All Options Considered

2 girls, post-FIRE, traveling the world

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Author: Ali

Travel planner

January 21, 2020January 21, 2020 Ali

2019 Travel Review

January 3, 2020January 3, 2020 Ali

I’m super excited to be in Mexico

December 2, 2019January 4, 2020 Ali

City Report – Ho Chi Minh City

October 21, 2019January 21, 2020 Ali

City Report — Chiang Mai

October 10, 2019January 21, 2020 Ali

My Money Background

September 12, 2019September 15, 2019 Ali

It Has Been 1 Year Since I Retired!

September 6, 2019September 19, 2019 Ali

City Report — Siem Reap

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Where are we now?

San Miguel de Allende

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We are spending time in an area where horses are still a common mode of transportation. We got there by car but most people seemed to be riding tonight 🐎

Just a quick introduction to our new best friends for 3 weeks. The trio of chihuahuas with Alison are Rosa, Pepe, and Baby G. And old Fordy the cat with Ali 💜

Oaxaca is a great city to walk in! Everywhere we look we find historic stonework, vibrant colors, and friendly people. We love it here 🥰 . . . . . #alloptionsconsidered #itsjustusalix2

More of that fabulous Oaxaca street art 💜

One of our favorite things in Oaxaca is the old aqueduct system at the north end of town. We had a great time walking around finding the pieces of the old system that still stand with our friend Desiré 🥳 . The old water system was built between 1727 and 1751 and operated for 200 years before it was replaced by something more modern. The old aqueduct reminds us of Roman ruins and is very impressive to look at 🤩 . . . . . #alloptionsconsidered #itsjustusalix2

Mezcal is our new favorite Mexican beverage (tequila you are out!) 🥰 . Mezcal and tequila are both agave, but mezcal is NOT tequila 🚫 . We wanted to get a better understanding of mezcal so we had a little tasting with a local who is obsessed with mezcal. Just 4 tastes over 90 minutes in an experience that was like going to mezcal church 🙏 . Apparently there are at least 38 different agave species found only in Oaxaca. There are at least 159 agave species endemic to Mexico, and more species are still being identified 🤓 . One of the things that makes mezcal so unique is the time it takes to matures as a plant before you can harvest and get it into production. Our buddy talked about the 12 Oaxacan agave plants he knows best. Espadin is most common because this agave matures in only 5-8 years. But then there’s Tepeztate which is rare because this agave takes 25-35 years to mature ⏳ . First we had a more industrial and quickly produced mezcal for comparison purposes, which was not delicious. Then we enjoyed an Espadin 8 year. And really enjoyed some amazing Arroqueño and Cuishe both matured for 18 years 🙏 . We appreciate mezcal because it’s on the level of Scotch. And because we enjoy the taste 😋 . So - Dobixie o disbie! Which is a Zapotec saying like “cheers” or “to your health” for when you are sipping mezcal 🥃 . . . . . #alloptionsconsidered #itsjustusalix2

Oaxaca street art from today’s walk 💜 . . . . . #alloptionsconsidered #itsjustusalix2

Oaxaca is called the foodie capital of Mexico and the ancestral heart of Mexican cuisine 🇲🇽 . So we took a traditional Oaxacan cooking class 😁 . We made tortillas!! And then cooked tetelas, tacos, empanadas, and quesadillas. Making tortillas is shockingly easy so we promise never to buy grocery store tortillas again 🌮 . We made fresh salsa de jalapeño, and roasted salsa de habanero negro. We both ate a lot of these salsas throughout the day without catching on fire 🌶🔥 . There are many traditional Moles in Oaxaca. Some are relatively simple to make with hours of love and attention, and others are quite complex all day or overnight affairs. Our teacher talked about many more than the 7 traditional Moles we had read about. We decided to make the Mole Amarillo because we were craving a more savory dish and some of the others are more sweet. Amarillo is called the Yellow Mole, though it’s more red in color. We also got lessons and recipes for a traditional Mole Encahuatado and a very complex traditional Mole Negro 🙏🥘 . We also made arroz de ajo tipo pueblo 🍚 . And sopa de guias 🍲 . And for desert we made molotes de plátano frito 🍌 . There was also plenty of guanábana juice from the tree outside, and of course mezcal 🥃 . This all day cooking extravaganza was a fabulous experience. We met a group of wonderful people and did so much eating, laughing, and socializing. We feel completely full 🥰 . And now we are very excited to add these recipes to our cooking routine 🥳 . Oaxacan food is truly fabulous 🙏 . . . . . #alloptionsconsidered #itsjustusalix2

Food shopping in the local mercados 🎉 . Looks like there are 10 mercados we can walk to, so we will try as many as possible while we are here 🤓 . Oaxaca cheese, produce, mezcal, meat, bread, socializing and practicing our Spanish 🤣 . 🥑🍅🌽🧄🧅🥖🧀🥚🍎 . . . . . #alloptionsconsidered #itsjustusalix2

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