One of the aspects of travel I love most, that I keep mentioning, is the juxtaposition of and vascillation between the sublime and the daily, the sometimes ridiculous. An introspective walk through Paris with painful shoes. Communist history, Communist humour and beer in Prague. People watching to witness daily shoppers, silly children, and enamoured lovers. … Continue reading »
The morning started out sketchily. Our drivers were friendly enough, but being shuffled from unmarked van to unmarked van, surrounded by people speaking a language we didn’t understand, was slightly worrisome. We clutched onto recognized phrases – “Monte Albán” – like lifesavers to assure ourselves we were in the right place, with the right people. … Continue reading »
2:33 pm This morning we went to Tlacolula and its famous, enormous Sunday market. It was filled with new sights, new smells, new tastes…WB would have loved it! We love exploring markets, and I think Oaxaca has had my favourite markets so far. We will have to come back together some day and share the … Continue reading »
Today, we went on a tour with En Vía, an organisation that offers small interest-free loans to women in villages around Oaxaca. Samantha, a young woman from New Jersey who’s lived in Oaxaca for two years now, took us to visit the women who would be receiving loans from our tour fees. Some quick facts … Continue reading »
Last year, I publically re-capped my year in bites with the best eats of 2011. It was a simultaneously easy and challenging – we had eaten so well it wasn’t difficult to think of many wonderful meals, but it was certainly hard to narrow it down and pick the number one meal. This year, I … Continue reading »
One of the things that makes me feel like a local while travelling is to find a nearby neighbourhood restaurant and visit it more than once so that it becomes, in your mind, “your place.” There are certainly virtues to trying new restaurants and leaving the beaten path, but there’s also a benefit to establishing … Continue reading »
10:55 pm We just came back from an ultra late dinner of tlayudas at a tiny, family run restaurant just a couple doors down. The abuela cooks on a griddle out on the street while the daughter serves and the little granddaughter sleeps soundly on a bed of chairs behind us. Honestly, it looked a … Continue reading »
4:30 pm I can’t believe we arrived in Oaxaca only about 24 hours ago. I’m in a café a couple doors down from our hotel. B is back at the hotel cooling off, but I’m out here pathetically searching for a wireless network to let WB know I’ve arrived safe and alive. 4:48 pm My … Continue reading »
I wish I could have taken photographs on the plane into Oaxaca. I don’t often talk about the actual transportation involved in travelling, but it’s obviously a big piece of the puzzle. Between the comfort of home and the long, lazy nights of travel, there’s a whole lot of itineraries, ticket stubs, crying babies, and … Continue reading »
It’s a month since I arrived back in Canada from a week in Oaxaca. I touched down in Toronto on the eve of Hurricane Sandy which, fortunately didn’t affect us much except to make the rainy, windy, dark and ominous weather in very stark contrast to the beautiful sunshine of Oaxaca. Since then, my absence … Continue reading »
