Oaxaca unmasked

The first thing to know about Oaxaca is that it’s pronounced oh-a-ha-kah. It’s a pretty town an hour’s flight South East of Mexico City renowned for its food, Mezcal and nearby ruins.

We arrived in time for lunch in the central square followed by a couple of hours of wandering about the city streets and browsing through the craft shops. Oaxaca is also known for alebrije which are fanciful carved animals painted in bright colours. You can find paper mache versions of these all over the place, but the local ones are carved from wood. The ones we saw in the shops either reflect the effort that takes to make them or are a blatant rip-off.

We had booked a food tour for this evening but it fell apart when the guide didn’t turn up. As plan B, we wandered north to find a rooftop bar to watch the sunset. Instead we stumbled into a local festival filled with dancers in masks, people on stilts, and traditionally dressed women. It was a wonderful riot of sound and color.

We did then have cocktails and dinner on a terrace watching the sunset. I had chicken stuffed with grasshoppers for dinner which was just excellent. I can’t say I would recognize the taste of grasshopper, the filling was more a taste of tomato and chile, but it was excellent. And I was unreasonably thrilled to have cauliflower and broccoli on the side.

Finally we strolled back through the cool evening. The streets are still alive with people but the lights add a magical glow.

Liking Oaxaca a lot so far.