She was a person I was looking forward to visiting all day: the healing lady. But when she gave me a diagnosis of the “problems” I had that required healing, I had to ask Marie the Tierra Ventura guide for an English translation because what she told me in Spanish didn’t sound quite right.
“You have too much air,” Marie confirmed. “And you have a fright.” Continue reading »
Today we did a 12-kilometer hike through the Sierra Norte with Tierra Ventura Ecoturismo. Starting in Latuvi and ending in Lachatao, we learned about many medicinal plants from Javier, our native, Spanish-speaking tour guide. After the hike we sat inside an ancient temascal (steam bath) where we sweated away stress and toxins for 75 minutes. In between all this, we enjoyed gorgeous scenery and munched on sublime Oaxacan food. Continue reading »
“I’m going to roll down the window,” I said to Sarah, “because I can hardly breathe.”
It wasn’t because the vehicle we were in was super stuffy or that the diesel fumes overwhelmed so the amount of oxygen in the air that I remarked about my impaired respiratory state. It was because my breathing was so constricted because Sarah and I were both sitting on the front passenger seat of a full taxi that had offered to take us back from Teotitlan del Valle to Oaxaca de Juàrez. Before you imagine that this taxi was a whale-sized 1960s Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme with a three-on-the-tree and bench seat the length of a sofa, let me assure you it was anything but. Instead, it was a compact 90s Nissan Sentra sedan with a stick shift on the floor and four other people (including the driver) already inside, hence the need to squeeze in like sardines. Continue reading »
Well, today (Day 3 of our Oaxaca trip) I did not expect to be given shots of mezcal consisting of 50% alcohol by elderly Mexican men and (subsequently) their esposas. Nor did I imagine that I’d be having a conversation with a recent Cuban immigrant named Yoaquin about the best way to cook crickets, nor watching him and Sarah dance the Cuban salsa. Then again, I should not be surprised to be doing any of this while traveling with Sarah, who is absolutely not bashful about talking with just about anyone, anywhere, as long as the person doesn’t look like Charles Manson or is drunker than a pirate. Even crashing parties is (apparently) not off-limits with her. Continue reading »
For today’s recap, I am trying something different: turning over the reins to a guest blogger — my travel pal Sarah — for a different perspective of Oaxaca. It also allows me to go back to being a lazy bum. So here’s Sarah’s report: Continue reading »
I’ve never known Sarah to be bashful, but she hesitated and ultimately refused after I asked her to take a photo of a camioneta for me.
Then again, there were two police officers standing in the bed of the pick-up truck which had just pulled over a four-door Renault Megane. One of Oaxaca’s finest was in the “ready, aim, fire” position while pointing a rifle at the sedan, “just in case.” Continue reading »
