Happy Mother's Day!!!

Thank you Phillip and Paul!!!

What a surprise to have flowers

delivered to me in Mexico! Wow!

Love, Mom

Day Six

It’s hard to believe how fast the time is going.

We are having a good time
and only occasionally making the stupid tourist mistakes. For example-
last night we decided to have pizza and wine for dinner. A few days ago
we had spotted and checked out a likely place for this meal.

So, off we go and we get a nice little table on a little balcony

so we can watch the world by as we eat and drink.

The big mistake is they don’t take credit cards.
They had a little sign posted (in Spanish only) and we just didn’t see it.
Fortunately Russell had enough money to pay the bill.

Yikes. I was seeing us washing dishes or me held ransom

while Russell went to find an ATM !
We now have a new rule “Ask first before ordering”
Here are a few pictures from our day:

Our beautiful breakfast. First a dish of fresh cantalope

and tuna (fruit from cactus). We haad bought the

tuna fruit the day before at the Ocotlan Market

The second course of our breakfast was a pyramid of

Mexican scrambled aggs with a frijole sauce. Yum.

Zapotec women leaving the Abasto Market.
This market is beyond huge. Too big for me.
We spent some time here looking for the ever
elusive butter dish!!!

Chilis, onons,and string beans



Russell and I became this Zocalo mime's stooge's...


Russell was a good sport! And the mime was hilarious.

Pizza place had a great view.....

Street sweepers...

Last view from the restaurant balcony...

Day Five- Ocotlan !!!

Today we hired a car and guide to take us to Ocotlan about a 30-45 minute
Drive from Oaxaca. It isn’t cheap to travel this way, but we found the guide
Eduardo to be priceless the last time we were here.

We learn so much more with him.
Our main goal today was to find the three Aguilar Sisters who create beautiful
clay sculptures. When we were here last time we took the public bus and then
had a hard time finding their houses. We did find them after we asked a lot
of people where they lived. However, their houses were shut and no one was home.
and it was very frustrating! Today they were home and

we did find and buy some gorgeous work. We’ll be
hand carrying them home!

Guillermina Aguilar one of the sisters.

We bought 4 of her pieces.

The photo below is a series of Caterina sculptures.

Caterina is associated with Day of the Dead

After that we went to the market-what a visual and olfactory treat. All the different
chilies fill the air with different spicy smells. There are dried bunches of spices,
and artistically displayed fruits and vegetables to entice the buyer.
Russell bought a clay bowl that has deep ridges in it to use in conjunction with a pestle.
We also bought the fresh fruit called Tuna that is the fruit of a cactus. We gave it to
our B and B hostess Aurora to use in the breakfast fruit plates.
We had a great day-full of new experiences and happy purchases.

Frieda Khalo of the Market


Turkeys for sale



Gorgeous fresh fruit...this market was very clean

Fresh veggies

The locals here can buy meat and then BBQ it on site

Thinly sliced meats.........


Photograph below is the Santo Domingo Cathedral

reconstructed with funds from the famous artist

Rudolfo Morales

Day Four in Oaxaca

Color. Everywhere . Colorful and delicious food . Colorful buildings.
Gorgeous colorful art. Even the graffiti can be artistic here………..
Today we wandered (of course) and found more shops and museums
open. We went to the Oaxaca Stamp and Money Museum. Fascinating.
We discovered the weaving studio where Arnulfo Mendoza works. He
is a fabulous artist. We were fortunate to be able to meet him and talk
for some time. Tomorrow we will go to Ocotlan to see the local market
there and to hopefully find the Three Sisters homes. They make wonderful
clay sculptures such as the Devil with Skulls seen here in a photograph.

Yesterdays lunch/dinner of mini tostados with

guacamole,lettuce,onion, Oaxacan sausage and

tomatoes. Quite tasty and filling!

.

Day Three-Monte Alban

We went to Monte Alban today. It’s the first day it has been open to the
Public since the beginning of the swine flu. Being our usual bumbling
Around the city travelers…it took us a bit of time to find the correct bus
Station…and it wasn’t a bus station! It was a bus company that takes
Tourists to Monte Alban….all the rest of the little buses only go part way
And then you either walk 2 kilometers up a steep hill or find a taxi to take
You the rest of the way…Anyhow we made it and thoroughly enjoyed
Wandering through the ruins and visualizing how it might have been so
May centuries ago. No one to this day knows why Monte Alban was
Abandoned. Russell had a great time talking with the vendors as they sell
“artifacts” supposedly dug up not at Monte Alban but nearby. Only a few
Admitted that they craft these artifacts themselves.

Russell bought some
Of course!
After we had been there for a few hours we took the bus back, had a beer
at the Zocolo, people watched and then went back to our B and B.
Tomorrow we will do a bit of souvenir shopping for our friends and family
And explore the northern part of the city-we’ll follow the old aqueduct
and see where we end up!
The photos are of our breakfast (cheese, squash blossom and mushroom
Quesadillas and delicious guacamole -but first we had fresh fruit,yogurt and
Granola with OJ), Monte Alban and a shot from the Zocolo showing one of
the hundreds of pigeons that fly all over and want to dine with you. I told
Russell that they could be the cause of the next flu…ick.

Day two in Oaxaca

It’s early morning and it seems that this is the only time I can
Peaceably blog away without others being online and slowing the
System to a snails pace.
We are enjoying Oaxaca, however it has changed just like anything else.
We see more graffiti, more empty storefronts and most importantly
The vendors here in the streets and in the markets are very aggressive
In attempting to make a sale. Unfortunately the prices are 3x what
They were four years ago. So, unless we find some art that we either
Cannot live without or can afford we just might go home without any
Treasures. Which would be a shame for everyone.
Here are a few pics - one of the grasshoppers used in local cooking and
Also as a dye for local textiles. And a pic of a Zocolo statue.

Day One in Oaxaca

Finally we are back in lovely Oaxaca. Land of 7 Moles!
Our flight down here was uneventful but tiresome what
With the 6 hour layover in Houston where nary a decent
drinkable beer was to be found in the airport. We could
Have left the airport in search of adventure, but what with
my new knee adding 15 or more minutes with excessive
wanding….we passed on that.
We are staying at Casa las Bugambilias. We stayed there
the last time and so enjoyed ourselves. Here are a few pics
from this morning….the host cat Tigre at our table and the
yummy chicken enchiladas……more later!

ps: no worries with the swine flu here......we see a few

people with masks on, but by and large by next Monday

all schools will be open and as of now everything is

back to business as usual....