oh! Oaxaca oh!

Oaxaca is not at all what I expected. We arrived at our hotel, Las Mariposas, the butterflies, early last evening and immediately set out for a walk around the city. I commented to Harry how unusual it was that the majority of the buildings are one story high. He astutely pointed out that it is earthquake country. I then remembered I had read in our guide book bible, Lonely Planet, that this 16th-century city has twice been destroyed by earthquakes, once in 1854 and once again in 1931. The 1931 quake destroyed 70% of the city, only buildings like the cathedral and the aqueduct, with their thick stone walls, remained standing. Thus the continuity of the 1930s architecture and the rich color adobe building facades give the city an elegant grace.

Oaxaca is exceptionally clean and the cobblestone streets and sidewalks are much easier to walk on than those in San Miguel, the beautiful city just north of Mexico City where we stayed last summer for a couple weeks. I took a bad fall on one of the hilly cobbled sidewalks in San Miguel the first day we were there. No trips or falls so far here. The streets and sidewalks are cobblestone here as well but not dangerously random in their construction like those in San Miguel.

There seem to be fewer expats here in Oaxaca than in San Miguel and few natives speak English. Harry's Spanish is back up to speed, which may be good when the cops pull us over for speeding on our drive up the peninsula next week. I have been speaking more bad Spanish and my comprehension is adequate, at least for shopping. It is good to be forced to speak. In Cabo, the minute you begin to stumble in Spanish, the waiters and store clerks speak to you in perfect English.

This city is surrounded by cloud-covered mountains which you can see from the city streets and the air smells so good. A sense of calm permeates here, except during rush hours: the crazy driving seems to set a record that even Los Cabos can't match. You feel very relaxed. It has been a relief to find a respite from the opressive heat and humidity in Cabo. When we left the plane here, it was about 70 degrees and no humidity. The evenings are cool and you can wear a light sweater or jacket and feel comfortable.

Oaxaca is known for its unique cousine, weaving, and textiles, the perfect -- or more accurately, dangerous -- place for a woman who loves nothing more than to eat and shop. We had dinner last night at a small, quaint, nine-table restaurant recommended by our hotel. We ordered tostadas with Oaxacan sausage and chicken fandango: chicken stuffed with plantains covered with a mole sauce. The food is like nothing I have ever tasted. I have temporarily given up drinking coffee, instead drinking hot chocolate like the natives. They steam the milk and add a bit of cinnamon to the chocolate. (Unfortunately, according to a Certain Person, they also add cinnamon to the coffee.) I watched at the restaurant where we had breakfast this morning, as a woman skillfully used one of those ancient wooden tools to mix the chocolate by hand into the milk. I felt like I had time-lapsed (sic!) back a few hundred years. I have no idea what we actually ate for breakfast, we just pointed to some beautiful looking food on the counter and they brought it on plates to our table.

We bought one of the famous Oaxacan rugs today in town after looking around to get an idea of quality and price. We found a lovely hand-woven one with a very intricate pattern. The shopkeeper said her son had woven the rug on the loom that was standing in the middle of the shop. When we paid her in cash, she did a silent prayer with ritual motions: we weren't sure whether she always does that or whether it was the first substantial cash she has seen in a while. A rug will be good because wall space for art, as forementioned in this blog, is scarce in our condo. We also found Harry a nice dress shirt and and the cutest little white woven jacket for Eva Juliet. Tonight we went out for dinner wearing tasteful T-shirts I bought us late this afternoon with the words Oaxaca, Mexico on the front with interesting Indian designs. I asked Harry if he thought people would take us for tourists. Of course, he spilled food on his new shirt.

Tomorrow we plan to take a bus to the ancient ruins of the Zapotec city, Monte Alban, just outside the city. Details to come....