I just finished an e-scrapbook of a recent trip to Oaxaca. Photos, short videos, text, some restaurant info, etc. I had to teach myself web design to do it the way I wanted, but here it is:
www.rgb3d.com/Oaxaca
Hope you like it!
(Feedback and questions welcomed.)

Loved your e-scrapbook which has inspired me to do the same for my forthcoming trips to Ecuador at easter and Costa rica in the summer.

May be worth re-posting as I read it in the Costa Rica forum - seems a shame that people visiting Oaxaca may miss it.

Thanks! I <i>thought</i> I clicked on Mexico -- I wonder how that happened?

The scrapbook is just great! I returned from 2 weeks studying Spanish in Oaxaca in February. When I get nostalgic I plan to look at your site (instead of my own pictures). Especially enjoyed the videos of the gueleguetza (I went to one at the theatre when I was there) and the stills of the artesans.

wow marilyn! what a great website! i esp. liked watching bob get his hair cut by the caterpillar!

i have been dying to go to oaxaca and have been resisting the urge of buying the painted animals in arizona... i have to buy them in oaxaca! and the food!!

thanks for making my afternoon! hope to go there soon.
tina

Thanks, Tina!
Yes, buy the animals in Oaxaca, or better yet, in the villages from the artists who make them. You may see the pieces for sale in the US for big bucks, but when you visit the same artists in their homes/studios, you will be amazed how poor most of them still are. Even though the prices are a lot lower, they still make more money if you buy from them directly.

Hi Marilyn,

Yes I have read about some of those art villages. How did you get there? Did you take a cab or a guide?

Tina

We rented a van for our group for about half the time we were there. You can hire a taxi by the hour or you can probably take some sort of tour. I'm sure your hotel or B&amp;B can arrange it.

Fabulous web site. I recognized your name from the Asia board - we've just returned from 3 weeks in Thialnd. We're planning a one week trip to Mexico around Thanksgiving and were thinking of the beach, but after seeing your photos of Oaxaca we may reconsider...

Thanks, CFW! Depending on which beach, you could do both, although Oaxaca is certainly worth a week on its own. Too bad you can't go at the beginning of November for Day of the Dead.

Marilyn, Which beach do you recommend that would enable us to spend a few days in Oaxaca as well?

Marilyn,

You are amazing! And your photos are amazing!

Thank you for taking the time to post the photos and the witty, entertaining narratives . . . you brought back great memories of my trip to Oaxaca a few years ago.

I hope you consider putting all your trips on-line.

Thank you,
Sandy (in Denton)

CFW, Huatulco is supposed to be beautiful, but I admit I have not yet been there.

sandy b, thanks so much for making my day! Future trips will almost certainly be memorialized on line -- I really love being able to present narrative and photos and videos all integrated together, with lots of opportunities for whimsy and fun.

Past trips -- well, that's another story. I have to see how proficient I become at Dreamweaver and Photoshop. Just scanning the slides in would take a lot of time, since it was all pre-digital. But there is one trip to Crete that I'm thinking about . . .

topping, because this is a fabulously creative trip report website everyone should look at and enjoy. (Hope I get to Oaxaca soon!)

Just a comment or two for those interested in the painted animals (alebrejes/Anamalitos) if you plan to go to Oaxaca shopping for them. I have been buying them in Oaxaca for about 15 years. In the U.S. I have seen similar work by the same artist as in Oaxaca for more than 10 times the price. As far as buying them there, the selection is nowhere as good as it used to be, if you are looking for quality, because much of the good work is bought up by professional buyers for export. Lately I have been finding the better ones in Oaxace City itself if I look around enough. I still enjoy going to Arrazola or San Martin Tilcajete to look around anyway. If you want to do this you can bus or take a collectivo taxi and its easy to do. As far as the poverty comment above creation and sale of alebrejes has helped some families tremendouly. Folks I have been visiting for years have had a huge increase in standard of living in repect to Oaxaca's poverty- buy locally if you can and have fun.

Wow, rgb3d is one heck of a trip report. Outstanding. Thank you.

I am planning a likely trip with my family to Oaxaca for August, two adults and two children, 10 and 9. A few questions:

Is Oaxaca physically pretty, very Colonial? The few pictures I've seen don't seem to paint the town in the prettiest light. In contrast, I hear that towns like Guanjuao and Morelia are like Spanish towns. We really are looking for something &quot;different.&quot;

My kids will be interested in visiting crafts peoples homes; are such trips easy to arrange?

Any idea if August is an OK month to visit? With the kids I will need a hotel with a pool - because after a few hours of touring I know melt down approaches quickly.

I am planning about four nights in Oaxaca. Too much/too little?

Thank you for your help.

re: last, I think the centro of Oaxaca is quite pretty as are the surrounding hills and mountains. August can be pretty hot but bearable depending on what you are used to. I think for a first time about a week is minimum. Not a lot of places with pools and they tend to be on the higher end. Like the Camino Real. Hotel Mission de Los Angeles would fit the bill but it is about at 20 miunte walk to the centro. Hotel Senorial right on the Zocalo has a pool in its center court, but is kind of a dingy place. Your kids might not melt down as quickly as you think because there is a lot to keep them interested if they are into cultural sorts of things. As far as visiting various places bus service is excellent virtually everywhere once you get it figured out, Spanish really helps. If you prefer, you can rent a taxi by the hour or take tours. Hotels such as above have tours that leave from their premesis. For a first visit, aside from Oaxaca City itself, I would try to visit Monte Alban- ruins, Arrazola Xoxo- wood carving, Coyotepec- black pottery, Teotitlan de Valle- Weaving, Tlatcolula- Sunday market and fascinating colonial church, Mitla- Ruins and maybe El Tule- Tule tree. The last four can be combined together in a long day. Yagul on the same route is also fascinating. There lots more, but this would give you a nice sampling. If you have not been in areas with a heavy indigenous prescence like Oaxaca you should all find it fascinating.

Dude, I know from reading many of your previous posts that you are a frequent visitor to Oaxaca and know the area well. I couldn't agree more with your remarks about the painted animals.

We have been collecting them since our first trip to Oaxaca, in 1993, usually buying directly from the artists, occasionally in Oaxaca City. We have visited at least a half dozen villages, some of them fairly remote, to track down a particular artist's studio. We also have seen the incredible changes in their standard of living.

Let me just say that what this might mean is that a family of 4 who have been living in 2 rooms that we would consider the equivalent of a cement-floored garage, cooking outdoors under a lean-to roof, might be able to add on a couple of rooms or some indoor plumbing. In other cases you can see that there is some real wealth being acquired, which seems to benefit the entire extended family.

We have found that timing can be critical in purchasing directly from the artists. They make a lot of pieces for Day of the Dead and the Radish Festival at Christmas, so if you are there just before those times you will find a good selection. They have NOTHING right after those holidays. And their production for the public is certainly reduced by supplying dealers and shops. These are not factories that can just increase the output to meet the demand. They are family craft workshops whose output is limited by their size.

tengohambre, I think Oaxaca is a great place to visit with kids, because there is so much to see and do. A pool is probably a great idea and I believe there are several hotels in Oaxaca City that have pools. I've never been there in August -- maybe Dude can advise you on the weather. Oaxaca is about 5000 feet which moderates the heat somewhat.

Yes, it is a very pretty town, charming to walk around. It's larger than Guanajuato, and not really comparable in the look or feel. I have not spent enough time in Morelia to comment on it.

When you go out to the villages, whether it is the painted animals or the weaving village, you are almost always visiting the artisans in their studios/homes.

You will certainly not run out of things to see and do in 4 days. Feel free to email me directly if you have any additional questions.

Talk about fast and helpful information. Thank you. You have me sold on Oaxaca. Now...........

Do you know any local guide in particular I can call or email ahead (I speak Spanish, the family does not) or, most are good and I will find someone when down there?

Some more questions:
We will likely head from Oaxaca to a beach. Not Huatulco. We want Caribbean blue and lots of restaurant options at night. Also, we've already spent a lot of time on the west coast of Mexico. That probably means Cancun or PlayadelCarmen. (I know its gringoville - we've never been - but the hotels, pools, beaches and prices probably can' be beat.) From Oaxaca all flights go through DF. Is it worth a couple of nights there too? Doubtless the most I could swing is one or two nights. Do you know if the treck into the city is like a 30 minute easy drive or a 2 hour traffic filled treck from Hades?

I was in DF years and years ago but don't remember it well. Otherwise, I've only changed planes in the airport. Is DF doable in a day or two? In other words, get a tourguide and hit some highlights or, the traffic, pollution and elevation all work against you to such an extent that running through the City will simply exhaust you and turn you off to the City?

Muchisimas gracias.

I don't know any local guides for Oaxaca since we've never used one, but once you book your hotel, you might ask them to arrange something. Or you could easily wait until you are there.

As for DF, I love the place and think it has a lot of fantastic stuff to see, but I would skip it this trip if I were you. Personally, the smog gets to me, so I don't like to spend more than 3 days running there, but 1-2 nights sounds like too much hassle, especially with 2 kids.

I don't recall the trip from the airport being more than a half hour, but you still have to get your luggage, get to your hotel, check in, and then reverse the whole process on the way out. You didn't say how much time you have total, but since you are already going to 2 destinations, do you really want to add a third? I think this really comes down to how you like to travel. I prefer fewer places with more depth.