Mexico pt 1

August 2022

We started our trip in the usual way: high-speed train from Malaga to Madrid, and a night at an AC Hotel. This time it was the AC Atocha, near the train station, but far enough from the hot spots that it only costs about 100€ per night. Madrid was predictably hot as hell but by this point in the summer it was never going to be anything else. We discovered a new restaurant, Rosi la Loca, small and popular, with really good dishes served in outlandish colorful bowls. Hence the Loca. We are on a mission to discover more interesting places to eat in Madrid so this was a good start.

Next day, after a quick dip in the Iberia VIP Lounge, we hopped on our nonstop flight to Mexico City. Two movies and a valium later, we arrived- like magic! This direct Spain to Mexico flight cost a bit more than we are used to paying but it was worth it to avoid a change in the US or anywhere else during the busy summer travel season. Mexico City airport is pretty basic and easy to navigate. We checked no bags, so it was a quick visit to immigration and a taxi to our hotel, Le Meridien on Paseo Reforma. I can’t really recommend it, it’s a bit tired. I admit I was seduced by the glamorous photos online. It turned out the Marriott down the street was the same price and it’s a better hotel.

Mexico City was wonderfully cool and we spent the day wandering and eating, no change from our routine there. Early the next morning we made our way to the Norte bus station for the first of our adventures, a first class bus to San Miguel de Allende. (Primera Plus, although there are several companies running the same routes) These buses are famous for being efficient and comfortable. Not to mention cheap. I have no idea how they make any profit since the seats cost us about $35 each. It was a very comfortable 4-hour trip. We sat in the front row like two grandfathers with a running commentary on the chickens and dogs along our route.

For anyone who has not been, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico is a very picturesque colonial city that sits at 6000 feet above sea level, so it is often cool and green when other places (Madrid comes to mind) are torturous in August. We’ve been there a few times in recent years but this was our first post-covid visit. All the parks, all the museums were wide open. Like in Mexico City, locals were still wearing masks everywhere. As in hundreds of historic downtowns worldwide, the cathedral (above) is the center of the city and most of the public activities start here. There are also very colorful little neighborhoods close by with their own personalities. San Miguel is very easy to walk around everywhere, but the sidewalks are often narrow and the streets cobbled so the locals are routinely assisting expat seniors sprawled in the gutters and I myself have been there more than once. We got to stay 3 weeks in the lovely home of some generous friends, but they sold it as soon as we were out the door, so I guess we’re burning our bridges behind us.

Like all of Mexico, there are street food carts absolutely everywhere and this is Hector’s favorite way to eat. I am a bit more prone to stomach issues, but some things even I can not resist. San Miguel has some good restaurants so I don’t need to tell you how we spent much of our time. Here’s a sampling of favorites: Cafe Rama, Correo, Sierra Nevada, Kouyin, Atrio, The Restaurant, Cumpanio, Quince, Mama Mia, Garambullo.

Feeling artsy, I enrolled in a one-week beginning pottery class, and I had a blast, despite my clear lack of ability. The 369 Clay Studio, located in the San Antonio barrio, is a fully equipped studio that offers hand building classes. Alberto is an adorable and patient teacher who managed to remain encouraging, even faced with the many sad efforts of myself and my classmates.

And on to Oaxaca!

Twenty-five years ago I spent a month in Oaxaca, for my very first Spanish classes. It was a magical visit, and everything was so different from what I was used to. My school chum, Emily, and I spent many hours sitting at the lush Zocalo downtown, just spellbound by all the activity and …well… foreignness. Hardly any locals spoke English then, so even a trip to the laundromat was a potential adventure. Today, Oaxaca has of course changed. The Zocala has many more tourists, as well as all the vendors that chase them with their beads and trinkets. Now, the heart of the city has moved north a few blocks, around the famous Templo de Santo Domingo. The church here is a gorgeously restored masterpiece, and the attached monastery is now a museum, filled with religious art, as well as many many artifacts and gold from the all the archeological sites nearby. The gold jewelry is breathtaking.

Our airbnb there, The Loft Q, was right around the corner from this complex so we were near to all the new galleries, cafes, and bars that weren’t there when I was a callow youth. In the evenings, locals and visitors alike stroll along Calle de Macedonia Alcalá, a pedestrian thoroughfare where you can hear music, watch the evening calendas, the short parades, or have drinks on a roof terrace.

To state the obvious, Mexico has always been the best place in the world to find good Mexican Food, but in the last few years we have found a lot more fusion. And we found it in San Miguel as well as here in Oaxaca. So not only can you find your abuela’s mole enchiladas, for instance, here in Oaxaca like you always could, but restaurants like Danzantes and Las Quince Letras are offering new incarnations of the local traditions. Below left: Ceviche in maracuyá with red onion and peanuts, right: Ancho chile stuffed with huitlacoche/ pumpkin and goat cheese puree.

Finally, Oaxaca is absolutely filled with historic archeological sites, many of which are an easy bus ride or even taxi. Monte Alban is just up the hill above the city and it is fantastic, with its pyramids and temples. Also, Mitla is nearby, with traces of the original color still on the buildings. Nearby villages have market days on different days of the week so it is easy to visit nearby towns with their artisan specialties, like carved wood, or famous black pottery. 25 years ago we bought hand-embroidered cloth napkins and used them until just recently.

Coming in Part 2: Santa Fe, Puerto Vallarta and a week in Mexico City with our travel buddies Tere and Martin!