On Monday, despite bumping around a bit in the sky atop the last remnants of a tropical storm that painted a picturesque landscape of layered clouds as we came in for a landing, I arrived in Oaxaca. Re-entry was easy. I’m always grateful to pick up my luggage from the conveyor belt after passing through immigration, and then hit the button for customs. Hit a green button and you are waived through. Hit a red button and you are pulled aside to have your luggage inspected. It’s the luck of the draw.
We walked to dinner at Sur a Norte, an always reliable favorite cafe bar that serves up very good food at a fair price. You can almost reach out and touch Santo Domingo church, located just across the cobblestone road. We recommend the tacos (any flavor will do).
Over the next two days in the city, I walked ten to twelve thousand steps each day. I covered a lot of territory. What I noticed was the proliferation of mezcal bars and tasting rooms. There is, it seems, one on every street corner, plus another one or two mid-block. No one has to leave Oaxaca thirsty. After all, we are billed as the mezcal capital of the world. Most don’t open until late afternoon, but that won’t stop a serious drinker from finding an open watering hole.
My first destination on Tuesday morning, after breakfast with Carol, Elsa and Eric at Yegole in Jalatlaco (more about this later), I headed to my favorite haberdashery, Alberle Hats on Calle Armenta y Lopez, southeast of the Zocalo. This time, instead of my usual beaver felted hat (half the cost of any in the USA), I wanted a handwoven straw hat from Michoacan. It’s still warm and sunny here, despite the fact that Taos, New Mexico, weather is cooling down to what my body calls almost frigid. Nightime lows there are thirty-six degrees. Brrrr.
The breakfast at Yegole was so delicious and satisfying — a gluten-free house-made toasted bagel slathered in bacon, cheese, grilled onions, and avocado — that I wanted another opportunity the following morning to indulge in chilaquiles with green salsa with an over-easy egg and well-cooked bacon on the side. Oh, I forgot to mention that on both days I ordered a banana-chocolate smoothie that was like eating dessert. Why not?
We managed to snag a lunch table later in the afternoon at Los Danzantes, by far my favorite Oaxaca restaurant. It is almost impossible to get in now, and I don’t think I’ve dined there in over two years. Don’t miss the coconut coated giant shrimp. I had two vegetable dishes, one a roasted cauliflower and the other roasted carrots floating on a beet puree. The best dessert is the goat cheese flan and we indulged.
While I’m not shopping for much, I did a loop through Miniso. This is a Chinese-Japanese owned variety store that features an excellent assortment of household items, cosmetics, toys, tech gizmos, stationery, and doo-dads. There is always something there that I need and want!
Then, it was off to Xiguela organic food store in Jalatlaco to stock up on lettuce (pre-washed and sanitized), zucchini, tomatoes, Manchego cheese, and avocados. Here in Oaxaca, the avocados are about ten cents each. We eat a lot of them. They were out of miso soup, so I’m going to need to go scouting.
It’s a week before Dia de los Muertos. The city is beginning to decorate and the state-sponsored tianguis — the outdoor shopping mall housed under tents near Santo Domingo Church — are being erected. The decor continues to be over the top exciting and each year there is a surprise that hangs over the main walking street, Andador Macedonio Alcala.
We can fit one more person into our October 30, Day of the Dead Tour, and we can take two more in our Teotitlan photography workshop from October 27 to 29 with Luvia Lazo. If you are in Oaxaca now, consider joining us.
Don’t forget to order:
- Self-Guided Map — Teotitlan del Valle
- Self-Guided Map — Tlacolula Market
- Our Favorite Things to Do in Oaxaca
