PUERTO ESCONDIDO – SUNSHINE AND SURFERS
Last time we were in Puerto Escondido wasn’t long ago but it was definitely a very different experience. We came in September to celebrate my mom’s big 6-0. My dad wanted to do something extra special where she could relax and not worry about catering to everyone else’s needs. We had to find a place that didn’t take long to get to from Florida, Michigan and California and had a house that could accommodate our whole crew (7 adults and 2 kids). It was hurricane season and we were hesitant to go to the Bahamas or the Caribbean, so the Oaxaca coast of Mexico rose as the logical choice as it’s hurricane risk is low. We found a beautiful house on the ocean about 20 minutes south of Puerto Escondido that came fully staffed so no one would have to worry about cooking, cleaning or even making margaritas! The week was wonderfully relaxing and full of far too much delicious food. We did a few excursions and visited the main beaches of Puerto but even though Jon went each morning to surf Zicatela (the famous Mexican wave that is compared to Hawaii’s pipeline) the rest of us never went to watch the surfers on the daunting wave.
This time around, Jon and I stayed across the main drag from Zicatela beach at a place called, Acali. At night the ground would shake every time the waves crashed and there was no mistaking that there was immense power and energy out in the ocean. For about $30 we had our own bungalow with a nice strong fan, hot water showers with amazing water pressure, a fridge, stove-top, a hammock and a pool to cool off in. There was also a tiny on-site bar run by Francisco, a Mexican Cubs fan (he spent many years living in Chicago) who makes a mean pineapple mojito. Overall it was a great little spot although a place with AC would be advisable for those who don’t have a close relationship with their sweat.
In the mornings, Jon would go out for a surf around 7 and I would sleep in a few more hours then spend some time reading, on the internet or taking pictures of the surfers. In the afternoons either Jon would surf back out at Zicatela or we would take a drive over to what could be my favorite beach in all of Mexico, Carrizalillo. Its just a little slice of sand bordered by cliffs on 3 sides and the most beautiful blue water on the remaining side. When you make the hike down the long staircase to the beach, you throw down your flip flops at one of the 5 or so restaurants that have loungers, tables and hammocks waiting for you to enjoy and order a cold beer or coco frio. Out in the water, the gentle waves reliably roll in. Its a perfect place for beginners to learn to surf or for a slightly more experinced surfer who just feels like going easy.
Zicatela
Carrizalillo
Back at the Zicatela strip, it was slightly busier then in September where that part of town was eerily empty. Even now, the 20 or so restaurants that line the beach only had a few tables full at a time. We frequented the same few, Los Tios, which had the best priced seafood dishes we have seen on the trip and Mana which had juices, salads and the like. Just on the other side of the road there are lots of options to fill you up too. One of my favorites was a colorful little fish taco shack. The tacos could have had more fish but the toppings and three delicious salsas made that fact forgivable.
A lot of the people we met in Puerto weren’t just coming quickly in and out of town, they would stay for a month or six, hunkering into a routine. I can see how that is appealing. Besides the surf, you can fill your time with yoga, Spanish lessons, fishing, drinking beer with friends or heading out of town to waterfalls and coffee plantation. You’ll also find a nice combination of residents, Mexican tourists and foreigners in the town. But we only spent 5 day there – when the waves started to diminish, we decided it was time to go inland and check out Oaxaca City.
There are several different ways to drive from Puerto to Oaxaca and when you ask people which is the best one, it’s not uncommon to be told that the best route is by plane. With a $400 price tag, that was not an option for us so we chose the road that we had read was the most beautiful and that had a picturesque stop in the middle, San Jose del Pacifico. The very tiny strip of a town is famous for a few things, most notably a view of the Pacific ocean from high up in the mountains and mushrooms (including the magic variety).
Although the drive to San Jose del Pacifico was extremely slow – the switchback curves would prevent even the most eager driver from going over 30 MPH – it was not a chore. We went through several types of terrain. First the coastal environment, then dense tropical forest and finally a brisk pine forest. After the heat of Puerto, the cool air felt unbelievably refreshing even for a self proclaimed beach-girl. Once in town, we quickly changed from our shorts and flip flops to more mountain appropriate clothes to go test out the local delicacies – sorry friends, I cannot report back on the psychedelic kind but can assure you that the mushrooms in my dish at dinner were fantastic.
In the morning, we were hoping that the clouds would clear and we would get that namesake view but we only saw mountains, no ocean. It was beautiful anyway. We debated doing a quad tour or a temazcal treatment (known sometimes in America as a sweat lodge, but I swear that makes it sounds much scarier than it is), but ultimately we decided for a quick drive around and then to get on our way to Oaxaca. Shortly out of town, we came across a strange bazaar made us think, San Jose del Pacifico is not just a quaint mountain town - you could definitely find some trouble (or a good time depending on how you view it) if you looked in the right places.
