Category: Mexico

It’s taken us a few days to learn our way around the city and even with 6 days here, we have a list of things to explore on a future trip. For a small city, Oaxaca is loaded with unique and interesting activities.

Classes:
There are flyers all around town advertising classes and events. This one is for anyone interested in making pottery;

And this one for learning to carve and print woodcuts.

plus cooking classes, free city tours, mescal tasting, and/or immersive Spanish language classes.

Markets:

There are expansive markets and small neighborhood markets to explore either on your own or with a market tour. The large Mercado Benito Juárez can be exciting but also overwhelming. Many neighborhoods have a smaller market. The stalls are clean and the vendors friendly.

One of the popular things to try at the market are fruit juice drinks. A favorite is called Jugo Verde (Green Juice) with fresh orange juice, pineapple juice, spinach, kale, and more depending on the recipe. It has health benefits and is refreshing as well.

Vendors sell fruits, vegetables, meats, spices, baked goods household items, clothing, flowers, fried grasshoppers, pets and more!

Outside the City:
Day trips to Zona Arqueológica de Monte Albán and craft villages are also possibilities that we just didn’t have time to explore.

Daytimes temps have been in the 80’s and it’s cooler at night so it’s a good winter destination.

We like Oaxaca and can imagine spending more time here….the city is clean and it feels safe to us.  There are still many more things for us to discover! Next time…

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.

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

but once inside, it opens into a beautiful courtyard.

Many of the walls have colorful art.

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!

Around town we see colorful characters;

markets with a variety of food stalls;

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

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.

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.

Your Amigos, Sharon and Larry