Oaxaca, briefly

- the grasshoppers are caught in nets, sorted and roasted in a variety of ways with varying spices, giving them unique colours and flavours
- the outdoor market is amazing - row upon row of fruits, vegetables, meats, grasshoppers, chiles, arts and crafts, clothes... - I am hoping that I will work up the nerve to ask the people selling their wares if I may take some photos... wouldn't you like to see a whole stand of dried Mexican chiles or mounds of grasshoppers ready for snacking? I just don't want to offend anyone.
- tequila is made from the blue agave plant, mezcal from any type of agave and is the local drink of choice
- mezcal has the same smoky aftertaste as scotch
- having a siesta after lunch is awesome
- eating vegetarian is basically impossible - I gave up on trying to sort out the menu at lunch yesterday and just ordered something from the "local Oaxaca" section. When my meal came I gulped... a tortilla baked with a layer of black beans and local cheese, topped with avocado and tomato... ok so far so good, but then on top of all that there was a thinly pounded piece of what I can only guess was pork - deliciously seasoned, but also nearly bigger than the whole tortilla itself. I ate about a quarter of it and then shared the rest with the others at the table. I love trying all this local food but I'm really surprised by the lack of vegetables! My spanish isn't nearly good enough to order a custom meal... and I kind of enjoy exposing myself to the local culinary delights.
- Oaxaca is surrounded by mountains and nestlend in at the intersection of 3 valleys
- Oaxaca is a mountain town with an elevation of over 1500m (5000ft)
- this means it's a bit colder than what I would have expected of Mexico... although yesterday mid-morning the sun finally came out and it's been wonderfully warm since with a slight breeze carrying along all sorts of delicious smells
- this also means that climbing up the hill from the town to our hotel leaves me breathing heavily. We've done this ~30 minute walk several times now and after spending all day wandering around the streets in town I am more than ready for the afternoon siesta.
- margaritas in Oaxaca taste better than margaritas I've had anywhere else
- being redheaded and fair-skinned makes me stand out like a sore thumb. Doesn't help that I've usually got a camera hanging around my neck either.
- children on the streets trying to sell you candy won't give up or let go of your shirt even after you've walked into a restaurant and sat down
- La Carrera Panamericana is a car race that starts today or tomorrow in Oaxaca. It goes ~3000 miles and ends somewhere in Texas. There are a lot of racers staying at our hotel and their fancy cars are parked in the lot. Apparently only 25% of cars actually finish the race.
- yoga in our villa in the morning is wonderful
- not sure how I'm going to get my training runs done, but I am sure that I'm nearly walking the equivalent of what I need to run each day
- successfully made my first transaction in the local farmacia... 4 pesos for 4 bandaids (that's about 40 cents - 10 pesos to the dollar)