We’d chosen to leave the last few months of GGEM (Gran Gira Española de Maloney) to be decided upon while on the road: would we return to Costa Rica, extend our stay in our third stop of Peru, orrrr would we venture to places yet unknown, and - if so - where?

I’d long heard about Oaxaca, mainly from photography friends, but it was our Treehouse neighbour (and GGEM💎 beauty), Natasha - who’d been to Oaxaca earlier that year and sung its praises - that highlighted it as a possible ‘last stop’. I’m really proud that we did our very best to make our GGEM experience a democratic one… allowing each of the four to vote on all decisions. And so it was that, after some individual googling, we held a vote for the last leg of our Spanish immersion experience, and the unanimous winner was OAXACA, MX! PS: #democracyisbeautiful

The city of Oaxaca de Juárez is probably the most famous “Oaxaca”, but important to note that the city is found within the state of the same name, Oaxaca, in SW Mexico… both of which we LOVED.

We arrived in Oaxaca de Juárez late in the evening (after an unnecessarily ridiculous trip from Lima 🙄 …Mexico City airport did not win a 5 star rating on this day 😩) and fell almost instantly in love with the city: the colourful flags flying above the streets, the Zócalo (main square) lined with century-old Laurel trees, the rooftop patios, the ART (art is EVERYWHERE!), the vibrant culture & buildings amid the cobblestone streets, the PEOPLE - ohhh the beautiful and warm Oaxacans!, and the parties in the street (near daily celebrations of everything from baptisms to graduations to weddings), the history, and not to mention that it’s the gastronomy capital of all of Mexico! It was after only three days in the city that we - as a family - decided to extend our month long stay to 7 weeks!

*Left*: murals based on the Zapotecan art: alebrijes
*Top*: phenomenal street art

I kept a private IG account for our friends + family while we were gone and when one friend, the amazing artist + woman Alice Helwig, learned we were in Oaxaca she messaged me about a tv show called ‘Somebody Feed Phil,’ as she’d recently seen an episode filmed in Oaxaca. We immediately fired it up and - not surprisingly - the effervescent Betasaida Lopez featured. Betsy’s company, Me Encanta Oaxaca, offers street food tours, cooking classes, and more. We’d already done a food tour but it was to local restaurants and the ‘street food’ aspect of Betsy’s tour really appealed to us…so we booked and discovered much more than amazing food!

A group photo just before the end of an AMAZING street-food tour with the effervescent + wonderful Betsaida, founder + owner of Me Encanta Oaxaca!

Betsy, in one of Oaxaca’s most famous neighbourhoods, masterfully integrates the history and culture of Oaxaca (city and state) while touring visitors between the BEST street delicacies imaginable (maybe minus the meal worm and grasshoppers 😜).

*Above*: Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán from a nearby rooftop patio.

#bts post-shoot w/ her beautiful family💜

So taken with Betsy’s warmth + beauty - she truly is sunshine in human form - I decided to text her to ask if she might be willing to be a subject in my Women of GGEM series… and, as you can see, she graciously said: yes! 🙏🏼

I asked her if there was a specific spot she’d like to be photographed (secretly hoping she’d suggest the incredible barrio de Jalatlaco) and - boom - her request: Jalatlaco!

She’s a busy mom, wife + business owner (she just celebrated 4 years of Me Encanta Oaxaca) and so I was beyond thrilled that she made time for our shoot…we met early on a Sunday morning, with her son and husband along to assist, and had the best time!

As we meandered the stone streets… cars + passerby would wait for us to wave them on so as not to interrupt the session 🥰, one woman stopped to have her photo taken with Betsy exclaiming just how lovely she looked in her traditional attire 💃🏻, and one water delivery truck even re-parked so we’d have a better backdrop showcasing one of the amazing walls of art…to say it was memorable is an understatement!

If you are ever in Oaxaca I - obviously - highly recommend Betsy & her ‘baby’: Me Encanta Oaxaca…you can find her on IG at me.encanta.oaxaca

Gracias, Betsy (y su familia), por todo!

With deep gratitude… for travel, for adventure, for culture, and for this amazing woman!

Important to note that above all I’ve described, Oaxaca is also famous for it’s Guelaguetza Festival and Dia de los Muertos (on my bucket list). This destination, and Betsy’s tours, are well worth your time + dollar! ❤️🙏🏼