Afuera de Oaxaca

Welcome back to another episode of ¨Adventuras en Oaxaca¨. Average temps 77°F with lows around 48°F. Ok enough about the weather. Since the last episode we have managed to explore outside of Oaxaca City. Every adventure was full of excitement; some more so than others.

Almost every Sunday I usually have my outdoor nature experience, that my friends have labeled ¨Bike Church.” It usually involves going up to the mountains surrounding Oaxaca City and testing our skills on grueling climbs and rocky descents, not to mention the many species of cacti that remind you of the consequences for not keeping both wheels on the path. One particular ride took us deep into the forest with a guide and all. Unfortunately we lost the trail and had to ¨bike whack¨ for 10 hours through lush forest and vines, fortunately to find a stream to drink out of and a flat ridge to lay camp for the frigidly cold night. Luckily we had fire, millions of stars to gaze at, and a determined motivation to find safety the next day. As sun peaked over the top of the mountain we continued our ¨bike whacking¨to a dried up stream. From there, we road to safety, food and worried wives and girlfriends.

Luckily the next adventure that Jill and I embarked on, took us 6 hours over the top of a mountain (dramamine needed) to the relaxing surf town of Puerto Escondido where the Vans PMX International Surf Competition was in full effect at the famous Playa Zicatela. We were accompanied by our friends Carmen and Ulisis who showed us the secret beaches of P. E. and Puerto Angel. Both offered incredible waves, quiet beach coves, warm weather and of course good seafood and cold drinks.

With Jill convincing her boss to allow her to leave town again, we were fortunate enough last week to venture with some friends to Chiapas (state east of Oaxaca) to the cozy little colonial town of San Cristobal. Jill and I especially liked this town that offered incredible food, many attractions and a gateway to incredible tours. Our first tour included 2 waterfalls (Cascadas de Agua Azul, Misol Há) and a tour of the Mayan Archeological site of Palenque. The next day took us to an extremely fun boat ride through the Cañon del Sumidero. We marveled at thousand-plus high rock walls, incredible jungle, cocodrilos, iguanas and beautiful birds.

Chiapas also introduced us to the Zapatista movement; a revolutionary group defending the rights of the indigenous population and for that matter any group of oppressed people throughout the world. Chiapas was extremely eventful and it definitely opened our minds to a new world and thought.

Oaxaca is now full of the Christmas Spirit. Streets are overflowing with Nocha Buenas (Poinsettas) and lights galore! Almost nightly a parade will pass by our home in honor of a patron saint. While we love the spirit here, Jill and I are thankful to go to the states to visit our families. If we don’t write before Navidad, we wish you a happy and safe holiday with food, friends, family, and eventful college football bowl endings. My beloved Boise State - a perfect 12-0; but unfortunately no BCS game to show for it in an imperfect BCS system.

Mucho Amor y hasta luego!!!

Eduardo y Julia

"Dia de los Muertos!!!"

As we began to enter the season of Autumn in Oaxaca, nighttime became noticeably cool and chilly while the days remained warm and sunny. One could practically feel the energy and excitement of the upcoming holidays in the air… Or maybe that was just us – but even so…

What an amazing past few weeks we have had! Beginning with Halloween and ending with Dia de Muertos, we have had jam packed weeks full of fun and adventure!

Eddie and I decided that we just couldn’t let Halloween go uncelebrated so a few weeks ago, we went for it. We invited our good friend Carmen over to eat popcorn, drink wine, and CARVE a PUMPKIN!!!! She showed up in her finest disguise and I must say that Eddie and I weren’t bad either… we introduced her to the American tradition of carving a jack-o-lantern, and later she introduce us to the Oaxacan tradition of dancing at the clubs until the wee hours of the morning…

Not that we have only been clubbing it and partying our days away…both of have been extremely active physically as well… Eddie has found the joy of mountain biking in the hills of Oaxaca. He especially loves all the packs of hungry wild dogs and the little bugs that treat themselves to “Piel de Eduardo” as if it was a delicacy! All jokes aside, he has seen some gorgeous scenery, found a rigorous outlet for all that stored up Oaxacan energy, and become friends with some really great people up in those mountains…

And I recently ran in a marathon! Or at least that is what the Oaxacans call a 12k. I was the ONLY gringa there and it was quiet the experience. It was a hard 12k but I got to see most of the city- twice - and I learned a new word, Guerra, meaning whitey or blondie. I heard a lot of “Vamos Guerra!” When I finished, the announcer yelled, “Aqui Viene la Guerrita!” Until recently, I thought he was calling me abuilita, or grandma. My friends set me straight however.


On to Dia De Muertos! What an amazing holiday. In Mexico, and in Oaxaca in particular, there is a lot of mixing indigenous religious beliefs with Catholicism. Dia de Muertos is an excellent example of this mix. The main celebrations occurs on the 1st and 2nd of November, in connection with the Catholic holy days of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day which take place on those days. Traditions include building private altars honoring the deceased, using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts.

Now that the festivities are over, and we can eat the ingredients of the alters that we made (but now bland and dry as the dead already came and sucked out all the flavor…), we are on our way to recovery and ready to see what the next adventure has in store…

Muchas Actividades en Oaxaca!

Buenas Tardes mis amigos y familia!

It has been 3 weeks since our arrival to Oaxaca. There has been no lack of activities and things to keep us busy. Jill has been working as a consultant, developing trainings (cultural and process) for Puente a la Salud Comunitaria (Bridge to the health of community). Puente promotes the indigenous grain amaranth as a way to improve life in rural communities in Mexico. Jill has been meeting tons of new friends and takes Yoga class a couple of times a week. I have been doing 3 weeks of Spanish class and have great teachers. I'm learning tons and enjoy the feeling of being back in school. We have been meeting our new community of friends young and old, Gringo's and Oaxaquenos.

We had a nice visit with Mike and Susan Muhm (Jill's Parents). Jill's intercombio (language partner) friend Carmen has been amazing. This past weekend she showed all of us the famous Monte Albán. It is a large pre-Columbian archaelogical site. Monte Albán's importance stems from its role as the pre-eminent Zapotec socio-political and economic center for close to a thousand years. Jill's Parents also got to experience many Oaxacan open air markets, food and native dance.

I also got to experience my first mountain bike ride with some friends in the mountainous areas near the city. Except for the needle like vegetation that tears up your legs and the packs of dogs that like to chase you, it was fun to come across wild horses, turkeys, donkeys, lizards and incredible landscape. I can't speak for Jill, but after 3 weeks I'm really starting to crave a nice juicy steak, hamburgers that are thicker then a nickle and without spicy wet peppers.

Hope all is well back home! I see we are in the thick of baseball playoffs and also see Boise State is still undefeated and 15 in the nation! Go Broncos!

Buenas Noches y hasta luego!

Eduardo y Julia

Aventuras en Oaxaca!!

After a long but successful flight last Wednesday night, we made it to the land of Oaxaca. We were pleasantly greeted by one of Jill's co-workers Zaira. This sweet lady waited for our late arrival and then magically packed our 18 suitcases into her coche pequeno "Chevy" and drove us to our temporary home in the heart of Oaxaca City. From there we were greeted by Geri, an ex-pat Jill found online. Geri's house is fantastic with 10 years worth of Oaxacan artifacts and pictures all throughout. The next morning Geri showed us a few areas of the city and from there Jill and I put on our wings and explored the in's and out's of neighborhoods, parks and apartments searching for the best spot to call home. It was amazing to see the streets with the wall like exteriors surrounding them that were often graffiti stricken or lacking paint only to walk inside the gate to see a very pleasant complex whether it be an apartment, restaurant or store. After a long day on foot and many tortas, tacos and horchata beverages, we were able to get our bearings and see a few apartments but none that called home.

The next day (Friday) we woke up very excited to find an apartment and see the open air markets full of different chili peppers, fruits, vegetables, flowers, toys, dvd's, cooked foods, clothes and art!! And yes, we found the apartment!! It is on a calle "street" Zarate and next to the biggest park (Llano park) in the ciudad "city". On Friday it happens to be market day at this park and Jill convinced me that it would be a good idea to get some cartoon dvd's as the Spanish would be slower and easier for me to comprehend. So we purchased a Simpsons, The Incredibles and Wall-E for equivalent to $5 USD total!! I was also amused at how inexpensive the Nike shoes and shirts were. Perhaps they are not real??? I'm sure Nike will have someone here to find out in near future. After many different markets and exploring we met up with ex-pats Ryan and Alder who are 2 year veterans of Oaxaca. They gave us many good insights, tips, recommendations and a shot of excitement knowing what is out there for us to explore and do! We then met up for dinner with Bianca (Jill's classmate at SIT) for a nice dinner of baquettes and Pacifico's. Oh yes life is hard here. Sighhhh.

Saturday we were shown to an "organic" market where they had fresh cooked foods, quesos, vegies and drinks with open music being played in the air. Very relaxing. From there we climbed the famous steps to the Guelaguetza, a stadium that is high in the hills in one of the 5 mountains that surround the valley. The stadium is used 2 Monday's a year shows a great view of the city in the valley and San Felipe (area full of big homes, lots of ex-pats) behind.

As Jill starts work at Puente a la Salud Comunitaria, I'm going to start Spanish classes at "Spanish Magic" one of the many choices to begin my quest to speak in this city. So we are off to moving into our apartment and beginning a new week full of more "Aventuras en Oaxaca"!!!