Oaxaca

I just got back from Oaxaca and I had such a great time and have so many stories that I decided to make a top ten list rather than drone on about things nobody cares about.

OAXAQUENO TOP 10 (In no particular order)

1. The food!!! Oaxaca is one of Mexico's culinary capitals, and for good reason. I had some amazing moles, soups, breads...all of the food here is so amazing and totally cheap.
2. The art. Oaxaca also happens to be one of Mexico's art capitals, and I spent way too much on some of the most amazing artesania pieces I've ever seen. You could easily spend your entire trip shopping in Oaxaca, there's just so many amazing things to see.
3. Meeting Isabelle (from France) & Michelle (U.S.) in the really cool hostel I stayed at. Michelle only stayed with us for a day in Oaxaca, but Isabelle stayed the entirety of my trip and we had such a great time together! We went out a lot and went on adventures that we wouldn't have otherwise gone on by ourselves.
   
4. Being a superstar for a night in a local bar. Isabelle, Michelle, & I went out to this crazy blacklight bar where chelas (beer with hot sauce, lime, & salt...incredible) were only 10 pesos each and there was a funky rock band playing covers all night. We got a little tipsy, danced to some of the ska music, and had a great time. When we took off, EVERY guy in the bar, including all of the band members pleaded with us to come back "NO TE VAYAS, PORQUE NO REGRESAS? ADIOOOOOOOOOS!!!" It was way too funny.
   
5. The CHOCOLATE. Oaxaca is also Mexico's chocolate capital! I had a cup of hot chocolate from the well -known Chocolate Mayordomo everyday! :) It puts that Nestle Abuelita garbage to shame!!!
6. Going to the Guelaguetza recreation with Isabelle, and being asked to dance onstage TWICE by the cute dancer! Of course I accepted!
   
7. Visiting the Centro Cultural Santo Domingo--an ex-convent that was recently transformed into an amazing anthropology & art museum. I was most excited to see the exhibit of artifacts pulled from Teotihuacan (where I'd just visited and climbed the pyramids just outside of D.F.) and the treasures recently extracted from Tomb 7 of Monte Alban, including a jade encrusted skull and a number of exquisitely preserved jewelry from centuries past. Mom, you would've loved it! Apart from the amazing exhibits it stored, the ex-convent is quite a sight to behold, and behind it there's an amazing botanical garden.
   
8. Live music. Almost everywhere you go in Oaxaca, you're bound to be surrounded by live music of some sort or another--mariachi, marimba ensembles (which I believe is characteristic to the state of Oaxaca), guitarristas, or even orchestras!
   
9. The Zocalo. Oaxaca's Zocalo is beautiful, covered with trees and currently adorned with Poinsettias (or Nochebuenas as they're called here, which means Christmas Eve), it's always filled with people relaxing and live music playing. I loved to just spend time in the Zocalo, read my new Isabelle Allende novel over a cup of Oaxaqueno chocolate and listen to the music. So relaxing.
10. The Mercados. Oaxaca has 3 big ol' mercados: Mercado Juarez, 20 de Noviembre, y Centro de Albestos. It was fun to explore them and find treats like fresh baked bread or freshly sliced coconut with lime and hot sauce.

My ONLY complaint about my trip was that I came down with food poisoning last night, which was really awful and caused me to lose my last night there. Thankfully I was able to pull it together to make the 8 1/2 hour trek back to my host family's house in Tlalpan. I should be 100% by tomorrow, but I plan to take it easy the rest of the weekend since my classes start Monday.

Hope everything's great with all of you! xoxo