiding off to the side. 

Sunset as we flew into Oaxaca

Stepping off the plane we were met with a beautiful temperature, not too hot and not too cold and things went well as we nipped through customs. The customs guy asked if I spoke Espanol and I replied in my Duolingo trained Spanish “No hablo espanol”. Which he seemed to understand. Lance and I shared one customs declaration and he said “Dos personas” to which I replied “si” (two people). And then he asked Lance’s relationship to me and I replied in perfect Spanish that he was my brother! Ooops, blame the Duolingo app training! Perhaps this was why they then searched our cases! I had complimented Lance on his perfect tidy case earlier, and I think they were duly impressed as well. No drugs or guns were found and we were off in a taxi to Oaxaca City.

Our accomodation is central, right in the middle of town, and the Quinta Real Hotel is gorgeous. It was once a convent and character abounds in every corner. 

After dropping our bags we raced off to meet up with Sarid and Aeneas who are the reason for our trip. They are about to be wed!

We raced through the tiny streets to their hotel and were joined by Aeneas’ sister. Sarid’s family had arrived in Oaxaca so we toddled off to eat tlayudas and drink mezcal with them. Actually they were not drinking mezcal, which was a wise thing as the mezcal we tried nearly blew our heads off and could not be finished. Which if you know us well is saying something.

I tried my Spanish out on Sarid’s family and they seemed to understand, and it was so lovely to finally meet them.

The wedding is in two days time and tomorrow we need to find something ‘local’ to wear. Watch this space, the photos could be good!