On Saturday we left Puerto Escondido in our little rental car and drove to the city of Oaxaca (pronounced wa-ha-ca). Oaxaca is a state, a city and a valley. The city, with a metro population of about 500,000, is located in a valley in the Sierra Madre del Sur mountains.
The road leaving Puerto Escondido was full of pot holes (which is really what I expected for more of the roads we’ve been on) and took us up and down through the beautiful, and mostly uninhabited, mountains. The drive was very winding and Davis in particular felt queasy.
We made it to Oaxaca in about six hours, but unfortunately, it took us another hour-and-a-half to find our rental house. Oh, the pleasures of traveling! We are staying in a very spacious house with two floors, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. What luxury to not all be sleeping in the same room! It also has a kitchen and patios on each floor.
The house is on a steep hill overlooking the city.
Yesterday we checked out the zocalo, which is wonderful. There are large old shady trees, sidewalk cafes and lots of activity. On one side of the zocalo is the Palacio Gobierno, a former government building originally built in the 16th century. The building has been through several earthquakes, requiring restoration, most recently in 1931.
The Palacio Gobierno now houses a small museum about the indigenous cultures of Oaxaca – predominantly the Zapotec and Mixtec tribes. There were also two wonderful murals by Arturo Garcia Bustos, completed in the early 1980s. The above mural covers every inch (including ceiling) of this stairwell. It is quite breathtaking.
Afterwards we wandered around the zocalo and found an ice cream shop which sold dozens of flavors, including some Oaxaqueno specialties. There were several flavors with mezcal, a distilled spirit made from agave, mixed in. Selso and I had the cappuccino mezcal – yummy! We returned to the house and had a relaxed dinner before ending our day.
The road leaving Puerto Escondido was full of pot holes (which is really what I expected for more of the roads we’ve been on) and took us up and down through the beautiful, and mostly uninhabited, mountains. The drive was very winding and Davis in particular felt queasy.
We made it to Oaxaca in about six hours, but unfortunately, it took us another hour-and-a-half to find our rental house. Oh, the pleasures of traveling! We are staying in a very spacious house with two floors, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. What luxury to not all be sleeping in the same room! It also has a kitchen and patios on each floor.
The house is on a steep hill overlooking the city.
Yesterday we checked out the zocalo, which is wonderful. There are large old shady trees, sidewalk cafes and lots of activity. On one side of the zocalo is the Palacio Gobierno, a former government building originally built in the 16th century. The building has been through several earthquakes, requiring restoration, most recently in 1931.
The Palacio Gobierno now houses a small museum about the indigenous cultures of Oaxaca – predominantly the Zapotec and Mixtec tribes. There were also two wonderful murals by Arturo Garcia Bustos, completed in the early 1980s. The above mural covers every inch (including ceiling) of this stairwell. It is quite breathtaking.
Afterwards we wandered around the zocalo and found an ice cream shop which sold dozens of flavors, including some Oaxaqueno specialties. There were several flavors with mezcal, a distilled spirit made from agave, mixed in. Selso and I had the cappuccino mezcal – yummy! We returned to the house and had a relaxed dinner before ending our day. 
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OK...LOVE the ice cream pic!! The hat is SOOOOO Selso!!! AWESOME pics Jen, I am so impressed!! I haven't been here in about a week..I have a lot of catching up to do at nap time!! Gotta run, I have to stoke up the fire to keep warm!
ReplyDelete:) Hugs to you all!
Amy