Roy, Nancy, Cristina

March 2: With Roy and Nancy, we toured the Cultural Museum adjacent to the Santo Domingo church. It was quite a revelation. At first, didn't look like much. But then it turned out that there were dozens of exhibit rooms off these incredibly long, domed hallways. We didn't go in all, but many were fascinating.

View to the Alcala, the main pedestrian road in downtown.

Gigantes puppets used in weddings and other celebrations, life size vs Cristina size.

Cactus in the adjacent Botanical Garden

March 1: In contrast to the previous night's meal--$5 each--we splurged tonight at Casa Oaxaca, one of the highest end eateries in the city. The place occupies a rooftop terrace beside the Santo Domingo church. I felt a bit as if I were sitting next to the Roman Colisseum. It was a warm, clear night, moon rising, gorgeous for outdoor rooftop dining.
Jackie said she eats here just once a year, as she prefers more typical places, as we all do, but this was a splendid night. Jackie and I had huge flasks of juice--jacaranda and tamarindo--and I talked her into ordering mescal to mix in our juices. Everyone else had wine or beer. The restaurant plied us with some complementary cheese tacos, then brought on the various entrees. Half the table ordered a fish plate, and all said it was delicious. My organic turkey was a bit tough, but the mole (the reason for the order) was great.
This time we paid about $17/person, and it was well worth it.

Nancy, John, and Cristina. Rooftop lights behind.

Feb. 28: With Gary set to leave early the next morning, we let him choose where we would have dinner tonight. He picked Tacos Alvaro, a real neighborhood joint, where we had eaten about a week ago. They recognized us, greeted us warmly, and we all had a great meal. When we tallied the cost for 7, it came to $5 each, including beers.

Feb. 27: Nancy and Roy Reisinger arrived in late evening. Before that, we wandered around a fair amount. Saw an art exhibit of hanging tortillas cut into various designs. No trip to Mexico would be complete without Gary falling in love with one or two dogs. A young Mexican girl gets photographed for her quincenera party--I have no idea how to spell that word, but the event is a big deal here.

Feb. 26: We took a bus to the famous Sunday market out in Tlacolula. The ride out was smooth. On the ride back, we wanted to stop in Tule to show Gary the "world's biggest/at least widest tree." We asked lots of people on the return bus, including gringoes and locals, where we should get off. Everyone pitched in to help. When we got off, we found out we had passed five miles beyond Tule. This was one of those plans that didn't come together. However, the market was colorful, real, good fun. Can't find my photos right now. Later saw a wedding back in Oaxaca and some local guys painted in black to get ready for Mardi Gras in three days.

Feb. 25: Cristina has really hit it off with the gym owner, Maria, who also organized the 6K race that we ran. Her gym is a strong reflection of Maria's personality, right down to the flourescent lime-green colored equipment. Cristina is loving Maria's pilates class, which apparently is completely different every day.
Meanwhile, I'm doing--what else--a lot of reading on a recumbent bike. I especially like the February Valentine's Wall which says, "Love. Friendship." and "Be sure to make your payments on time."

Feb. 24. It's Gary's birthday. To celebrate, we made him go to a nice rooftop restaurant--a little fancier than his typical selection. But we had a good evening and got some great photos.

Gary seems to be enjoying his birthday Pina Colada.