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After a number of trips to the Mecca of chocolate, Oaxaca in Mexico, we now organize trips for people interested in chocolate and who want to see and experience Mexico's vibrant chocolate culture at a close distance. Scheduled on the agenda are various activities in Oaxaca City, where we go to its chocolate factories, chocolate houses and markets. After that we travel by buss to Comalcalco, in the state of Tabasco where we visit the organic cacao plantation Finca Cholula. This hacienda has a cacao plantation of 12 hectares (30 acres) and work in a project together with Mexico's biggest university UNAM and the institution ECOSUR in preserving the complex tropical flora and fauna in which the cacao trees are found. You are guided by the owner family to have an insight into how the cocoa beans are harvested, fermented, dried and roasted, until they are ready for being used in their small chocolate factory El Chontal. All our destinations are located in archaeologically interesting regions with many ruins and remains of ancient cultures; therefore we leave enough room for improvisations and ideas to comply with our travelers' interest. The duration of the trip and when it takes place depends on the interested parties and what we all agree is most suitable. Below we have compiled information that relates to chocolate and other convenient information in case of a potential trip: tips, guidance and maybe even some inspiration. If you are interested or have any questions you are more than welcome to e-mail or call us for further information, even if you are planning a trip of your own! OAXACA - a brief travel guide:
Immunizations: Havrix® vaccine against hepatitis A and Dukoral®, a drinkable vaccine which protects against cholera as well as ETEC-induced diarrhea and regular Traveler’s diarrhea. Furthermore it is recommended to update the routine immunizations against diphtheria, tetanus and polio. Preventive antimalarial drugs are usually not recommended! These recommendations were aquired from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention but we strongly advice you to consult your doctor about your specific situation!
Accomodation: Oaxaca City hosts a wonderful and friendly hostel northeast of downtown, just a five minutes' walk from the 1st-class bus station. It's the inexpensive family-run Casa Arnel, which resides in a quiet cobbled area within a comfortable walking distance from the inner city center. The patio houses a small library, a lush garden and a couple of talking parrots. The rooms all surround the placid courtyard and are small, but nice and clean. There's a fabulous roof terrace with a spectacular view over the city and the mountains, plus another terrace which offers shade and hammocks. The most spacious and luxurious room is 12-L. Casa Arnel: Aldama 404, phone: +52 (529) 515 2856, casa.arnel@spersaoaxaca.com.mx, www.casaarnel.com.mx.
Places to eat: Just outside Casa Arnel, further down the Aldama street, there's usually two señoras until 11:30 am selling empanadas, a traditional mexican "piroshki", and freshly squeezed juices made from papaya (paw-paw), orange, beat, carrot... On Plaza las Virgenes there is an excellent café called Café los curles which makes delicious tortas, a grilled Mexican style sandwich in a roll. Try the torta de huevos y quesillo con extra de aguacate (torta bread with eggs and Oaxaca cheese with extra avocado). It's located on the street L. Abasolo #115. On the street J.P. García 207 in the inner downtown area there's a fast food restaurant called Trigo Verde (green wheat) which specializes in organic pizzas and hamburgers made from wholemeal flour.
Chocolate: Oaxaca City is teeming with chocolate houses where chocolate is being produced directly from cocoa beans, while people sit contemplating over a cup of hot chocolate at the other side of the room. Drinking chocolate and having it with food, as a mole, are the most common ways to enjoy chocolate in Oaxaca. These chocolate houses are off course the best places for purchasing chocolate and in addition to their already big selection of assorted chocolate products, you are welcome to have your own customized chocolate made after your own specifications. Decide which ingredients and how much of them yourself and feel free to bring supplementary flavourings to make your favourite chocolate. Along the "chocolate street" Fco. Javier Mina the chocolatiers all line up and the chocolate making procedure can be observed right in front of your eyes. There are several Mayordomo chocolate places but the most charming one is probably La Soledad with their huge selection of chocolate products. They also run a small hotel called Hotel Chocolate Posada. The patio offers a peaceful setting for a having a break and to enjoy a hot chocolate from their extensive chocolate menu. To get a taste of the old traditional cocoa drink tejate you'd better find your way to 20 de Noviembre, a market adjacent to the "chocolate street". La Soledad/Hotel Chocolate Posada: F.J. Mina No. 212, phone: +52 (951) 516 5760, chapoms@oax1.telmex.net.mx, www.chocolatedeoaxaca.com.mx.
Shopping: The state of Oaxaca offers one of the richest and most inventive folk art scenes in Mexico, and Oaxaca City is its cheif clearing-house, therefore we will restrict ourself to chocolate related items on this Webpage. Most goods and produce are cheaper at the vast main market Central de Abastos (supplies center) than at the central downtown markets. Porcelain and pottery can be purchased from Mirac in the handicrafts department, zona de artesanías, Location 75-166-167 (indicates which row). For example: a small ceramic jug for 40 pesos, a bigger for 70, chocolate cup and saucer for about 30 pesos. At the stalls nearby you find a variety of chocolate jugs and pottery, some in heavier ceramics from 15-35 pesos a piece depending on the size. At this market you also find cheap molinillos, a wooden chocolate whisk, and metates, the flat Mexican mortar used in traditional chocolate manufacturing. On the inner city street J.P. Garcia there is a shop called Crista Veana which is an excellent place for shopping aluminum jugs (36 pesos) or old fashioned enamelled vessels (about 10 pesos). One of Oaxaca's biggest selections of books in English is found at Amate Books Librería which is located on Macedonio Alcalá No. 307 #2, (amatebooks@prodigy.net.mx). At the square in front of the bookstore you can buy chocolate and cacao related art from a local artist who favours these motifs.
Tourist office: The Mexican government's tourist information center, Sedetur, can provide you with all the tips, maps and information you need to get around and find things to do while in the Oaxaca region. Sedetur: Murguia 206, phone: +52 (951) 516 0045, www.oaxaca.gob.mx/sedetur, info@oaxaca.gob.mx.
Internet: Cheap and fast Internet is found all over the City, but the most cost effective and reliable broadband connection is probably the one offered by Telcel, located a block and a half down the street from Amate Books Librería on Macedonio Alcalá. They charge 2 pesos every 15 minutes. |
The Finca Cholula Website •
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