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jennifer rose

Nov 23, 2007, 7:13 AM

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36 hours in Oaxaca (NYTimes)

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http://travel.nytimes.com/...ner=MOREOVERFEATURES

beatricemor

Nov 23, 2007, 12:52 PM

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Re: [jennifer rose] 36 hours in Oaxaca (NYTimes)

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It is so sad to see Oaxaca City characterized in such a cartoonish fashion but I suppose any article entitled "36 Hours" in any place is bound to be shallow and perfunctory. Most of the residents of Oaxaca live in hovels with inadequate social services and the powers-that-be only care about the feckless tourists and expats that come and go and do nothing for this city except eat its lunch. The small "gringo" community there dwells on itself and presumes itself upon the community to which it adds no real value. It is, however, a beautiful town in places if a bit anarchic, raucous and polluted.

(This post was edited by beatricemor on Nov 23, 2007, 3:57 PM)

geri

Nov 27, 2007, 11:43 AM

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Re: [beatricemor] 36 hours in Oaxaca (NYTimes)

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beatricemor

Nov 28, 2007, 6:40 PM

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Re: [geri] 36 hours in Oaxaca (NYTimes)

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WOW... Maybe you live in Oaxaca, but your post sounds like you are a 36-hour visitor yourself. Drop by the OLL (English language library) someday to get a "sampling" of how expats interact with Oaxaquenos. And, it's only a sampling, because the OLL by no means represents the entire foreign community nor is it the "end all" of helpful projects conducted by foreigners. What happens in Oaxaca, culturally, is much more than meets the eye of any one visitor or resident.

Geri:

A simple inquiry. Do you live in Oaxaca City full time? If not, how much time do you live in that city in your typical year? Does the existence of an "English library" make Oaxaca City a sophisticated venue just because that library is extant I live in San Cristóbal de Las Casas where we have no English library nor even one bookstore with a variety of English language books. I must cope in Spanish. I regularly visit friends who live 15 kilometers east of Oaxaca City so I know the town which my friends from Teotiltlan would agree is a dump except for a few blocks in Centro. Why do you tout this generally awful place?

beatricemor

Nov 28, 2007, 11:51 PM

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Re: [beatricemor] 36 hours in Oaxaca (NYTimes)

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I would edit what I just said if I could but I can´t so just allow me to say that I think Oaxaca is a great town. I did not mean to disparage the place. We narrowed our quest for a permanent home in Mexico to Oaxaca, Chiapas, Yucatan and Veracruz and ended up choosing Highland Chiapas. Our choice but we love all of those places. There are few more beautiful places than Oaxaca City. I simply was asking Geri if she lives full time in the town she keeps promoting. I seriously doubt it. I would thrive on the place evry day and think maybe we should have chosen it over San Cristóbal. Time will tell..

(This post was edited by beatricemor on Nov 28, 2007, 11:54 PM)

bournemouth

Nov 29, 2007, 6:30 AM

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Re: [beatricemor] 36 hours in Oaxaca (NYTimes)

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Well Bubba, you could click on Geri's name and read her profile. That would tell you where she lives.

geri

Nov 29, 2007, 7:18 AM

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Re: [beatricemor] 36 hours in Oaxaca (NYTimes)

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Yes, I live in Oaxaca full time. I visit family a month or two a year is all. I don't mean to sound like I'm promoting Oaxaca. It's just the place I know best. Actually, although I've traveled a lot in Mexico, I hesitate to say much about other places, except to give general travel/transportation suggestions. Traveling and living in Mexico are two quite different experiences, in my opinion.

In my travels (and Internet conversations), I'm amazed at how much extranjeros do for the Mexican people on a one-on-one basis. We hear about the "big" programs but most foreigners have their own helpful projects and are quiet about them except in private conversations. I think people who live in and travel to Mexico really like it and "promote" it in their own way. My little corner just happens to be Oaxaca and all kinds of extranjeros pass through here, but the ones who stay and call it home are generally kind toward Mexicans. Many live in remote villages or small barrios within the city, where it would be difficult to live if you don't understand and appreciate the way of life. The city has its own charm and an active tourist bureau that deliberately attracts tourists, since there's no major industry and agriculture isn't supporting the growing populace, as you know. Oaxaca certainly doesn't need me to toot its horn, nor do I suppose that I in any way affect tourism. I just get a yen once in awhile to answer questions about Oaxaca.

beatricemor

Nov 29, 2007, 7:27 AM

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Re: [bournemouth] 36 hours in Oaxaca (NYTimes)

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What makes you think I´m Bubba, bournemouth? I am far more civilized than that reprobate. Geri indicates that she lives in Oaxaca which is a state as well as a city. It doesn´t really matter. My question was not meant to be confrontational but I was under the, perhaps erroneous, impression that Geri lives mainly a few hours away on the Oaxaca coast. I also live a few hours away in the Chiapas Sierra which, if you know the region, is not really farther from that city than much of the Oaxaca coast. Geri challenged my credentials to discuss Oaxaca City. I was simply responding to that challenge.

Oaxaca City is one of my favorite places but it is not the Big Rock Candy Mountain. One of Oaxaca City´s great charms is its chaotic earthiness not is English library or surfeit of expats and NOB tourists nursing beers on the zocalo and thrilling to the crunchiness of fried grasshoppers. I will be spending a bit of time in that region soon - all of my time if I´m lucky - and will be posting my experiences from there if I am not sabotaged by some inference that I am this idiot Bubba.

Bea

(This post was edited by beatricemor on Nov 29, 2007, 7:40 AM)

beatricemor

Nov 29, 2007, 7:30 AM

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Re: [geri] 36 hours in Oaxaca (NYTimes)

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Sorry, geri. I misunderstood a previous post of yours. You are fortunate to live in a great town. I hope to meet you the next time I´m in Oaxaca. You won´t find me the grinch you think I am.

Adios.

Bea

(This post was edited by beatricemor on Nov 29, 2007, 7:39 AM)

geri

Nov 29, 2007, 3:32 PM

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Re: [beatricemor] 36 hours in Oaxaca (NYTimes)

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I can see why you might think I live on the coast. I DO love the Oaxacan coast and go there as often as I can as a "getaway" from the city. In fact, I just got back from a 5-day visit to Puerto Escondido. Chaotic earthiness...that pretty much sums up the state of Oaxaca. I heard that of Mexico's 14 ecological zones (scientifically speaking), Oaxaca has 12 of them. Diversified indeed. Ooops there I go again, promoting Oaxaca.

The NY Times article that Jennifer posted was a travel article, after all, and what was described is what travelers typically experience -- and want. It was written, I think, before our problems of 2006 and was held until now for publication. I say this because some of the info wasn't updated, but still it pretty much describes how the tourist center is.

beatricemor

Nov 29, 2007, 6:35 PM

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Re: [geri] 36 hours in Oaxaca (NYTimes)

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I can see why you might think I live on the coast. I DO love the Oaxacan coast and go there as often as I can as a "getaway" from the city. In fact, I just got back from a 5-day visit to Puerto Escondido.

For some reason, geri, Puerto Escondido is particularly popular among San Cristóbal´s large Italian population. I think it is because an Italian movie was made there a few years ago and charmed Italian audiences. Perhaps this is the same reason we continue to be charmed by Boca de Cielo on the Chiapas coast ever since we saw the movie Y Tu Mama Tambien. I don´t even think it was really filmed there but that doesn´t matter. It´s the dream as always.

We will doubtless be in Oaxaca City this spring and also traveling about the state including the highlands and the coast. I would really like to visit this English library among other Oaxaca City sites. We are also huge fans of the Juchitan and Tehuantepec areas. We drove last year from Tuxtla Gutierrez down the pass to the isthmus on a crystal clear and very (typically) windy day and I thought I´d died and gone to heaven. Maybe we´ll drive up the coast road from there this spring. Any ideas from you would be appreciated.

I must agree with you that the "36 Hours in Oaxaca" piece was a travel article and the 36 hour feature is one that appears recurringly featuring various communities and is always superficial as it must be by definition. I apologize for making more of this piece of fluff than I should have. I really appreciate your contribitions to Mexico Connect.

(This post was edited by beatricemor on Nov 29, 2007, 6:45 PM)

TigerTonio

Dec 27, 2007, 3:27 PM

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Re: [geri] 36 hours in Oaxaca (NYTimes)

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Geri, the main reason that I continue to subscribe to MexConnect is mainly to "hear" from people like you. Nothing beats reading about people's day-to-day experiences in their Mexican locales, whether they be in Guadalajara or Tlalpujuahua.

Please continue to post. I look forward to reading more from you.

And I really, really miss Bubba. Come back Bubba!!

Don Moore

Dec 29, 2007, 8:29 AM

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Re: [Tio Toño] 36 hours in Oaxaca (NYTimes)

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I concur with Bournemouth that Bubba is back, albeit with a bit of polish on his old ways.
Don Moore

Gringal

Dec 30, 2007, 7:16 AM

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Re: [Don Moore] 36 hours in Oaxaca (NYTimes)

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I agree, Don. You can take the man out of the name, but the style remains. When his good angel rules, it's a delight to read his posts. I'm a big fan of Geri's posts as well.

Don Moore

Jan 1, 2008, 5:11 PM

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Re: [Gringal] 36 hours in Oaxaca (NYTimes)

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Estamos in acuerdo,
Don Moore