(Post 16 of 189. Thanks again to those who participated in the Fundrazr!)

I walked over 9KM on Thursday and was incredibly foot sore when I woke up this morning after yet another not great night. 🙁 I thought I’d brought good footwear, but it was failing me, so I decided to add shoe shopping to the list for today, something I had suspected might need to happen.

Thankfully, my morning’s work went super quickly since, while I had coffee, I had no breakfast (thank you, ants!). So I headed out around 9:30 to see if I could come close to matching my Wednesday breakfast. I love that many restaurants have their menus posted outside. The first place, right by the apartment, wasn’t appealing, the second was too touristy, and the third seemed just right. I got in at the right time, with the café being quiet enough that the server was able to explain to me what all the new-to-me items on the menu were before the place got packed.

I went for the 50-peso breakfast package. First, I had to choose a beverage. I was a bit parched (it’s so dry here compared to Mérida), so I went with fresh-squeeze orange juice. Second option was fruit or “gelatina,” which is a gelatine-based treat. I went with the fruit, which was papaya. Not my favourite, but this was a good one!

For my main, I picked enmoladas, lightly fried tortillas topped with mole sauce, cheese, cream, and onions. Oaxaca is known for its moles and a goal for this trip was to try them all! Well, there was one I didn’t know about… this one! This is mole coloradito.

Now, I still prefer mole negro, what I tend to get when I order mole in other parts of Mexico and which has a strong chocolate taste, but this was still amazing! The predominant flavour is tomato with a mix of spices, and it is quite spicy. The link above says that this sauce is usually made with guajillo and ancho chiles, green tomato, garlic, red tomato, onion, plantains (!), yolk bread (a Oaxacan bread), almonds, cloves, sesame, black pepper, and oregano. Add in that chewy cheese and I’m glad I had a spoon or else I might have been tempted to lick the plate! I added chicken to my meal, but my breakfast was still only 60 pesos!

Next stop was the tourist info centre at the Zócalo, where I got info on the two big city markets and where to get tours to go out of the city. There’s lots in the environs, so I thought that doing combination tours with a guide would let me see the most in my short time here, versus trying to get to sites on my own. I’ll give more details about that tomorrow, but will say that there are many tour operators offering basically the same thing and at a wide range of prices.

The first place I checked out had exactly what I wanted at such a reasonable price that I knew I couldn’t go wrong, so I didn’t shop around. And by reasonable, I mean my budget was about five times higher than what I paid! The catch is that I’m not guaranteed a guide who speaks good English, but I should be fine. Even way back in Durango, I was able to follow most of what tour guides were sharing. Like in Yucatán, the price of the tour is just for the guide and the gas. You pay extra for the guide tip, entry onto the sites, and for food (unless included).

I then went a few blocks south to the Benito Juárez market, which is the “shopping” market (the other, which I will get to!) is the “eating” market.

I was underwhelmed by this market. Except for the grocery-type items, I’d say everything sold there could be bought at any similar market in any other city in Mexico — I saw dresses like I bought in Maz and bags like I could buy in Mérida. I did buy something that was on my shopping list, a plastic woven tote. My friend minding B returned with one and I like how lightweight and sturdy they are.

I spotted this one because of the colour and appreciated the double handles and the clasps. The saleslady was not impressed by my eyeing a pink one when I was in a pink skirt with a pink purse, so she tried to talk me into another colour (LOL!). She spent so much time with me that I knew I was going to buy from her even if I wasn’t really ready to buy as I hadn’t yet priced these bags. She told me the price was 200 pesos, and that was her best price “for me.” That seemed a bit steep, but, again, I hadn’t priced these yet and this was a large one with the three clasps and double handles, so it seemed possibly reasonable. The fact that the price was firm said a lot as well. So off I went with my tote!

I put in my tote these wooden spoons I’d picked up on my way to the market. I have no illusion that they are handmade, but they are pretty and something I was looking for. They are made of guamúchil wood (yes, like the city in Sinaloa I’ve overnighted at twice).

Cutting back across the Zócalo, I spotted a hero rescue this pigeon from a fountain. He even checked its vital signs!

On my way home, I realised that my feet were feeling much better. I had switched last night to my Ipanema sandals and was wearing them this morning. They offered my heels more cushioning. So I was in the mood to detour to the Mercado de la Merced to pick up a grapefruit juice and some bananas for the morning. There, I saw a tote the same size as mine, with no clasps and single handles marked at 300 pesos… I’m telling you, there is nothing like realising that you got the kind of deal a local gets at a super touristy location just for being friendly and chatting in the vendor’s language!

Back at the apartment, I got some pictures and a video uploading (upload speeds here are dire), did a bit more work, and then it was time to head out for lunch.