Expat tales: Foodie fiesta Oaxaca JODI FLEMING

http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/kiwi-traveller/9718284/Expat-tales-Foodie-fiesta-Oaxaca

Expat tales: Foodie fiesta Oaxaca

JODI FLEMING

Last updated 05:00 16/02/2014

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JODI FLEMING

SHOPPER'S DELIGHT: Jodi Fleming advises taking an empty suitcase to Mexico as there'll be much to buy.

KIWI EX-PAT: Jodi Fleming.

Kiwi Traveller

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Mexico's affordability of living was a shock for Jodi Fleming who responds to questions here about life in the province of Oaxaca.

Why did you move to Mexico?

I decided to leave the corporate world and volunteer for a year in Mexico. I had a Skype interview with the foundation I now work for and arrived in Oaxaca de Juarez, Mexico, in October 2012.

What do you do there?

I volunteer in various capacities for two inspiring local NGOs here. Fundacion En Via (envia.org) provides local women with interest-free micro-loans to start or grow their own businesses. They provide 100 per cent of these loans from tour fees.

Techamos Una Mano (tum.org.mx) was formed by local students, concerned about families living in substandard housing and the rising amount of plastic waste created by living in a city where it is necessary to buy bottled water. This organisation builds simple houses for marginalised families in Oaxaca using, among other things, milk cartons and plastic bottles.

I also blog about my life in Oaxaca at underamexicansky.com.

What do you like or dislike about life in Mexico?

I love living in Oaxaca (wah-hah-kah). The locals are friendly, the food is fantastic, the crafts are amazing, the history is epic. Oaxaca is a beautiful Unesco-listed colonial city and there is always a festival happening. With festivals come cohetes, which I could live without. Cohetes are firecrackers, launched into the air with a slingshot and which explode very loudly.

How does the cost of living compare to New Zealand?

I am in for a heck of a shock when I return to New Zealand. This morning at the market I bought two tomatoes, an avocado, an onion, two bread rolls, a large papaya, a bunch of bananas, three eggs, some homemade salsa, a steamed tamale and a container of milk for 65 pesos (NZ$5.95). I have a one bedroom apartment in central Oaxaca, which is 3500 pesos a month (NZ$319).

What do you do on weekends?

I like to visit different small towns around Oaxaca, trying to time it for their market day.

What do you think of the food?

Oaxaca is known as a foodie city, and both Rick Bayliss and Anthony Bourdain have filmed here in the last couple of months.

Oaxaca is famous for seven types of moles (mol-lays), sauces containing on average 20 different ingredients.

Vendors in the central markets sell chapulines - fried grasshoppers coated in difference spices. My favourite Oaxacan street/market foods are tlayudas, tamales, huaraches and memelas.

Oaxaca is known throughout Mexico for its chocolate, and a cup of chocolate caliente is definitely something not to miss. Oaxaca is also a city that takes coffee very seriously with beans grown locally and roasted onsite in many cafes.

What's the best way to get around?

Walk. The central city is very compact and easy to get around, and walking allows you to discover new things.

What's the shopping like?

Amazing. Bring an empty suitcase when you come, for alebrijes, wool tapetes, green pottery, black pottery, embroidered cotton shirts, tapestries, woven bags, discs of chocolate, baskets, scarves, silver jewellery, mezcal, hammered hearts and 3-D angels made from tin, Mexican tiles, leather bags and sandals etc.

What's the nightlife like?

Oaxaca has a multitude of great places to have dinner and drinks before heading to a bar or club to dance. Oaxaquenos love to dance.

What is your favourite part?

Art and music are highly prized talents in Mexican culture. The numerous museums and art galleries in Oaxaca are always showing new exhibitions so they are great places to visit. Relax with coffee in the beautiful cafe spaces afterwards.

What time of year is best to visit?

I would time a visit for the festival you want to see. I was here for Dia de los Muertos last year which was incredible.

What's your must-do thing?

Take a colectivo (shared taxi) to the Tlacolula market on Sunday. You can buy anything there. The best thing is sharing a cafe bench with the 4-foot Zapotec grandmothers in traditional dress; all their shopping piled at their feet while they take a break with a cup of atole.

What are your top tips for tourists?

Take your time and absorb the atmosphere. Always ask before taking photos of locals. Dine on a restaurant terrace and admire the view. People-watch at the zocalo. Do a day trip to somewhere outside of Oaxaca. Visit Monte Alban, which dates back to 500BCE.

How easy is it for you to get back to New Zealand?

I can bus (six hours) or fly (40 minutes) from Oaxaca to Mexico City. It's a direct flight from Mexico City to Los Angeles (four hours) and then another direct flight to Auckland (12 hours).

If you know an expat who wants to share the inside knowledge on their home away from home, email escape@star-times.co.nz with Expat in the subject line.

The best economy class seats (no additional fee required!)

 Airfarewatchblog

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The best economy class seats (no additional fee required!)

Posted by George Hobica on Thursday, February 28, 2013

Can’t be, won’t be cramped when flying? If you’re tired of squeezing into what seems like that ever-shrinking bit of real estate the airlines call an economy class seat, you’re not alone.

In an era where it’s often necessary to shell out extra bucks to get the kind of seat you used to be able to get as part of your base ticket price, we have to wonder: How long before they start charging us to even sit down at all?

But even now, in this time of downsized seats and rising fares, it’s important to remember that not all coach class accommodations are created equally terrible.

Sure, there are the dreaded seats that don’t recline on Spirit Airlines and have an excruciating 28 inches between seats (they call them “pre-reclined,” and for doing so, Spirit ought to get an award for the best /worst public relations spin, ever), or the brutally stingy sizing that we must take for granted on too much of the Delta fleet (that airline’s 737-800 models, to cite one example, have as few as 30 inches of  “seat pitch” according toSeatGuru whereas Southwest’s 737-800 models have as much as 33 inches (and yes, two inches makes all the difference).

Some airlines (we’re talking to you, JetBlue) prefer to leave customers with intact knees at the end of their flight. Which is very kind of them, indeed. Some have seats so wide, you might even call them roomy. Others supply still more bells and whistles, such as killer entertainment systems, leather seats and more. Sound plush? It can be, actually, if you book correctly. Best of all, you won’t have to pay a penny extra.

For ten planes where being a cattle class passenger isn’t nearly as humiliating as you might think, check out Airfare Watchdog’s handy chart, here.

Note: Seat pitch, if you’re unfamiliar, is the industry term denoting the distance between any one point on a seat and the same point on the seat in front or in back. Most experts say that 32” is the minimum before things start to get ugly, for anyone above average height. Width is important, as well – 17.5” inches or more is best, but in some cases, we’ve made an exception – and given an explanation.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: How a flexible date search can save you even more money on your next flight, & Real talk from an imaginary airline executive.

Follow us on Twitter @airfarewatchdog

Seating image via Shutterstock

To learn more, visit George Hobica's profile on Google+

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Ten reasons why first or business class is (and isn't really) "worth it"  Airfarewatchblog Ten reasons why first or business class is (and isn't really) "worth it" Posted by George Hobica on Tuesday, February 11, 2014 Recently on Twitter, one of my 365,000 followers responded to this article about getting a better seat when you fly. True enough, he was tweeting from a first class seat on@AmericanAir for which he paid the economy class fare of $124 plus a $90 upgrade. But another Tweep chirped in; "I mean, is it really that luxurious to have a foot of extra space for $90 extra?" We went back and forth a bit, but I think he wasn't quite convinced that yes, it is worth it. His final word? "I guess subjective value is a thing after all." So I got to thinking: what besides "a foot of extra space" does first class (and I'm talking just domestic U.S. travel) get you? Let's get this out right away: for me, it has nothing to do with "status"—although for some, that's the main draw. 1. Yes, more leg room. But that's not really it. You can get more legroom in "economy plus" or "main cabin extra" or whatever your airline calls those extra legroom economy class seats. Or you can fly JetBlue, where the economy seats have a few extra inches. And even with the extra legroom, unless you're seating at the bulkhead you still have to climb over your seatmate if you're in the window seat (unless you're on a plane like American's 777-300ER where all business and first class seats have aisle access). 2. Then there's the meal. OK, airline food is airline food, but lately it's been getting a lot better. There are imaginative fresh salads, ice cream sundaes and fresh baked cookies on American, for example. Delta is working with New York-based restaurateur Danny Myers to improve its offerings in business/first. But the meal isn't it either. You could bring your own food on board from your favorite deli or gourmet shop and eat better. 3. Free booze. Some people love this, but that's not it either. You shouldn't drink when you fly anyway, because it's dehydrating. 4. More privacy. This is important, at least to me. There are fewer people in first class. Seating is two by two. Seats are wider so there's no fighting for the armrest. There's no chance of ending in the middle seat. And of course, if you're lucky enough to have a seat by yourself, such as on American's new A312T in first class you're in airline heaven. Bottom line: It's just less crowded. 5. Padded seats. Now we're really getting somewhere. And this is the main reason why I pay for first class, either heavily discounted non-refundable first or business fares, with mile upgrades, or last minute upgrade offers when checking in online. As I explained to @Clint7981, when you reach a certain age (Clint looks like he's 20 by the way), your poor tired bones, muscles and posterior aren't as padded or limber as they once were. First/business seats, unlike those rock-hard new, fuel-saving "slimline" seats in economy, still have lots of padding. They remind me of the seats in those Lockheed Constellations and DC-7's I used to fly as a kid. (Yes, I'm that old.) 6. Easier access to the lavs. When you gotta go,you gotta go. Sometimes the line at the back of the plane to use the lavs can be five deep. Not so in first/business. 7. Nicer flight attendants. I'm not saying that economy class flight attendants aren't nice; many are. But they're a lot nicer in first or business. It just makes traveling more pleasant when someone addresses you by name and smiles a lot. 8. Priority boarding and TSA lines. You can get some of these perks with airline-branded credit cards and by paying a bit extra on an economy fare, true. And some people argue that it's not worth getting on board early. 9. No fighting for overhead bin space. There's generally plenty for everyone. And if somehow there isn't, the nice flight attendants will put your stuff in the forward closet. No "gate checking." 10. Power ports. On some older planes, only first or business class seats have them at all seats. A must if you're planning to work (or play) inflight and you need juice. Some will remain unconvinced. As my mother used to say, "We all get there at the same time." But mom, bless her soul, never flew in first. To learn more, visit George Hobica's profile on Google+