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Lulú just wrote me to ask you to take extra care as Oaxaca is in the red zone for Covid and she does not want you to get sick I know you are fully vaccinated, but she said Oaxaca has an upsurge now and you need to be extra careful. Voila, Mission accomplished!
He is also Bi-Lingual which Lulu and myself are not...so she sends messages to him for me and I send message to him for her, to avoid any misunderstandings.
The Chihuahua that tried to bite me on my arrival, now follows me everywhere in the compound with his/her tail wagging. I call him Besos and invited him/her into my house to show her around. He/she wanted to stay but has a home in the parking lot. Buen casa perro.
Since my arrival, it has been necessary to wear a mask when going out, in my compound, and to gain admittance to any businesses. When at home or seated in a restaurant or bar, I can take the mask off. I have done more walking (not having a car and as of yet not taking a bus) in the first week than in the last 4 months in Arizona. I do take a taxi some mornings to distant areas and then walk back home.
Oaxaca was built on an incline so when the Dominicans (?) built the aqueduct from the surrounding Sierra Madre the water would flow by gravity to the city. I live on the Southside so everything North is uphill on a slope. It is more difficult to walk (for me) North and easier to return. Everyday I was having problems catching my breath.
I had 2/3rd's of my right lung removed when I was 50 years old due to Valley Fever, a bacterial lung infection common in the deserts around Southern Arizona and California. If I go over 7000 feet it becomes more difficult to breathe and I can't sleep at night. Wearing a mask was never a problem in Arizona, which is at sea level, but Oaxaca is like Denver at 5000 feet surrounded by Mountains, but warmer. That is why I do have to walk slower to get oxygen. It hasn't been a major problem but wearing a mask here causes me to tire quicker. My legs feel so much better with less cramps and pain due to the exercise and I'm sure results in better circulation and health for me.
My only fear is Thrombosis and a clot in my legs to my heart. Both my legs have blocked arteries and to maintain circulation it is necessary to walk and build up the capillaries in my lower legs. My alternative is a bypass, angioplasty, stents, or amputation. My surgeon in Arizona was supposed to schedule me for an angiogram to determine which procedure would be best. I believe he kept postponing the procedure due to Covid but after 5 months I was fed up and tense so returned to Oaxaca to resume walking. I go back in October and hopefully I can have the angiogram then.
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Oaxaca the best City in the World
Thursday..con't.
I left the library around lunch time and decided to see the new digs for Biznaga, one of my favorite restaurants that moved since I left. It wasn't far but disappointing. The building was a maze of dining areas. I chose the outdoor patio in the back but after ordering Soup and Salad , it started to rain so moved to the front porch. The place was dark and none of the lights were turned on. I was outside and it was an overcast day. The Wine and Food were good but hardly anyone there. I returned home after the rain let up.
Friday, Fish Day. I had my Greek Yogurt with bananas,apples, oranges, mixed nuts , honey, and cinnamon, while enjoying my Mexican coffee and read more of the Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larsen before playing on my computer.
I left later for lunch at Terranova, another favorite.
Saturday was a brunch day I've been planning after my friend Annalisa invited me to Huayapam to a gathering for Oxtail Pho she was preparing and serving at a neighbor's home. I had the address but left early just in case the taxi had problems. The brunch was at 2 pm and I arrived around 1 pm but taxi had the street but not #7. We couldn't find it so we knocked on number 107 because some residents told us gringos lived there. I gringo answered but had no idea where number 7 was and neither did the Covid Vaccination Center, the few people we stopped or a Tuk Tuk local driver. I paid the taxi and asked the Tuk Tuk driver to take me to a local Restaurant near the center. He dropped me at the Lux and Luna, a very nice quiet place with NO internet or phone reception. I already ordered a quesadilla and beer before I found that out. I didn't have Annalisa's phone number and couldn't email her so thought I would go to the center for better reception when my waitress brought me a Tapas treat. I finally finished great snack and walked the short distance to the center where I got reception and emailed Annalisa. All I could do is hope she checked the internet but she was busy cooking too!
Two o'clock rolled around and no response. I sent another email saying that if I didn't hear anything by 2:30, I was going to return home. Just as I was trying to get a taxi to Oaxaca she responded with her phone number. I needed directions for the driver of the Tuk Tuk who just pulled up. The same one I had before. He called on his phone, got directions and 5 minutes later I was exiting the vehicle when I heard someone inquire "David?"
He turned out to be Legh a Hmong from Laos that spent his childhood in a refugee camp in Thailand. His partner Frank, was an American Pianist expat that now lived in Huayapam in this beautiful walled in home...#7. As we entered the beautiful landscaped yard, other friends Doug and Joanie greeted me and introduced me to Frank. I had known them for a few years and been to there beautiful home in Huayapam a couple years ago for a dinner party. Both worked or volunteered at the Library. Legh had made some Spring Rolls with a super good Peanut sauce that went well with the Red wine that was offered. Annalisa joined us from the kitchen and explained the Oxtail Pho and how it was prepared. She is such a good cook. After some nice conversation she announced brunch was served. We each grabbed a prepared bowl with the hot broth poured over the ingredients then sat at a round table outdoors and added the accouterments of bean sprouts, mint and cilantro. Fresh limes yielded the finishing touch with some fish sauce.
We had a wonderful meal and conversation topped off with Sticky Rice with Fresh Mango desert with any after dinner drink we wanted from the extensive bar. I spotted some Martel VSOP Cognac. I hadn't seen that since my days, 50 years ago in Saigon. I also found I can't drink like I did 50 years ago and rambled on about my days in Vietnam before I got a final tour of the house and Doug gave me a ride to the taxi stand.
Great Day, Wonderful Brunch, Nice Reunion, and Two New Friends.
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