A Mexican Vacation

I miss writing actual travel posts (though I also have been traveling less than in previous years), but here is a post on a recent vacation I had in Mexico. In Guatemala, the traditional school year runs from January to October, and at the end of June we have a mid-year break. I had a week off (while Chris had two), so we decided to travel to Mexico. It was my second time in the country (the first was at the start of November last year, which I still have to blog about!), and I loved it all the same. It's such a beautiful country with a colorful culture, extremely delicious food, and it's inexpensive to top it all off. We spent the first three days in Oaxaca City, traveled on a 7 hour bus on our fourth day, and then spent the last two days relaxing in Mexico City. 

All smiles for our Mexico adventure

We took an early afternoon flight out of Guatemala City, and after a short layover in Mexico City, arrived in Oaxaca City close to 11pm. At the airport you can book a shared shuttle (or a private taxi) to take you into the city center, so we did just that. It was easy and convenient; we got dropped off at the door of our hotel. Unfortunately I was beset by stomach problems, which was strange because I hadn't eaten any Mexican food yet, but I settled in as best I could to get ready for a full day the next day.

We stayed at Hotel Nacional, which is a little south in the city center, so a bit further away from the two main squares, but still at a good location: it was right next to the markets. But really, the center is so small that it's easy to walk everywhere. We arrived late at night, so even when driving around we weren't able to make out much, but on the next day we stepped out to the little balcony overlooking the street and were greeted with this pretty view.

The view from the balcony of Hotel Nacional

Before, traveling for me was a lot of trying to do as much as I could do in a day (while still really enjoying). As the years went on and I traveled more, and got a little bit older (ha!), I've learned to slow down my pace a bit. I wanted this vacation to really feel like a vacation; I wanted to rest but at the same time see Mexico. So we had a relaxing few days aimlessly wandering around the streets, visiting some interesting sites, and eating our hearts out. 

With the Cathedral at the Zocalo (main square)

Oaxaca City, located in the Oaxaca state, is a small beautiful colonial city, and yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site. We admired its gorgeous architecture, not having to search far, as it was all around us, and understood why it was such an attractive city.

With the colorful Oaxaca sign

We walked up and down Calle Macedonia Alcala several times, a pedestrian street lined with cute shops, cafes, libraries, art galleries, and also the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Oaxaca (MACO) (Contemporary Art Museum).

At the end of the street is a quaint square where you'll find the Templo de Santo Domingo, a beautiful church attached to a former monastery which was restored and is now a cultural center, the Centro Cultural de Santo Domingo. We went inside the church first admiring the simple but beautiful interior, and then headed next door. Much of the cultural center houses the Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca (Museum of Oaxacan Cultures).

View of the square from the Templo de Santo Domingo

It was a huge museum, and we walked through a lot, but not all of the rooms. It covers a lot about the Zapotec and Mixtec cultures, two of the largest cultures of pre-colonial Oaxaca. 

Roaming around the city also consisted of looking for art. I enjoyed going in the numerous art galleries around the city...

...and also just looking at the street art we happened upon. Like in many cities all over the world, there was an interesting mix of cultural and political art.

An unmissable part of the Mexican experience, we wandered through the markets Oaxaca had to offer, both indoors and outdoors. We didn't brave eating in the famous 20 de Noviembre food market, but we did walk through to see what they had and take in the aromas. 

The other markets were mostly handicrafts and other artisanal goods. We stopped by a few outdoor ones, and visited the Mercado Benito Juarez, which is a huge indoor one, and there bought some mezcal, and a souvenir or two.

The one thing I knew I wanted to do in Oaxaca was go see Hierve el Agua, a site in the province with petrified waterfalls. Since we still weren't feeling 100%, we decided to join a tour group. The price wasn't at all bad though. You only pay the tour company 200 pesos to cover your transportation. All the entrance fees are paid for at the site, so you can opt not to go inside if you don't want to. We also stopped for lunch at a restaurant, but again, you pay at the restaurant so you can choose to bring your own food for a cheaper option. We wanted to go inside all of the sites, and did, and also did end up eating at the buffet at the restaurant, but it was nice to know that we had a choice.

First stop!

The first stop was Santa Maria el Tule to see the widest tree in the world. It was a quick stop in El Tule, which is a town right next to Oaxaca City. We walked around the tree and the park and main plaza it's located in, basking in how green and fresh everything was.

Widest tree in the world

Next up was an artisanal carpet shop where we heard about their dying process and saw beautiful carpets we couldn't take a picture of. The no picture policy was to protect their designs, so we just looked at around and marveled at them since they were a thousand pesos over our budget!

Natural dyes

For our third stop, we paid a visit to a mezcal distillery, mezcal being something Oaxaca is famous for. We were given a quick tour of the mezcal making process, then came the part we were all excited for: the tasting. 

We tried some, of course, and had a nice little buzz after. There is a popular saying that goes, "Para todo mal, mezcal; para todo bien, también." which roughly translates to, "For everything bad, mezcal; and for everything good, as well." We chanted that and a few other cheers with each shot of mezcal we tasted. We tried some of the plain ones but differently aged, then some of the flavored ones too. There were some nice flavors like maracuya, cappuccino, lemon, and mint (all of which we bought a bottle each of!).

Bottoms up!

Afterwards, we continued on to our fourth stop, the Mitla ruins. It is a very small site, but we got a little bit of history out of it. In the pre-colonial era, two of the largest cultures in Oaxaca were the Zapotecs and Mixtecas. After the fall of Monte Alban, Mitla became the most important site of the Zapotecs and the center of power in the region. One aspect that sets the Mitla ruins apart are the mosaics and intricate stone patterns they used in their buildings.

Beautiful stone patterns behind me

The ruins were interesting and all, but by then, we were getting pretty hungry. Fortunately, a food stop was up next, and we had a very late buffet lunch. It was a typical buffet with traditional food, so I was glad I got to try small portions of different kinds of food.

Last, but not least, we went to Hierve el Agua to see the petrified waterfalls. Hierve el Agua roughly translates to "the water boils," and the formation of the waterfalls has something to do with the excess minerals in the water. There are also some mineral springs at the site, and we saw a lot of people swimming in the pools.

View from the top, with the pools in the middle of the background

I don't know if they purposely make Hierve el Agua the last stop since it's the highlight of the trip, but I was pretty tired by the time we got there. Nevertheless, we did get to enjoy. We had an hour at the site, and it was most impressive. We stayed at the main area marveling at the Cascada Chica (small falls) then walked the short route to the Cascada Chica and from there saw the Cascada Grande which is what the main site sits upon.

The Cascada Chica as seen from the main site

It was nice getting to wander around and marvel at the beauty and impressiveness of nature.

The Cascada Grande as seen from the Cascada Chica

Despite the numerous places we visited in a short amount of time (which I knew would happen as most tour groups do), we were overall happy with our tour. It was very easy going and relaxing, and we had a comfortable ride, which is what we were most concerned about. If you're not interested in the other places, there are several blogs around the web that say Hierve el Agua is really easy to get to, and it's something you shouldn't miss!

That was most of the sightseeing we did, and the next couple of pictures are dedicated to some of the mouthwateringly delicious food we ate. The real reason I wanted to visit Oaxaca was for the food. I had read about it in countless blogs and news articles, heard it mention in several food shows, and it has thus been in one of my top places to visit for quite a while. Living up to its reputation, we didn't have a single bad meal in Oaxaca (and in Mexico to add to it!).

On our first day we woke up late, and had lunch at Xuncu Choco. It was a small restaurant with a pretty interior, and we were the only ones eating there at the time. It didn't turn us off, and we were happy we stayed because the food was to die for; a great first meal to welcome us to Mexico. Oaxaca is known as the land of the seven moles, so it was one of the first things I wanted to try. We had (on the left) pork in salsa molcajateada with jitomate and chile jalapeño and (on the right) tortillas with shredded chicken served in mole negro and topped with cheese. I am no food blogger, so I'm just going to leave you with descriptions for the next couple of pictures, but really, everything was so delicious.

One night it was raining, and we didn't want to walk in the rain looking for a restaurant, so we decided to go for one we remembered seeing when we were out in the day. We speed walked through the rain to La Casa de la Abuela near the Cathedral, and settled in for dinner. We shared an order of (top dish) a parillada of cecina de puerco enchilada (smoked pork), tasajo (salty dried beef), costilla frita (fried ribs), and chorizo and then flor de calabazas rellenos (stuffed squash blossoms) with requesón (a cheese) and esquites (corn) in salsa verde (bottom dish).

For another meal we ate at Cabuche, a restaurant I had read about online, and after looking at the menu, decided now might be the time to try chapulines... grasshoppers! As per my request (since I didn't want to eat straight up fried grasshoppers), we had them in a quesadilla with quesillo and mushrooms (middle plate). Then we also ordered some tacos; tacos yucateco which was cochinita pibil (pork stew with chili and achiote) (left taco) and tacos campacheno which was a mix of chorizo, chicharrón and suadero (right taco).

Now this next meal was not Mexican, but it was our favorite meal of this trip! The food we had at El Quinque was complex yet down to earth, and the whole ambience made it an enjoyable meal. We were first served a salad followed by a hummus I still dream about, and fresh homemade bread. Then our main meals were 1) chicken filled with smoke cheese, gouda cheese, and ham, accompanied with potatoes and caramelized apples (foreground), and 2) chicken filled with plantains and gouda cheese accompanied with a mango and tamarind sauce and rice. It was very simple looking, but the flavors went so well together, and left us talking about it for days.

I wish we had more time to eat in Oaxaca, but we were completely satisfied with what we did get to try. On Wednesday we took a mid-morning bus to Mexico City. It was about a six and a half bus ride, but our bus was comfortable (we paid for one of the nicer ones) with spacious seats, air-conditioning, and electrical outlets. There was a tv on board too, but we made do with our own entertainment. Upon arriving in Mexico City, we took a safe taxi from the bus station to Suites Havre. It was an apartahotel located in Colonia Juarez, just north of Roma, a charming neighborhood I had gotten to know on my last trip here. After settling in, we naturally headed out for food and an early dinner.

We were in the mood for something meaty, so we looked up something online, and found Parilla Leonesa which was nearby. We were served free nacho chips to eat with some of the dip, and then we ordered queso fundido, which is something like a thick melted cheese dip. I don't know exactly what kind of cheese it was, but it was so. good.

Then came the main event which was a platter of seven meaty tacos! I forgot what all seven were, but we halved each one, and I can tell you that they were delicious.

Because of more stomach problems and other circumstances, we didn't get to do much in Mexico City. We visited Xochimilco one morning, and the Museo Nacional de Antropología (National Anthropology Museum) another afternoon, and I went to renew my passport at the Philippine Embassy on Friday morning. Other than that, we spent our time walking around the neighborhood, eating, and actually relaxing during our vacation.

I usually enjoy traveling to new countries, but Mexico is so inviting, that I know I'll be back soon. :)