Oaxaca - Day 1
I had never been to Mexico, and Oaxaca (wa’haka), Mexico is a place I did not know. If you had shown me the name in writing I would not have properly pronounced it. A series of events resulted in good fortune and my trip to this land.
One of my friends is Martha. She is the head of Anthropology at the University of Cincinnati, and an amazing person. Intelligent, alive, and caring she is part of the reason where I live is so special to me.
George is a close friend. Brilliant, challenging and fun would be three words that would be totally inadequate at describing him.
Exercising with my friend George and his sharing details about his extended time in Mexico made me realize my ignorance about a nation on our border. Martha has extensive knowledge about Mexico, and she has a second home in Oaxaca.
A life in change, a desire to see the world and find a place of beauty to call home, improving finances, and a large dose of personal freedom are the other missing ingredients that drove me to Oaxaca.
The first thing that struck me… well, the very first thing that caught my attention was having something to eat in the airport in Mexico City while waiting for my flight to Oaxaca. Spice! The food had flavor stronger than anything in an American airport. I loved it.
Once my plane landed in Oaxaca, Martha and one of her students, Melony, graciously picked me up at the airport and we drove to the Zócalo (the town square of Mexican cities) to grab an outdoor café table under an archway and a menu entirely in Spanish. There I enjoyed more of the spice of Mexico. A margarita, chapulines (small grasshoppers grilled with minced onion in oil until crunchy), quesillo a la plancha (Oaxaca’s famous white cheese), fresh tortillas, the night air, live music and a view of Oaxacan society celebrating their daily life intoxicate this weary traveler.
There is much more to say, but not enough time at the moment. You can see the growing collection of snapshots from trip on my personal photo album at http://andrew.artisticlight.com