We have arrived! We spent yesterday in the city (San Fran, obvs :) with my dad, munching on some house of nanking and getting nostalgic about our old days on Green St. We were dropped at SFO and joined the hour plus line to check in; security check was no joke either. After a hellish sleep deprived coupla flights, we hopped on a combo bus that gave us a tour of rural Oaxaca before plopping us at our gorgeous hotel an hour later. The time? Eight-thirty am. Check in wasn't until one, so we put out bags down, enjoyed some delish cinnamon coffee, and stared at each other with the realization that we are completely outta practice. Nights like last were the norm a year ago, now we look like we have been hit by a chicken bus after one measly night of discomfort. We better shape up! We grabbed our camera and cash, and set out to explore.
First stop, the Cathedral de Santa Domingo. Dubbed the most impressive in all of Oaxaca, the carved ceiling and incredible reliefs did not disappoint. Southbound, to the zocalo! Oaxaca is a darling city- reminiscent of Antigua with its old colonial architecture and color schemes. We hobbled downtown, admired the local entrepreneurs and the crap they were selling (from a distance!) and settled in at a cafe on the SE corner of the square for what will be known as the best huevos rancheros of my life. Oli's huevos de oaxaquina were delightful, ohhhhh all that queso fresco! This is going to be a challenge not eating every second of our time here. Maybe we should bite the bullet and reserve another seat on the flight home for our inevitable taco-induced love handles. I digress...
One thing we were not expecting was the vast number of bugs here. No, not las cucarachas- more along the lines of the German type. There are vw bugs on every corner, on every street. They've got to be the most popular car in Oaxaca. Even on the drive in from el aeropuerto we passed two vw dealerships. Oh Mexico, you are always full of surprises.
We headed back to our little Eden, las mariposas, and our room was ready! And hot damn, they gave us the nicest room in the place. Right at the back, overlooking the courtyard, big window, vaulted ceilings, king size bed, and a shower that I was happy to use whilst barefooted. What could be better? Ah yes.... Nap time.
Fast forward to dinnertime, which coincidentally is when we woke up. We ventured into town, past the grand Santo Domingo, and arrived at a hip little place that was packed to the gills. Dos mezcales de la casa por favor, y dos coronas. And the best molé we have ever tasted. Oaxaca has certainly held up it's end of the bargain! We are gonna stay put until Monday, when we venture out to the coast. But for now, we have lots of chocolate to sample, some ruins to see, and of course, to celebrate the passing of my first quarter century on this earth. I have a feeling that not all 26th birthdays could possibly be this much fun. We truly are blessed!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Back on the loose!
Oli and I are hitting the road again, for a nice little adventure along Pacific Mexico. We will be down there for a month- diving, eating delicious food, taking far too many pictures, and getting reacquainted with our good old friend, tequila :)
For those out of touch with our comings and goings of the past 8 months, here's a quick recap:
We finished up our relaxing, overindulgent times in Crete, and flew back to the UK. I split down to Melbourne, Aus. to attend the Australasian World Music Festival as a delegate for a week, coincidentally meeting up with our old pal Ryan for a few nights of mayhem. Oli relaxed at home with his family, and it was a happy reunion when I returned to Heathrow. We had a whirlwind few weeks ahead of us, helping out a bit with our good friends Nick and Lucy's wedding. It was amazing, to say the least. The bride was timeless, the groom a surprisingly adept public speaker, and Oli was one of the best men. Fun times! We then had my family come and stay with us at the Buchanans. We even had time to slip down to Brighton to give them a little tour! After a beautiful Christmas, Oli and I headed back to the states to visit with the other half of my family. We had a killer NYE party, and enjoyed a decompressing January, hitting the road in the 3rd week to venture back out west. We did another mini road trip, stopping in Birmingham for the best hospitality around with the Woods, and also getting to stop in on my old friend Kel in Austin. What would a road trip be without the requisite stop in Sin City with our old pals, before hitting that last 11 hour stretch to our new home- the Ranch.
Since February, Oli and I have been working on our family festival, Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, which went off without a hitch the June 18-20. We learned tons, it was nice to be around my Dad and Gret daily, and Oli is a handyman at heart, which brightened up the house dramatically. My dad was sick for a while, then our faithful old cat Wissa became ill as well, to the point where we had nightly drips from an IV. Oli became quite the nurse! Then there was the unexpected and tragic passing of my dear uncle Scott, which shook everyone up irreversibly. We were forced to power through and come together immediately, and as Scott was a key member of our staff, it was difficult moving forward with the festival. We pulled it off though, and couldn't have done so without the extreme loyalty and dedication of our staff and crew. The weekend was amazing fun, we were able to see so many of our favorite people, and even Oli's sister Sorrel was able to fly out at the last minute and partake in all the fun.
After the festival was over, we forced my dad and Gret to go on vacation in NY, and Oli and I held down the Ranch. Our planned week of silence and recuperation was put on hold when we decided to work our asses off and get the house in the best shape of its century plus life. Oli even redid the bathroom (or tried to anyway, that toilet might forever be a work in progress). We enjoyed our 4th anniversary, even though the dog ate our dinner, and decided to go and visit our Vegas pals once again. So we hopped in the car for a long weekend down south, followed by a camping trip and then a trip to visit Grams. Our long weekend turned into a week in Vegas as the camping trip was cancelled, and I was able to indulge in some much needed Aidan James time, my favorite little boy in the universe. We brewed some beer at my old buddy Brian's house (the boys did... we ladies watched movies), went out on the Strip for the first time in years, hung out at Chris and Heather's house, ate far too many good meals, swam in the pool(s) for hours, and indulged in hanging out with our friends. After the week ended we headed to San Luis Obispo to hang out Grams. Went to a play, made pizza, had breakfast with her buddies, and prepared the house for the imminent arrival of my Mom, Aunt, Sister, Brother, and Lauren, brother dear's girlfriend, and Henry, Jessy's new little pup. Amazing times, a trip to Hearst Castle, and I even got to celebrate my birthday early :)
We drove home, but the next day popped into the city to see the fam for a yummy dinner at world famous La Barca. Yum! Nice to see the fam, as who knows when we will be back east next.
Well... that was Thursday! The past few days have consisted of shopping, packing, GTL, and such. We have a trip to prepare for! So on Wednesday, the 28th, we hop on our flight to Mexico City, then continue on to Oaxaca. The adventure begins... stay tuned!
For those out of touch with our comings and goings of the past 8 months, here's a quick recap:
We finished up our relaxing, overindulgent times in Crete, and flew back to the UK. I split down to Melbourne, Aus. to attend the Australasian World Music Festival as a delegate for a week, coincidentally meeting up with our old pal Ryan for a few nights of mayhem. Oli relaxed at home with his family, and it was a happy reunion when I returned to Heathrow. We had a whirlwind few weeks ahead of us, helping out a bit with our good friends Nick and Lucy's wedding. It was amazing, to say the least. The bride was timeless, the groom a surprisingly adept public speaker, and Oli was one of the best men. Fun times! We then had my family come and stay with us at the Buchanans. We even had time to slip down to Brighton to give them a little tour! After a beautiful Christmas, Oli and I headed back to the states to visit with the other half of my family. We had a killer NYE party, and enjoyed a decompressing January, hitting the road in the 3rd week to venture back out west. We did another mini road trip, stopping in Birmingham for the best hospitality around with the Woods, and also getting to stop in on my old friend Kel in Austin. What would a road trip be without the requisite stop in Sin City with our old pals, before hitting that last 11 hour stretch to our new home- the Ranch.
Since February, Oli and I have been working on our family festival, Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, which went off without a hitch the June 18-20. We learned tons, it was nice to be around my Dad and Gret daily, and Oli is a handyman at heart, which brightened up the house dramatically. My dad was sick for a while, then our faithful old cat Wissa became ill as well, to the point where we had nightly drips from an IV. Oli became quite the nurse! Then there was the unexpected and tragic passing of my dear uncle Scott, which shook everyone up irreversibly. We were forced to power through and come together immediately, and as Scott was a key member of our staff, it was difficult moving forward with the festival. We pulled it off though, and couldn't have done so without the extreme loyalty and dedication of our staff and crew. The weekend was amazing fun, we were able to see so many of our favorite people, and even Oli's sister Sorrel was able to fly out at the last minute and partake in all the fun.
After the festival was over, we forced my dad and Gret to go on vacation in NY, and Oli and I held down the Ranch. Our planned week of silence and recuperation was put on hold when we decided to work our asses off and get the house in the best shape of its century plus life. Oli even redid the bathroom (or tried to anyway, that toilet might forever be a work in progress). We enjoyed our 4th anniversary, even though the dog ate our dinner, and decided to go and visit our Vegas pals once again. So we hopped in the car for a long weekend down south, followed by a camping trip and then a trip to visit Grams. Our long weekend turned into a week in Vegas as the camping trip was cancelled, and I was able to indulge in some much needed Aidan James time, my favorite little boy in the universe. We brewed some beer at my old buddy Brian's house (the boys did... we ladies watched movies), went out on the Strip for the first time in years, hung out at Chris and Heather's house, ate far too many good meals, swam in the pool(s) for hours, and indulged in hanging out with our friends. After the week ended we headed to San Luis Obispo to hang out Grams. Went to a play, made pizza, had breakfast with her buddies, and prepared the house for the imminent arrival of my Mom, Aunt, Sister, Brother, and Lauren, brother dear's girlfriend, and Henry, Jessy's new little pup. Amazing times, a trip to Hearst Castle, and I even got to celebrate my birthday early :)
We drove home, but the next day popped into the city to see the fam for a yummy dinner at world famous La Barca. Yum! Nice to see the fam, as who knows when we will be back east next.
Well... that was Thursday! The past few days have consisted of shopping, packing, GTL, and such. We have a trip to prepare for! So on Wednesday, the 28th, we hop on our flight to Mexico City, then continue on to Oaxaca. The adventure begins... stay tuned!
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