I'm sipping Mayan gold as I write this. Bitter, but ridiculously smooth and creamy. A hot chocolate, the Oaxacan way I've now been in Oaxaca City a week and have had some really memorable experiences. I'm loving lists these days, so here is your Oaxacan list of awesomness, in Kayla's opinion:
1. Oaxacan food delicacies. a) Quesillo - long strands of squeaky white cheese, rolled up in a ball and sold in the market, and added a top of all the food here. b) Mole sauce of many varieties which is lovingly poured a top of many creative corny creations - I can't describe this immensely unique and thick sauce with justice, perhaps the mystery will be revealed when I take my week of cooking classes this week! c) Chocolate - mostly grainy and bitter, more true to form of the original cacao beans, and ground in front of you in big metal grinders at one of the many chocolate-only shops in this town. They make a delicate mix of cocoa beans, almonds, cinnamon bark, vanilla and sugar, in quantities that you wish. It's bagged up, or formed into pucks, for later processing in the home into a luscious drink, like the one I sip at this very moment. d) Chapulines - fried crickets! e) Tlayudas - think, Mexico's version of pizza! A big thin, crispy tortilla is smeared with saucy bean mix or mole, and topped with tomatoes, avocado, quesillo, and any manner of meat, if you so wish. Okay, the food list goes on...but I'll get carried away...
2. Heivere del Agua. So glad I had the opportunity to go early in the morning to this marvel of a geological land form. I was warmly welcomed by my friends from Mexico City that a Canadian friend connected me with. The twisty, turney, mountainous drive on typical Mexican roads (i.e. huge potholes and speed bumps galore) was worth the reward. A second breakfast of memolitas at one of the many wood hut food stalls, was followed by a short walk to two green watered, still pools of water where bubbles quietly rose from different areas - making the water appearing to be boiling. Really, the water was really cool and refreshing. The landscape has been shaped by mineral rich waters bubbling out under pressure from the earth below, and calcifying smoothly, creating unique patters,and seemingly frozen waterfalls on the cliff side. A beautiful scene, green, but dry rolling mountains, patches of cultivated Agave fields and cacti erupting from an impossibly dry seeming landscape. We went on a bike to the base of the 'frozen' falls and loved the slow sprinkle of the water from above, as it landed on our sweaty bodies below.
3. Mezcal. Holy mole (pun intended) this stuff is prevalent! I have certainly now done my share of tasting this prized alcoholic beverage, but still, can say, that it is not tasty to my palette. Made from the Maguey plant (a form of the more well known Agave plant) it comes in an overwhelming variety of ages, distillation processes, even flavours, with a worm, without a worm, that is consumed straight up - sipped out of shot glasses only rarely accompanied by a lime or orange slice. On our outing to Hievere del Agua, we also visited a rural Mezcal distillation farm like place, where we learned about the rudimentary way that this popular beverage is fermented and distilled.
4. Counting down to 2015 with a fun group of new friends in Spanish. Diez! Nueve! Ocho! Siete! Seis! Cinco! Cuatro! Tres! Dos! Uno! Feliz Año Nuevo! And then dancing in a funky club until 4:30 am. I lie not. Wicked, dance, party.
5. The climate here is amazing. Dry and sunny every day. Cool in the evenings and mornings, and not to hot in the indoors. Never too cool that you need a long sleeve in the day. And! Handwashed clotes dry in a couple hours! Mucho bonito!
6. Then there is the Oaxacan art. Super colourful, borderline tacky, but to me, attractive. Bent tin shaped into crosses and hearts, black hand thrown pottery, uber colourful intricately painted whimsical wooden characters, natural hand dyed and woven rugs,blankets, scarves, tablecloths, embroidered clothes,sold by ever other woman on each street corner, and worn traditionally by some native groups here in Oaxaca state.
7. Spanish Classes! This is just the beginning. In my efforts to achieve a goal of being fully conversational in French and Spanish in two years time, I'm taking daily classes to get started, and trying at every moment to eavesdrop, and getting braver at practicing!
8. Daily runs up the mountain gives good exercise, a look at some funky street art (generally in abundance in Oaxaca City!) and a great view of the city.
9. Mercados galore. For those of you who know me, you know how much I love a good market. Whether noisy and boisterous, smelly and busy, or small and community based, I love learning about the way people sell, buy, eat and celebrate food. Since being in Mexico, I've already had the opportunity to visit a number of market places, and in Oaxaca, I've found no shortage of these foodie spaces. My favourite so far is the weekly market El Ponchote Xochimilco. Specializing in organic produce and prepared food, its a slower, quieter market, set up in a quaint church courtyard, where fresh 'verde jugo' comes in real glasses, and the tostatdas are vegetarian, flavourful and healthy. There are also some handicraft vendors that sell their jewls, hand made body products and clothing all while a mariba band's sounds waft around in the fresh air... Then there is Sanchez Pascuas and 20 de Noviembre, nestled right beside one another, they are noisy and busy places, with vendors selling delicious salty/spicy/garlicky peanuts, mole sauces of 7 varieties, Oaxacan style cheese (Quesillo), mezcals, fresh fruit and veg, dried pantry goods, so many dried hot pepper varieties, chocolate, bread, sweets, clothes, meat and fish too. Then there are the prepared food stalls - where you can pull up a stool and eat tons of food for under 5 Canadian dollars. It's a full on sensory experience and a labyrinth to boot!
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Okay, and by way of backtracking, I hope you all had a good festive season if you celebrate. I was in the lovely little hippy art town of San Pancho, on the Pacific Coast, in Nayarit State, about an hour's bus ride north of the well known Puerto Vallarta. Here is a list of fun things that I did, and that you could do, if you ever visit this tiny town:
1. Play in the waves at the nearby hippie turned yuppie town of Sayulita, or secret Los Muertos Beach.
2. Get pummeled in the waves at the San Pancho beach. Or play it safe, sip a margarita and watch the sufers live it up instead.
3. Join the fisher folks and wake early. Run along the quiet sandy stretch of beach.
4. Visit Entre Amigos in their radical eco-space that functions as a library, community centre, second hand store, artist work space, recycling centre, classroom, gift shop etc! Support their super awesome cultural, environmental and often student run programming.
5. Hang with the artistic folks behind the Colectivo San Pancho - at their free festival that ran for 9 days over the Christmas season and featured awesome local talent
6. Buy tortillas, fresh and hot from the local tortilleria, which spits out 1000's of these hot babies each day.
7. Join the dance party on the second floor of Refugio del Sol on Christmas eve.
8. Go for a drink on the rooftop bar at Darjeelings, and you'll be sure to hear some good live Mexican music.
9. Eat tacos, tacos, and more tacos, at one of the taqerias in town.
10. Buy up deliciousness and beauty at the San Pancho market each Tuesday.
11. People watch the hippies, Mexican tourists, local indigenous artists, and Canadian/American snowbirds.
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