One morning in Oaxaca, I wake up with an onward bus ticket on my mind. I am supposed to leave the following day.

I head out of the hostel earlier than normal and make my first stop at a bank. The ATM line is long and moving at a sloth’s pace. I share sighs and smiles with the other people waiting. As more bank customers approach, they spot their friends in the line and make conversation and gestures about their disbelief of the size of the line before dutifully taking their places at the end of it.

It’s these little insights that I love so much about being in Oaxaca and Mexico in general. The little moments where locals allow you feel like you’re part of their world as you take part in everyday tasks with them. You’re a random tourist in the mix, but more importantly, you’re just another person.

Once cash has been procured, I visit the markets and shops and stock up on unique to Oaxaca gifts and mezcal and chocolate. When I have everything I was looking for, I walk over to the Mercado 20 de Noviembre. I want to find the right place to have a cup of Oaxaca style hot chocolate with ground almonds and cinnamon in it.

I settle on a comedor where a family of four is finishing up their meal and an older couple chats with the chef as they eat. The chef is Lidia and her little eatery is named after her. Comedor “Lidia”. I like the way the food stall signs have the names of the people who run them in quotation marks.

I give Lidia my order. She breaks off a chunk of chocolate from a huge bar and puts it into hot milk in a pot. She rubs a molinillo between her palms and whisks until the chocolate is frothy. She pours the hot chocolate into a small bowl and insists that I have a pan dulce roll to eat with it. She is right, the airy bread is the right companion for the chocolate. When she has made sure I have everything I need, she leans on the counter and resumes her conversation with the the older couple.

I sip the chocolate and dip the bread and people watch in the market. Leaving the next day doesn’t feel quite right. I can’t wait to get back to get back to Mexico City, but I want to spend just one more day in delving into Oaxaca’s heart.

Later that afternoon, I walk over to the bus station to change my onward ticket to a day later. It does not escape me that almost exactly a year before, I took the same walk for exactly the same reason. It’s hard for me to leave Oaxaca.

Travel can be full of spectacular sights and spectacular emotions that are fleeting and keep you moving in your quest for more. But those places where you want nothing more than the everyday are golden; they urge you to lay your backpack down a little longer and bask in pure contentment.

©2012 Girl, Unstoppable. All Rights Reserved.

Mezcal, the unofficial liquor of Oaxaca, can be an acquired taste. Most fellow travelers I’ve encountered in Oaxaca did not like mezcal at first sip, but almost all seem to leave the city chiming in with the Oaxaca saying, “For everything bad, mezcal. For everything good, mezcal.”

The thing is, mezcal tastes of Oaxaca. It gives you sense of place. It slowly captures you the way Oaxaca has a tendency to do. And when you have to leave the city, its flavor can bring Oaxaca to you.

In the process of making mezcal, hearts of the maguey, a type of agave, are roasted in the earth for three days before the juice is extracted. This, combined with the fact that it is typically only distilled once, differentiates its rustic and smoky flavor from that of the more smooth tequila.

Intrigued? Here are  three Oaxaca watering holes where you can go from a mezcal novice to a bonafide mezcal appreciator:

» Beginner: La Casa del Mezcal

This is the most obvious mezcal starting point; it’s well known and conveniently located near the bustle of the Zocalo. Its walls are adorned with murals of absurdly muscular warrior men fending off enemies, and that sets the tone for a kind of laughable bravado-heavy atmosphere. But here you can try all the types of mezcal at a price that will fit into your budget. Mezcal is traditionally sipped as is, and at Casa del Mezcal, orange slices and chili salt are provided to help make the mezcal go down easier if you need it.

Calle Flores Magón, between Calle Las Casas and Calle Aldama
Centro Histórico
Oaxaca City, Oaxaca

» Intermediate: La Farola

La Farola is a classy but down to earth establishment that I passed by many times before I remembered to check it out. This bar was founded in 1916 and it claims to be oldest cantina in Oaxaca city. Beyond the wooden doors that are reminiscent of an old Western film, it’s a lovely spot for a slightly more swanky night and there is sometimes live music. While the selection of mezcal does not seem to be as vast the Casa del Mezcal, they have good options to choose from. And as long as you’re drinking mezcal, they’ll provide the snacks.

Calle 20 de Noviembre, between Calle Las Casas and Calle Trujano
Colonia Centro Histórico
Oaxaca City, Oaxaca
Phone: 951-516-5352

» Advanced: Cuish

Shannon Young is a Oaxaca-based radio reporter who came across my site after I started blogging about last summer’s trip to Oaxaca. She has been a great supporter since. This year, we got a chance to meet in Oaxaca and I sensed that she would know of some great spots that were hidden to the average visitor.

After eating delicious memelas at a food stand, we headed over to Cuish, a wonderful discovery for me. Cuish is the name of the bar and the mezcal they create and sell. It’s a small space, and the atmosphere there more resembles a tasting room of small scale bohemian winery than it does a bar. When I entered, I could immediately sense that a lot of love and passion went into creating it. The mezcal there is something unique; you can really taste the agave in it. It’s not often that a liquor brings about an appreciation for the cosmos, but that’s exactly what this earthy mezcal did.

Calle Diaz Ordaz 712
Centro Histórico
Oaxaca City, Oaxaca
Phone: 951-516-8791
http://www.mezcalcuish.net

©2012 Girl, Unstoppable. All Rights Reserved.

Great meals can be found everywhere, but it’s not often that you have a meal that’s so uniquely delicious that the memory of the taste lingers long after you take the last bite. I can count these kind of experiences on two hands. One of them happened to be last year in Oaxaca at a restaurant called La Olla. I had the opportunity to go back to that restaurant again this summer, and one year later, it was just as delicious.

I went with two of my fellow hostelers who were both hanging out in Oaxaca for awhile and were always down to make the most of the city. We began with octopus tostadas. These were little crunchy tortillas that were topped with guacamole and wonderfully cooked octopus. I typically have an aversion to all things avocado, but the guacamole wasn’t overbearing and the octopus had enough flavor that I barely noticed it.

For the main course, I debated on whether have the same amazing chicken mole negro I’d had last year or try something new. The mole negro de fandango won without much thought. La Olla mixes things up by stuffing the chicken with plantain. The first time I tried it, I wasn’t sure if the plantain would fit in with the dish, but it really works. Then the chicken is topped with black mole, a sauce that encompasses Oaxaca. Spicy with a touch of sweetness, rich and hearty, bold and complex, chocolatey. The La Olla version of mole negro is one of the most beautiful things I’ve tasted and I’m so glad I got to have it again.

In addition to fantastic and moderately priced food, La Olla is charmingly decorated. There are two indoor levels to this place, and at the top, there is a roof terrace with more seating and colorful hanging lamps. If the weather had been more agreeable that night, it would’ve been the perfect spot for a post dinner drink.

Restaurant and Bar La Olla
Reforma No. 402
Colonia Centro, Oaxaca
http://www.laolla.com.mx

©2012 Girl, Unstoppable. All Rights Reserved.

In order to appreciate and be inspired by the misunderstood Mexico City, you have to go beyond the idea of simply seeing it. You have to live it. You have to open yourself up to the everyday Mexico City, roll around in it, absorb it. And eventually it will reveal the tremendous heart that both overtly and subtly is a part of the city’s daily life.

Mexico City’s lively markets are great places to begin. Before saying a temporary goodbye to Mexico City and boarding a night bus to Chiapas, I visited three of the city’s most notable markets. It was a tour led by Alejandro, the exceptional guide who introduced me and a few fellow hostelers to the stories behind La Virgen de Guadalupe and the Plaza de las Tres Culturas on a previous day tour.

We took a small rickety local bus to get to our first stop, the Mercado de Sonora, a center of commerce for alternative medicine and religion. While people tend to focus on the witchcraft aspect of this market or the cult of Santa Muerte paraphernalia, what caught my eye there were the stalls with burlap sacks full of centuries-old herbal remedies to help people sort out a variety of ailments.

Alejandro mentioned that a lot of the vendors in the Mercado de Sonora weren’t too keen on tourists poking around with their cameras, so I waited until we were in the more lighthearted sections of the market before taking pictures. Pictured above is a market stall full of all things Lucha Libre.

Piñatas for sale at the Mercado de Sonora.

It was a short walk across a bridge over a road to our next stop, the gigantic Mercado de la Merced. The highlight of La Merced Market was the food. Pictured above are dried chili peppers.

Spices and nuts for sale at the Mercado de la Merced.

Seeing various moles in different forms made me even more excited for my eventual return to Oaxaca. Mole is not much to look at, but once you’ve had a good one, there’s no going back.

As a U.S. resident, it’s both uncomfortable and liberating to visit places where goods are not all tightly wrapped in plastic.

Buckets of candy at the Mercado de la Merced.

Pinatas for sale at the Mercado de la Merced that were conveniently located next to some of the candy stalls.

We hopped on the metro to get to our last stop, Mercado San Juan. Alejandro prefaced our entrance into this meat market with a discussion on how people in Mexico tend to have a closer relationship with their food. It was his way of warning the potentially squeamish about what we were about to see as well as encouraging people be open to different ways of looking at food.

©2012 Girl, Unstoppable. All Rights Reserved.

In San Francisco, if you know where to look, there is good, authentic Mexican food to be found. But something has always distracted me from it: the burrito. Burrito naysayers will discuss their inauthenticity, but when it comes to Americanized Mexican food, burritos are not as FUBAR as say, TexMex or processed cheese nachos. And most importantly, my taste buds say yes to burritos.

But eating burritos (or burritas) in Oaxaca would have been a reckless and absurd waste of time considering the high level of tastiness of typical Oaxacan food. Eating is an integral part of the Oaxaca experience and I’d suggest that any Oaxaca-bound traveler should make finding great local food a priority.

While I had some knowledge of what type of cuisine I’d find there before I left, I had a lot more to learn about what to try in Oaxaca. Luckily, I met several people along the way who steered me in the right direction towards the street food stands, the row of chocolate, and the house of mezcal.

Mole Negro

What it is: If you try only one local dish in Oaxaca, this should be it. But be forewarned—your taste buds will never again be the same. Mole negro is the dark, ingredient-rich, chocolate-infused sauce that is the most well known of Oaxaca’s seven moles. A good plate of chicken mole negro with rice and/or warm corn tortillas can create one of those wonderful meal moments that you’ll remember for years to come.

Where to try it: In a nice, sit down restaurant or at someone’s house.

Empanadas, Tlayudas & Memelas

What they are: All of these dishes are subject to the interpretation/tastes of the people preparing or ordering them. Empanadas in Oaxaca were typically not the pastries I expected. Most commonly, the empanadas I had there were large corn tortillas filled with spicy mole amarillo, shredded chicken, flor de calabaza, and cilantro and folded in half. This was my second favorite dish after the mole negro.

The common characteristics in all the tlayudas I tried were large corn tortillas, refried beans, quesillo Oaxaca and salsa. Some were open-faced like pizzas and had a lot of topping, while others were closed with less ingredients and a piece of steak on top.

Memelas are small corn tortillas or corn cakes with a variety of ingredient options available. With memelas, I usually kept it simple and ordered ones with just salsa and queso fresco.

Where to try them: These delectables can all be found at street food stands, made to order on a comal. Find a reputable stand (i.e., one that’s busy and seems to have customers that are regulars), grab a plastic stool and order away. You can always start small and order more as you go along.

Chocolate

What it is: Everyone knows chocolate, but Oaxaca does it differently (and arguably, better). In Oaxaca, you’ll most commonly find chocolate that has been mixed with cinnamon and ground almonds and formed into chunks. Other chocolate additions include honey and vanilla. The chunks can then be mixed with hot milk or water and whisked to make what is commonly referred to as “Mexican hot chocolate”. Cayenne pepper can also be added.

Where to try it: When I asked a friend I made in Mexico City for suggestions on what to do in Oaxaca, she recommended heading over to what is often referred to as “Chocolate Row”. On a street called Calle Mina, at the intersection of 20 de Noviembre, there is a high concentration of chocolate shops (Mayordomo, La Soledad and Guelaguetza are chocolatiers you’ll probably come across) where you can see parts of the chocolate-making process, sample chocolates, and buy chocolate products. Chocolate Row is just south of the 20 de Noviembre market.

Chapulines

What it is: These are fried grasshoppers flavored with chili and lime. I was actually tricked into trying these by a fellow hostel mate who was from Oaxaca state and wanted all of us foreigners to sample all things Oaxaca. I can’t say I’d regularly munch on chapulines, but they are not bad. For those who are typically squeamish about trying bugs but still want to give it a try, this can be a good starter point. Because they are fried and crunchy and covered with chili and lime, you’ll barely notice what is if you don’t look too closely…

Where to try it: Pick up a bag of chapulines at the Benito Juarez Market just outside of the Zocalo.

Mezcal

What it is: Mezcal is tequila’s earthy and smoky cousin. At first, I found the flavor of it to be a little harsh, but after sampling different types, I figured out which kinds I liked more, and found that it was one of those beverages that is well-suited for the location and just makes sense for Oaxaca. While tequila is made from the blue agave, mezcal is made from a different type of agave plant called the maguey. Mezcal is usually enjoyed on its own without a mixer and sometimes served with chili salt and orange slices.

Where to try it: Many day tours to archaeological sites and other locations include a visit to a distillery where you can see how mezcal is made and taste different types and flavors. La Casa del Mezcal, near the Zocalo, is another great place to sample various mezcals and find your favorite.

©2012 Girl, Unstoppable. All Rights Reserved.

It’s been awhile since I’ve done some serious traveling. When I am not distracted by things I have to do, stir craziness begins to creep up on me. I am hoping to find an affordable last minute Spring Break getaway, but in lieu of any concrete travel plans, I’ve been thinking a lot about where I can go in San Francisco and feel like I am in another place, even if it’s only for a few hours…

» Bissap Baobab & Little Baobab

The first time I walked into the Senagalese restaurant, Bissap Baobab, I knew immediately that I’d left San Francisco and entered West Africa. And true to West Africa, it’s full of friendliness, randomness, and hearty flavorful food. Little Baobab is Bissap’s sibling and is located just around the corner. They offer the same menu as Bissap Baobab up to a certain point and then push aside the tables and dim lights so you can dance the night away to the beats of West Africa and the African diaspora.

» Nonstop Bhangra

Bhangra is a type folk music and dance that comes from the Punjabi region of India. San Francisco’s monthly event, Nonstop Bhangra, fuses this style of music with hip hop, reggae and other genres. The event is fittingly held at a venue called the Rickshaw Stop, and at the party you can enjoy a dance lesson, music and dance performances, and plenty of time to shake and groove on your own. When it gets packed, it tends to get pretty hot and sweaty, but to me, that just adds another element of India to the event.

» 24th Street and the Mission

As the hipsters extend their adhesive jeans with saggy butt legs from the 16th Street part of the Mission to the 24th Street side, gentrification is on everyone’s mind. But there are still times walking down 24th Street when you can feel like you are in Central America as people live their lives on the sidewalks, Spanish is the dominant language, and the smells of pupusas, tacos, and baked goods waft out of the restaurants and panaderias. And of course, the Mission hosts some of San Francisco’s most interesting annual festivals like Carnaval and Day of the Dead.

» Clement Street

I was first introduce to Clement Street in the Richmond by a friend of mine who is a chef. It was pretty easy to see why she liked it– it feels like a culinary tour of Asia. Some of the restaurants on the street are delicious and well known, but I think the most interesting cultural experience is at the Richmond New May Wah Supermarket. It is stocked with Asian produce and products that are hard to find in the US. Chicken feet and other such things not commonly eaten in the US are vividly displayed with no hesitation about what would make the average American squeamish.

» BR55

My obsession with Brazil runs deep. After returning from volunteering there, I needed a regular fix of the genres of Brazilian music I find to be corny but incredibly endearing. I found what I was looking for at the monthly event, BR55, held at Shattuck Down Low in Berkeley. There are a few other Brazilian events in the San Francisco Bay Area that I really enjoy, but they tend to strive for a more cosmopolitan Rio vibe. BR55 serves straight up forró to two-step to and axé in all of it’s cheesy glory.

©2012 Girl, Unstoppable. All Rights Reserved.

I was tagged to partake in Tripbase‘s My 3 Best Kept Travel Secrets phenomenon by Lauren of Lonely Girl Travels and Neha of Flying Suitcase. So I perused my memory for fantastic places and travel moments and here’s what I came up with:

1. A late afternoon motorcycle tour of Hue, Vietnam

Angkor Wat was the expected high moment of my 2008 Southeast Asia trip. But an unlikely afternoon in Hue was the unexpected high moment. After the drivers picked us up, it wasn’t long before we were out of the nondescript city center and zooming through tiny tree-lined alleys and paths on the outskirts.

Our drivers stopped in the middle of the woods. We loved it. But we weren’t quite there yet. We walked through the gates of one of the loveliest places I’ve ever seen, the Tu Hieu Temple. We took off in different directions and were brought together again by the wonderful sounds of gongs and singing. We had arrived at the perfect time to see the monks’ daily chanting.

Another stop was a cliff high above the Perfume River. We explored a former U.S. Military bunker near our lookout spot. Standing in a place so beautiful and tranquil, it was hard to imagine that it was a fairly recently a site of an ugly war. We hopped back on our bikes and zigzagged across a narrow path with flooded rice paddies on both sides. Motorcycle riding is thrilling in itself, but this took exhilaration to the next level.

Monks at the Temple

2. Cozinha Aberta, Lencois, Bahia, Brazil

After a long day of hiking in Chapada Diamantina, my friend and I went in search of Cozinha Aberta, a restaurant recommended in our guidebooks. We walked into what looked like someone’s home. It was beautiful and rustic with just a few tables and simple decorations. There was an open kitchen where we could see a woman making everything from scratch. Wanting something I hadn’t eaten yet in Brazil, I ordered coconut curry chicken. Lovely presented plates of food were brought to us. I took my first bite. My friend and I looked at each other with widen eyes. Our food was mind-blowingly good. It was unreal. I took my second bite. Amazingness confirmed.

The following night, we decided to go to the other Cozinha Aberta restaurant, just around the corner from the one we’d already been to. I couldn’t resist the handmade pasta I saw the cook rolling as we entered the restaurant. I ordered ravioli and was again treated to an incredible meal. It was the freshest pasta and marinara sauce I’ve ever had. In the food at Cozinha Aberta, we tasted massive quantities of love and care and passion. Three years later, I can still remember those tastes.

3. Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, Mt. Vernon, Washington

Last year, I made a last minute spring break trip to visit friends in Seattle. Since I was already in Seattle, my wanderlust led me further north to Vancouver. One of my Seattle friends had mentioned a tulip festival somewhere between Seattle and Vancouver. It was said to rival the famous tulip fields of Holland. I looked up the information and directions so I could make a stop there on my way to Canada.

Unfortunately, I arrived too early in the season. Mother Nature must have decided she wanted a bunch of late bloomers. But though there was not too much tulip viewing, my eyes were not disappointed. There were tons of daffodils with a backdrop of snow-covered mountains. I’d say I frolicked in fields of daffodils, but that would be a lie. But I did venture (against the rules, shh) into the flower rows to take a few awesome pictures.

©2012 Girl, Unstoppable. All Rights Reserved.

This past Saturday, I joined my friend and her coworkers on a wine tasting trip to Sonoma. Napa tends to take much of Northern California’s wine glory, but there are several other great wine tasting areas near San Francisco that are just as nice and kinder to your wallet. Sonoma is Napa’s more down-to-earth neighbor to the west.

Our first stop was Cline Cellars. I found the staff at this winery to be full of character and very personable. The guy who ran the wine tasting had a lot of useful information and entertaining anecdotes about his personal journey to appreciating wine. Cline had fun descriptions for their wine, including one that they claim is perfect for drinking with leftovers. This was a great winery– earthy, old school, and unpretentious.

Next, we headed down the street to Viansa Winery where we had a short tour of their property. After a tasting, we had lunch and then relaxed on the sunny patio which overlooks their vineyard. We talked to a youthful old couple who were originally from Holland. They said they came there every weekend to enjoy a bottle of wine. The woman told us, “We don’t even have to ask for what we want anymore. We just sit at our table outside and they bring us our wine!” That is my definition of aging well.

When we arrived at Nicholson Ranch, we found the perfect spot for our tasting. They had a wonderful patio with a view of vineyard-covered rolling hills, flowers, and extremely comfortable chairs. One of the owners came around to pour the wine while we enjoyed conversation and the late afternoon sun. Here, I felt complete relaxed and content. I was able to peel myself out of the chair for our last stop, Gloria Ferrer, where we enjoyed glasses of sparkling wine at sunset.

Vineyard

Fall Ivy

Wine tasting at Viansa

Olive Tree

Grapevines on a hill

Wine and a view

©2012 Girl, Unstoppable. All Rights Reserved.