Oaxaca

[Tech Tonics]

Has anyone been to Oaxaca?

We are thinking about going down there next month (mid march).

Sounds like there is some great food and culture. Also cool hiking and even some pretty legit looking mountain biking.

We’d have about a week, maybe 10 days.

My gut feeling is to spend the entire week in/around Oaxaca City. But going down to the beach for a few days doesn’t sound too bad either.

We are a family of 4 with teenage daughters who have travelled to lots of different countries.

We’d like to be sensitive to Covid restrictions but I haven’t seen any “stay the fuck home” vibes coming from Oaxaca like other areas.

Yes I did a search but the only thread is 10 years old (with a 2019 bump) but doesn’t really have any actually info.






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[gravitylover]

They used to grow good weed there (for Mexico). That's all I got.

[J. Barron DeJong]

Oaxaca Old Fashioned is pretty tasty (but not actually from Oaxaca)

[zion zig zag]

Went in 2019 and thought I posted up photos somewhere. Best food in the world as far as I’m concerned. I can give you some details later this week when I get home, currently in Guanajuato. Feel free to ask specific questions, maybe I can drunkenly answer after tequila and mariachi tonight.


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[Tech Tonics]

Thanks ZZZ

[altasnob]

Haven't been but been a bunch of other places in Mexico and my parents have been living down in Mexico for years and rave about the place (Oaxaca). My brother went and took the bus to Puerto Escondido, which is not a short journey but doable in a day. Covid shouldn't be as much of an issue down there by Mid March, although you will still likely need negative tests to get home. Go for it.

[Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabadoo]

My friend is down there now with 2wheel epix trips mtn biking for his 40th, mostly shuttling downhills I think. A bunch of riding near Ixtepeji. The videos he has been posting make the trails look kinda raw and gnarly and fun as shit. I’ll ask him more when he’s back.


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[raisingarizona13]

My friend is down there now with 2wheel epix trips mtn biking for his 40th, mostly shuttling downhills I think. A bunch of riding near Ixtepeji. The videos he has been posting make the trails look kinda raw and gnarly and fun as shit. I’ll ask him more when he’s back.


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I just took a look at the trails on trail forks and a guiding company. IF you have a group of four its 1500 or so bucks for 5 days of guided shuttles, lodging and all of your meals. Steep, raw and gnarly trails.

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

My friend is down there now with 2wheel epix trips mtn biking for his 40th, mostly shuttling downhills I think. A bunch of riding near Ixtepeji. The videos he has been posting make the trails look kinda raw and gnarly and fun as shit. I’ll ask him more when he’s back.


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I raced most of those trails over 4 days during Trans Sierra Norte this past October. Fucking amazing. Best trails I have ever ridden. Bring 200mm rotors.

[rideit]

Have you decided if you are attending this year, WG? I’ll be there, and I just got 220 rotors on your advice.
I’ll be riding with Alvaro in Mascota in March, I’ll tell him you said hi.

[Charlie Don't Surf]

Went as a teenager in the early 00s.

Food was good. Bus to Puerto Escondido long (we flew back). The waves are big in PE, goes without saying. We took classes at a Spanish immersion school in the mornings and dorked around town the afternoons. Saw a local band perform dark side of the moon. Visited Monte Alban and maybe another ruins site.

The area seems prime for mtb so that cool that trails have been built up and it's a tourist draw.

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[zion zig zag]

Some quick thoughts. If I had 10 full days and assuming I had to fly through Mexico City, I’d fly into MEX and spend a night or two there, on the front end only, lots to do in that city. Especially if you could be in the city on a Sunday. They close the Paseo de la Reforma to traffic on Sunday. Bike share stations are everywhere. Rent one, ride to Chapultepec Park, eat tacos etc. Stay in the Roma district or somewhere on the Paseo. Skip this if you don’t enjoy big cities.

Don’t take the bus to Puerto Escondido. It’s a long curvy ride that’ll take the better part of the day. Save the last few days of the trip for the beach and fly there from Oaxaca and then home from there. Should be easy to book tickets that way.

In Oaxaca, absolutely eat at the fancy, trendy places like Pitonia and Cathedral. And then go the Mercado and eat at the lunch counters and compare the food you get vs the value. If you like simple, flavorful Mexican food, the market is a gem. Lots of Mole and Menudo/Pozole. Don’t skip late night tacos at Lechoncito de Oro. If they still set up at the same place I can drop you a pin. Still the best tacos I’ve ever had in my life and you can feed the whole family for 200 pesos.

Spend a day at Monte Alban, it’s worthwhile. The Museum of Cultures next to the Jardin is also worthwhile. If you speak a lick of Spanish take a taxi to one of the little towns that make alibrijes. We went to Arrazola. If you book this through a tour group, they will take you to whatever artist is paying the most commission. Really cool to see them made and some of my favorite art that I’ve bought anywhere.

I was there during Día de Muertos, so I don’t know if this applies, but there were parades everywhere. Seemingly they popped up out of thin air. If you see one follow along. Someone will be pouring mezcal and you just dance through the street a la New Orleans second line style.

If I was going to be there more than 3-4 days I’d definitely want to mountain bike. But there is so much else to do that I wouldn’t want to book 5 full days of biking. Surely someone guides day trips instead of week long packages.

I’ll try to add more later. Hopefully I can answer questions if you have them.


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[altasnob]

IMO, Mexico City is the most exciting, interesting, city in North America. Nearby Teotihuacan is a world class archeological site. I always recommend people spend a few days in Mexico City en route to wherever else they are going in Central Mexico.

[nickwm21]

I really hope I can get down there before it gets “Tulum’ed”…


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[Tech Tonics]

Thanks for all of the advice.

The plan now is to fly into Oaxaca, then after just a day fly down to PE. 4-5 days on the beach and exploring the area. Do you think we need a car down there to explore? I’m a shitty surfer (long boards and slow waves please) but am stoked to chill on the beach and check the place out.

Then flying back to Oaxaca City. About 5 days there. Eating and drinking. I’ll be with my wife who is an intermediate rider and my daughters who are strong XC riders but not super stoked on DH. I think we’ll all do a guided day and I’ll probably find a guide that will take me on a couple morning rides. I have some connections for specific guides down there, but if anyone has any beta, I’d love to hear it.

Pretty stoked. This is for mid-march so we have about a month to finalize the details.

Thanks for the info.


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[rideit]

Heads up on bike rentals,
All I saw for rent are cheap hardtails…

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Have you decided if you are attending this year, WG? I’ll be there, and I just got 220 rotors on your advice.
I’ll be riding with Alvaro in Mascota in March, I’ll tell him you said hi.

I hope to get down there again this year. Really depends on work and if I end up trying to do an EWS100.

[Tech Tonics]

Here now

Arrived this afternoon and have had 2 incredible meals.


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[rideit]

Here now

Arrived this afternoon and have had 2 incredible meals.


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Please share details of restaurants, carts, etc if you can remember.
Oh, and lodging.

[nortonwhis]

Spent a bunch of time down there. Mainly in Huatulco/Puerto Escondido area.
Lots of great recommendations already for Oaxaca. Would also recommend eating at Las Danzantes. If you are into Mezcal I'd really recommend heading out to Santiago Matatlan and hitting up some of the palenques out there. Cool drive too. Theres a great craft beer place that i'd recommend as well call Santisima de flur lupolo (Saint of the hops) that had an amazing passionfruit IPA when we were there. That whole area is the artist area of a very artistic city so lots of fun.
In Puerto, lots of great food in the center of town (centro). The fancy end of town is in Carrazilillo, lots of amazing restaurants. La punta is a somewhat hippier end of town with lots of action and then Zicatela is where the big waves are. Lots of amazing places along there catering to unadventurous folk but some great local gems.
List of foods you must eat.
All the moles - Regular, Amarillo, Red, Green if you find
Mexican Hot Chocolate in Oaxaca
Pozole - Soup with homity
Birria - Beef Soup for hangovers.
Caldo de tlalpeno
Proper Carnitas. If theres not a giant copper pot filled with liquid pork fat out front, move on.
Memelas
Sopes
Gorditas
Literally any and every tamale you can get your hands on
Tlayudas - 10 times better than a quesadilla. An amazing place in PE in the lane way next to the oxxo on the beach at Zicatela
El Taco Brown in Zicatela for pastor and queso fundido.

Any questions feel free to ask, been there every year for a month or so for the past 8 years.

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

The food I had at Pitonia was amazing. I think the simply named Cocina Oaxaca is supposed to be mind blowing.

[rideit]

This is a great compendium. This may be a question for both WHG and Nortonwhis, I am going down for TransSierra Norte, where I guess the ‘accommodations’ will be a bit…rustic and shared?

I would like to go down a few days early and find a nicer place than dorms. However, I am planning on riding those days as well. Is there a part of town I should focus on? Maybe $90-$140 a night? Or is there safe and quality for cheaper?

Hablo español aceptablemente, si eso ayudará.

[zion zig zag]

This is a great compendium. This may be a question for both WHG and Nortonwhis, I am going down for TransSierra Norte, where I guess the ‘accommodations’ will be a bit…rustic and shared?

I would like to go down a few days early and find a nicer place than dorms. However, I am planning on riding those days as well. Is there a part of town I should focus on? Maybe $90-$140 a night? Or is there safe and quality for cheaper?

Hablo español aceptablemente, si eso ayudará.

I’d try to stay within a 5-10 walk of the Templo de Santo Domingo or the Zocalo. You can definitely get an Airbnb for cheaper than that, more like $50 a night.

[Tech Tonics]

Spent a bunch of time down there. Mainly in Huatulco/Puerto Escondido area.
Lots of great recommendations already for Oaxaca. Would also recommend eating at Las Danzantes. If you are into Mezcal I'd really recommend heading out to Santiago Matatlan and hitting up some of the palenques out there. Cool drive too. Theres a great craft beer place that i'd recommend as well call Santisima de flur lupolo (Saint of the hops) that had an amazing passionfruit IPA when we were there. That whole area is the artist area of a very artistic city so lots of fun.
In Puerto, lots of great food in the center of town (centro). The fancy end of town is in Carrazilillo, lots of amazing restaurants. La punta is a somewhat hippier end of town with lots of action and then Zicatela is where the big waves are. Lots of amazing places along there catering to unadventurous folk but some great local gems.
List of foods you must eat.
All the moles - Regular, Amarillo, Red, Green if you find
Mexican Hot Chocolate in Oaxaca
Pozole - Soup with homity
Birria - Beef Soup for hangovers.
Caldo de tlalpeno
Proper Carnitas. If theres not a giant copper pot filled with liquid pork fat out front, move on.
Memelas
Sopes
Gorditas
Literally any and every tamale you can get your hands on
Tlayudas - 10 times better than a quesadilla. An amazing place in PE in the lane way next to the oxxo on the beach at Zicatela
El Taco Brown in Zicatela for pastor and queso fundido.

Any questions feel free to ask, been there every year for a month or so for the past 8 years.

This is all awesome beta, thanks so much.

Have been in Oaxaca for only 24 hours, have had 3 amazing meals. Moles, tlayudas, chilaquiles. Also some mezcal cocktails w/ herbs and complex flavors.

Currently at the airport catching a tiny plane to PE. Heading down the coast to Mazunte/Zipolite. Then back to PE for a couple days.

We return to Oaxaca next week and will be there for ~6 days.

We stayed at a super nice place in Barrio Jalatlaco, which is super nice area and close to centro. When we return next week we are closer to the Zocalo


Diggging the vibes of the city so much.

Ran up to tehuantepec this morning with my older daughter, then met a local who showed us some singletrack back down to the big white theater

Will post more details later.

Thanks for the food selections, will definitely be checking pretty much everyone of those out.

Super stoked. Love travelling.


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[Tech Tonics]

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