Oaxaca, Mexico

mexico/2022/ensenada_tamale_stand

Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán, Oaxaca, Mexico — October 29, 2022


mexico/2022/ensenada_tamale_stand

Historic street, Oaxaca, Mexico — October 29, 2022


mexico/2022/ensenada_tamale_stand

Our crew at the Archaeological Site of Monte Albán, Oaxaca, Mexico — November 2, 2022


Marimba band playing in the Zocalo, Oaxaca, Mexico — October 28, 2022


Mexico 2022 Journal

Tuesday, Oct 25 — Puebla

Wake up at 5:15am, and take an Uber to LAX. I board American Airlines flight 2546. We take off at 8:15am and arrive to Mexico City International Airport at 1:36pm. I clear immigration, grab my bag, and head over to the Terminal 1 bus station where I buy an ADO bus ticket to Puebla Paseo Destino station. Enroute I meet some nice ladies who had just flown 30 hours from Johannesburg via Capetown. On arrival, I grab an Uber to the El Sueño Hotel & Spa. After check in, I walk around and see that Puebla is an amazing town. I find the El Sitio Mezcalería where I try several excellent mezcals, and then head next door to El Mural de los Poblanos, where I have a pollo con mole poblano for dinner. Yum.


Wednesday, Oct 26 — Puebla

Walk around town and did open-air bus tour. At dusk, there are festivities in the Zócalo including a large mariachi band and other musicians about. Artwork has been strewn up for Día de Muertos and the entire scene feels very festive. Drinks at El Sitio Mezcalería, where I meet a nice couple from Alpine, Texas. I then walk over to Augurio, helmed by Chef Angel Vazquez, for chicken mole poblano. Btw, here is a great guide about finding a great mole in Puebla.


Thursday, Oct 27 — Puebla

Slow morning and a nice breakfast at the hotel where I ordered frijoladas, containing three tortillas filled with brisket bathed in peanut sauce. Very filling! Afternoon Uber to Cholula and walk around the Cholula archaeological zone and up to the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios (Our Lady of Remedies Church). Uber back to hotel and walk around town. More festivities are going on, including parades with marching bands and many folks dressed up with partial to full face painting. To make things easy, I walk over to Augurio for enchiladas con tres mole, with mole poblano, pipian verde and pipian rojo. Pipian refers to any Mexican sauce made with pepitas (pumpkin seeds) as its main ingredient. The waiter also brought out another type of mole for me to try, perhaps a black mole, but I can’t quite remember the true name.


Friday, Oct 28 — Oaxaca

Early breakfast in the hotel where I order eggs in a clay pot, asparagus, onion, serrano pepper, jocoque, prosciutto and Manchego cheese served with toasted pita bread. Yum. I check out of and take an Uber to Capu, Central De Autobuses. It’s a rather larger and confusing station, but I finally find my boarding platform. I take seat 21, and we leave Puebala at 10:45am, and roll down Mexican Highway 150D. At Cuacnopalan, we switch to Mexican Highway 135D. We arrive to Oaxaca around 4:40pm. I walk from the bus station to Casa Almaviva, our Airbnb for the next six days.

I walk around town and have a small meal of tacos and bean soup Ocote cocina. I head back home, but get the key stuck in the door. Interestingly, I’m still able to open the security gate with a vertical clasp at the top of the door (but that’s a different story.) I have to call the staff to help me fix it. They say, always turn the key izquierda, or left, and definitely not derecha, or right, where it will get stuck again. I definitely make a note of this. Mario, April, Deb, Sarah and Nadia soon arrive, and after some hugs, we head out on the town to Taquería Ta’ Bihui, where I have the best tacos con chicharron and con pierna. Yum.


Saturday, Oct 29 — Oaxaca

We have breakfast at adorable Los Cuiles, where I order rojos juevos rancheros and Oaxacan coffee with cinnamon.

We shop around for a bit and head over to Mezcaloteca for a 5-round mezcal tasting. Afterward we walk around town

Dinner is on the terrace of Casa Oaxaca. When I arrive, I realize I left the key somewhere, but luckily find it downstairs. I order the suckling pig tacos with almond mole; Mario got the black mole with turkey, which was the winner.

Afterward, we head to Selva for the Selva cocktail (aka, the Jungle in a glass; green and energetic for the whole day: mezcal joven los danzantes, hoja santa (green leaf), lemon, agave syrup, chile poblano liquor, juniper bitters, garnished with Oaxacan cheese and basil.) Round two is the Alfarera (gin infused with avocado leaf, strega liquor, avocado, chayote, lime juice and Mexican herb bitters

We end the evening at Bar La Tentacion where a live salsa band is making many people dance a perfect salsa, with a cumbia thrown in.


Sunday, Oct 30 — Oaxaca

⁃ Frio moka at Cafe Brujula - the coffee shop and the chocolate moka to go ⁃ Lunch at Vaca Marina - rooftop lunch ⁃ Dinner at Criollo - epic dinner in the back open area with the girls making tortilla ⁃ SABINA SABE bar - avocado cocktail


Monday, Oct 31 — Oaxaca

⁃ cafe de barro ⁃ El destilado - 9 course tasting menu on rooftop ⁃ Orange wine https://www.dominiodelasabejas.com/


Tuesday, Nov 1 — Oaxaca

⁃ Menu Tizne - mole, eggs salsa macha ⁃ Great Abrelijes gallery ⁃ Dinner at Pitiona


Wednesday, Nov 2 — Oaxaca

⁃ lunch at Azucena Zapoteca, Oaxaca - Puerto Angel km 23.5, 71506 San Martín Tilcajete, Oax., Mexico ⁃ Tour the pyramids ⁃ Dinner at Asador Bacanora Oaxaca ⁃ Miriachi in front of Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán, complete with local dancers, lurkers, and other interesting individuals


Thursday, Nov 3 — Oaxaca

Check out of the Airbnb and say goodbye to the crew. Very sad. I do a quick mezcal tasting a buy a bottle. I then check into the NaNa Vida Hotel Boutique. I walk to the botanical gardens, but it closed. So I walk toward the aqueduct and through the Reforma neighborhood. I do some last-minute shopping, grab a al pastor and quesillo taco, and freshen up for dinner. Drinks at Selva. Dinner at Los Danzantes.


Friday, Nov 4 — Oaxaca

Very early wakeup call and taxi to the airport. I board Volaris flight Y4 662 sit in seat 5A for a nice westerly view, and we take off a bit after 8:15am. We arrive to LAX at 11:33am.

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