Oaxaca

Today is our third day visiting Oaxaca, 14th day into our trip. We arrived to Oaxaca late Monday afternoon and took the rather lengthy walk from the bus terminal into the center of the city (looked a lot shorter on the map). We found an absolutely beautiful hostel in town, which we have really appreciated. It includes a great breakfast with eggs made to order.

Yesterday we went to the traditional market in town and picked up enough food for a couple of meals. However, two Austrian travelers were gracious enough to cook some of their favorite dishes for the entire hostel, so we got a break from cooking that evening.

Today we set out to taste the famous Oaxacan chocolate. To Kendra´s dismay they do not set up beautiful chocolate shops filled with small tasty treats; rather, they use the chocolate mainly for cooking and drinking hot chocolate. No matter, we had one of the best hot chocolates we have ever had in our lives. The chocolate was rich and had hints of cinnamon and nutmeg.

After that we headed out to taste the local Mezcal drink, a close cousin to Tequila. Rich found a truly local bottling shop, barrels and a slowly rotting Agave plant (gnats included) sitting in the entrance.


All that said, the place was charming in a rustic sort of way. Two local gentlemen, Miguel and Manuel, attempted to tell us all about the different types of Mezcal, how each is made, and why some were better than others. Neither of us could understand that much of the converstation except that the drink is good for our stomachs and will make us strong, or so they say.

Tomorrow we are going to be heading down into a nearby valley to visit a smaller town, and hopefully will be able to see some of the local craft workshops. We are both looking forward to heading up into the mountains for some guided hikes between several small villages (100-600 people) this weekend.

Our plan of staying here only a few days has quickly been sidetracked, as we have really fallen in love with the colonial city of Oaxaca.