Paul, Oaxaca Charlie et al, As usual, I'm horribly behind keeping up with the list, so perhaps this note will be unread by most. But in case you are still interested I'd like to chime in. Spring of 2005 my wife, daughter, and I were going to vacation in Oaxaca for 10 days or so during Easter week. I posted to the list and Oaxaca Charlie responded. He gave us some great pointers and an introduction to his wonderful friends in the nearby town of Huayapam. We ended up spending much of three evenings together with them (watch out for the Mescal, feels good at the time, but it will hurt a bit the next day). The result was the greatest vacation time my family has ever had! Oaxaca itself is a center of culture, crafts, food music and even more food. Oh yeah, the Chocolate is pretty awesome too. Also the coffee. We all (even the kiddo) ate the chapulinas but can take them or leave them. Mostly leave them. All the rest was totally good. Tejate also, try it! Enjoy the people, mercados, museums, Cathedrals, the Zocolo, restaurants, El Arbol, the coffee, Monte Alban and so much more! Congrat's on the wedding and best wishes for the honeymoon; hope the trip to Oaxaca works out, because you won't regret it. We brought back lots of cacao, green coffee, the resinous incensey stuff who's name escapes me right now. Umm, more coffee content for the post.... Oaxaca Pluma Hidalgo. If that is offered by SM's any time soon I highly recommend it. Nice balanced, central american character. Just plain good, because I don't have Tom's way with coffee knowledge, palate or words. Best Regards, Mike Womer (P.S. - Thanks again O.C.) |
Hi, I got married two weeks ago, and in two weeks we're going on honeymoon to Oaxaca for 2 weeks and then to Costa Rica for 2 more. How practical or worthwhile is it to visit coffee farms? I speak reasonable Spanish, but I'm not sure I'm comfortable driving up to a random coffee farm and asking them if I could walk around the fields and poke around the mills. Or maybe that is how it's done. I don't know, but I'm sure I've found the right place to ask. Cheers, -Paul |
Dont know either but a reference in advance might be the best way. Oaxaca charlie, a fellow list member is the Oaxaca expert on this list and should be able to help you out in Mexico. I will forward this message to him just incase he does not read it here on the list. Congradulations on your marrage and have a great time on your honeymoon. Be carfull and be safe RK |
--- Paul Sack wrote:
<Snip>
Oh my god, Paul. Your timing is incredibly....bad. Sorry,
but you had better be prepared. Are you aware of what is
going on in Oaxaca right now??! It's some heavy stuff,
Oaxaca city is pretty much shut down.Google
(Oaxaca+teachers) You won't be in physical danger, people
there are very upset with the ultra corrupt and brutal
state govenor, but they have no beef with tourists. Going
to some coffee farms is the best thing to do now, but
usually not recomended during the heavy rains. I'll write
you off list about some of the very best , where the owners
live year round and the roads are "good" even during the
rainy season that's happening now. What a shame that you'll
miss out on the cool stuff in the Valley, it could get
truely horrible soon, beyond what's already going on,
depending on the outcome of the national elections,
happening next sunday. Traveling on the roads could be a
nightmare, in many places, and there are no tourists
staying in the city, last I heard. Usually it's absolutely
packed. Think of it as an adventure. Costa Rica should be a
more normal,*boring* vacation, but a vist to Oaxaca right
now will give you both some rare memories.;o)
If you are already booked to fly into Oaxaca city, you can
go visit my best friends nearby, who have the best coffee
and chocolate in the Valley, and who will be kind and
friendly. Give me a couple of hours to make some calls and
get an update on the situation, I'll email you direct later
tonight.
Saludos,
Charlie
Oaxaca dreamin'
Do You Yahoo!?
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I just wrote Paul, to apologize for maybe scaring him. The general strike that has been ongoing for almost 6 weeks is expected by everyone to be over well before he and his wife arrive on their honeymoon. I suggested some beautiful fincas to visit and a few other ways to have a very nice time and enjoy great coffee and Oaxaca cuisine and hospitality. The Oaxaca Valley in summer is soooo nice. Charlie --- Oaxaca Charlie wrote: <Snip> Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com |
Charlie, Good Lord. I hadn't heard a thing about this, but now I find a New York Times story from last week:http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/22/world/americas/22mexico.htmlIf you feel it's not appropriate for the list please reply to me personally, but I would love to hear about what your friends there say. Oaxaca touched me deeply in just a few days in and around the city. Thanks, Bill On 6/27/06, Oaxaca Charlie wrote: <Snip> |
I missed that too. I keep up pretty well on world events, but I probably ought to follow the news on places I'm visiting more closely. I'm glad to hear it should all be over soon. Thanks again Charlie for all the great information. (Maybe I'll put up a little web page afterwards and email the link here. I'm sure it won't be 1/4 as interesting as tom's travelogues, but still.) Cheers, -Paul On Jun 27, 2006, at 9:49 PM, Bill Morgan wrote: <Snip> |
I love this list... |
On 6/27/06, Ed Needham wrote: <Snip> I'll second that! Where else! <Snip> <Snip> Mike (just plain) |
Michael Dhabolt wrote: <Snip> I've learned my timing has gone from bad to worse. There is an enormously big festival on in Oaxaca City when I arrive, and I haven't booked hotels yet. <Snip> |
This is a multi-part message in MIME format. Oh, Oaxaca sounds /wonderful. /Thank you for writing about it - I'm enjoying being an armchair traveler./ /Makes me think of Lila Downs' song, "La Cumbia del Mole"http://www.liladowns.com/ click on "Media", then scroll down to "Discography" in the center, then her album, "La Cantina." Song number 13 gives the words to the English version of the song. Also, click on the right side of the little audio player (bottom left of the page) to listen to both the versions of "La Cumbia del Mole": /"They say in Oaxaca you drink coffee with mezcal"/ Also reminds me to finish the mole I began some time ago (put it in the freezer): /"You first need to get the peanuts, you get the salt and the bread, You grind and you fry the chilies, you try the chocolate. Get cinnamon and banana, get cloves and oregano, Get thyme and the blackest pepper You grind the chocolate..."/ Mmmm - Lynne Mike Womer wrote: <Snip> / You first need to get the peanuts, you get the salt and the bread, You grind and you fry the chilies, you try the chocolate. Get cinnamon and banana, get cloves and oregano, Get thyme and the blackest pepper You grind the chocolate./ Mike Womer wrote: <Snip> |
Here's a link to the lyrics of a neat song called "Oaxacan Vacation". I roasted up some of that beautiful Oaxaca Finca El Olivo this evening. It's truly an act of will to let it rest...such a light, satiny smooth, clean cup of coffee. So...Oaxaca has breeched my consciousness in a couple of ways today, summoning me to post to this thread. If you like folk music/singer-songwriters, you owe it to yourself to check out Danny Schmidt. I don't know whether he enjoys coffee. ~TO in VA On 7/10/06, Lynne wrote: <Snip> |
On Jul 10, 2006, at 8:38 PM, Mike Womer wrote: <Snip> Thanks, Mike. We're leaving Friday. We're very excited! Hence the exclamation mark! <Snip> Yeah, Oaxaca Charlie's emailed me a number of times and set us up with his friends. We're going to spend a week in Oaxaca City and the central valley, and then another week with a rental car going to some coffee farms in the mountains and the beaches along the coast. Everyone thinks I'm crazy when I tell them we're going to a coffee farm. They think it's like going to a wheat farm or something. Well, I dunno, I'm also an amateur baker--maybe serious amateur bakers visit famous wheat farms :) But somehow I doubt that. Cheers, -Paul |
Oaxaca has breeched my consciousness in a couple of ways today... Woops...I meant to say it has "breached" my consciousness today. My consciousness has never been "breeched". Not to put too fine a point on it, my consciousness prefers not to wear pants. TO On 7/10/06, Tom Ogren wrote: <Snip> |