I'll eat anything that doesn't eat me first

seasoned pork, steak, pork rinds, cheese, quesillo, grasshoppers, guacamole, fried tacos filled with chicken and memelitas.

chapulines and quesillo (string cheese)

The first thing besides mole that I had to eat was chapulines (grasshoppers). I was expecting a big crunchy bug but instead got a pile of teeny tiny bugs that are closer to the size of gnats. They were delicious and organic, as were all the items on the Oaxaca sampler platter from Restaurant La Olla .

So far I've drunk bottled water but have eaten fruit off the street and used tap water to brush my teeth with no problems. I'm also taking a lot of acidopholus daily, so hopefully I havent' jinxed myself!

Who eats mole for breakfast?

It's not as spicy as it looks, in fact, it is poco picante and very subtle. The dark red one is called "coloradito" and is made from chilies, sesame seeds, almonds, raisins, bananas, tomatoes and spices. There are more than 7 distinct versions of mole, so I still have a lot to sample.

Lost luggage

Half of this stuff didn't make it on time!

More than 30 years ago, I took my first trip overseas without my parents to do an LSU summer trip in London. I left from DC on Pan Am to Paris on an employee pass which meant I was traveling first class for about $50 each way but on a space available basis. We were told we could only bring one suitcase, so I bought the biggest one I could find and stuffed it full. This was long before I became famous among my friends for being a savvy packer. Eventually I learned to get by even on long trips with one carry-on bag, made easier by the fact that I was still thin enough to wear a large scarf as a skirt or even a dress. The above photo is evidence that I have regressed and am no longer a savvy packer, but I digress . . . .

Anyway, I got bumped from the flight to Paris, but Pan Am put me on a flight to London and then arranged for me to connect to a flight on Iran Air to Paris. What they forgot to tell me was that as I was traveling on an employee pass, I needed to go find someone to get my suitcase off the flight to Paris. Oh well. I got to Paris almost 36 hours after I began traveling, and there was no suitcase. It had remained on the original flight and continued on through the Middle East, eventually making its way to Tokyo. You can imagine my delight when, after a week in which I wore the same increasingly grubby beige pantsuit with some shirts I bought at a flea market, the bag arrived.

I've traveled a lot in the last 30-odd years and I've never had another bag get lost. So it was with much surprise and dismay that I stood in the tiny Oaxaca airport and watched the itty bitty carousel go around and around with no bag in sight. But this time it wasn't my fault. In fact, I think the bag was deliberately left in Mexico City because our flight was so crowded and I could see that the luggage compartment was quite full when we boarded. But until this morning when the bag arrived, I wasn't sure if it was actually lost or just delayed.

Oddly enough, I had a bizarre dream last night that my bag was on the plane but had a hole in it which caused all of my clothes and shoes to fall out and rain upon the city of Oaxaca.

Thus began my first real trip into the heart of Mexico.

T-minus 18 hours and counting!

Roses and Rosemary

Black-eyed Susans

Geraniums

Rose-of-Sharon

Basil

Lobelia and Marigolds

Hibiscus

The lone survivor of the Sunflower Massacre

Morning Glories (a little past their prime at noon)

Day Lilies

My favorite -- Sundial Flowers (aka Portulacas)

My sister reminds me that I shouldn't blog about going on trips because of the safety issue, so let me start by saying that living by the beach means that you always have a ready supply of friends who want to house-sit, summer and winter. So, all you sticky fingers folks out there trolling for a place to burgle should pass mine by. There are usually more people in the house when we're gone than when we're here.

While you await blogging from Oaxaca, our sponsors will leave you with shots of what is blooming here at La Casa de Nos Madres (everyone out here names their beach houses, so we've named our house to honor our mothers, and I love the pretentiousness of the foreign language! LOL):

Mole frijoles!

We're planning on taking at least one cooking class while we're in Oaxaca, and, so far, this one seems like the most fun and the best deal:

CASA CRESPO COOKING CLASSES

"Cooking classes are held at CASA CRESPO Restaurant. Casa Crespo is a cooking school devoted exclusively to the cuisine of Oaxaca and has become a "must-do" destination. What better way to learn more about this region´s culture than by savoring Oaxacan cuisine?

Cooking classes at Casa Crespo are a unique experience. The classes are designed for people who love to cook but are unfamiliar with the seasoning and cooking methods of Oaxacan cuisine. All classes are taught in English. Every class focuses on techniques and local ingredients, with an emphasis on dishes that can easily be recreated in your kitchen back home.

Your experience will include a guided visit to the "Sánchez Pascuas" local market, where you will learn firsthand about traditional ingredients. We explore indigenous herbs, vegetables, spices and the many forms of dried and fresh chiles.

Our 4 hour course can seamlessly fit into your daily travel itinerary. The class starts at 10 am and offers a tasty sampling of Oaxacan cuisine, including indigenous ingredients and cooking methods.

Here is what you´ll get:
Included in the price of all classes are that morning coffee and pastries, a visit to the neighbouring market, all class materials and ingredients and of course, full recipes for the dishes that you will prepare plus mezcal or beer. We have classes everyday at 10 am. The cost of each class is $US65 per person. There is no minimum class size. Meal ticket for non-students: $US25.

Classes are taught everyday, except Sundays, at 10 am at Casa Crespo restaurant at Allende 107, between Alcalá and García Vigil streets, two houses west from Santo Domingo church. Payment is in cash at the end of the class." (from their web site)

A continental breakfast, a trip to the market, cooking, and then lunch with mescal or beer -- does it get better?

Peso watch continues

Rats -- the dollar is falling against the peso:

1.00 USD = 12.8257 MXN

25 Reasons Why We Love Oaxaca -- Budget Travel.com

Images of Monte Alban, Amate Bookstore, and Santo Domingo via www.budgettravel.com




I'm making a list and checking it twice, and here are some of the things we'll be doing on our trip. We leave July 16 in the A.M., so it's T minus 12 days and counting!25 Reasons We Love Oaxaca - Budget Travel