Kicking off our year long Live Anywhere on Airbnb adventure with a bang!
A week in the gorgeous Colonial city of Oaxaca de Juarez and it feels great to be back!
Back to the gorgeous details of the Colonial architecture, the bold colors, the mountains all around, the vibrant art scene. And of course, the incredible gastronomy from the finest table to the humblest of street stalls. Oaxaca de Juarez (Oaxaca City) is a treat for all the senses.
Taking advantage of the Airbnb program to “up our game”, we are launching our Green Global Trek Youtube Channel. We hope you’ll enjoy the added dimension of video footage. We really appreciate how so may of you have been reading our blog through the many chapters of our Green Global Trek, from Nicaragua and through Southeast Asia, in Sri Lanka, then Vietnam and on to Mexico. Your comments and feedback have been a great reward for the time and effort it takes to keep a blog going.
The link to subscribe: Youtube Channel.
Take a peek at our first two episodes in Oaxaca City. We welcome constructive feedback (which can be left in the comment section on the Youtube Channel, and look forward to reading your thoughts…
Our first ever VLOG: Episode 1 – Oaxaca City
Episode 2 – Oaxaca City (part 2)
Below, a few photos of our stay in Oaxaca City to whet your appetite…
The main streets have a festive feel. Maybe it is because last time we were here for Dia de los Muertos and this time the city is getting ready for Mexican Independence Day on Sept 16th. Paper cutouts are a traditional Mexican craft with symbolic designs. For this occasion, the pico de papel are in the colors of the Mexican flag.
One cannot talk about Oaxaca City and not talk about the gastronomy. We take food seriously, and being in a city which also does, is a match made in heaven for us.
Much to our absolute delight, it is Chiles en Nogada season.
What is it? A poblano chili stuffed with meat, peach and nuts, smothered in a sweet walnut sauce with pomegranates. Each cook has his/her own twist on the dish, as is the norm in Mexican cuisine. Usually peaches are used, but we have had it with dried fruits too. We have tasted it with beef, with pork, with chicken. But NO ONE would dare to challenge the essential ingredients ~ the poblano chili and pomegranates!
There is a long history of wood block carving and printing here. It is not just aesthetic, it has a history of being used as a means of political expression and education. During some pretty rough years in Oaxaca City when the government and military engaged in large scale military confrontation with its own populace, the artists created a movement to express discontent and resistance. The powerful images remain.
Great week in Oaxaca City!
Click the link to view and subscribe:
What an amazing place to visit. Definitely something for everyone.
Thanks Peggy
Thanks for this trip around beautiful Oaxaca city. We loved it but didn’t really see the city because we were there for the Guelaguetza Festival and all our time was spent attending festival events. This post really shows how beautiful the city is. And congrats on the Youtube channel.
Thanks Alison. Oaxaca City is just so gorgeous, we never get enough of just walking around and enjoying the architecture and colors. Must have been very fun to be there for the Guelaguetza festival. Almost hard to imagine crowds there these days, as it was so lovely and quiet during our stay. Low season, plus rainy season meant the streets were very chill and mostly just locals going about their day.
Peta
Excited about your new adventures and YouTube channel. I’ve always considered you rock stars of travel. Bon voyage! 🌬✈️🛫
Rockin” all the way haha! Thanks Sharon.
We just put your caricatures of us that you painted for the Art Gallery on Wheels on the banner of our YouTube channel Check it out. Many thanks for your artistic contribution.
Peta
I always learn so much from you, and your enthusiasm for all aspects of your location(s) makes me happy! Will check out the Youtube channel as well.
Thanks Lex! When you go to the YouTube channel and watch the second episode you will see that we answered your question re our clothes matching the murals :)…
Peta
Congratulations Peta and Ben on your well-deserved Airbnb adventure! Kudos on ‘figuring out’ how to share via the YouTube channel. It was fun and interesting to watch the news interview you shared on Instagram. I look forward to seeing you on the YouTube channel.
Wonderful photos! I, too, believe moods are impacted by colour. I especially like the photo of Peta standing under the flowers/hat on/looking down. A work of art. Interesting to see unique food/meals. Thank you for taking us all on this fun journey. I look forward to seeing more.
Thanks for your extensive thoughtful and complimentary feedback Erika. Baby steps on the youtube channel thing, but yes it feels like we are off to a good start. The positive feedback about the content and the music is motivation for the next episodes. Now we are kicking ourselves for not having started a youtube channel – over 35 countries with mind-blowing visuals that we could have made into videos. Oh well, moving forward!
Ben & Peta
Congratulations on the YouTube channel! And thanks for sharing your adventures in Mexico, too!
Thanks Ann. Hope you subscribed so you can get next installments. Looking forward to recording the adventures in this new medium (for us).
Ben
Abi would go crazy for that Poblano Chili dish!
Oh yes, if there is a high end Mexican restaurant in your area, I highly recommend you call and find out if they are taking advantage of the pomegranate season to offer the Chile en Nogada. It’s a fleeting treat and one must pounce on it before it is “no longer in season”.
Ben
You two are wearing so many hats right now. Wow! The YouTube videos were great. Are you doing the editing as well as the filming? I hear that’s a steep learning curve.
I enjoyed the second one the most as it contained more video footage. One suggestion: when you put links to your YouTube episodes in this blog, it might be better to select opening the link in a new tab. This way, you don’t steer visitors to your blog “away” and they stay on this page or can come back after checking the video in another tab.
What a fabulous stay! The weather seems nice during the day, despite the rain storms. And, I hope you get to enjoy being in all these places; you must be so busy with photography and videography, especially in the early days…
Have fun in Mexico City!! I’m planning to link to your blog (and YouTube channel) on Roaming About one of these weeks, when I have an extra moment and slot. 🙂
Hi Liesbet,
GREAT suggestion for the opening link on a different page. Yes! thanks, didn’t know that was an option.
The photography and video is not much of an addition as we do this anyway as go about our day. The added workload is in the “production” of the edited version. No doubt it will get easier over time and all the feedback we are getting is helping us get a feel for what is more interesting to viewers… Yes on music, yes on more filming of interactions… we haven’t resolved yet how we want to handle non English language conversations as translating would just add another layer of work. But overall, pretty happy with the way this is coming together…
Thanks for the helpful comments!
Ben & Peta
You definitely ae ‘Rock Stars of Travel’ (well said, Sharon R). Congratulations on your new YouTube channel. I look forward to following.
Thanks Donna. Rock starts of travel LOL… well now our challenge will be to keep up with the youtube channel real time. We’ve seen how easy it is to fall behind on the blog and our intent is to keep up as we go, so that it’s all “fresh”…
Thanks for following our adventures…
Peta
How exciting! Your launch is so colorful and positive that I’m sure future episodes will be just as intriguing. You guys amaze us — we’re pretty impressed with all you do and all the places you see. Stay safe. And enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!
Rusha thanks for such a supportive and enthusiastic response to our new youtube vlog! We hope to keep improving our skills at videoing as we still have a lot to learn. But hey, one has to start somewhere! Thanks so much.
Peta
So nice that Oaxaca City drew you back. Thanks for the visuals, as lovely as the real thing I imagine. I bet those colors are indelibly part of your art palette now, and that yummy & very distinctive food part of your other palate for ever. Muy envidioso! May your travels be this rich & rewarding over the next year.
Thank you Johnny. We had planned to meet one of our sons and his fiance in Oaxaca City, but they had to cancel and we were already pretty excited about our visit so we just stuck with the plans!
Yes, right on with the art palette and food palette. Already missing Oaxaca City, but loving our new completely different Airbnb in Mexico City. Up next!
Peta
Such a fantastic road trip you had! You were so lucky to be able to travel freely, and so lucky to end the trip, after all🙂 Someone above loves you for sure🙂
All the best!!
Thanks Christie,
Ben
Congratulations on your YouTube channel. Love this post. the colours in Mexico are just amazing. You both look so happy. I’m a bit behind in my comments as I’ve been back to Canada, finally!!
Welcome back to Canada Darlene!
Colors! One of the big draws of Mexico are the colors. Everywhere!
Hope you will subscribe to the Youtube channel and do leave us your feedback. We are neophytes at making youtube videos but hopefully over time and with practice, we will improve.
Peta