Huipil, San Andres Larainzar, Mercado Sto Domingo
In retrospect: The best of San Cristobal de las Casas! Now that I am back in Oaxaca, settled into my comfy room with my Zapotec family in Teotitlan del Valle, I revisit my travels to San Cristobal de las Casas. With Oaxacaqueño organic coffee from Nuevo Mundo in hand to wash down the almond paste and chocolate croissants leftover from the San Cris authentic French bakery on Real Guadalupe, one of many in San Cris, I am reminiscing.
Pozole con Pollo at Gorditas
San Cristobal de las Casas is a perfect city for eating, sleeping, strolling, exploring indigenous culture, shopping for textiles and amber, and sitting at sidewalk cafes watching the world go by. The world is well-represented here. There are travelers from just about every European country, the U.S., Australia, and Asia. The cuisine reflects this. Someone told me that San Cristobal is, per capita, the most international city in Mexico.
Food Highlights
At Comida Thai, Real de Guadalupe #84, you can dine as I did on an incredible, authentic spicy red curry in coconut milk with chicken, for 85 pesos. Close your eyes and you could be in Bangkok. Chef Sutharee Nagavajara is young, talented and welcomes you to the 11-seat restaurant she operates with her husband Carlos Sanchez Andonaegui. Don’t miss it!
Enjoy authentic Italian cannelloni or pizza or house made pasta (fettucini, spaghetti) with a choice of toppings at Napoli Italian Restaurant on Ejercito Nacional #8 between Av. Gen. Utrilla and Av. S. Dominguez. Chef/owner Romero is from Italy and has been in San Cristobal for over 10 years, in Mexico for more than 20 years. The restaurant seats 12 and the joy is in sharing a table with strangers who become compadres. It was SO GOOD I ate there three times!
Pie de Queso and other Goodies in Tierra Madre Bakery
In Plaza Madre Tierra on Insurgentes across from the Mercado de Dulces y Artesanias is the MOST wonderful bakery, a welcoming cafe, and gallery that features the textiles from Los Caminos de los Altos Cooperativo.
Stop for homemade dark chocolate (amargo) truffles flavored with tequila at Cafe Yik (on the zocalo or Anandor Av. 20 de Noviembre). Buy some after dinner to nibble on during your walk “home.” Have a lunch of pozole con pollo at Gorditas on Av. Miguel Hidalgo for under $5USD.
Splurge for dinner at Restaurante Babel, also on Real de Guadalupe. For under 160 pesos per person you can get the menu of the day that includes a first and second course, a glass of good Argentine wine, and coffee.
Where I have included links to TripAdvisor Reviews, this means the location does not have their own website.
My home away from home in San Cristobal de las Casas is Bela’s Bed and Breakfast, Av. Dr. Navarro #2. She is Numero Uno on Trip Advisor, so get your reservations in early. The breakfast includes unsweetened natural yoghurt, a mixed fruit bowl, homemade granola with plenty of nuts and seeds, eggs cooked to your liking, bacon, juice, and extraordinary coffee. Bela is a great host and the five-room adobe, and tile casa is built around a lush patio of flowering plants and local decor. Bela gives you a good map, and tips for eating, touring and shopping. From $45 per night for shared bath, $70 per night for private bath.
Best back up is Posada del Abuelito on Av. Tapachula #18. Rebecca and Rob run a lovely hostel that caters to backpackers who like to share dorm space. But there are two lovely, very clean rooms with private bath for 280 pesos per night, including a breakfast of fresh fruit, bread, coffee and access to the kitchen.
Textile Lovers’ Shopping Galore
Carmen wears Las Margaritas ceremonial huipil with natural dyes
I discovered Tienda de Artesanias Karmelita, Av. Gen Utrilla #31-A on the day before I was set to depart back to Oaxaca. Karmelita’s has the best quality at reasonable prices. Shop here if you can’t get to a pueblo (still iffy, since someone might take you to a place of poor quality and higher prices) and if you don’t know much about textile quality. No website. Phone (967) 100-1996 or estevez_fer20@hotmail.com I got a gorgeous ceremonial huipil from Las Margaritas pueblo at a fraction of what a similar one sells for at Sna Jolobil (museum quality, museum prices) and of better quality than any other shop in town. The one above is handwoven wool with natural dyes.
The outdoor market at Santo Domingo church can yield special finds if you know what to look for. I found a gorgeous huipil, finely woven on a backstrap loom with intricate bordado weaving from the village of San Andres Larainzar for 700 pesos– that’s $58USD (double that in a gallery).
Adriana from Chenalho
In the market on my last day I also found two extraordinary huipils from the village of Chenalho high in the mountains outside of Chamula with handmade cloth and intricate embroidery for 250 pesos each (that’s $22USD). Look at the handwork. Turn the cloth inside out to see how the stitching and weaving is finished. Look for tightness of weave, for the quality of the finish work, the binding off around the neck and armpits, hems. Chenalho women and children were massacred by paramilitary extremists during the Zapatista era and I wanted to support them with a purchase.
Sneak Preview! Last night at a party, I met Ann Conway and John Do, who met years ago while they were Peace Corps volunteers. The plan to open La Joya Hotel San Cristobal this coming August 2012. See www.lajoyahotelsancris.com to keep up with their progress.
Three Days in Puebla — An Easy Round Trip from Oaxaca
Puebla Zocalo at Night by Dave Emerson
I love to visit Puebla. This Friday I will be making a repeat visit — the second one in two weeks. Puebla has a lot going for it, including a regal cathedral and friendly zocalo.
This is a city built by Spaniards to replicate Old World charm. It has a European feel with wide pedestrian avenues. Ten days ago I had the pleasure of traveling with Jane, Dave, Mari, Helene and Suzanne. We all started together in Oaxaca on a Friday morning and returned on a Monday afternoon (except Helene who flew in and out of Mexico City from Connecticut). I took over 350 photographs and lost them all in the upload because I deleted by memory card before I checked whether the upload was complete (it wasn’t, thanks to iPhoto or a bad internet connection). Doomed, I called on my fellow travelers for help and all the photos shown here are courtesy of them. Definitely lesson learned!
Open wide and don’t miss those huge Puebla sandwiches called cemitas. The best are at Cemitas las Poblanitas in the Mercado del Carmen. I challenge you to get your mouth around this one, stuffed with grilled onions, chiles, pounded and breaded chicken breast, a mound of avocado, and three kinds of cheese. The assembly line satisfies the customers who wait. Photo on left by Dave Emerson; on right, Helene has her hands full. You can see I don’t want you to miss these! I ate there two days in a row.
Excellent upscale restaurants rival any four-star in the major cities of the world. We had dinner at a few of them: El Mural de los Poblanos, the restaurant at CasaReyna hotel, and La Conjura.
Suzanne Kinney took this beautiful photo of Talavera ceramics that adorn the facades of 18th century buildings. The decorative pieces add visual punch to dinner tables. Dave Emerson’s photo of Talavera de la Reyna dinnerware says it all.
To read more about Puebla, see David Emerson’s Oaxaca Chapulines blog and from there link to his Picasa album that features the stunning photos of the city, some of which I have borrowed here. Dave managed to capture a Carnavale parade/dance celebration we stumbled upon at the Zocalo. It was magical.
Puebla Carnival by Dave Emerson
Puebla Carnival Feathers by Dave Emerson
I’m meeting my sister in Puebla this Friday afternoon. She is arriving from San Francisco into Mexico City’s Benito Juarez International Airport. I am arriving from Oaxaca. We’ll both catch a bus. She will get on the Estrella Roja bus just outside the International Terminal Two (Be sure you check your arrival terminal. If you come into Terminal One, you have to take the Air Train to Terminal Two.) From the airport to Puebla is about two hours. But, time goes fast — there’s free WiFi. My trip on ADO will take a little more than four hours.
Puebla Highlights 2012: NY Times travel writer Freda Moon (she wrote the feature about Oaxaca) is in Puebla this week. She asked me what I loved about Puebla and this was what I told her:
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Posted in Cultural Commentary, Dining and Lodging, Oaxaca Mexico art and culture, Photography, Travel & Tourism
Tagged antique jewelry, blogsherpa, cemitas, food, hotels, lodging, Mexico, Oaxaca, Puebla, restaurants, Talavera