La Era

We travelled one Sunday to the ejido community of 'La Era', a part of the municipality of Huiztan. Our friends Manuel & Augustina and their children are originally from there - they had to leave when they rejected the local pagan-Catholic religion for a more Biblical Christianity.


We visited Augustina's aunt's house first - just four walls of wood, corrugated iron roof and earth floor - there they cook, eat and sleep. It probably isn't much changed from indigenous homes 400 years ago!


When Pablo visited La Era in 2000 they ran him out of the village accusing him of being a foreign missionary. It's only this year that the community has allowed the small number of Christian families there to build a church building.


We visited the afternoon service - we were told it should last an hour, this time it stretched to just over three! The singing and sermon were in Tzotzil with occasional words of Spanish. Pablo had to stand up and say a few words, in Spanish. Shortly afterwards the service finished and we made good our escape.


A few days later we were back at Manuel's house - where they'd come to 16 years ago when they fled La Era.


It's Luis's 19th birthday - but no cans of beer, cigarette butts or police called at midnight here. Instead the church youth group have been invited (not by Luis we guess) to the house for church games, a quick inspirational word and then tamales and coca cola for everyone. Luis mostly hides behind Daisy!

Final day in Oaxaca City

Our last day together we spent back in Oaxaca City.

We tried to starve ourselves in anticipation of our 7-course taster meal at Casa Crespo.

So, to start, it's cactus, with blue maize flour, fried pig-skin ball and hibiscus sauce - it's a good start..

Then we're onto ceviche with tomato foam and pineapple reduction (Daisy's favourite by far)!


Then randomly a man appeared to fill up the fountain with his, er, big hose...


But there was no rest for us, onto red snapper with pine nuts and avocado base (which even Ian ate, even though he's not keen on avocado)...


And on we go - avocado and prawns mousse with a red sauce and a green one, they were very nice, but I'd had too much wine by then to remember what type of sauce they were, but they were very nice....


Wow - then came the beef steak (arrachera) with, wait for it, coffee topping and banana sauce - it was sublime!


We were the only people at Casa Crespo that evening - wonderful to have the place to ourselves.


Course Six - well not so filling, Jamaica with mint tea - to clear the mouth apparently.


And to finish, wonderful Oaxacan chocolate mousse with 'fake air'. A fine way to end a marvellous trip.

Puerto Escondido with Sarah & Ian

We flew over the mountains to the coast in the smallest airplane any of us have ever flown in. It was a surprisingly smooth flight and re-assuring to be able to see, nearly reach out and touch, the pilot.


We stayed at the splendid Villas Carrizalillo (impossible to pronounce) - all fine once they acknowledged that we did indeed have a booking!


It was a short walk down to the bay below, much quieter than the main Puerto Escondido beaches and safe to swim in the water.




Daisy got into the spirit of things again and Dad kindly bought her the local paper to enjoy.



Aunty Sarah & Uncle Ian did a splendid job of entertaining the little princess.

Oaxaca City

We travelled to Oaxaca City for a few days of sight-seeing, eating and relaxation. We seemed to hit peak 'mass time', but eventually found a moment without a service and got in to see the inside of Santo Domingo church. (For a clip of a very Mexican 15th birthday celebration outside the church see Pabs' Facebook)



Rosie was pleased to see the faces of some of the 'Telegraph greats' in the main square.



Our 'old culture' bit was a trip up to Monte Alban - the deserted Zapotec site above Oaxaca Ciy.




A highlight was the cooking course at Casa Crespo - we learnt how to make 'Mole Fiesta', 'Sopa de Flor Calabaza', 'Horchata', hand-made tortillas and rose-petal ice-cream - marvellous!



Daisy found the whole day both exciting and a little tiring,...

Sarah & Ian arrive (with Mungo)

Our dear friends Sarah & Ian have come out to Mexico for a couple of weeks.




They visited the project (La Chozita), where I introduced Ian as the British Chess Champion (well he has played before) to take on the local Chess whizz-kid, Victor. It was a close, tense game, but in the end the Mexican, with support from the home crowd forced a defeat from the visiting champ.


We went with Ian & Sarah up to Chamula and out to the Museum of Mayan Medicine.




Daisy was delighted to have to extra helpers/adorers. She also rather enjoyed Jeremias' birthday party with Tio-Luis and lots of bendy balloons.