Oaxaca to Mitla - 4 Jan 2024

What a day!

We left Oaxaca city at around 11am and headed for Mitla in a taxi. Which by the way was of great quality! The driving was interesting though. Most of the road had double yellow lines to indicate no passing. However the slow vehicles stayed on the shoulder and the faster vehicles overtook, which meant they crossed the yellow lines. It was a little hair raising at first, especially when a big red truck was coming in the opposite direction! 

At regular intervals there were ‘reductors’ which were speed humps, remember that we were travelling at 100kpm! Well I am hoping the car speedo was in kilometres and not mph! 

Once we were out of the city we passed road side stalls for all manner of food and drink and I also spotted a grazing horse tethered to a stake on the side of the road.

We passed so many Mezcal plantations that it felt a bit like a Mexican style Barossa Valley. Mezcal is similar to tequila and comes from an agave plant. There are many different styles, but more about that later.

Arriving at Casa Regina we were greeting by Sarid and Aeneas and several other guests who had travelled from New Zealand and other places. Casa Regina is a small boutique style hotel that is authentic in style and has amazing views of the mountains. Our accomodation is a small casa with a bedroom with an enormous bed, a lounge and bathroom. The walls are all a brick that look handmade and some have pieces of straw in them, these are traditional adobo bricks. It is really very lovely and is cool inside, which is great because the temperature was around 28 degrees. But being in the desert it was a comfortable dry heat, and then a low of around 15 in the evening.

Our front door key. 

Obligatory beer and fresh watermelon juice. 

After meeting more guests we popped down to the township in a small tuk tuk for 50 pesos which is about $5. The market here is mainly open air around a large square and we made a couple of purchases including some handmade leather sandals to top of our authentic wedding attire. I also bought a hand painted hat which is really a necessity (isn’t every purchase a necessity?) as the sun is very glarey.

After a spot of shopping we thought that we had better get something in our belly as next on the agenda was Mezcal tasting! So we stopped at a little cafe and lo and behold Sarid and a couple of others were already there. This provided two bonuses, firstly the food must be okay and secondly Sarid could order in Espanol.

The toasted buns that we chose were filled with roasted pork, onion, tomato and mild chilli. I had guava juice, which is only similar to New Zealand guava in its shape and flavour. Other than that is the size of a small apple and hard. I keep forgetting to ask for no ice, but so far so good.

Back at the Hotel we readied for the Mezcal tour. I thought I would quickly jump in the shower, but alas we had no water. So into the pool I went, and it was so warm it was like swimming in a clear soup. But it washed away the dust and grime of the day.

About twelve of us boarded a nice tour van and off we went. We did make a purchase at the Mezcal distillery, but it was another hat for me and not alcohol. 

A very noisy barrel truck pulled up and merry tourists jumped off, and we jumped on. 

The barrel took us through the plantation with a guide talking in Espanol and then English, shot glasses were passed around and again we tried really hard, but it was not for us. The planted rows of agave rolled into the distance and were in the shadow of a beautiful mountain range. We are already sitting at 1400 feet in Mitla.

I am also in awe of the cacti, not that I would want one in my garden, but they are huge!

We stopped along the way to try more mezcal, but this time in a more traditional form, poured down an agave leaf into our mouths. Once in the mouth you need to dip your head and breathe through your nose and you raise your head. Actually it was almost nice and we were lulled into have it another try once we rebounded the barrel. But out the window it went and we drank beer instead. 

The last stop was to try beverages with no or much less alcohol and we drank from a small gourd that had been made into a cup. There were four or five to try and they were all very nice. Our favourite was the passion fruit flavoured pulque. It was truely superb.

As we drove back in the barrel we passed a herd of, well, all sorts of things!

Dinner was had at Origen Maiz which served us tlayudas. We had these a couple of nights ago in Oaxaca and they were okay, but these were outstanding. Sitting outside on a rooftop balcony we were close to the tlayudas making. A small coal barbecue style chimney had a mesh top. The tlayudas is a large crisp tortilla stiffed with goodies, we chose chorizo. They all have a local stringy cheese called quesillo. The chorizo had a smokey and full flavour and the whole thing came together so well. We were fascinated watching them cook them.

The views from the balcony were beautiful, and we were soon joined by some of Sarid’s family, some who spoke English and some not. I got Sarid to translate for me so I could tell her parents what an amazing woman she is and how much we love her. Of course it was hard for Sarid to say these things about herself, but I had enough Espanol to ensure she had passed on my words. She cried, her Mum cried and even I had a bit of a tear. It was lovely to finally meet them properly.

A difficult descent from the balcony!

Home to bed and we slept the best in a long time, maybe we should sip on Mezcal more often.

Oaxaca Day 2

There was a concern that it could be noisy as our window looks out onto the street, but we had a great sleep and broke our fast in the morning at the hotel restaurant.

Now we know that the millions of places surrounding us will do just as good food at a fraction of the price, but the hotel is so beautiful we thought we would give it a try. And it didn’t disappoint us at all. We started with some sort of bread which was actually a pastry and when we chose it from the selection offered in a basket the waiter said “They are delicious”. Unfortunately we missed the name, but it started with ‘b’. I chose something starting the ‘ch’ ( we will have to start taking a photo of the menu) which was corn chips with chicken and a choice of red or green sauce. I chose the green and it was delicious with loads of flavour from the tomatillos. Lance had something starting with ‘m’ and it was a flat bread bun cut in two with a delicious chorizo mix and melted cheese. All of this was with fresh orange juice and a cup of tea.

After we had finished and were back our room we could hear some music. And the people who breakfasted later were lucky enough to have some hombre playing for them. Note: I have been informed that we had a Mollete and chilaquiles.

We were on a mission to buy something to wear to the wedding as the Bride and Groom requested that the guests bought local attire rather than buying a present. Oaxaca is renowned for its food and textiles so off we went to the market to try and find outfits.

If you have ever been to New York you may remember the feeling of not being able to look where you are walking because you are gazing 360 degrees at all that surrounds you. Oaxaca is nothing at all like NYC however I felt the same phenomenon as we walked the cobbled streets of Oaxaca. Everything is either colourful or ancient and there is a mix of locals, Mexican tourists and tourists like us.

The morning started at a brisk 14 but soon warmed up, so I am glad we got to the large market (Mercado 20 Noviembre) early. 

Again the New York effect took hold as we gazed at the stalls containing all and sundry. We entered at the pan (bread) area and there was bread of all shapes and sizes. We were amazed at the size of the loaves which about twice the size of a rugby ball. People were waiting at the meat stalls where huge cuts of meat were hanging and the butcher was chopping behind the counter. Hats, bags, belts made us think that we may be getting close to clothes and after a bit more of a wander we found the right spot. 

Lance learnt his word of the day when he asked to try on a shirt and she said ‘Grande?” Meaning large! In fact he feels like a giant here, he is very tall in Mexico! But we all know that it was not height that she was talking about. We then found a little stall with a little abuela (grandmother) and she looked after me well. Again the first thing she said was “grande”. Once our choices were made we asked how much dinero and she pulled out a roll of toilet paper. And I thought, “This woman knows me well.” But she used it as her note pad to write down and add then prices. So we are sorted for the wedding outfits.

The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering on the other side of where our hotel is located which is one block down from the Santa Domingo church, which I must say is a presence in the square and even more beautiful inside. Markets surround the church and we have been to old that we will pay a premium in this area. So we are holding off until our last days to see if we find the treasures we want in other places. Apart from a couple of pairs of earrings that snuck their way into my bag.

Santo Domingo

Santo Domingo

Santo Domingo

Can you spot the huge jaguar heads at the windows?

We spent the afternoon in a roof top bar with a couple of beers and it was delightful. Is seems that beers are served with citrus wedges and chilli salt. Fortunately for me Lance is not partial to these treats so I have to have them all to my self! We would have very stayed longer but the risk of drunkenness was too high as we had no lunch and they didn’t serve food on the rooftop.

Dinner this evening was at our hotel. We just needed an easy night, and somewhere with wine! And I found a delicious Argentinian tenmpranillo.   Tomorrow we head off to Mitla!

Complementary dips. Lance scooped up the red one. Bad move. He was on fire!

Cevice 

Tuna that looks like chicken casserole but was very tasty. 

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!