Mexican style!
A couple of years ago, my youngest daughter, Sabra, and took a short trip to Las Vegas. I’d been wanting to experience a wellness suite at the MGM Grand (amazing, experience, BTW). You can read about my wellness experience here. As part of that trip, I booked a Vegas walking food tour for the two of us.
Our food tour was delightful. Besides the two of us, there was one other couple and a guide. Our informative guide acted as a mini tour director as we explored five different eateries in downtown Las Vegas, sampling plates of food, appetizers, a smoothie, our doughnut of choice, and flavored jerky.
There was only one problem with our food tour: Sabra had contracted a terrible head cold just prior to leaving home, and while I enjoyed every morsel, she could neither enjoy the appetizing aromas nor taste the delectable flavors as she ate. Because of her lack of smell and taste, she could only experience the textures of the food and the ambiance of each restaurant. I sympathized with her not being able to enjoy the food as much as I did, and tried to convey as much as possible what she was missing out on.
Today’s focus is FOOD! I’m highlighting an authentic food experience from a Mexico Real Food Adventure, which I can help arrange for you. Yes, U.S. travelers are successfully visiting Mexico right now, without having to quarantine once you arrive in the country.
Mexico Real Food Adventure
This trip allows you to tr explore Mexico’s countryside for 8 nights, and experience some of the most authentic Mexican foods from different regions. Beginning in Mexico City, the tour spends time in Puebla and Oaxaca, and ends in the coastal town Huatulco. Note that if you have dietary restrictions, accommodations can be made, although some of the times you may have to avoid some of the dishes that are not able to be changed.
Day 1: Arrive in Mexico City and meet your group, which will be between one and 12 people total. For dinner, experience a “taco crawl” around town. You'll taste Mexico City’s delicious street-food staple, tacos al pastor, among others.
Day 2: This morning, experience fresh churros for breakfast, followed by a visit to a Mexican bakery, a walking tour of the historical center. Explore the main food market and have lunch at one of the best seafood stands in the city.
Day 3: Today, head to Puebla: Mexico’s culinary capital. Enjoy a culinary city tour which includes street food, shortbread biscuits, and sweet potato lollies, among others. Tonight, enjoy some Lucha Libra wrestling, a combination of sport and theater.
Day 4: Travel to Oaxaca this afternoon, a colonial city nicknamed “land of the seven moles.” Visit their fabulous Mercado Benito Juarez, a bountiful market taking up a full city block and brimming with produce, mole spices and pastes, and towers of cheese. If you’re daring, try local specialties like chapulines (grasshoppers)!
Day 5: This morning, enjoy a traditional breakfast of chocolate, tamales and pan y yemas. Your afternoon is free to explore Oaxaca’s many other culinary delights, including carnes asadas, chocolates, and many other local favorites.
Day 6: Venture out of Oaxaca for an insight into regional life. Visit Mercado Tlacolula, one of the oldest markets in Mesoamerica. Here, you see the ancient cultural traditions of dress, cuisine and language, as the community gathers together from neighboring villages. You can watch traditional rug weaving done by local families. After a local meal of barbacoa, head to the ancient ruins in the area.
Day 7: Today is a scenic bus ride to Huatulco, with a stop at a village for lunch. Relax and unwind in the quiet, less touristy town of Huatulco, located on a beautiful stretch of Pacific beach.
Day 8: Enjoy a cooking class and feast on your creations of a traditional meal. After savoring these coastal dishes, head out on a boating expedition. If you're lucky you might spot turtles, stingrays or even dolphins.
Day 9: Your trip ends in Huatulco. You can either stay a few nights here, or fly back to Mexico City to connect with your flight home.
Dates
This trip departs about once a month year-round, since anytime is a great time to visit Mexico. Weather is great all year in this warm, sunny destination.
Safety
Some safety measures in place for this trip are: a self-screening health form completed prior to the trip, mask wearing and hand sanitizing regularly; and the option of having the unused portion of your trip being credited back to you, in case of trip interruption due to COVID-19. Travel insurance is always available for every trip I sell, and even if you don’t purchase travel insurance, you’re able to change or cancel your trip 21 days before your trip and use the entire amount as a credit toward a new trip or different dates.
Wrap-up
What does our Vegas trip, and my daughter’s non-tasting ability, have to do with this amazing culinary trip? Whenever we reminisce about that Las Vegas getaway, these are our takeaways: our incredible wellness experience at the MGM Grand, and the food tour. I remember the food tour mostly because of every wonderful taste and smell. She remembers the food tour because of the connection. The connection to places, history, her mom, and the local atmosphere. Today’s focus is actually food and connection. Connection has a strong link to our wellbeing. Traveling is an excellent way to connect with ourselves and others.
Let me help you connect through travel. Whether you’re interested in traveling for food or other experiences, inside the U.S. or a little further afield, I can help you with that.