Planning Yet Another Trip

(image from the web)

I haven't even taken my next scheduled trip (I'm leaving in 2 weeks for Madrid to celebrate my cousin's 60th birthday), but I am already making reservations for a winter trip.  The long range forecast is for another brutal winter, so I definitely want to escape to Mexico and avoid a portion of the deep freeze.  Even if the forecasters are wrong, January in Mexico is still much preferable to January in Ohio. 

Those of you who have been reading my blog over the last year know that last winter my friend and former teaching colleague, Jane, spent some time with me in Mérida. We had a great time, and even before our stay in Mérida was over, we were discussing, "Where should we go next winter?"  Jane was also a Spanish teacher, so over the years she has traveled to Mexico a number of times.  However, one place in Mexico that she has never visited is the city of Oaxaca..  I have been there four times, and although I don't know the city as well as I know Mérida, I think that I will be able to be a good "tour guide" and show her the sights.  So, the dates have been selected, and we will be spending two weeks in Oaxaca in January.  Jane will then return to Ohio, and I will take a bus up to Mexico City where I will spend three weeks with my friend Alejandro.

I am a big fan of renting a house or apartment when I travel abroad.  I was searching for a place in Oaxaca on a well known vacation rental website that I have used frequently.  I found a two bedroom house that was available.  From the description, pictures and reviews it sounds like a great place.  The only drawback is that, although it's in a nice neighborhood, it is a bit of a walk to the center of town... maybe 15 blocks.  But we both like to walk, and taxis are inexpensive, so we booked the house.  

Renting a house or apartment has numerous advantages.  For one thing, we will have much more spacious accommodations than in a hotel.  Also, we will have a kitchen.  We intend to sample the many restaurants in Oaxaca (it is one of culinary capitals of Mexico), but sometimes, especially for breakfast, it's nice to be able to eat in. By staying in a house we will feel more like residents than tourists.  It's always fun to explore the neighborhood, and discover local restaurants, stores and marketplaces.  Finally, renting your own place is often much more economical.  After splitting the cost, we will be paying about $50 per night.  Try and find a hotel that nice for that price!

Our next step is to book our flights.  Even though I always research flights on-line, I often go to AAA and make my reservations through one of their travel agents.  However, Jane and I live about an hour apart.  So rather than go to a travel agent, this evening we are going to get on our computers, and book our flights while on the telephone with each other.

United Airlines offers flights from Houston to many cities in Mexico, including Oaxaca.  Unfortunately, the fares to smaller cities like Oaxaca or Mérida are much more expensive than the fares to major destinations like Cancún (ugh!) or Mexico City.  Round trip to Oaxaca is over $800.  I will be flying into Oaxaca and out of Mexico City.  I have quite a few frequent-flyer miles, so I should be able to redeem some of them, and fly for under $100.  Jane on the other hand, will be flying in and out of Oaxaca, and those flights will eat up more frequent-flyer miles.  I don't know how many miles she has, but hopefully she will be able to use them to get a more reasonable fare. 

(images from the web)

Oaxaca is a city of beautiful colonial architecture.  Nearby are several impressive archaeological sites, and villages which produce a wide array of traditional handicrafts.