First stop, Oaxaca. Joy of all joy, my oldest son decides to join me. Mexico is to be my first destination because it is close to my home in California. How long will I stay? Who knows? Several months at least. Maybe I will never return to the USA. Maybe I will live the life of an expat? Come on this journey with me and find out!
After an unexpected overnight in Mexico City, we arrive in Oaxaca to a cheering crowd!
The world is in the midst of World Cup Fever. As the plane landed, Mexico had just scored a goal against Holland! Unfortunately, Mexico lost 1:2 and is now out of the race.
It’s a journey to meet local people and stay long enough to experience how they live and hopefully share a bit of my life with them.
The heart of Oaxaca
The apartment is in the perfect location. It’s right by center of town. In Mexican cities this is called the Zocolo. It is a big park surrouded by restaurants and shops. It’s also full of vendors and artists with lots of music.
You know, now that I think about it, it’s actually quite niosy at my apartment considering the zocolo, the bus stop and the midnight barrage of bottle rockets. I don’t mind. It feels vey safe with so many people always around. I like being in the center of things. This is what my travels are all about, living with the locals. But if you want quiet, stay 10 blocks away by Las Mariposas.
The courtyard of my dreams
I needed help finding an apartment and the owners at Las Mariposas were kind enough to find this place for me. It’s called ———–.
Why budget travelers have a more authentic experience
I love staying at Las Mariposas, especially in the mornings, when the English speaking guests gather around outdoor tables and chat. It is very tempting to just stay here with the English speakers. I could hang out with them and with the library people. We could go on our bus tours and go out to restaurants together, you know, be tourists. Luckily, it’s too expensive for me, so I can’t stay. I’m forced into the neighborhoods to live with the locals and experience their cul…. oh yeah, all my reasons for traveling!
Would you stay or would you go?
Have you seen the worm floating in the bottle of tequilla? Here is the rest of the story
Since our hotel had absolutely no authentic Mexican feel to it, and my attempts to find an apartment in Spanish have failed, we moved to Las Mariposas Bed and Breakfast. Most of the guests are American and Canadian and very congenial. The hotel provided a special Independence Day breakfast. Several women milled and cooked home made corn tortillas over a wood fire. It was very authentic.
For Las Mariposa’s nighttime party. The owner cooked several dishes for us in the outdoor kitchen and someone’s dad provided mezcal, which I was told is not tequila. You know how margarita glasses are rimmed with salt? It’s the same in Mexico, but this particular salt tasted a little funny. Can you guess the secret ingredient? Have you seen the bottle of tequila with the floating worm? That’s right, the rim salt was mixed with dried worms!
.
4th of July celebration
The library folks were hosting a party in the afternoon. No one was able to give us a ride, so went by taxi.
Here’s the set up for our adventure:
- The party was being held in a little village high up in the hills at a charity called Casa Linda.
- Casa means house and Linda means pretty, but Linda is also a common female name in English.
- The directions went something like this: Take the road up into the hills, turn left at the pink bulding, go past two fields of agave plants, turn right onto the second dirt road, pass the red flag, etc.
- The directions are in English. Our driver speaks only Spanish. You know how poor my Spanish is.
I have to hand it to the driver. I have never seen a cab driver work so diligently. When it was obvious we were lost, he inquired of every pedestrian and inside every shop trying to locate Casa Linda. About 1/2 hour into these interactions I heard him say the word “Gringa”.
If you know the definition of gringa, you know where this leading………
That’s right. After 1 1/2 hours of travel, we finally ended up at the house of an American lady named Linda. Needless to say, she was not running a charity out of her home and she did not feel like having a party just for us.
Since our hotel had absolutely no authentic Mexican feel to it, and my attempts to find an apartment in Spanish have failed, we moved to Las Mariposas Bed and Breakfast. Most of the guests are American and Canadian and very congenial. Today is USA Independance day so our hotel provided a special Independence Day breakfast. Several women milled and cooked home made
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The apartment is in the perfect location. It’s right by center of town. In Mexican cities this is called the Zocolo. It is a big park surrouded by restaurants and shops. It’s also full of vendors and artists with lots of music.
You know, now that I think about it, it’s actually quite niosy at my apartment considering the zocolo, the bus stop and the midnight barrage of bottle rockets. I don’t mind. It feels vey safe with so many people always around. I like being in the center of things. This is what my travels are all about, living with the locals. But if you want quiet, stay 10 blocks away by Las Mariposas.
The courtyard of my dreams
I needed help finding an apartment and the owners at Las Mariposas were kind enough to find this place for me. It’s called ———–.
Why budget travelers have a more authentic experience
I love staying at Las Mariposas, especially in the mornings, when the English speaking guests gather around outdoor tables and chat. It is very tempting to just stay here with the English speakers. I could hang out with them and with the library people. We could go on our bus tours and go out to restaurants together, you know, be tourists. Luckily, it’s too expensive for me, so I can’t stay. I’m forced into the neighborhoods to live with the locals and experience their cul…. oh yeah, all my reasons for traveling!
Would you stay or would you go?
Have you seen the worm floating in the bottle of tequilla? Here is the rest of the story
Since our hotel had absolutely no authentic Mexican feel to it, and my attempts to find an apartment in Spanish have failed, we moved to Las Mariposas Bed and Breakfast. Most of the guests are American and Canadian and very congenial. The hotel provided a special Independence Day breakfast. Several women milled and cooked home made corn tortillas over a wood fire. It was very authentic.
For Las Mariposa’s nighttime party. The owner cooked several dishes for us in the outdoor kitchen and someone’s dad provided mezcal, which I was told is not tequila. You know how margarita glasses are rimmed with salt? It’s the same in Mexico, but this particular salt tasted a little funny. Can you guess the secret ingredient? Have you seen the bottle of tequila with the floating worm? That’s right, the rim salt was mixed with dried worms!
.
4th of July celebration
The library folks were hosting a party in the afternoon. No one was able to give us a ride, so went by taxi.
Here’s the set up for our adventure:
- The party was being held in a little village high up in the hills at a charity called Casa Linda.
- Casa means house and Linda means pretty, but Linda is also a common female name in English.
- The directions went something like this: Take the road up into the hills, turn left at the pink bulding, go past two fields of agave plants, turn right onto the second dirt road, pass the red flag, etc.
- The directions are in English. Our driver speaks only Spanish. You know how poor my Spanish is.
I have to hand it to the driver. I have never seen a cab driver work so diligently. When it was obvious we were lost, he inquired of every pedestrian and inside every shop trying to locate Casa Linda. About 1/2 hour into these interactions I heard him say the word “Gringa”.
If you know the definition of gringa, you know where this leading………
That’s right. After 1 1/2 hours of travel, we finally ended up at the house of an American lady named Linda. Needless to say, she was not running a charity out of her home and she did not feel like having a party just for us.
Since our hotel had absolutely no authentic Mexican feel to it, and my attempts to find an apartment in Spanish have failed, we moved to Las Mariposas Bed and Breakfast. Most of the guests are American and Canadian and very congenial. Today is USA Independance day so our hotel provided a special Independence Day breakfast. Several women milled and cooked home made corn tortillas over a wood fire. It was very authentic.
Why places are the key to your experience
You can imagine how much fun I had trying to call these ads.
I would like to live in an area which is a bit cleaner without grafitti but as I explore the town, I find grafitti everywhere. It’s on the shops, homes, public buildings and even on century old churches and landmarks. I guess the Oaxacans think it looks good?????
The Lending Library keeps a binder of potential housing options, but nothing interested me. No problema! I had a Spanish class 15 years ago, right! I’ll just buy a newspaper and call rental ads. How do you think that went? Well it didn’t. They couldn’t understand me and I couldn’t understand them.
Okay, plan B. One ad lists an address nearby. I head out in the hot, hot weather and finally find the street but I walk up and down several times and conclude the address doesn’t exist. What’s going on here?
Tip: Try to line something up before you arrive.
What are your experiences looking for housing?
Oaxaca’s English speaking ex-patriot community
There is an English speaking ex-patriot community here 1500 strong and the hub is the Lending Library. It was founded 40 years ago and has grown into the ex-pat cultural center offering monthly hikes, talks, and various cultural events. Of all things, the card game of BRIDGE is very popular with this group, so popular that lessons are offered on Tuesdays along with games 2 days a week. I always thought of bridge as an old person’s game because of my grandparent’s bi-weekly bridge clubs, but than I realize, I am grandparent age, so I decide to play. When I was young I had a board game called Jr. Bridge. All I remember is a picture of a plum and something about a trump???
I found out about the Lending Library from my sister who lived with a local family in Oaxaca for several weeks while taking an intensive Spanish course. I followed this same path myself in 1992 when I stayed with a family in Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico. I was trying to learn Spanish because I thought it would help me in my job. It would have been a wonderful experience if not for the fact that Arin was not yet one year old and I missed him terribly. This time I brought him with me. That’s him in the picture.
Tip: Enrolling in an intensive Spanish class which includes living with a family can actually be less expensive than just staying in a hotel. These courses usually include cultural components.
Would you be interested in an intensive language course?
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