Visit Mexico: La Bufadora Market

On the way to La Bufadora is a market, where numerous vendors are lined up, waiting to sell you their food, drink, and wares.

They'd approach you with plates of food or beckon you into their stall to sell shirts, ponchos, blankets, tequila, designer bags, and more (for some reason, there were many phallic objects for sale - I Googled and could only find that it was a touristy thing).

It can be an unsettling experience, but you have to just hold your ground and not be swayed or intimidated, especially by the very assertive / aggressive vendors.

Most vendors were just overly friendly, simply wanting to make a sale.

While at the market, we did a tequila tasting, bought some souvenirs and snacks, ate churros, and dined at a taco stand.

Pay-per-use bathrooms are available, and they were clean!

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Visit Napa: Oxbow Public Market

After visiting a couple of outstanding wineries, my friend suggested to get a light lunch at Oxbow Public Market, located in downtown Napa.  The 40,000 square foot marketplace runs along the Napa River and features local food vendors, artisan cafes and organic produce. 

We made a beeline to Hog Island Oyster Co. where they serve fresh shellfish direct from their farm on Tomales Bay.  I absolutely loved it.  I'm not a huge oyster fan, but all of their oysters were so fresh and so delicious!  The wait line was pretty daunting, but it moved quickly.  After downing half a dozen oysters each, we all had the rustic seafood stew which was out of this world.  I loved the tomato based broth and the fish inside was soooooo good!  Their other popular dish is their clam chowder.  Highly recommend a stop here!

While my friends picked up some truffle salt, I stood in line to Kara's Cupcakes and got myself a mini carrot cupcake for dessert.  Yum! 

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