So Behind On My Travel Updates - Here's Oaxaca!

Here I sit in Oaxaca, Oaxaca Mexico.  No, I didn't repeat myself.  I'm in the city of Oaxaca which happens to be the capital of the state of Oaxaca which is southeast of Mexico City.

Between my trip to Veracruz and today, I've done some other traveling, including a cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Copenhagen, Denmark. And Maryland. And Virginia.  And there's more travel to come.

Instead of trying to catch up now, I'm going to go ahead and post stuff about my time in Oaxaca and will add the older trips in later.

Now, let's get started.

The biggest disappointment of this trip happened on my way.  I had an 8 hour layover in Houston, the perfect chance to find the Jack In The Box and have some greasy tacos, which are nothing like real tacos but still delicious.

They had no tacos!  I asked why and the employee said they were too cheap and too popular and they'd be too busy.  Interesting logic. 

It was a bit rainy as I flew in to Oaxaca City, which is capital of the state of Oaxaca.

The view from the front door of my hotel.  It's right next to the Zocalo, a great, albeit noisy, location.

That's the front door of my hotel - Hotel Marques Del Valle.  I recommend it.  

The Zocalo, a large square in the center of the historic district, is always my favorite place.  Food, lots of vendors and free entertainment.  Plus, the Zocalo is surrounded by restaurants (casual and upscale) and they make for great people watching. 

Lots of balloons for sale.

Downstairs is a casual restaurant with tables on the side walk.  Upstairs, a separate more up-scale restaurant.

Spending an hour or two with Mr. Kindle and people-watching, while listening to live music is a lovely way to pass a summer day.

Just in case you don't like Mexican food, there's always Subway.

One popular spot has a breakfast buffet for just over $5 USD.

This material is printed to look like a Mexican flag.  

My first meal (adequate, not great) was the daily special.  3 courses, less than $5.

Bread and the typical corn tortilla which is cooked without oil on a "comal", a flat ceramic griddle used over a charcoal fire.

Cauliflower soup.  Meh.

They served the plain white rice by itself as a separate course. 

A chile relleno, refried black beans and salad.  Very typical.

The chile was stuffed with quesillo, the local cheese which is similar to mozzarella.

I'm a rice pudding snob.  This didn't measure up.

BTW, if you're wondering why I chose this restaurant...I was standing on the sidewalk in front of it when it started to pour. 

After an hour of rain, beautiful blue skies.

Back on the Road - 2017 Will Be a Year of Travel

2016 was a year of nesting.  I slept in my own bed more nights in 2016 than in any of the years since I bought the house in 1994.  It was great.  I remodeled, relaxed and enjoyed a lot of "pajama days".  Those are the lazy days when you don't have to go out, can read as much as you want and basically be a sloth.  I LOVE pajama days.

2017 is going to be a different story, though.  I want to tell you about the most amazing Christmas gift I've ever received.

My dear friend Kyle, who I met when we both served in the Peace Corps in Samoa is now a flight attendant for United.  For Christmas he gave me a pass to fly on United during 2017.  Anywhere they fly.  As often as I'd like.  It's standby and I'll be paying the taxes but seriously, can you imagine a better gift for someone who loves to travel?  Some of the trips Kyle and I will take together.  Others, I'll be on my own.  I've already started my dream list of destinations.  World, here I come!  Thanks, Kyle.

Kyle Kincaid, my very generous friend who is enabling my travel habit.

Why I Travel

It's been eight months since I came home from SE Asia.  I realized this morning that this is the  longest stretch of being home since I moved here 22 years ago.  The job I moved here for required weekly travel.  Then, after I went out on my own as a consultant, I traveled for work about 95% of the time.  When I wasn't traveling for work, I used my frequent flyer miles to travel internationally for fun.

My wanderlust started when I was young.  My mom's brother - Uncle Jim, to me - sent us the same gifts every Christmas.  A subscription to the National Geographic magazine and a ten pound box of Russell Stover chocolates.

My mom, brother and I would spend hours looking at the photographs, turning pages with chocolaty sticky fingers.  We'd pull out the maps and talk about the places whose names we couldn't pronounce.  We'd talk about family vacations to exotic places.  Those didn't happen because as hard as my dad worked and as successful as he was, the budget didn't stretch that far.  But imagination and learning are free.

I'll always be grateful to my parents for teaching me to dream.  To plan adventures and believe I could make them happen.  Our family vacations were frequently to Baja, California.  That might seem exotic if you're from Boston or Florida but since we lived in southern Arizona the trips were drive-able and relatively inexpensive. 

Back in 1959 we didn't have cell phone photos or drones or even colored photos.  But this is horseback riding on the beach in Baja.

I ate my first street food in Mexico with my dad.  Actually, it was "beach food".  My dad and I went for a horseback ride on the beach at sunrise while my mom and brother slept in.  On our way back to the hotel, a man was just setting up his stand to sell fresh raw oysters.  My dad asked for one.  It was served in a small dixie cup with a squeeze of lime and shot of hot sauce.  Since I was definitely a daddy's girl, I had one too.  And loved it.

I still love street food and poring over maps.  Now the internet makes planning the next adventure even easier.  When I came home last November I wasn't interested in travel.  I was done exploring.  For the first time in my life I wasn't thinking about the next place.  It was a bit disconcerting but I turned my attention to being home and getting my nest in shape.

Lately, I've found myself thinking about where I want to travel next.  What I might see and experience.  I've been looking at maps again.  I'm starting to yearn for the smell of jet fuel.  Thanks, Uncle Jim.