taco's & toucan's travels ~ 2019

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DAY 20

Week 3

OAXACA DE JUÁREZ (Oaxaca, MEX)

Wednesday April 3^rd, 2019

TODAYS MILEAGE – 217 miles / 349 kilometres

TRIP MILEAGE – 14,352 miles / 23,097 kilometres

Everyone was up and out the door of the Gilfer Hotel at 7:30 AM, loaded into 5 cabs and off to the Autobuses CAPU for our 8:25 AM departure on the Autobus Ado service to Oaxaca de Juárez or more simply - Oaxaca (pronounced wuh-haka).

At 550 Peso’s ($40.16 AUD), the “Premier” seating service was quite enjoyable in a comfortable air-conditioned coach that seemed to be only a couple of years young. The 345 kilometre (215 mile) 6-hour trip passed seemingly in no time, with the exception of a head-on collision between a ute and an overtaking car, high up on the mountain range along the Puebla/Oaxaca border.

We checked into the Hotel Oaxaca Real and as our rooms had not been finalised by housekeeping, we headed off on an orientation walk that eventually took us over to the Mercado 20 de Noviembre where we parked up at the Comedor María Alejandra, where for a measly $15 AUD I thoroughly enjoyed a “Mexican counter lunch” of Tlayuda Mixta and 3 ice cold cervezas no less.

The dish consisted of a large 12-inch partially fried or toasted corn tortilla, covered with a refried beans paste, shredded cabbage, flat iron pork and beef, Oaxaca cheese, Portuguese Chouriço (a type of pork Chorizo sausage) and a cilantro & chile sauce ...... which sounds like an odd combination, but awesome eating.

From there it was over to the Chocolate Mayordomo cacao/chocolate factory and then onto one of our CEO’s favourite bars for some happy hour cerveza’s and margarita’s.

After an early evening freshen-up, those of us who are a bit partial to adult beverages gathered at 9AM for a Mezcal tasting at the “Einstein of Mezcal’s” mezcaleria – In Situ. I settled on a sampling containing the Penca Verde, Agave Karwinskii and Agava Rhodacantha varieties and unlike tequila, these are a sipping spirit not shot materials.

I’d have to say that even when engaging the “correct” sipping technique of (a) exhaling all air in your lungs, (b) take a sip of mexcal, (c) breathe in through your nose, (d) swallow the mescal and (e) breathe out through your mouth, I found all three had a harsh after taste and not a smooth sipping experience at all.

A few of us ended up at the Praga Coffee Bar overlooking the Templo de Santo Domingo (Church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán) for a couple of nightcaps - all in all, a good night.