Day: February 12, 2024

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Monday in Oaxaca City

By this morning, the smoky plume had dispersed and the fire in the mountains is under control. Yesterday it looked quite ominous but today all is well.

We find tacos of every variety in Oaxaca. These seafood tacos; one with shrimp and another with tuna, at Restaurant Humar were perfectly prepared. The rooftop seating plus a spicy mescal cocktail made for a light and tasty dinner.

Fish Tacos at Humar

The Templo de Santo Domingo is one of the most beautiful churches in the city.

Templo de Santo Domingo
Church Interior

We’re exploring different neighborhoods and finding each one to be interesting. Entryways are colorful and many times secured with a locked gate.

Colors of the City
Street View

The main gathering place in the city is the Zocalo. In the daytime people sit in the shade while vendors work the crowd selling clothing, wooden implements, and other small items. Most evening there is music and sometimes dancing. Tonight a marimba band was playing and a large crowd gathered to listen.

Marimbas in the Zocolo

We didn’t visit the Botanical Garden but we had a nice view of it from an open window at the Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca.

Botanical Garden

The weather is warm and we’re enjoying the upbeat and friendly people.  It’s pleasant here!

 

 

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Oaxaca, Mexico!

We’ve been curious about this arty city in Mexico for quite a long time. We felt like a change from our favorite winter destination Thailand, and decided on a shorter trip to Mexico. We flew Atlanta to Mexico City and on to Oaxaca a couple of days ago. The small airport in Oaxaca is colorful and easy to navigate. We got in line for a fixed price taxi service that took us directly to our hotel.

Oaxaca International Airport

We’re staying  not far from the Zocalo (city  center) at Hotel Siglo XVII. The outside is colorful, though not distinctive;

Street View Hotel Siglo XVII

but once inside, it opens into a beautiful courtyard.

Courtyard View

Many of the walls have colorful art.

Art Hotel Siglo XVII

The room is comfortable, quiet, well located and the staff members are kind and helpful.  We plan to spend a total of 6 nights here.

We were lucky enough to be just down the street from a popular breakfast spot called Boulenc. Our first morning here we had a delicious breakfast of yogurt with fruit and a (shared) cardamom pastry. The coffee here is excellent as well!

Breakfast at Boulenc

Around town we see colorful characters;

Around Town

markets with a variety of food stalls;

Flowers in the Market

and young people  practicing traditional dances under the shade of a tree.

Folklorico Dance Practice

Oaxaca is vibrant, and in our first days here we’ve seen many parades and festivities along with lively nightlife. The city is known for its excellent food so we’re trying new-to-us foods and drinks; learning about Mexican culture, and enjoying a colorful city.

Colors of Oaxaca

Adding here that there is a worrying development to our adventure. This afternoon a plume of smoke appeared on the horizon. A forest fire in the mountains above is creating quite a lot of smoke. We’re keeping an eye on it…fingers crossed that all will be well.

Smoky Plume

Your Amigos, Sharon and Larry