Oaxaca – Lannie's Food & Travel

The last 4 months

Lannie — Wed, 05 Sep 2018 16:09:01 +0000

Dear Blog Readers,

First of all, so sorry for the lack of posting this summer. It had turned out to be so much busier than I anticipated. From research and school work to beginning contract work on the side, it’s been challenging to stay on top of posting. I have a plan in my head to catch up on posts, but for now, I’ll just give you some monthly highlights (with photos), and I’ll fill in the details in more posts on a regular basis now.

But before the monthly highlights, I just returned from the Cook Islands the other day, for a quick 6-day island getaway. My story of how the Cook Islands came to be seems to be an amusing one. Last year on Black Friday (after-Thanksgiving Day sale), Air New Zealand had a fare sale to Auckland, NZ, for under $400. Sales were posted to Twitter around 6 am, Eastern time. Being in California for Thanksgiving, by the time I woke up in Pacific time, they were sold out. There were Twitter rumors that Air NZ would have another sale for Cyber Saturday the following day. So I turned on my notifications and set a light alarm on my phone for 4 am Pacific time (7 am Eastern time).

$490 RT LAX to RAR? For the week of my 36^th birthday? (9 months in the future, at this point) Sure, why not! The Cook Islands sound like a great idea. And it totally was! More on CI soon, but it was wonderful! It’s a Polynesian paradise, without the crowds and big resorts. I will definitely be going back in the near future!

So now, that recap of my travels since April 2018!

April

Oaxaca, Mexico with a friend!
Eating all the corn-based tortilla products one can find!
Day trips visiting Hierve el Agua, the Tule Tree, Mitla and Monte Alban
Watching a donkey go round and round in circles, grinding agave for mezcal, in a roadside, artisanal mezcal distillery

Big Island, Hawaii!
Hives on the flight…
Photographing the Kilauea volcano and Milky Way in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Epic hike on lava fields
Above the clouds, on the world’s tallest mountain, Mauna Kea.

May

Back to school! In Vienna
Visit to lovely but crowded UNESCO village, Hallstatt, in Austria
Relaxing weekend in Budapest, with a friend that I met in Nepal!
Quick jaunt to Bangkok for some Thai massages and relaxation!

June

Unexpected and amazing time in Slovenia!
Cloudy, sunrise hike over Lake Bled
Hiking at and amazing scenery in Lake Bohinj and Triglav National Park with one half of travel bloggers, Rambles on the Go
Eating dumplings, walking around Ljubljana and recording podcasts with the Postcard Academy!
And then, almost the whole month in Croatia!
Starting in Zagreb, with awful allergies, lots of sneezing, and seeing the remains of failed relationships.
Full day hike with lakes and waterfalls in Plitvice Lakes National Park, with new Canadian friends!
Eat lots of amazing pork afterwards at Pri Zvonou, a Zagreb institution within walking distance of my Airbnb
On to Pula, for sunsets, Roman architecture, and boats
But wait! I was stung by a sea urchin and had to dig out all the spines from my foot by myself (cue sound: womp womp)
Chasing sunsets in Zadar
Hike up to Manita Pec cave in Paklencia National Park
Lots of balcony time and strolls along the beach in Okrug Gronji

July

Visiting with Rembrandt in the Rjiksmuseum and friends in Amsterdam
Crashing a friend and fellow bridesmaid’s family vacation in Milan!
Taking breaks between eating gelato, pizza, burrata and prosciutto to see Italian Renaissance classics at Pinacoteca Ambrosiana
Hiking above Lake Como, hearing tales of Italian-Swiss border smugglers and getting stung by way too many mosquitos
Crashing the tail end of a different friend’s (and also fellow bridesmaid in the same wedding actually…) 3 week European vacation, in the amazingly beautiful and wonderful alpine town of Innsbruck, Austria!
Hiked an incredibly difficult mountain in the Zillertal Alps… (story coming soon)
Relaxation at Aqua Dome, sparkly things at Swarovski Kristallwelten, and frequent trips to Himal Nepali restaurant, in Innsbruck
James Bond, mountains, and Milky Way in Soelden, Austria
Watching Carmen, performed over Lake Constance as part of the Bregenz Festival, in Bregenz, Austria! Bucket list (CHECK)
And then, back to school in Vienna!

August

Stumbling upon the Pride on the Canal parade in Amsterdam!
And finally, back to America for family time and R&R!
Watched the Perseid meteor shower and shot the Milky Way at Anza Borrego Desert State Park, an international dark sky park
Chased a particularly foul bucket list item to disappointment, at the Huntington Library, in San Marino, California.
Celebrated being another year older and feeling particularly thankful for the experiences I have in life
Crossed the Pacific to the Cook Islands, where I found the perfect paradise, without overwhelming tourists and large resorts.
Took a day trip to Aitutaki where they have the bluest, clearest waters I have ever seen in my life!
Sat in the cockpit on the way back from Aitutaki because the owner of my villa in Rarotonga happened to be the co-pilot on the flight!
Made friends with a group of people that kept running to each other on the island, and happened to be all on the same flight back to LAX.

And now, today, September 5th, I am in Mexico City for a few days before I head back to California! My life will be a bit more structured starting next week, so stay tuned for (more regular) posts and thanks for your patience! Hope everyone had a great summer!

Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone. She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night! She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

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Day trip to Mitla from Oaxaca

Lannie — Sat, 28 Apr 2018 17:49:45 +0000

Oaxaca is easily one of my favorite places in Mexico. But don’t get me wrong. It’s also great to get out of the city and see the surrounding areas. On my trip to Oaxaca in 2018, my friend and I decided to do a day trip to Mitla in order to see the sites and eat some more great food. And it actually turned out to be the best Oaxaca day trip we took!

We arranged to do a full day tour with our Airbnb host. Hiring private drivers to do this trip is relatively easy in Oaxaca. You can find someone in Centro to take you. Alternatively, the host at your hotel or lodging should be able to make arrangements for you. We paid 250 Pesos per hour, exclusive of entrance fees.

Our tour included the following:

Arbol del Tule – the oldest and widest tree in the world!
Mitla – home of the Zapotec civilization,
Hierve el Agua – a calcified “waterfall” in the mountains,
and Mercado de Tlacolula – a market, known for its famous barbacoa, BBQ goat/sheep, markets on Sundays!

And let me just tell you – it was one of our best Oaxaca day trips of our time there!! But first, before we start the day trip to Mitla, we need to make sure our bellies are nice and full!

1. Breakfast

Of course, we had to start off our day with a hearty meal. We left our Airbnb at 8:30 and arrived at Restaurant La Palapa de Raúl at 9 am, right when they opened for breakfast.

It’s on the way, so you might as well time it perfectly like our host did!

2. Arbol del Tule (“the tree of Tule”)

And then we were off! The first stop was the Arbol del Tule, which is arguably the oldest and widest tree in the world. Some call it the “tree of life.”

The Arbol del Tule

Rumor has it, the tree is at least 1500 years old. The diameter of Arbol del Tule is 14.05 meters (46.1 feet). It sits in a closed off courtyard, along with the town’s church. Walk around the tree and you see animals spring to life. A lion and a crocodile are easily visible in the massive tree trunk. Sadly, the tree is slowly dying. Pollution, water shortages, and the weight of the nearby road on its roots are the main detriments to the tree’s health.

can you see the lion?

Entry to the courtyard costs 10 Pesos. Although you can see the tree without entering the courtyard, it’s worth it to pay if you really want to see the true beauty and nuances of the old tree.

3. Hierve el Agua (“the water boils”)

From there, we headed into the mountains to Hierve el Agua. This is the view, as you ascend the mountains.

Ascending into the mountains on our day trip to Mitla

As you pass through small villages on your way, you pay two entrance fees –

one at an earlier village for 10 Pesos per person,
and one right outside of Hierve el Agua for 25 Pesos per person.

There is a reason for the two entrance fees. There is only one road to Hierve el Agua, with two villages in succession before the entrance. The first village wanted to reap the benefits of increased tourism, since buses and vans pass through their village and degrading their roads, etc. Hence, the double entrance fee was born and frankly, for a combined total of 35 Pesos | under $2 USD, it’s definitely worth it.

Once you get in, there are two parts to this attraction.

A petrified, calcified formation (similar to stalactites or stalagmites) that looks like a cliffside waterfall,
Pools formed by mountain spring waters.

There are two pools, one on an upper terrace, which is natural, and one on a lower terrace, which has spring water directed there.

Bring your swimsuits, because you can swim or soak in these two pools.

To my confusion, these are not thermal baths. Although the water is pure and probably great for your skin, it is a gentle, cool bath. There are changing rooms and relatively clean bathrooms avaialble for a few pesos. At the baths, you’ll get a view of the petrified waterfall. It’s a short hike uphill to get to the actual “waterfall”. I didn’t go, but my friend did. She said there was another pool at the top.

4. Roadside Mezcaleria

Leaving Hierve el Agua, we stopped by an artisan mezcaleria run by a small family. This is the Mexico’s mezcal region, with large swaths of agave plants growing along the roads, up into the mountains.

Mezcal is made with the core, or the “pineapple” or the agave plant. The leaves are all cut off and the core is thrown into a fire pit to roast. After roasting, the cores are flattened with its juices squeezed out by a patient donkey and attached to a stone wheel. The donkey spends the whole day walking around in a circle, pausing, while the caretaker uses his pitchfork and adjusts the agave cores which are now turning into a pulp. It’s then fermented and twice distilled, and then it’s ready for drinking!

After a little tasting, I bought a walnut-infused mezcal, for 70 Pesos | ~$4 USD.

5. Mitla – home of the Zapotecs

Then we headed to Mitla, one of the most important archaeological site for Zapotecs, operating as their main religious center and sacred burial site. Tickets are around 70 Pesos, same as my mezcal purchase.

There are three complex groupings that are currently open for visitation – the church group, the column group, and the arroyo group (I think). The three sites are within walking distance of each other, with a small market on the grounds as well. The buildings in Mitla are known for the intricate, interconnected stone work.

The Church of San Pedro, in the church grouping
detail of the exterior

The name Mitla is a Hispanicized word meaning “place of rest” or “place of the dead.” While I don’t want to diminish the importance of Mitla as a religious center, the reason why Mitla is famous is because of the intricate and decorative mosiac fretwork that you see above. That type of design covers tombs, panels, and entire walls! None of the other Mesoamerican sites in Mexico have that kind of geometric designs! Not only that, but it is extremely well-preserved, considering it may have been inhabited as early as 900 BC!

Gorgeous, right? Now you know why the day trip to Mitla was a must!

6. Tlacolula Market – Sunday barbacoa eats!

After Mitla, we had worked up an appetite. Since we hadn’t eaten anything since our breakfast hours earlier, it was time to hit the Tlacolula Market!

The Tlacolula Market is famous for it’s Sunday barbacoa. Local families and restaurants will come out to this market on Sundays to buy barbacoa for their families or their restaurants. Barbacoa is goat or sheep barbecue, served in a taco or in a soup. DELICIOUS! and worth timing out for the Sunday market.

goat soup
barbacoa sheep taco

Parting Thoughts on the Day Trip to Mitla

All in all, this was an amazing and diverse day trip. It is well worth taking the time to make arrangements. The itinerary took us from 8:30 am to about 5:30 pm, and was a full day trip. Granted, we took our time eating and walking around the markets and things. I’d definitely consider it the best Oaxaca day trip you can take!

The cost we paid to our Airbnb host was about 2,250 Pesos (or a little over $100 USD), which was split between the two of us. Entrance fees for Arbor del Tule, Hierve el Agua, and Mitla added to 115 Pesos (approximately $6 USD), per person. Great for the budget conscious traveller!

For an added bonus, consider combining Teotitlan del Valle with this day trip. It is a small village known for its artisans and weavers. It is conveniently located along the way, and is included on the Google Map below.

If you’re looking to join a tour instead, it will cost about $45 USD per person, on average. Either via tour or on your own, it’s definitely worth it, and like I said – the day trip to Mitla was one of the best Oaxaca day trips we took!

Please note that some products or referrals in this post are affiliate links (in green) and if you go through them to make a purchase or booking, I will earn a commission. I share these product and booking links because they are related to the post and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours whether to click through and make a purchase through these links.

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Lannie

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How Oaxaca melted my heart

Lannie — Sat, 28 Apr 2018 17:10:31 +0000

I can’t wait to share everything I experienced in the magical, Mexican city of Oaxaca! In recent years, Oaxaca (pronounced wa-HA-ka) has become an “it” destination and its charming colorful houses are regularly features in travel magazines, social media, and blogs. It’s also experiencing a large wedding tourism boom because of their colorful, traditional weddings.

In total, I spent 5 full days here. With action packed days, it was enough to eat, see, and do almost everything. This time, I was so lucky to have a travel buddy and super planner with me, who took the reigns of planning and execution and I just toddled along for the ride. It was a welcome change for someone who has gone at it alone for, at least, the last 9 countries. So, thank you Stef for being a super researcher, patient translator, and great friend!

So without further ado, here is my list of how Oaxaca melted my heart.

1. Visit Oaxaca for the People

Without a doubt, a city is only as welcoming as their people and Oaxaca is filled with warm and kind people. Let me just give you a few examples, which I just find so heartwarming and delightful

the guard at the stamp museum who showed us how to open each of the vintage post boxes,
the server at TacoVilla who went through the whole menu to make sure we understood each item (and then gave us a complementary order of sopapillas at the end of our meal!),
all of the lovely locals who always greeted us with a smile and a Buenos Dias (good day!) either on the streets or in a restaurant,
and even making sure to ask if we were enjoying our food, even if they were customers themselves!!! They wanted to make sure we were enjoying ourselves in their great city!

2. Quality of Life, also related to the people

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, in the Zocalo square.

Some of my fondest memories of this trip involve how local Oaxacans take time to enjoy life. During the day, the Zocalo is a lively square near the center of town filled with street vendors, shoe shiners, and elotes. On a Friday night, there were musicians and people dancing to the music while others were just sitting or standing around enjoying the evening.

Visit Oaxaca for dancing in the Zocalo

One night, we took an hour and a half bike ride around the city, through an organization called Mundo Ceiba. Even though it was a little confusing at check in and the start of the ride, the organizers did an amazing job corralling and leading at least a hundred people. It wasn’t a hundred tourists though. Mostly they were locals of all ages with their families, enjoying the evening and the city they call home.

The route went outside of the city center (Centro) and made its way into the smaller neighborhoods. The organizers kept cars at bay (with people holding up traffic) and through a loudspeaker and music, kept everyone engaged and their spirits high. For 70 pesos (approximately $4 USD) per person, it was a great way to get to know the city.

outside the bike shop

our map around the city

Another night, we ran into a wedding in town, which included a large procession with puppets, music, and dancers. It was wonderful to see and be a part of. Also, a warm congratulations to Adriana and Omar, who had a beautiful wedding in town that week

3. Wonderful Places and Spaces in Town

Oaxaca is just an amazing town center, with lots of character and charm everywhere you turn. Looking into doorways and windows were a favorite activity of mine, because you never know when you will stumble on an art gallery, modern art exhibit, or restaurant.

The Templo de Santo Domingo, the main fixture of Oaxaca Centro

3.1 Ethnobotanical Garden – Jardin Etnobotanico de Oaxaca

The Ethnobotanical Garden (Jardin Etnobotanico de Oaxaca) is a wonderful space in town, directly next to the main church.

They offer English tours on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 11 am (2 hours) for 100 Pesos | $5.55 USD. The tours give you an introduction to plants native to the area and a history of its domestication. We were told that the tour usually sells out, and there are often people waiting in line before the garden opens at 11. It’s true, there were people lined up, but the week we were there was an off week, and the town was unusually quiet.

3.2 Stamp Museum

Down the street from the garden, is the local stamp museum. It’s very cute, and has a bigger and more interesting collection than you’d imagine. It has a nice cafe and sitting area in the back and a cute gift shop in the front. It’s free, so it’s worth a short stop on your way in or out of the gardens.

3.3 Amate Books

When roaming around town, you’re bound to come across Amate Books, which is a charming, local bookstore near the center. So colorful and the decorations celebrate the indigenous local cultures.

3.4 Museum of Textiles

While walking around town, you’ll also come across the Museum of Textiles (free admission). The museum is a charming space with rotating exhibitions of modern and traditional textiles, including textile-related art. It closes at 8 pm, so there’s plenty of time to stop by. There was a little. party going on when we stopped by one evening,

4. Visit Oaxaca for the Fun Day Trips!

We took two day trips out of the city, and they were both well worth it and easy to do!

4.1 Monte Alban

On the first trip, we went about half an hour outside of town to Monte Alban, which is a UNESCO heritage site known for its post-Classical archaeological ruins. Monte Alban was built atop a mountain, with its architecture drawing inspiration from the hills and mountains. It was the political and economic center for the Zapotecs. Monte Alban is also featured on the back of a 20 Peso note.

We took a round trip bus from Oaxaca city to Monte Alban. There were several providers, which could all be the same company. The one we took was outside the Hotel Rivera del Angel, on Francisco Javier Mina (street), near the November 20 market. The bus left Oaxaca on the half hours, in the morning, and returned from Monte Alban on the hour. The journey takes about half and hour, winding up a mountain and through small villages. The roundtrip ticket cost 55 Pesos |~$3 USD. Alternatively, you could sign up and take a guided tour.

Entrance into the site cost 70 Pesos, and tickets can be bought via credit card using a digital kiosk. There is a small museum with some artifacts and history, in Spanish only, and a small cafe. We spent between 2-3 hours here, which was plenty of time to walk through each station and to read the corresponding plaques, which gave information in Spanish, English, and Zapotec.

But be aware, there is little shade and the distance between buildings and structures can be harsh under the midday sun. There are locals selling hats and umbrellas outside the entrance, in case you forgot yours.

4.2 Mitla, and the surrounding areas

It’s possible to see a bunch of really interesting places with a day trip outside the city. It’s not that far, distance wise, but the countryside is vastly different from town and is worth making arrangements to go. From research, I understand that hiring a private driver is fairly normal and easy to do. Had our Airbnb host not offered to shuttle us around, we would have found our own.

Our full day tour took us to Arbol del Tule, Mitla, Hierve el Agua, and Mercado de Tlacolula. Visiting Teotitlan del Valle (a textile, artisan village) would have been possible as well, but we took our time with a long breakfast and an extra visit with an artisan mezcal producer.

Read all about the day trip to Mitla and surrounding areas

5. Visit Oaxaca for the FOOD

I know I consider myself a food expert, but in reality, I just like eating it. And enjoying it! And boy did I enjoy eating food in Oaxaca!

My fellow blogging friend will do better at explaining all the Oaxaca Street Food we ate. Considering she is an expert chef, I won’t describe everything we ate in detail. But, I will say – the freshly made tortillas were amazing! You could smell the corn as you took each bite.

Everything was made with fresh tortillas of varying thicknesses, colors, and levels of softness or crispiness. These tortillas were often accompanied by beans, cheese, guacamole, meat, mole, and other veggies. The google map has each spot we ate at marked down. The real winner was Itanoni, which is known for its corn and tortilla products. A little bit outside of the center of town, IT WAS SO WORTH IT!

All the places we ate at are listed on the map at the bottom of the post! Try them all!

Parting Thoughts on Oaxaca

So even though this post is more pictures than words, there is just so much to love and to share about Oaxaca. There’s just too much, especially on the food front, to do a proper recap, but everything worth mentioning is included in the Google Map below.

In short, Oaxaca is a magical place that will capture your heart and soul. Throughout your whole stay, you’ll probably comment about 10 times a day how charming a place is, how lovely that place is, and what a wonderful quality of life they have there. And then you’ll know – you’re hooked on Oaxaca too!

I hope I’ve given you a few reasons to visit Oaxaca or at least to put it on your radar for the future. It’s delightful, the people are warm and lovely, and it’s absolutely delicious!

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Lannie

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