I have just come home from my trip to Oaxaca. Oaxaca is a state in Mexico and I traveled to 3 cities: Oaxaca City, Huatulco and Puerto Escondido. If you have never heard of Oaxaca or do not know how to say it this is how you say it: wa-ha-ka. It is an indigenous word either from the Zapotecas or the Mixtec. Oaxaca is in the southern Pacific Ocean side of Mexico. It is full of culture, food, and HEAT. I felt like I was going to melt every day.
I started my trip with my friend and fellow YAGMexico, Carlee. She and I traveled to Oaxaca City from Puebla. We spent about a day and a half there and did a lot of walking. We went on a free walking tour of the town. If you go to Oaxaca I would 100% recommend this tour to start you out. She also has a facebook page: Free Walking Tour Oaxaca. She took us around the city to some of the lesser known places to go to. She told us about cacoa, coffee and mezcal. She has a passion for her city, learning English, and meeting people from all over the world. I was truly inspired by her. We tried mezcal, and it is most definitly not my favorite alcoholic drink. It comes from the agave like tequila but can have a much higher alcohol content. Mezcal is also not a shot type drink. You do NOT drink it as fast as you can. It is a sipping drink.
Oaxaca City is so beautiful and colorful. I was so amazed by it that I came back a day early from Puerto Escondido. Oaxaca is where many of the alebrijes you find throughout Mexico are made. Alebrijes are wood carvings of animals, that they paint with wild colors, some animals are given wings or breath fire. Some of the alebrijes are dragon like characters, or other fictional characters that remind me of the monsters from the book Where the Wild Things Go. In Oaxaca there are several collections of artists that have gathered to have a store front of their own so they could cut the middle man out of their sales. There is even a guild of just female artists that have a store near the Templo de Santo Domingo. They are not just Alebrijes. They range from skills with rugs, weavings, paintings, leather work, needle work to make embroidered shirts. I was told that an even better place to get these art pieces is from the extieror towns aroudn Oaxaca, where most of the artists live. There you can talk to the artist directly about their work.
Carlee and I infront of the Oaxaca sign.
After Oaxaca City, Carlee and I went to Huatulco (said just like is it spelled without the 'h'). Huatulco is a beach town on the Pacific with a ton of bays and shares a border with a nature reserve. Carlee is from San Diego, California, so she was excited to see her ocean. Carlee was supressing, I think, much of the excitement she was feeling to see the ocean because when we finally go to it she was like a little girl b lining it to her favorite swing at recess. I was seeing a new person emerge from her. Actually not a person, a fish, or the little mermaid emerged from her. I saw the actual little mermaid. It was amazing to see.
During our time there we got to go on a bays tour. We got so burnt! I am now pealing, and not just from the time in Huatulco. I got burnt in Puerto Escondido and at my host home. (One thing I have for sure learned is that I need to wear sunscreen that is higher because the sun here is much more powerful than in Minnesota.) But being burnt was not the only thing I enjoyed on this trip. We got to see a mother and baby whale and I saw a turtle (I was the only one to see the turtle but I swear it was there!). The tour we went on was in Spanish, and full of Mexicans. This made it all the more fun and interesting. I competed in a dance competition and won! I got to drink a beer with the Captain.
Beers with the Captain.
We also went snorkeling and saw some amazing see life! Somewhere on Facebook or in the internet are pictures of everyone that snorkels holding a puffer fish all puffed out. (Yes, even I held the fish!)
After Huatulco, Carlee headed to Mexico City and I headed to Puerto Escondido. At this point I would like to add an appreciation for Carlee. Carlee. Thank you for coming with me on this adventure, keeping me in check and enjoying the ride. As a general note. Thank you also for being such a good friend and cohort.
In Puerto Escondido (and in Huatulco), I got to have the Spring Break my mom has always wanted me to have. I relaxed on a beach or in a hammock and read. Which also lead to me burning and looking like a tomato but that doesn't matter I enjoyed my time to just be. I also surfed for the first time, I got up too!
I have no photographic evidence of my actually surfing, but this will have to do.
Then that evening (same day) I went and released a baby turtle!
This one's name is Sammy (like from the movie A Turtles Tale), other's names were Olivia, and Nicole Jr. (My host brother says her name is really Nicolasita)
After a fun night of dancing at a Salsa Club, I headed back to Oaxaca City, to do more exploring there. Monte Alban is interesting for the views, but if you are wanting to see ruins, I would suggest Mitla, and you will be able to see El Tule as well and maybe even El Hierve de Agua. (all very famous Oaxaca sites)
A view of Monte Alban.
The giant famous tree of Oaxaca.
If you have read up to this point here are some suggestions I have for you:
1- If you go to Oaxaca City, a lot some time to do activities outside of the city center.
2- For #1, talk to your hostel or hotel staff about how to get there cheaply, do not go with a tour you encounter in the city center, you WILL pay way too much.
3- If you want to go to Huatulco or Puerto Escondido wait to book a bus, your hostel or hotel will have information about busses or vans that will go to those cities (especially Puerto Escondido) you may even pay less for the same trip.
4- In hostels: talk to people!!!! You will meet some amazing people from around the world and have some very interesting conversations.
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