Christmas In Oaxaca

living.boondockingmexico@yahoo.com

We took off for Oaxaca Tuesday morning.  There are no Ubers around where we live in the campo.  We took a nice travel bus from our house to the edge of town for 38 pesos each.  We ordered an Uber at the Soriana which was just two minutes away.  Nice car, is a great driver, and is interesting to talk to.  A young guy 24 years old studying engineering at the state university.  He has a small tech business developing platforms for sales and marketing.   A true go-getter that doesn't mind putting in the hours to gain in the long run. 

Considering the traffic, we arrived in about 45 minutes and Uber gave us a discount from the original price because the driver took a shorter route.  369 pesos versus 740 for a taxi from our house.  You know my take on using taxis with platforms and the advantages for the driver, the passenger, and the government.  We had an hour and 15-minute delay but with holidays and airport construction we were happy.  Retired and not in a hurry, people-watching, and a snack to start off the trip were good enough for us.  We purposely paid a bit more for the trip to 1) fly direct to Oaxaca and 2) avoid a stopover at the new dictator's airport.  I refuse to use it.  

We arrived on schedule making up air time.  The plane is not the most comfortable but for two hours no pain no gain.  I hope flights to Europe have better seats.  We wore masks the whole flight as did others.  Covid is on the rise and in parts of Mexico, like in Monterrey, masks are becoming mandatory again.

We had a great Airbnb the first night.  A great setup with a wonderful roof terrace.  It was so quiet and we had a nice dinner out.  We shared a plate of five different mushrooms all stuffed with different fillings from cheese to creamed eggplant and a couple of cocktails.  It was two blocks away and very reasonable.  The streets were packed with families and tourists from all parts.  Festive lights, Christmas cheer, and a place that is very well maintained.  Good foods on every corner, ice creams, tamales, fire dancers, singers, and musicians.  A great start for a week-long holiday.  We had a change in our reservation which we had made a couple of months ago.  With that we also changed our Airbnb and lost one night but the owner had this apartment available only a block away.  

Paula, Jerry, Sal, and Barb arrived the next day and we've been out and about since.  As the days pass I will be posting more.  We are planning some side trips out of town but there is so much to see and being together, the conversations and laughter are good enough for us.  

We planned the week here which coincided with the 50th-anniversary party and also the Festival de Rabanos   (Radish Festival).  I post this weekend about the festival but in short, it is a competition for radish growers.  They take radishes and carve them into Christmas and religious scenes.  Very detailed and a truly huge event here in Oaxaca.  

We are on the go everyday and it lasts until midnight.  I'm pooped already and we still have four more days to go.  Stay tuned, I have some wonderful Christmas photos to share.