Another trip, another surfing mecca.

The Pacific Coast

                         I spy…. the ocean

Another trip, another surfing mecca.

Via a long wiggly road surrounded by cactuses we were off to Puerto Escondido, home of the legendary Mexican Pipeline, and also other less legendary places where Robin wanted to surf.

The bus journey took 13 hours rather than the advertised 10, but fortunately we’d booked accommodation in advance.

Unfortunately the accommodation turned out not to actually be in Puerto Escondido – but about half an hour out of town. Mistake 1.

When we turned up there we about thirty people at the hotel – some guests, some friends of guests, some neighbours, and some passersby, but none of whom were actually owners, managers, or employees of the hotel. They were however, all drunk.

                              Waiting…

No key had been left for our room, and no one seemed to know we were staying.

The owner had left about a week before and consequently the whole place had turned into Lord of the Flies.

Despite our ‘hosts’ best efforts to offer us in order and several times over: a pool lounger, their rooms and a room with a broken door, we decided it was best to sneak off as surreptitiously as possible.

Puerto Escondido itself is a little bit disappointing…

Despite the thunderous world famous beachbreak there isn’t too much to grab you at Playa Zicatela. It’s definitely not an attractive place, although it is good to sit on the beach (you can’t swim) and watch surfers try to negotiate the huge close outs which shake the entire town.

           Taz @ San Agustinillo

The best local break (La Punta) is a left hand point break a taxi ride away, if you’re lucky like us you’ll get to surf with turtles here – but it is murderously crowded. Murderously because you want to kill else on it.

South east from Puerto Escondido is a string of sleepy fishing villages which are far superior distracton.

San Agustinillo in particular is absolutely beautiful in a Mediterranean kind of way, and although  the waves aren’t up to much surfing-wise, we did sleep right on the beach with the sound of the roaring ocean as our soundtrack.

This is the kind of place where you come to sleep, eat, sunbathe and forget that there’s a real world out there somewhere.

                                                Surfboard restaurant sign. Dreamy