You Have Arrived

 

DISCLAIMER: I want to start with the fact that we have been extremely safe during the time of Covid. We have essentially been in lock down since March 2020. We wear masks, we sanitize, we socially distance. But, as with other families around the world, we have faced critical issues that have forced us to assess the risk of travel against the risk of dropping everything for a loved one in need. The details are not mine to share so I'll leave it at that. I ask that you trust me, I wouldn't be travelling under regular conditions during a pandemic. 

Oaxaca has been our destination since leaving the USA and finally we have made it. The City isn't what I thought it would be though. Somehow it is far more authentic than the Disneyland version I'd anticipated. The colorful buildings and expressive colonial facades are what I pictured, but the feeling is different. I always find that curious, the feeling of a place. No matter how many photos you see prior to arrival, the feeling is its own and it can either envelope you or reject you. Oaxaca definitely welcomed us with open arms... after a momentary, cautious check.

Like a hesitant blind date, the city seemed to hold back at first. We arrived stunned by the chaos of the large city and confused by the expensive hotel that called a small room with no windows a "junior suite". We stumbled about the dirty Zocalo (a plaza of sorts that is in the shape of a cross so really 4 different squares) and wondered if we'd made a mistake booking so many days in this strange city. The next morning however, as we lapped up coffee in the most charming balcony patio you could possibly imagine, a veil was lifted and we began our courtship with this mysterious town. 

Usually a packed tourist destination, the almost empty streets opened up to us. The "dirty" square shrugged off the grime and allowed us a peak into covertly smart combinations of the old traditions and the new styles. Covid safe practices are followed to a degree we haven't seen before and made us feel protected in market places. The giant markets are filled with so many goodies you can't help but gasp and fill your nose with the cloth of your mask. Colors so magically vibrant, smells so defiantly exotic and wonders the eyes have never seen... at least my USA white girl's eyes have never seen. And the best part? It is all largely your own play space as they limit numbers and the stalls beg you to make discoveries all your own. Quickly we became enamored by the subtle whisper that Oaxaca was, the gentle warm breeze that swathed us, and the easy massage that was culling our weary bones. It is unusual to find a place so original while simultaneously tourism driven, it has not lost its authenticity and that is poetic.

We have planned purposely to be here for Dia de Los Muertos, a place touted as one of the best to celebrate this festival in Mexico. While Covid has clearly made an impact on festivities, it is perhaps more perfect as we get to sneak into the local celebrations with a silent, artistic peak at what it really means here; no parades, no fiestas, but pure unadulterated beauty and dedication. Giant skeletons ornately dressed stand guard at corners and on balconies while orange flowers drip over doorways, and everywhere you turn you find the most amazing shrines to those we've lost. The longer we are here, the more it seems to seep into our blood. I see the chaos of home less and less in my rear-view mirror and I breathe a sigh of relief. My joints scream time to time throughout the day as I battle RA, but my daughter laughs with an ease that I haven't heard in so long that my chest literally pounds with happy heartbeats.

I have backed off work while I travel, a first for me. I usually spend a great deal of our vacation working and to have a mandate from my doctor to make my life stress free immediately is definitely a change. I gratefully have my sister-in-law taking over aspects of my part of the winery and while the sensation of letting go is foreign to me, it is adding a lush and vibrant element to my existence and I relish every moment.

As I sip my Madera 5 Rose of Sangiovese, a Mexican wine a little too salty, a little too acidic, but beautifully strawberry and interesting, I ask you to reflect on where you can pull back in your life. The stress of the election tomorrow is weighing heavy on everyone. Let us be kind to one another and to ourselves. Pour a glass and remember that no matter what you do, Wine First.