Day 9: We went to the local Market today. Amby had a licuado, which included banana and papaya, that the woman grabbed with her bare hands and tossed into the blender. It was delicious; so far he's suffering no ill effects.

Cristina bought a very light wrap and another shirt. She has been saying she packed badly--for a hot beach town, not for cooler Oaxaca. Now she thinks she's fully prepared.

She also found a yarn store where the mujeres sit around all day crocheting and placticando (chatting) en espanol. She figures this is for sure her ticket to fluency; she plans to spend a lot of time there.

For dinner, we went to a new place, Zandunga, to celebrate my friend John Hastings's 68th birthday. Cristina sang "Las Mananitas" (the Mexican equivalent of "Happy Birthday," but a completely different song), and we got a few of the other patrons to join in. Fun. Here's a photo inside the restaurant.