Normally when I travel to a place I have never been before I do some research and develop a plan for the trip. It may be very detailed or very loose, but there is some type of plan. I chose not do that this time. I had about two pages of suggestions from other people and my traveling partner Judy, but no real plan. I traveled this way when I was younger and just let come what may. All we knew was where we were staying. That proved to be a great and essential part of what was a fabulous trip to a new place.
We stayed at the Villa Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast. The selection was based on favorable online reviews and some photos of the building that enticed me to see it in person. What we soon learned was we were really guests in a family home where we all shared breakfast and conversation every morning. The room was generous with a balcony overlooking the upper valley, which leads to the city center about three miles away. This was not like other B&B’s I have stayed in.
We arrived about 8PM on New Years Eve, 2014. We had agreed to take part in the New Years Dinner planned for guests who were interested. There were seven in all including our hosts Rebecca and Rebecca, mother and daughter. The other three guests happened to be Americans, but as we learned many guests during our stay were also Mexican or other nationalities. We had been traveling since 5 AM from MN and were tired. We asked when dinner was and were told 10PM. We paused wondering if we could make it. We did and the night was great fun, wonderful food and some fire-works to close it down at 1AM for us at least.
Breakfast was a little later the next day at 10AM where we met three other guests from Colombia. The mother we learned later was a broadcast journalist with a daily interview show in Bogotá. Her husband is a university researcher writing on mostly governing policy ideas. They had a six-year-old daughter who knew no fear. She was able to visit with adults well and had great fun playing with the four dogs living at the Villa. We stayed for 13 nights, so we encountered several other guests from Mexico and the USA. At times we were the only guests.
In addition to the Rebeccas’, the father, Juan Arturo and the son Juanito completed our host family. Juanito is an architect about three years out of school. He and his father were building a house to be sold on the northern edge of the city. Juan Arturo was educated as an engineer and designed and built the house we were staying in. He is an author of books on the Mesoamerican civilization, which occupied the area where Oaxaca city and state are today. He is also a painter and is involved with tourism section of the government in Oaxaca state. He is also very good at playing domino.
In Part Two of this post I will concentrate on the architecture and the ruins we visited. Continuing here, I would like to talk about the daily culture we experienced.
Oaxaca is the land of mole and mezcal. Prior to this trip I had assumed mole was a sauce using cocoa and all mole was mole negro. Not so! There are many mole of all colors and flavors. The chilies and grasshoppers were a regular item in all markets. Mezcal is the other ubiquitous flavor encountered at most markets and restaurants. I do not pretend to understand mezcal. It is made from agave, but unlike tequila it uses many types of agave and the method must involve roasting the agave with a wood fire to be considered mezcal. Most of it is made in small batches and sold locally.
I learned the most about this drink and how it is an integral part of society there by attending Juan’s regular Thursday night Domino group. I felt lucky to be asked and accepted the invitation with Judy’s encouragement. We met around three in the afternoon to socialize over drinks and food. Mezcal was the first order along with a beer. I was a bit nervous because I do not speak Spanish. I wasn’t sure just what parts of conversations I would understand. Of the twelve men there were at least four that had lived in the US at some point in their lives. Along with those four and Juan’s help with language, I was able to keep up on much of what was said. It was suggested if I had more mezcal I could speak better Spanish. This group of men were varied in age and back round. They were tied together by the game of domino, which obviously grew into friendships beyond the game. Over the six hours I was away from the villa we ate and drank for three hours and played domino for three hours. I played badly, but they were very forgiving. I never got skunked and actually won a game. Juan warned me there could be some immature behavior and there was a little, but it was a great experience I may never be able to repeat. Hector, a doctor, did get skunked twice. In Oaxaca a skunk is called a shoe, which I believe suggests a shoe could be a stinky item that reflects the result of poor play. Notice Hector holding 2 shoes in the photo. My playing partner was very worried we could end up in the same place, however we prevailed.
Coming in Part 2: The most notable ruin around is Monte Alban. East of the city about 45 minutes by car is another ruin called Mitla. ………..
