Yesterday we went to the "Jardin Etnobotanico," the botanical garden attached to the Santo Domingo church.  They have been offering tours for only the past 26 years, but the garden itself was originally an integral part of the life of the Dominican order which has occupied this church since its founding in the late 17th century.  The church and grounds were occupied by the Mexican army during the War of Independence of 1810-1821. Our guide unfortunately spoke only Spanish and French. I was able to understand some of his lecture, but Paula was a bit disappointed since he was quite garrulous and preferred to stand and lecture our group of thirty rather than actually walk much around the garden! After an hour Paula and I were eager to exit the garden and head to the barrio of Jalalatlaco which was ten minutes away and the sight of some very interesting murals. We stopped at a cafe for a delicious hot chocolate, which I'm beginning to prefer to coffee because of its incredibly rich, creaminess.

    After our usual siesta we headed to another restaurant we had researched, "Sierra Del Sol." The restaurant scene in Oaxaca is quite diverse and vibrant, but sometimes the quality does not quite measure up to expectations. We were a bit disappointed in the food, even though the service was excellent and the terrace offered beautiful views of the city and surrounding mountains. Paula had a fish filet floating on a white mole, while I had a section of pork roast on a yellow mole. The yellow mole was quite tasty but the pork was somewhat chewy. Paula thought the fish was mediocre.

Garrulous guide

Paula admiring cactus

Our guide in his off hours

"Perhaps in vain we come to live and blossom on the earth. Let us at least leave flowers."

"The mural that should have been."