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| Oaxaca, Mexico: Cooking, Crafts, and Cultural Tour |
| February 10-17, 2008
This is a small group tour to Oaxaca. There will be no more than 12 participants and you will be accompanied by Susan Baldassano, founder of To Grandmother's House We Go Cooking Tours, and her husband Jeff Rickin. Susan has led cooking and cultural tours to Oaxaca since 1995. |
Seven nights, six full days, fully escorted, transportation via an air-conditioned van with a bilingual guide. Tour price $1,650 per person, based on double occupancy, includes everything as listed in itinerary below, air fare and transfers not included, meals as indicated. For payment information click on payment info and terms page, any questions click on contact page and send us an e-mail, or call if you wish. Click on past trips to see a slide show from previous tours. |
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Accommodations are at Mis Recuerdos a lovely, centrally located bed and breakfast within walking distance of Santo Domingo Cathedral and the Zocalo.
The gourmet Oaxacan style full breakfasts are a great way to start each day.
Limited singles available. |
| Itinerary : |
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Day 1 Sunday, February 10 - Arrival Day in Oaxaca Check in at Casa de Mis Recuerdos Bed and Breakfast. Plan to arrive no later than 5pm so as to be ready for the evening orientation walk at 7:30pm from Mis Recuerdos to Santo Domingo church then down Macedonio Alcala (tourist walk) to the Zocalo (town square) followed by Welcome dinner and drinks at Mi Abuela Restaurant known for its Oaxacan cuisine, featuring authentic moles and a view over the Zocalo. Day 2 Monday, February 11 After breakfast we will have our first Cooking Class with Nora Gutierrez. We begin with a tour of the Merced Market. The class will be at Nora's home where she will share with us some of her family's traditional recipes. Lunch included. Free time to Explore Oxaca on your own. Dinner will be at La Olla. Day 3 Tuesday, February 12 We leave from the B&B to tour the Etla Market and then on to visit Dominga and her family at their home in Etla. She will prepare artisanal chocolate ground from cacao beans on the metate and her signature drink, chocolate atole. Also, we will make memelitas, small thick tortillas with beans and salsa, quesillo, the Oaxaca string cheese and tamales. The class will be hands-on with opportunity to work with various ingredients. This is an all woman traditional home, well known for their stand in the weekly market in Etla. Lunch included. After lunch we depart for Monte Alban, Zapotec ceremonial site, located on a mountain top with a breathtaking view over the valley of Oaxaca. There will be a guided tour of the site which includes many archaeologically significant buildings overlooking a large open plaza. Evening free, dinner not included. Day 4 Wednesday, February 13 Nora Gutierrez will accompany the group on an all day excursion to the village of Teotitlan, a traditional Zapotec village, famous throughout Mexico for its woven rugs. Our hosts for the day will be the family of Antonio Martinez, one of the master weavers of Teotitlan. We will go to the molino (mill) to see the grinding of corn for tortillas, visit the village church and have a cooking class with the Martinez family featuring lamb barbecue, empanadas and a demonstration of the making of tejate, a traditional "energy" drink. There will be a demonstration of the techniques used in the making of tapetes (wool rugs). Rugs will be available for purchase. Lunch will be in the family courtyard. Before leaving Teotitlan we visit a family who make wonderful candles from bees wax. Dinner is not included. Day 5 Thursday, February 14 All day arts and crafts tour Our first stop will be at the Aguilar sisters, famous ceramicists of Ocotlan, four sisters with four separate shops. Then we go to the home of the Navarro family in Santo Tomas Jalietza. The women of this Zapotec family use the back strap loom to make lovely table runners, belts and other pieces; their brother, Gerardo, is an accomplished painter whose work possesses a vibrant color palette and imagination. A stop at the market in Santo Tomas Jalietza where you will be able to purchase larger woven pieces such as bedspreads, table cloths and curtains completes our crafts tour. From Santo Tomas we will go to the workshop of Jacobo Angeles one of Oaxcaca's best known wood carvers. Lunch included. On our way back we will stop at the Orchid Garden in Huayapam. This treasure contains Mexico's largest collection of orchids in a beautiful natural area. Dinner will be at one of Oaxaca's signature restaurants. Day 6 Friday, February 15 Nora Gutierrez will be taking us on a day trip to the Sierra Juarez mountains. We will visit Senora Leo who will share with us her knowledge of medicinal herbs and flowers. Our next stop is to see artisanal bread baking. Hand-made bread using a wood-fired brick oven. Also, we will see the preparation of and sample Pinole, a drink made with harina de maiz tostado (toasted corn meal), usually prepared for weddings, first communions and baptisms. Lunch will be at Colibri a local restaurant run by Carmelita. Our final stop of our mountain tour will be with a family who make the wooden molinillos used to whip up the foam on the many traditional chocolate drinks of Oaxaca. Dinner is not included. Day 7 Saturday, February 16 On our last full day in Oaxaca we leave after breakfast for Yagul, an archaeological site located on a plateau in the valley of Oaxaca, with wonderful views, a self-guided tour and a hiking trail to La Fortaleza, the fortress overlooking the site. Picnic lunch provided. On the way back to the city we will stop to sample mezcal, Oaxaca's signature drink made from the agave cactus, at Pensamiento. Farewell dinner at Casa Oaxaca, the city's most noted restaurant. Day 8 Sunday, February 17 Departure with many happy memories, crafts and authentic Oaxacan recipes. The above itinerary is subject to change without prior notice. Responsibilities: To Grandmothers House We Go Cooking Tours does not own or operate any of the companies providing lodging, transportation or classes for this tour. We assume no responsibility for delays, losses or accidents, or for damage to persons or property caused by any persons, firm, corporations or other legal entity providing hotel, transportation, restaurant or other services incidental to these tours. No refund is made for any part of itinerary not taken. All breakfasts are included and other meals only as listed in itinerary, no substitution is permitted. Transportation to and from Oaxaca is not included. Transfers to and from Mis Recuerdos B&B from Oaxaca Airport are included only if arrival date is Sunday, February 10 and departure date is Sunday, February 17. Tips to B&B personnel and personal expenses, not specifically listed in the itinerary, are not included |
| Click below for more information on Oaxaca tours. |
| Itinerary for February 19 - 26, 2007 |
| Accommodation in Oaxaca, Mexico |
| Terms/Condtions |
| Our Teachers in Oaxaca |
| Be sure to check out our Sicily Culinary and Cultural Tour! |
| F o r more information: Phone: 718-768-4662 or 212-645-5170, ext. 111 e-mail: info@tograndmothershousewego.com |
