I'll be spending all of February in Oaxaca, centered in Oaxaca de Juárez. Not going alone, I'll have gf and some family.What are some things to do or to avoid? Interests are:>cuisine>improving my Spanish skills, I will be the primary translator for our group while there. Currently CEFR ~A2 level.>cooking classes>local history>some fashion, I understand there is a textile industry in the areaI'm a remote tech worker but I don't anticipate finding a hackerspace. It would be nice to make local friends while down there.
It's considered one of the safest cities in Mexico for tourists, but for the oaxaquenos it is not safe (they get kidnapped and disappeared on a regular basis). The city is chock full of boutique restaurants. As someone whose budget prefers 50 peso slop on a plate, I struggled to find affordable food options in Oaxaca. It's an extremely segregated city, and many of the oaxaquenos resent that. When I was there, a huge indigenous protest camp in the central plaza regarding kidnapped and disappeared villagers coexisted peacefully with hundreds of milling foreigners in fashionable clothes.Rooftop terraces are the most desirable lodging amenity in Oaxaca. Soak up the morning sun with your coffee, look out over the city. MEX-175 north to Tuxtepec passes through several beautiful and hospitable villages. I recommend trying trucha empapelada at one of the roadside restaurants along the curvy mountain road. They richly season the freshly killed trout before wrapping it in foil and roasting it. Amazingly delicious. There are also recreational parks where you can have all kinds of mountain adventures.
>>2829563you're gonna get bored
This is what they feed you in rural Oaxaca. It looked plain but tasted pretty good.
The lodgings here were also simple and clean, very comfortable.
>>2829618How much are hostels, rented rooms, or cheap motels? I want to solo travel Mexico but I've never solo traveled or been to Mexico before.
>>2829645Typical hotels seem to be about $100 USD per night. Hostels it looks like get down to a few bucks per night. If I were doing this trip solo I would probably go hostelcore but I'll have two women with me.>>2829610That's fine. Boredom is good for you. I've been on enough trips where my time is 100% saturated but now I'm getting crochety and can't live like that. I'm happy to take it slow. Walking around is recreational. I'll take photos and be my own entertainment.
>>2829563>place has a series of blocky letters spelling out the name in the middle of the town square This is how you know a city is completely soulless
Tacos Goku in northern Oaxaca
>>2829704>Walking around is recreational. I'll take photos and be my own entertainment.I'd rather spend a month in san cristobal than oaxaca personally
>>2829705No kids climbing on top of the letters is how you know a city is soulless. >>2829704I stayed in a spare bed in some guy's bedroom in a dusty neighborhood on the outskirts of Oaxaca for $6.50 per night. There was no A/C, and the afternoon sun streamed in, but by nightfall the cool rapidly descended in February.
The colonia
>>2829563Whatsapp me: +52 971 175 8688
>>2829617Same brand plate? Look at the odds. I am at Juchitan.
>>2830608Forgot pic
>>2829706Eat tlayudas
>>2830612That dish was served in Ixtlan de Juarez. I liked the village. It was the only place in Mexico where many people greeted me on the street out of friendliness (a practice that is very rare outside of the white parts of the USA). In February 2022 they were still anal about wearing masks in public, however.
From what I've seen of Mexico, Oaxaca's nature is the most pristine and well-loved by the locals. Other states you see a lot of Third World tier environmental degradation, but not in Oaxaca. Most land is owned collectively by the villagers, which is also unique.
>>2831273Dude. Eat tlayudas.
>>2829645Avoid cheap motels. Motels are for sex.
>>2831275Gonto Huatulco beaches.
>>2832596Yeah, you hear your neighbors having sex, and Mexican women aren't quiet when they have sex either. So what? Beat your meat and go to sleep.
>>2832630Rude anon. Bad vibes pendejo. Jajajaja.
>>2829706>Tlayudas 70 MXN>Tacos 12 MXN eachWow, I already forgot how affordable Oaxaca is. maybe I should go there again.