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![]() © Laurel Burch |
Our friend Jane, whose birthday is Christmas Eve day, had a Big One coming up and decided to celebrate by going somewhere new. Oaxaca, with its architectural beauty, local crafts, ancient ruins and colorful traditions was a place she'd always found intriguing. She
invited a few friends to join her and partner David, and that is how seven
of us came to spend Dec 18-27, 2004, in one of Mexico's most lovely and
charming cities. __________________________________________ NOTE: Text and photos by Marilyn Freund unless otherwise credited. Except where noted, videos by Robert Bloomberg, using his curiously strong AltoidCam*. ...(Please allow a few minutes for streaming video to load if necessary.) Roll your mouse over the tin and try one! |
![]() Everybody But Me at Santo Domingo: Linda, Robert, Jane, David, Suzy, Bob |
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Saturday 18 December Arrival in Oaxaca immediately puts you into a different mind set. There's something about walking off the plane down a set of stairs and across the tarmac, instead of down an antiseptic hallway into a terminal. We go through immigration (one guy at a desk) and collect our luggage, then walk a few steps to the Traffic Light of Destiny. Push the button, and if it's green you go straight through; if it's red, your bags get inspected. I cannot think of another country where the customs procedures so perfectly express the national psyche: Fate will have its way with you. I always make Bob push the button, on the theory that he is generally luckier than I am. Sure enough, we get the green light. |
GETTING THERE |
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Our B&B, La Casa de Mis Recuerdos, is on a residential street just a few blocks east of Santo Domingo. An older man lets us in and shows us to our room, tiny, but charming. He helps carry our bags, but won't accept a tip. The next day I find out he is the patriarch of the house, the grandfather of Nora who, along with her husband, William, runs the B&B. |
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![]() La Casa de Mis Recuerdos |
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By the time we get settled in and unpack it's 11:30 pm, but we decide to take a walk anyway. The evening is clear and cool enough for a jacket. It's a pleasant walk to the zocalo, passing many of the places we loved last time we were here. There are many people still out on the street and a half dozen bars, some with live music, seem to be hopping. | |||||