Travel to Oaxaca, Mexico

On Monday, January 7, 2013 our Oaxacan adventure began.

This was a long travel day.  We left Ypsilanti at 9:30 to catch our 11:30 flight.  We arrived into Houston 1:45 central time.  Then we waited and waited and waited for our connection which didn’t leave until 6:30 PM.  We finally got into Oaxaca at 8:45 and by the time we cleared customs, immigration, and got a cab to “our house” it was almost 11 PM central time.  Goes without saying that everyone was very tired.  The kids did remarkably well, all things considered.

When we left Detroit, Joshua observed all the snow on the ground.  The whole landscape looked white, with dark patches from the trees. He loved playing with cars in the plane and drawing the no smoking and seatbelt signs from the airplane.  Miriam played with her doll, drew, and we read stories together on Mommy’s Kindle.  Matthew slept, played, and did lots of teething.  Poor guy! Juliana drew pictures, looked out the window, napped, and read on the Kindle when Miriam was done with it.
In Houston, we passed the time eating (since there is nothing served on the plane) and stretching our legs.  Joshua played Uno with mom, grandpa, and omi (grandma).  Juliana wrote and drew in her fairy journal.  Miriam drew and played.  Then omi took grandpa’s newspaper and made paper hats for everyone, including the dolls.

 

Juliana’s Observations:

• The best part of flying is when we leave and enter [take off and land] because all the houses look like fairy houses and fairy cars.
• And the other best part is when the airplane feels like it’s going to drop [air pocket] and it feels like you’re floating.
• When we were leaving it looked like there was a rainbow in the window

Joshua:  

• I liked Houston. 
• And when we were going in the [four row taxi] van to our house in Mexico.  [He didn’t like the sewer smell we encountered as we left the airport.]

Miriam:

• [Refused to provide comments]

Matthew:

• [Unable to provide comments, but VERY happy to finally have a bed to sleep in at the end of the day.]

As we drove through the area, there was a little trepidation from some of the riders in the van, as the housing facades were a bit rough, and some of the neighborhoods looked a little dilapidated to gringo eyes.  Our façade was freshly painted, but we still weren’t sure where we had arrived until the door opened, and through the entry arch we saw a beautiful patio filled with flowering plants in the interior.  In Juliana’s words, it was like entering into the Secret Garden (a book she read a while back with Omi).

The residence where we arrived is in downtown Oaxaca city.  It is a historic façade where the interior has been gutted and restored to a traditional style.  This is “real Mexico”, not beach resort living.  We have lots of open space as patios are within the residence, so the walls of the residence are on the property line all the way around, and the interior of the property plot is both interior living space and patio space.  This is a more traditional format that you will find in many Mexican homes.  The finishings are all top notch and done with care by someone who obviously loves Mexican culture and history.  A few things we would change (because we have kids!) are the narrow open spiral staircases that lead to each second story bedroom.  That’s a little scary for the parents, and we immediately put rules in place – no one goes up without a parent.  Mom opted for the futon on the main floor with Miriam and Matthew, so no need for the really little ones to go up and down the stairs.

 

 

From the rooftop of our laundry facility, we could see many other properties designed in the same style around patio living.  There are a series of rooms around the patio, which connect to each other and to the patio.  There is a porch roof with shaded sitting areas outside of each room allowing you to get around in the rain without getting drenched.  A few more steps and you are in the sunshine. 

We didn't have a washing machine, but we did have a laundry tub with built in washboard, which we could used for hand washing. 

 

Everyone hangs their laundry to dry on the roof top.  We spent lots of time up there also for watching the mountains around us change color in the different lights of day, viewing the stars at night, identifying the various church towers, listening to the church bells all around us, and city traffic noise and smells.

The AM temperature overnight was in the upper 60s and almost 70 at breakfast.  Throughout the day it reached into the upper 80s and lower 90s. Perfect for spending time outdoors!