2021 Oaxaca

We enjoyed our last peaceful afternoon and evening in Oaxaca not aware of what was already happening at the airport and how it was going to affect our travel back home. Our AA flight to Dallas was scheduled for 7:50 am so we met our taxi driver at the reception at 5:45 where he told us that the airport was closed by a protest/blockade of students (future teachers) and no planes are going out. At the same time, we got a text message from AA that our flight was delayed until 10:30 am. We rescheduled the taxi for 8 am, and at that time our taxi driver told us that the blockade was still on. Since we had no updates from American, we decided to go to the airport anyway. As we approached the airport, we first saw a long line of cars and taxis, and then a crowd of people with suitcases all congregating close to a line of young people blocking the road. Behind the students was a line of buses blocking the road, and behind them, a barricade made of something black. Nobody could pass – no cars ...

Day 6 We embarked on   taxi journey to Tlacolula, about 25 minutes from the hotel.   There is a famous market there that covers about 125 acres and attracts people from many Indian villages in the area. It has everything ---endless amount of things, fruit, produce, meat, food, textiles, clothing, tools etc. Once we went in, we weren’t sure we would be able to find our way back to the place where the driver was going to meet us. Bo thought that maybe she’s be able to find some interesting textiles there, but it was mostly the same stuff as in Oaxaca, maybe cheaper, but the same. The real main purpose was to take pictures, which was not easy because Indian women are very sensitive about being photographed. So it was just the cellphone and very quick, no time to compose anything. We got back to Oaxaca around noon and decided to try to get to the Santo Domingo church again. It was Sunday so there were masses. On the way to the church, we stumbled upon a group of mariachis and fo...

Day 5   Saturday Since we need to have a negative Covid test in order to get back to the US, the hotel concierge arranged for a testing person to come to our hotel room to test us. She arrived promptly at 9 am, did the nose swab test for both of us and told us we’ll get the results via email between noon and 1 pm. After the test we embarked on a trek to another Oaxaca neighborhood called Xochimilco. It’s the oldest part of town and home to many weavers’ workshop. Bo found a picture of a very colorful street of old adobe houses, which was   taken somewhere in Xochimilco, but there was no street name. We must have asked about 10 people where this street was before a woman by the church pointed out where she thought it was. Then we stopped at a weaver’s workshop (saw the looms and bought some stuff) and he also pointed in the same direction. So we went… If this was indeed the street, it was full of construction equipment and much changed. Generally, the area is being gentrifie...

Day 4 Started the day at a café (Boulenc) recommended by our tour driver/farmer who supplies eggs to the place. It was hard to find since it had no sign. From the outside it looks like a run down building, but inside it’s beautiful. Generally the interior design of restaurants here is much more visually interesting than restaurants in the US. The food was very good and when we were leaving, there was a long line to get in. We then walked to the Mercado. It was like markets we have seen in many places. Three hundred stalls selling everything. The difference was that, like in every other place here, they took our temperature at the entrance and squirted us with disinfectant. It was around 11 am and many stalls were still closed. We tasted a spoonful of chapulines (fried grasshoppers), a local specialty. Al hated it, but it’s just crunchy and a little spicy. In the afternoon we walked to a neighborhood called Jalatlaco, which by some travel magazine was named the second coolest neigh...

  Day 3 Breakfast at the hotel   Eh. Started our tour with private driver, Rodolfo. His English was good.   I asked where he learned English and his reply was " Santa Monica High". The first stop was Tule to see a 2000 year old tree The Mexican cypress is immense and impressive. Then we went to an archeological site at Mitla. Before entering the town (Pueblo Magico) of Mitla, there was a checkpoint – we had to get out of the car, the car was sprayed with disinfectant, our temperature was taken and our whole bodies were also sprayed. Mitla is still occupied by Zapotecs and our guide was a Zapotec man.   The 800 year old Zapotec buildings/remains are very impressive.   Large intricate structures built without mortar. It was a ceremonial site to honor the dead. There are tombs of important Zapotec rulers there, but unfortunately they were closed because of the pandemic. We could only visit the outside. There were hardly any tourists there. Rodolfo said that M...

  Day 2 – Wednesday 4/21/2021 By the time we got out of our room, it was 10 am so we headed for breakfast to a place recommended by Bo’s Spanish teacher from Mexico   (Titos). Then we decided to take a city tour to get an overview. The tour was in a double decker bus, only in Spanish and it took is through the historical center and some of the adjacent neighborhoods with lots of explanations about the history and architecture. It was a good Spanish lesson. We also stopped at a cooperative where at several different stands we could taste (and get explanations) local ice-cream, sweet bread, mescal, chocolate, and most importantly the seven moles of Oaxaca. They also had artesanias weaving wool and cotton rugs. After the tour we got back to the hotel for a little rest, and arranged a private tour for tomorrow. Then out again – Bo wanted to see a store that specializes in Latin American designers so we walked there, and then to have a late lunch or rather an early dinner to a re...

  Day 1 – travel day Traveling during pandemic is definitely different. The airports were about as busy as before, but everybody was masked, and surprisingly many people were double-masked. And both flights were full. When we landed in Oaxaca, they were very well organized. People led us from the plane to the airport building, before entering the building they took everybody’s temperature, squirted us with a disinfectant, and collected a Covid questionnaire we had to fill out. Immigration and customs took all of 5 minutes and we were out. We took a taxi to the hotel (Quinta Real). The ride took about 25 minutes. At the entrance to the hotel, the same procedure was repeated – temperature, squirt with disinfectant and fill out another questionnaire. As we later found out, this is a standard procedure at entering any place (minus questionnaire). We checked in and went into our room to unpack. The hotel premises are spectacular as it is an enormous 16 th century former monastery wit...