We walked the zocalo, the main square in Oaxaca and then wandered the Benito Juarez market mostly looking and buying a few things as we went. Monday is the birthday of Benito Júarez, the main founding father of Mexico as an independent state. I should point out there have been a few revolutions over the centuries with many heroes of independence but Juárez is revered everywhere.
I bumped into the balloon seller coming round a corner and snapped a quick shot as she drove over me with her balloons, me fumbling with my camera. In Mexico you just never know what’s coming.
You can take the number of people in the main square on a weekday as a mark of a laid back lifestyle, a shortage of gainful employment or work schedules that allow for breaks in an otherwise busy schedule. I enjoy the atmosphere whatever it is and I paid a guy 50 pesos to clean my shoes, a job for which he charges 30. It’s a way to spread it around as I do the opposite of bargaining small sellers to death.
I also talk to them as they work. We discussed Oaxaca, history, he archeological ruins we had seen, the abilities of the Mixtecs who inhabited the area and the likelihood the ruins of Monte Alban would outlast modern Oaxaca. Our money was on the ruins.
I was serenaded in the background by a marimba crew who also got a slice of gringo wealth. Their tip jar was a rather decorative piece of bamboo.
Oaxaca isn’t exactly undiscovered and as we ambled we passed a few gringos, most on foot, but none of whom acknowledged other foreigners in their midst. I like to hear other peoples’ stories but I’ve given up forcing conversations with tourists and reserve my curiosity for fellow travelers. Tourists avoid eye contact, travelers engage.
The zocalo in Oaxaca is heavily shaded but it is also surrounded on all four sides by buildings only two stories tall which gives it a low forested feel. I found it very relaxing.
The Benito Juárez market in Oaxaca:
I have no idea what this is:
We bought tamales for dinner:
I got a quesadilla for breakfast:
With optional onions. It was delicious with green leafy vegetables and a soft cheesy tortilla.
Store owners pay the trash collectors a few pesos to remove garbage.
Oaxaca is also famous for it’s cheese:
Tejate is not beer, it’s a dry savory chocolate drink sweetened and frothed.
Silvia showed us how it’s done. She asked did we like Oaxaca. I said it’s okay… her friend took instant umbrage asking what had we seen? Had we been here…or there…? Silvia got the joke right away finally Silvia intervened and told her friend “He’s pulling your leg…” I admitted it was so and as usual there was some surprise that a foreigner can have a dry sense of humor. This drink really is odd but it looks healthful doesn’t it?
Then we talked seriously for a bit about the various pleasures of Oaxaca.
We stopped at one chili place where Layne got enthusiastic and I expect some Mexican spices may cross my plate soon.
After all the excitement of wandering the Benito Juarez market we had a lunch date. Rusty was permitted at Casa Taviche, we checked, but he was not in the mood to leave his air conditioned bed (large battery banks rule!) aboard GANNET2 so we proceeded without him.
As absurd as it sounds our friends are people we met a few days ago mentioned in my post about Hierve el Agua. Layne takes everyone’s contact details of course and Rosemary and Ron were staying in Oaxaca so…
…it was inevitable we’d meet up again. They suggested Casa Taviche and we gladly agreed. They are travelers and even though - gasp!- they don’t have a van they know their way around Mexico. Like I always say there’s more than one way to travel and they are travelers not tourists.
We meat eaters went straight to the fixed menu starting with cauliflower soup. I’ve loved the vegetable since before it became fashionable but I’ve never had it like this:
They shared a large slice of tuna.
We each had a beef roll up.
And concluded with a corn and strawberry pudding.
In the meantime someone delivered a pile of tostadas. I guess they mean business…
Back to the sleeping boy.
It’s too convenient having our home parked downtown on a city street. It just takes getting there early enough to find easy parking where you want it.
