[ES abajo| I don’t know why more people don’t talk about this local Día de Muertos festival in a Oaxacan village.This is our 3rd year attending and we have such a great time every year.Don Felipe grows gorgeous fields of Flor de Gallo (or Cresta de Gallo or Borla) in various colors he has created as hybrids of the traditional deep red. Plus he has fields of Cempasuchil and other flower varieties.Every year for the few days leading up to Day of the Dead they hold a festival to sell the flowers for decorating altars, as well as have many stalls of local delicious food and drink, artisan work, and live music.There are tons of great photo ops throughout the fields.This year the festival runs from Oct 26 to the 1 November. You can find it in Google as “Festival del Corte de la Flor de Gallo” in San Antonino Castillo Velasco, about a 50 minute drive from Oaxaca city.🌺🌼💀No sé por qué más gente no habla de esta festival local del Día de Muertos en un pueblo Oaxaqueño.Este es nuestro tercer año asistiendo y lo pasamos muy bien cada año.Don Felipe cultiva magníficos campos de Flor de Gallo (o Cresta de Gallo o Borla) en varios colores que ha creado como híbridos del tradicional rojo intenso. Además tiene campos de Cempasuchil y otras variedades de flores.Cada año, durante los días previos al Día de Muertos, se celebra un festival para vender las flores para decorar los altares, además de tener muchos puestos de deliciosas comidas y bebidas locales, artesanías y música en vivo.Hay rincones perfectos para excelentes fotografías en todos los campos.Este año el festival se celebrará del 26 de octubre al 1 de noviembre. Lo puedes encontrar en Google como “Festival del Corte de la Flor de Gallo” en San Antonino Castillo Velasco, a unos 50 minutos en auto de la ciudad de Oaxaca.
One of my favorite places we visited near Isla Holbox 👇Cenote Yalahau is a natural fresh water pool surrounded by trees and lush jungle.To reach it you have take a boat from Isla Holbox, as it’s actually located on the mainland. This is one of the sites visited on the 3 island tour. You can climb up to a gazebo look out point to get a Birds Eye view of the cenote and the surrounding jungle. Then go swimming in the crisp clear water. You’re required to wear a life vest when swimming, as to not disturb the floor of the cenote. This actually turned out to be pretty magical in itself as you are just floating in the clearest turquoise water. So peaceful.
An unmissable restaurant in Merida - get ready for an onslaught of delicious food. holoch - the Mayan word for corn husk - is a beautiful restaurant focused on preserving the traditional dishes and methods of Yucatecan cuisine and merging them with modern interpretations. (hosted) Passion is what comes to mind when understanding the concept and each person’s role in the restaurant. Everyone is brimming with knowledge and inspiration, and eager to share it. We were fortunate enough to taste 3 stellar menu items + a dessert + 4 cocktails (2 each, but we shared!) First up - esquites but they are cooked in an in ground oven in cochinita pibil broth for 24 hours. 😮 Served with queso cotija, crema ácida and cebolla morada. Perfect. I could eat every day. Second - grilled cauliflower - sitting atop a layer of creamy pumpkin seed sauce, topped with false Parmesan made of walnuts, and drizzled with salsa matcha. Third - pork belly tacos - these incredible tacos have won the awards. Slow cooked for 7hrs. Served atop sweet potato purée, and topped with longaniza (sausage) from Valladolid. Finally - the dessert, Chetumal cake. A cheesecake made from queso Patégras (similar to Edam, hence why it arrived in Mexico via Chetumal, which borders Belize). I highly recommend Holoch if you visit Merida. Not only is it a beautiful space with delicious food, but you’ll get to experience traditional dishes and ingredients through the creative minds of their chef, Obed Reyes, and talented staff.
[ES en subtitulos] Come on a road trip with us from Mérida in the Yucatán of Mexico.We spent the day visiting Mayan archeological sites, cenotes and eating traditional food. We rented a car from Road Trip Car Rental Mérida (hosted) which made it easy for us to get around Merida as well as visit amazing places around the peninsula.First up we went to Uxmal. This site is highly underrated, it’s beautiful and impressive, a large site featuring unique rounded structures, intricate carvings and lush green nature and trees.Arrive early to beat the crowds, though this site is much less visited than nearby Chichen Itza.Next up we visited some cenotes. There are so many to choose from. A few ideas in this region include: Kankirixche, Mucuyché, Yaal Utzil, X’batun, Dzonbacal, Homunja, Mani-Chan, and Santa Barbara.Bring a towel. Most cenotes charge an entrance fee and have life jackets for rent and changing rooms/bathrooms.Next up we ate a traditional lunch in a village including cochnita pibil, relleno negro, and empanadas de chaya. Our day was cut short by rain, but there are plenty of other stops you can do on this route. Other ideas - visit the market in Muna and tour the hacienda at Yaxcopoil, plus the many cenotes above.Renting a car with Road Trip Car Rental Merida made it so easy to leave when we wanted, stop along the way when we saw something interesting, and then change our plans when the unexpected rainstorm came through. If you’re visiting Merida, I highly recommend you dedicate at least 1-3 days to day trip to the many interesting historical and natural sites in this area. And consider renting a car as it makes your day much more flexible and gives you freedom to make your own schedule. Our car was clean, easy to drive and the service was smooth and pleasant.
[ES abajo]Did you know that this, cool high elevation forest is only 40 minutes from Oaxaca city?If you take the highway towards Ixtlan, you’ll find a windy road that climbs up the mountain through pine forest.A perfect half day escape from the city allows you to drink chocolate de agua or hot chocolate, eat traditional breakfast, and then go for a walk in the forest, admiring tall pine trees as well as huge agaves.We ate breakfast at Restaurante Del Monte and then walked the trails of Campamento del Monte. Entrance to the trails is 40mxn per adult.🌳🌲🌳🌲Ya sabias que hay un bosque fresco de pinos solo a 40 minutos de la cuidad de Oaxaca?Si tomas la carretera hacia Ixtlan, encuentras una calle que sube la montaña por bosques de pinos.Una escapada del mitad del día perfecto - se puede tomar chocolate de agua, desayunar rico, y luego caminar en el bosque, admirando pinos altos y también agaves gigantes.Desayunamos en el restaurante Del Monte y luego caminamos por los senderos de Campamento del Monte. La entrado de los senderos cuesta 40 pesos por adulto.
[ES en subtitles] If you are looking for a Oaxaca beach escape tucked in nature on a mostly virgin beach, you should check out Casa Mariposa on Playa Tierra Blanca. This hotel is located 30 minutes from Puerto Escondido and is one of the closest beaches from Oaxaca city as it’s just minutes off the superhighway. Casa Mariposas Playa Tierra Blanca is a boutique hotel with just a handful of rooms, with lots of beautiful decoration, and air conditioning. The hotel features a pool with ocean view, including a shallow kids section. Plus beachfront seating and all rooms are just steps from the sea. The hotel also includes a very modern, high end shared kitchen to prepare your meals. Rates range from $2000-$3350 per night depending on season. This is the perfect place to connect with nature, enjoy long beach walks, and poolside relaxing.
The morning light✨ and panoramic ocean views 🌊 from Casa Palma y Coco are enough reason to stay a few nights in Agua Blanca. But besides that, this beach is beautiful, mostly empty of visitors, and has several super delicious beach palapa restaurants, especially famous for their fresh oysters. La Luz mañanera ✨ y las vistas panorámicas Del Mar desde Casa Palma y Coco son razónes suficientes para visitar Agua Blanca por unas noches. Pero también la playa es hermosa, casi sin gente, y tiene unos restaurantes muy ricos, famosos por sus ostiones frescos.
