Oaxaca City - Part 2

The last two days have been fun and full of walking.  We are staying about 10 blocks away from Oaxaca's downtown, where everything of interest is.  It's about a 15 minute walk to the plaza and then some more walking to wherever you want to go from there.

Day 3
We spent some more time checking out the churches and other sights.  We saw the aqueduct (Los Arquitos) which was built in the 18th century to supply Oaxaca with water from the nearby mountain springs.   Although the structure is still standing, it is no longer used to supply water, being replaced by underground steel pipes.  The city has built up and engulfed the aqueduct with doorways and streets placed under the arches of the old aqueduct.

Los Arquitos paralleling the street.

One of the arches of the aqueduct now turned into a door.

The most incredible place of the day was the Santo Domingo Church and ex-Convent.  Inside the church, the front alter was covered in gold leaf, the ceiling covered with paintings of biblical stories, and everything so intricately carved.  Definitely an awe-inspiring, truly breathtaking building.

Interior of Santo Domingo Church.  It was impossible to capture its ornate beauty and size in a picture.

Karen in front of Santo Domingo Iglesia (church).

Next, we went to the ex-Convent part of Santo Domingo. The convent part was where the native people were converted to the Catholic faith. The ex-Convent now houses the Cultural Museum of Oaxaca. What an amazing museum!  It went on and on covering the culture of the area from the time of the native Mesoamerican peoples to the conquistadors up to Mexican history of the early 1900s. We all read Spanish well enough, but it would have been nice to have been able to read a little better so that we could understand the displays...which were all in Spanish.  But we got the gist well enough.  The coolest part of the museum was probably the jewels, statues, and bones found in one of the tombs of the nearby ruins of Monte Alban.

Human skull covered with turquoise found in Tomb 7 at Monte Alban.

A reoccurring figure in Zapotec carvings

Gold figure found at Monte Alban

 Day 4
Looking for some cool old ruins, Chet and I headed out to Monte Alban (Wyatt said he'd already seen his fill of ruins).  We were planning to get going early in the morning, but sometimes the world slows you down.  Consulting our trusty guide book of Oaxaca, we found out we could catch a bus to Monte Alban (about 11 km outside of Oaxaca) from near the plaza in downtown Oaxaca.  At the plaza, we realized we forgot our money for the bus back at our place.  So, a trek and a half later, we were back at the plaza ready to go...but we had missed the bus by ten minutes (we hadn't known what the schedule was but it turned out the buses left on the half hour instead of on the hour).  So we patiently waited an hour and made it on the shuttle to Monte Alban.  It was interesting seeing the rest of Oaxaca, outside of the downtown area, we headed up a hillside covered in cinderblock and tin roof shacks. Finally, at the top of the hill, we made it to Monte Alban.

Monte Alban was home to the Zapotec people and later the Mixtec people from 500 B.C. to 800 A.D. with the hilltop city being occupied for over 1,200 years before being conquered by the Aztecs.  Over the years, Monte Alban grew, was remodeled, and was home to more than 40,000 people at its peak.  Excavation starting in the 1930s unveiled the elaborate stone pyramids and buildings along with the buildings' treasures.

Monte Alban from the top of the north pyramid.

Monte Alban from the south pyramid looking west.

Chetos (his spanish nickname since most people don't know how to pronounce Chetco here) on what he says was the disembowelment/sacrifice platform.

The ball court

Day 5
Today was a nice, slow day. We hung out, read our books, wrote some blogs ;)  About noon we went down to the zocalo (plaza) and bought a taxi ticket for our transportation back to the airport on Tuesday morning (Karen likes to plan ahead but I must admit I'd probably still be in Sayulita if it wasn't for her).  After some people watching, we headed to lunch at the Mercado 20 de Noviembre which is a market consisting of an acre of food vendors.  The market was full of hustle and bustle with each vendor trying to get us to eat at their little restaurant.

Overwhelmed by all the choices, we finally came to a consensus to eat at the Carne Asada row.  This row was filled with vendors with charcoal fired barbecues, their stalls displaying the fresh meats they could grill for you. Seeing that all the locals were eating here we decided we had to do it to, simply for the experience if not anything else.

Being completely unknown to the process, we were swept up by the first vendor, handed a plate of veggies, and pointed to the nearest barbecue stall.  There, we chose chorizo and some type of other meat (maybe Asada?) to be grilled.  We were then given a number for our order, pushed to the vendor's specific table. All this happened in about 2 minutes and consisted of a flurry of spanish being shouted and wild gesturing.

At our table we were shown a selection of salsas and veggies to choose from to accompany our meal. We ordered three Cocas (Coca Cola) and waited for our food.  Three Mexican gentleman sat down at the bench on the other side of our table.  I noticed later that they sat down in a mirror image of how we were seated with respect to who ate the most.  The guy who ate the most was situated across from Wyatt (who normally eats the most in our group), then the middle eater was situated across from Chet, and the lightest-eater and smallest man was situated across from myself...funny how the world shows you symmetry in the oddest places.  The Mexican gentlemen also ordered Coca-Colas to go with their meal.  After a laugh of "Wait...was this mine or your Coca-Cola?" with the gentlemen, our food arrived with grilled meats and veggies and some tortillas.  I am not much one for photographing my food, but this is a meal I would have liked to have a photograph of. Alas, the food took over our brains (and I didn't want to look like even more of a gringa American photographing everything).

Our meal was a giant basket of chorizo and asada accompanied by a stack of fresh tortillas, the salsas we selected and grilled veggies. Supposedly it was 3 portions but looked to be enough for an army. Even the locals had a difficult time finishing their mountain of food. I am proud to say (with a bit of effort) we finished our basket. We left the market very satisfied albeit very very full.  The rest of the day was spent enjoying the people watching at the zocalo and splitting a pineapple for dinner.

Carne Asada row with meat vendors lining the walls and the barbecues adding the haze to the air.  (Photo courtesy of Wyatt)

Hasta luego!
Karen and Chet

Oaxaca City Part 1

Wyatt met us at the Puerto Vallarta airport. He looked haggard but was feeling better. Karen and I both were still having stomach cramps. Whatever we had was sticking around for another day. We took off at around 9:30 am local time and flew to Mexico city. We descended into the smog shrouded metropolis an hour later. Mexico city is huge, a city of around 9 million it sprawled out beneath us forever.

We got off the plane and were immediately corralled to a line to board our connecting flight. It was the smoothest connection I have ever had. No walking across the airport or catching shuttles to another terminal. Our connecting flight was literally one gate over. Another hour later and we were in Oaxaca disembarking onto the tarmac and into the hot, humid air.

Oaxaca city, founded in 1529, (population~400,000, elevation ~5110 ft) is located directly in the middle of the state of Oaxaca. It is the governmental capital of the state and the de facto capital of Mexico's indigenous heartland. Oaxaca is nestled in a temperate highland valley. The weather is warm throughout the day and evening and cool at night and in the mornings.

Map of the State of Oaxaca

No buses or private taxis are allowed to operate from the airport. To get into the city you must either be picked up by someone or take a collectivo (a group taxi). So Karen walked to the counter and bought our tickets (70 pesos each ~$5). We boarded the taxi along with 5 other people and were dropped off in front of the house we are staying at.

From the outside it looked rather questionable but once we were shown our rooms we were pleasantly surprised. We are staying on the third floor of a small apartment style complex. There are two bedrooms, our own kitchen/living room and a bathroom. The kitchen was stocked with fresh fruit and eggs. Outside is a patio area looking out towards the south.

Since Wyatt wasn't feeling that well, Karen and I went out to explore our surroundings. A half a block away we found a tortillaria and a little farther down a tienda which sold all the essential items we may need throughout the week. We went inside to get some groceries and were promptly assisted by a very friendly and helpful woman. We wanted to buy some broth to make soup but didnt know the spanish word for soup stock. Karen tried asking for chicken liquado (roughly translates to "chicken milkshake") and received a strange look. We tried asking for sopa but ended up empty handed and just used water with lots of veggies. The soup was a nice change from tacos and settled our stomachs.

DAY 2
We woke up feeling rested and much better. After a hearty breakfast of eggs and mashed potatoes we decided to head into town. The town's zocalo (central plaza) was about a 20 minute walk from our house. So we headed out down the cobblestone streets to check it out.

Many of the streets in Oaxaca are one way and lack stop signs or stoplights at the cross streets. The cars simply slow very slightly before zooming past. Crossing the street at first was tricky at first (especially since no one uses turn signals!) but we figured it out with only getting honked at a few times.

The zocalo is basically a large plaza filled with benches and shade trees. It is flanked to the east by the Cathedral of Oaxaca, a massive and extremely beautiful building. On the other three sides are colonial era style buildings that are now filled with restaurants and shops. We walked around a bit and then went inside the cathedral. Unfortunately we didn't take any pictures of the interior. There is something awe-inspiring about being inside a building that big. Pews with giant arched ceilings towering overhead, the silence of the stone looming over you and people on their knees praying; it was an intimidating place. My favorite part though was the nativity scene in the very front of the church, complete with all the animals, and decked out with christmas lights.

Oaxaca's Cathedral 

After leaving the church we went to a quaint little natural history museum located in the no-so-quaint ex gubernatorial building. All the exhibits were targeted for a younger audience but the building itself and two beautiful murals inside made the price of admission worth it. The murals described some of Mexico's history. 

One of the murals describing some of Mexico's history.

Wyatt and Karen looking at the second mural

Interior of the natural history museum/ex gubernatorial building. 

After the museum, we headed to one of the awesome markets in downtown Oaxaca.  The Benito Juarez Mercado is a wild mixture of textiles, Oaxacan knick-knacks, prepared food, and bulk food such as rice, beans, veggies, spices, and fruit. It was a little over-whelming...so much stuff to see!  We bought some rice, beans, spices, and some mole rojo paste.  It was Wyatt's birthday so we made a mole dish with rice and beans on the side. For dessert, we made banana bread.  We tried to go to the market down the street for flour.  We tried asking for 'herina' (wheat flour) but the lady that had helped us the day before looked at us questioningly and pointed us to maza.  We decided to try the maza (corn flour) in our banana bread. It turned out surprisingly well, just a little corny and gluten free!

Our dinner supplies: fresh veggies, fresh tortillas (literally hot off the press), and mole

Wyatt's birthday cake!

Hasta la proxima,
                 -Chet and Karen

Leaving Sayulita

Right now we are staying at a wonderful little house in a small town called Ixtapa. A very friendly Dutch couple named Gerard and Dini are our hosts. The house is a pleasant change from the bustle and noise of our place in Sayulita.

Unfortunately Wyatt stayed in Sayulita with his cousin because he got really sick last night. People were saying that there might be something in the ocean water right now. Apparently several surfers at the contest couldn't compete in the final heat because they too came down with something. Karen has gotten better at this point but I still have a slight stomach ache. Hopefully tomorrow I will have recovered. I sure did get a lot of water in my mouth and nose while body surfing.

Sayulita was a lot of fun but we were both ready to leave. It was very much a tourist destination. Everyone spoke English, people were always trying to sell you things or get you to eat at their restaurant and it was a bit crowded with gringos. On the plane ride into Puerto Vallarta I was laughing because every single passenger was a gringo and most likely over fifty. Puerto Vallarta and Sayulita are the land of retirees, expats, and young people looking to have a good time. It did not have an authentic Mexican feel to it (at one taco stand our tacos had sprouts, grated beet, and strawberries on them).

Nevertheless we had a wonderful time in Sayulita. The wedding was beautiful and we had a great time spending the week with Emilio and Sam. Maybe someday we will return to this funky, beach tourist town.

At Playa Los Muertos

Hasta luego Sayulita! Tomorrow we leave for Oaxaca and the next part of our adventure.

Missing you all but not ready to come home,
-Chet

Ups and downs

Nothing to jolt you out of a stomach sickness like hearing an engineering friend from Humboldt passed away in a car accident.  The three of us engineers (Chet, Emilio, and I) found out through Facebook this morning.  Jeff Navarro, rest in peace.  You were a wonderful, smart soul with a great smile and sense of humor.  You will be dearly missed and fondly remembered in this world.  I sincerely wish you could have used your engineering degree, having graduated only a month ago.

Chet, Emilio, and I have been battling some stomach problems the last couple days.  Although it is a nuisance, it was expected to have some upset stomachs along the way as we adapt to the food.  Thank goodness for bubbly mineral water and pepto-bismal for calming upset stomachs.

Justin and Melissa's wedding was beautiful.  Sweet ceremony.  Overlooking the beach at a beautiful venue. Chet, Emilio, Sam, and I have been friends with Justin for the last several years at Humboldt State.  It was so awesome to be able to come down to his wedding and show him our support as his friends.  Melissa is a nurse in Eureka and has been saving up for a dream wedding.  Justin and Melissa decided they wanted to get married some place warm and near the beach (coming from cold, damp Eureka, that is a very understandable request!) and hence the wedding was held in Sayulita, Mexico.  What a lovely, lovely wedding with such great friends!

Justin and Melissa's wedding in Sayulita

We leave the lovely little beach town of Sayulita on Monday.  We've tried many of the taco stands...at one point Emilio said his goal was to eat tacos for every meal this whole week.  He probably would have succeeded had it not been for a bit of a stomach bug.  We've gotten whole fresh coconuts with the tops chopped of to drink the coconut water.  We've gone to the main beach, surfed some (waves were small), watched a surf contest, saw an awesome mariachi band, and went to Playa los Muertos which is just down the road from the town cemetery.  Such awesome cemeteries here...brightly colored and obviously loved.  Sam and Emilio are flying back to San Francisco and Wyatt, Chet, and I will fly to Oaxaca Mexico on Tuesday.

Mariachi band playing at a festival on the plaza in Sayulita.

Quiet little Playa los Muertos. Quite the change from the noisy main beach of Sayulita.

Through ups and downs,
Love,
Karen

And here we are - Sayulita

GOLDEN GATE CLOSED: January 10-12

We had originally planned to be dropped off in the city at our friends' house, but the Golden Gate being closed for construction threw a little kink into our plans.  Luckily, we knew a week in advance. And so we found ourselves taking a ferry from north bay at Larkspur into the city. 

We arrived at the terminal at 11:40 for the 11:40 ferry worried that we missed it. Luckily there was a huge line of people still waiting to buy tickets to board. Through some confusion Karen walked immediately to the ticket machine and bought our tickets, unknowingly cutting the 50 people or so still waiting. In the end we got on the ferry with time to spare. 

Chet and I at the ferry to San Francisco

We flew out the next day from San Francisco to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with our friends, Sam and Emilio, who are also going to our friend's wedding this week in Sayulita. We arrived in Sayulita, about 30 miles northwest of Puerto Vallarta, at about 6 in the evening.  Our friend Wyatt, who will be traveling with us for the next three months now, met us at the place we are staying and gave us a tour around Sayulita. We ate some amazingly delicious tacos that night...definitely going back there for more tacos this week!

Sayulita, Mexico from the top of where we are staying

Our outside patio at the AirBnb where we are staying

We were awoken by a crazy cacophony of noises ranging from roosters to blackbirds sounding like car alarms to traffic ripping up and down the cobblestone streets as the town began to wake up.  We spent our first full day in Sayulita roaming the cool little town and lounging on the beach, eating tacos for every meal.

Originally, we had found that Sayulita is an hour ahead of California and Puerto Vallarta is two ours ahead even though the two towns are so close.  All proud of ourselves for finding out this obscure fact, we told our friends and made sure to set our clocks appropriately.   Wyatt showed up an hour early our first morning.  But........we found out through several discussions, thankfully only on our first day, that Sayulita uses Puerto Vallarta time for convenience of the tourists.  Meaning also that Wyatt was on time that morning. ;)  Luckily, we found out the time zone discrepancy early on before the wedding and before our flight out of Puerto Vallarta.

Yesterday Chet went to buy some beer for us and our group of friends (he saw a great deal 72 pesos for 8). All proud of finding the best deal in town, he triumphantly returned and promptly discovered that he had just bought 8 clamatos (beer mixed with tomato and clam juice). Needless to say, he was very disappointed while everyone else laughed. We cracked one anyway and found that they were... disgusting.

Well, that's it for now!

Karen and Chet 

Packing (T-minus 4 days)

Months and months of planning and here we are...4 days out from our crazy adventure! With emotions running the whole gamut from excited to nervous to disbelief that the trip is finally just around the corner, we began to pack. And unpack and repack and I am sure we will unpack and repack several more times before the trip.

We are packing for a three month trip to Central America.  We will start in Mexico for a college friend's wedding, meet up with our friend Wyatt, and then the three of us will journey to Costa Rica, Panama, and Nicaragua. Between Chet and myself, we have several changes of clothes, swimsuits, hammocks, sandals, tennis shoes, reading and guide books, mask & snorkel, a super awesome med-kit (Thanks Ann!), and some surf wax among other things.  Our trip will mostly be along the coastlines and with temperatures in the range of 65-80 degrees F, helping to reduce how much we need to bring.

Chet and my stuff for the trip.

Basic Trip Plan

Ta ta for now,

Karen and Chet