I had the sweet experience of spending a week with my daughter in Mexico at the end of September! Before I left I made myself almost sick with anxiety over how David would do while I was gone. He ended up doing fine on his own, and I learned important lessons: David is capable of taking care of himself and I do not need to be his caretaker. I also remembered (again!) that worry is a waste of time and counterproductive. Unfortunately I need this reminder all too often.
I flew to San Francisco, then to Mexico City on a red-eye flight and landed in
Oaxaca City on a Friday morning. Lara and her husband Israel met me at the airport. I haven't seen Lara in three years; such a joy to see them both again!
We spent the day exploring the sites of old Oaxaca City and the open air market. This was my first trip to a country where I don't speak the language; it was a little intimidating at first (especially going through customs in Mexico City), but I liked listening to the language and taking in the culture.
We first went to the market; the amounts of fruits and vegetables, meats, flowers, crafts and other merchandise was amazing. My favorite thing there were the assortment of flowers.
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| Masks for the upcoming Day of the Dead holiday (November 1) |
After the market and a delicious breakfast at a small cafe, we visited the plaza at Oaxaca City.
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| An organ grinder; music was everywhere |
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| One of the cathedrals |
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| At the plaza in Oacaxa City |
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| Detail of the carvings on one of the cathedrals |
We came across an arts and crafts festival that featured craft booths from the different sections of the state of Oaxaca and native dancers.
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| Young men dancing on stilts |
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| These flowers are made out of paper, as is the owl below |
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| At the arts and crafts fair |
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| One of the traditional dances. After their dance they handed out deep-fried donuts |
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| Young men dancing on stilts |
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| The traditional headdress and dance of Oaxaca |
After an exciting day of visiting the city, we left for San Miguel del Rio on the Sierra Norte where Lara and her family live on the town's bus. I was taken by the scenery and the lushness of the plant life.
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| Entrance to San Miguel del Rio |
