Last weekend, Mariah (my now-habitual traveling companion) and I made the somewhat long journey to Oaxaca (an hour on a bus from Toluca to DF, 30 minutes on the metro, 7 hours on a bus from DF to Oaxaca's capital.) Besides Puerto Vallarta, that was the farthest from Toluca I've traveled thus far, but it was more than worth it - I think Oaxaca is in the lead for the "my favorite city in Mexico" title (for now, at least.)
The weather was sunshine-y and wonderful, the food was delicious, there were galleries and cafes on every corner (sorry for being the yuppiest) and, most amazingly, everywhere I looked, traditional artisan work was celebrated about a thousand times more than in any other city I've visited. It was super cool to see middle class women wearing embroidered blusas with pride and to see restaurants and hotels actually decorated with the beautiful handmade Mexican furniture and textiles that people go crazy for in southern California.
I took advantage of the artisanal abundance and did almost all of my Christmas shopping in the city's main market - get excited, family! - and also bought a few presents for myself (I have a growing suspicion that I might look like a gringa caricature of Frida Kahlo when I go home in June...) but I'll refrain from displaying any of my purchases now to avoid spoiling the surprise.
I hope to go back to Oaxaca (and see some of its purportedly gorgeous beaches) with Kevin in April, but this was quite the introduction. My photos are, at best, vain attempts to capture the city's beauty but they're the best I can offer, for now:
We also took a little day excursion to Hierve El Agua (roughly translated as "the water boils"), which ended up being more work than we expected (bus - moto-taxi - bus - colectivo) but totally worth it:
And, as always, one last meal before hitting the road:
(See more photos here.)
The weather was sunshine-y and wonderful, the food was delicious, there were galleries and cafes on every corner (sorry for being the yuppiest) and, most amazingly, everywhere I looked, traditional artisan work was celebrated about a thousand times more than in any other city I've visited. It was super cool to see middle class women wearing embroidered blusas with pride and to see restaurants and hotels actually decorated with the beautiful handmade Mexican furniture and textiles that people go crazy for in southern California.
I took advantage of the artisanal abundance and did almost all of my Christmas shopping in the city's main market - get excited, family! - and also bought a few presents for myself (I have a growing suspicion that I might look like a gringa caricature of Frida Kahlo when I go home in June...) but I'll refrain from displaying any of my purchases now to avoid spoiling the surprise.
I hope to go back to Oaxaca (and see some of its purportedly gorgeous beaches) with Kevin in April, but this was quite the introduction. My photos are, at best, vain attempts to capture the city's beauty but they're the best I can offer, for now:
And, as always, one last meal before hitting the road:
(See more photos here.)
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