Oaxacan mountains and Learning Spanish in Puerto Escondido
North America » Mexico
August 27th 2014
Published: September 7th 2014
Wednesday 27th August:
We went out of town today to a village called Teotitlan, which is about 40 minutes out of Oaxaca. Reyna, our Zapotec teacher, was awesome. She has a huge outdoor, original Zapotec kitchen, within her family property. She gave us woven baskets each and we walked down to the local daily market. It was incredible, there were so many gorgeous wee old Zapotec ladies walking around wearing their traditional garb of hand stitched aprons, head scarves and carrying woven baskets (Mum you would have LOVED to see and do this with us). They were all so short, I was head and shoulders above most! We picked up all the fresh produce we needed. I noticed Reyna greeted her friends and aquatainces with a different greeting. She explained that If she knew someone really well, the person receiving her greeting would clasp both hands around her one hand briefly. If she knew someone but not really closely then they would touch the base of their palm of their right hand together briefly but not clasp hands and shake like we would. We also brought some Zapotec chocolate cubes for making our own hot chocolates, yum. The
cooking operation with Reyna was so smooth, her sisters drifted around preparing and cleaning up after us. We learnt how to cook the corn on the concrete fire oven and then grind it on the original grinder that has been in her family for over 100 years! We were pretty unco but it was fun to try and master. This was the best cooking class we have done because she fed us hot choc and sweet bread at the start (so we weren't starving by the time we ate the food we made) and then we prepared and cooked everything from scratch. The food was INCREDIBLE, it was Maletas, salsa, chicken and corn soup and hibiscus flower juice. YUUMMM. After the class we were almost comatose with contentedness.
We had to boost straight to the collectivo taxis when we got back to Oaxaca, to get up to Llano Grande, one of the highest villages in the mountains, ready to start our mountain adventure. Wow what a MISSION! It was so confusing at the collectivo taxi rinks, there were so many different rinks and everyone was telling us different things. We eventually found a taxi that would take
us half way to a village on the way to our destination. A little old lady was in the taxi with us and we managed to understand that she would help us get to the next taxi rink when we arrived, for us to catch another taxi to Llano Grande. We walked with her to a different looking taxi area and we waited with her for an hour. When no taxis arrived, she said wait 30 more minutes. She was going to catch it too because she lived in the village just before Llano Grande. We waited TWO and a HALF HOURS! It was getting ridiculous so I went on a mission and found a random cab and he took us (and the old lady) up to Lllano Grande for 350 pesos instead of 40 pesos which it should have been in a collectivo. At this stage we couldn't care less, it was late, there were no taxis, and we figured the little old lady was confused. We paid for her because we weren't sure how she would get home and she was almost small enough to fit in Mikeys pocket 😊 It was a 45 minute trip winding up
a small mountain road. We turned up at Llano Grande and its just a street with a few houses. We found our guide for the next day and he said he was about to leave and give up on us in 5 minutes! So glad we got the taxi.. We had dinner and were shown our cabin which was GORGEOUS. It was made from stone and wood and was so cosy with an open fire. We loved it so much. Its really cold up here with the altitude so we were super glad we brought our puffer jackets with us. Such a contrast to the blistering heat of Cuba. It was actually quite nice rugging up warm for a change 😊
Thursday 28th August:
Today we mountain biked from Llano Grande which is at 3000m to Amatlan at 2100m. Because of the altitude, our hearts were beating out of our chests and we felt really out of breath when we weren't doing that much exercise. It was a crazy feeling. The trails were a mixture of single track and 4WD track. The single track sections were epic and fast. We stopped at our guides
family farm with corn fields and a wee cottage, really cool talking to him in pigeon Spanish and actually understanding a lot of what he said. Mikeys guts were feeling the effects of too much spicy Zapotec food, but he came right by the end of the day thank goodness. Amatlan was so cool. The cabins we stayed in were in a gorgeous area on the edge of a precipice looking over the mountains and were also made with stone and wood. We had a cute wee Zapotec lady cooking us dinner, breakfast and a picnic for the next days walk. We explored the village and then studied Spanish. A nice relaxing afternoon in the sun.
Friday 29th August:
We walked from Amatlan to Latuvi along an ancient prehispanic trail. Our guide also couldn't speak English but we managed to pick up about 50% of what he was saying 😊 He was so knowledgeable about the flora and fauna. He would pick plants and get us to smell or eat them and they were tasty or smelled amazing. He would indicate what it would be for with hand gestures like for your stomach etc.
The walk itself was stunning, we went through so many different forests with different climates in our 6 hour walk. At one part the forest was covered in amazing hanging moss so it was eerie and beautiful all at once. Adolfo, our guide, would show us different images naturally carved into rock that the Aztecs used to identify where they were in the forest. He also showed us ancient trees that had been bent when they were young to form an arrow to point the trail. SO cool. This walk was an epic experience, especially with Adolfo showing us everything. He was so careful with the insects he showed us, putting them carefully back or picking up a fallen tree cactus and replanting it. We loved how proud and knowledgeable he was.
The Latuvi Cabins were also nice but not as good as the other two villages. Every day up in the mountains, we've been getting hot chocolates made from local cacao for lunch and dinner and we're hooked. They are so so good. We relaxed in the hammocks overlooking the valley for the afternoon and again practised our Spanish.
Saturday
30th August:
Today we walked from Latuvi to Benito Juarez. It was mostly uphill for two hours and we loved the exercise. The scenery was different but equally beautiful and diverse. When we arrived we got chatting to some Dutch people and they gave us tips on other places to visit. We had lunch and then walked along a pretty track to get to the main mountain road to catch a collectivo taxi. It was mostly uphill and Benito Juarez was already at 3000m so we reckon we walked to approximately 3200m and we again had fluttering hearts and were out of breath at the start. When we got to the tar sealed road, there was a rally driving contest in progress! Was pretty sweet watching the drivers scream uphill in random cars but it got pretty old after 3 hours.. To top it off, it started raining. Luckily, we had our ponchos. Eventually the race finished so the taxis could start and we had a hassle free and cheap trip back to Oaxaca.
Loved our time in the mountains, the views, nature, food, people and epic accommodation in the cabins were all awesome and original.
Seeing, trekking and experiencing the pre hispanic culture of the Aztecs was also fascinating.
When we arrived back, we went out to our favourite food, the street stalls. We had a three course dinner, jumping from stall to stall. So good.
Caught up with some family and friends on skype, so good to see you!
Sunday 31st August:
Today was a mega bus ride to Puerto Escondido. It took 11 hours, but the scenery was spectacular. When we arrived at the language school we were tired, starving and its back to the heat so we were hot and bothered to throw that into the mix. We were both crabby and over it so we went for a quick meal and crashed out in our bungalow.
Monday 1st August.
We awoke feeling way better and could take stock of our surroundings. We are just above the main surf break in Puerto Escondido in a rustic wee bungalow complete with kitchen and bathroom, only 2 minutes walk to the beach. We went shopping for food for the week which was overwhelming but fun trying to find stuff. Food is so much cheaper here than in NZ.
After shopping we wandered down to the beach and checked it out. The surf isn't too good at the moment. We had our first lesson in Spanish at 12pm for two hours and it was good to go over the grammar and pronunciation. The second lesson at 2:30pm for two hours was with someone else and we went over our conversation skills. Talk about brain explosions. The content is really hard to get your head around but also we are not totally stoked with the teachers and how they explain things. We are getting there though and are learning lots.
Tuesday 2nd August:
Today we went for a long walk on the beach and swam and body surfed for yonks. Such a great way to start the day. The water is so refreshing, the perfect temperature. We had our four hours of Spanish which again was more brain explosion time, but still learning loads. Afterwards we had an hour or so to chill and then we had an hour Salsa dancing lesson which was awesome. It was with a guy who couldn't speak English but we managed to communicate and demonstrate fine. He covered most of the steps
and then showed us more steps to add to our sequence. We loved it. We were pooped by the end, but what a great day.
Wednesday 3rd August:
This morning we spent nearly three hours going over the grammar and all the rules we are learning for Spanish. It is so much to take in that we wanted to get a head start before the classes started. The classes today were good as we asked to practice what we are learning more so we can solidify it in our brains. After classes, the school's mama, Luisa, came to our Bungalow and showed us how to make salsa and tacos. Such a cute old lady and it was delicious food that we ate together. She couldn't speak English, so we practised the Spanish we learnt with her. We finished our meal off with some of the drinking chocolate that we had brought at the Zapotec market last week. Deeelish!
Thursday 4th August:
Went for another mission walk on the beach and a body surf. Puerto Escondido is a pretty place but its quite built up with ugly buildings as they don't have restrictions on what they can
do. We liked the beach but not blown away.
Had more Spanish lessons for the whole afternoon and then us and two Aussie girls cooked in our tiny house a meal of whole fish. Luisa was a bit more flustered with this one but it was still fun. The Aussies didn't know any Spanish at all as they had just started so they were looking at us in panic whenever she started speaking to them so we had to listen to every word she was saying to get a gist of what she wanted and who from. We sat and ate and chatted until really late.
Friday 5th August:
Mikey got up early and went out for a surf. Its been bad conditions for surfing but he just went out for a go anyway. He managed to catch a few waves first thing in the morning but when I went down it was pretty flat as it had died down again in lulls. It was either enormous clean up sets or lulls. He still enjoyed getting out there and paddling around in the wonderfully cool water.
When we were walking back along the beach the waves
were even more enormous and we saw some chargers with jetskis catching some of the waves. It was so awesome to see, they were HUGE waves and they were getting barreled and completely wiped out by the waves. I've never seen such big waves, so many people getting barrels or so many people getting so smashed before! haha The wave hitting the deck had a whitewash spray that was more than twice as big as the size of the wave! Such heavy surf.
Came back for our lessons in Spanish which were awesome today as while I was watching Mikey I wrote down all the topics that we had covered over the week and highlighted ones that we needed more help on. So in the class, we went over all the stuff again that we needed more practise with. After class we had salsa dancing again with Juan. So so much fun, he's a sweetie and me and Mikey learnt heaps more funny swinging around and ducking under moves. Lots of laughs and brain explosions trying to remember sequences.
Saturday 6th August:
Went into town to get some money out ready for our mission further South where
there are not many ATMs. Went for another swim to cool off as its so hot. Not as debilitating hot as it was in Cuba sometimes, but still smoking hot. When we got back we made ceviche with four other Aussies and Americans. Great class, great laughs. We were cooking outside this time so there was more space and it was cooler.
Had our last salsa class with Juan and we learnt even more sequences with Mikey lifting me in parts and then dipping me to finish. So much fun but wow, so hard to then put all the sequences together that we had learnt with him over the three classes.
A CRAZY thing happened today to Mikey... We were walking up the path, following the owner of the place and I was behind Mikey when he suddenly yelled out and ducked and held his head and I saw an explosion of water. He had been hit square on the head with a COCONUT!!!!!! It was a medium sized green one with a deadly point on it but luckily it had hit him flat on the head. It was as hard as rock and he had cracked it
open and drained the water out of it! So so lucky. He had cracked his teeth together from impact but no damage thank goodness and his head wasn't even that sore. Couldn't believe it. The impact was so loud, the Aussie couple came out of their bungalow to see what had happened. Coconuts hitting people on the head is normally deadly (especially in Hawaii) so we are counting our lucky stars. I reckon it would have knocked me out if it had hit me! Today (Sunday) his neck is a bit sore down one side so it would have been wrenched on impact.
We met up with the four people we had met at ceviche and went down to the main street on the beach for some beers on the beachfront. Great to be meeting and chatting people again. We've been pretty busy with learning spanish, cooking and salsa the past week so we haven't had the chance or energy to get out and meet people. Afterwards we went out for dinner at a hip place, one of the guys had been here a while so he was taking us to the right places. Had a yum dinner and
then went out to one of the salsa bars. Some amazing dancers and a live band. Great fun to watch, we hung out on the swinging beds on the beach and yarned and laughed into the early hours of the morning. Such a great night.
August 27th 2014
Published: September 7th 2014
Wednesday 27th August:
We went out of town today to a village called Teotitlan, which is about 40 minutes out of Oaxaca. Reyna, our Zapotec teacher, was awesome. She has a huge outdoor, original Zapotec kitchen, within her family property. She gave us woven baskets each and we walked down to the local daily market. It was incredible, there were so many gorgeous wee old Zapotec ladies walking around wearing their traditional garb of hand stitched aprons, head scarves and carrying woven baskets (Mum you would have LOVED to see and do this with us). They were all so short, I was head and shoulders above most! We picked up all the fresh produce we needed. I noticed Reyna greeted her friends and aquatainces with a different greeting. She explained that If she knew someone really well, the person receiving her greeting would clasp both hands around her one hand briefly. If she knew someone but not really closely then they would touch the base of their palm of their right hand together briefly but not clasp hands and shake like we would. We also brought some Zapotec chocolate cubes for making our own hot chocolates, yum. The cooking operation with Reyna was so smooth, her sisters drifted around preparing and cleaning up after us. We learnt how to cook the corn on the concrete fire oven and then grind it on the original grinder that has been in her family for over 100 years! We were pretty unco but it was fun to try and master. This was the best cooking class we have done because she fed us hot choc and sweet bread at the start (so we weren't starving by the time we ate the food we made) and then we prepared and cooked everything from scratch. The food was INCREDIBLE, it was Maletas, salsa, chicken and corn soup and hibiscus flower juice. YUUMMM. After the class we were almost comatose with contentedness.
We had to boost straight to the collectivo taxis when we got back to Oaxaca, to get up to Llano Grande, one of the highest villages in the mountains, ready to start our mountain adventure. Wow what a MISSION! It was so confusing at the collectivo taxi rinks, there were so many different rinks and everyone was telling us different things. We eventually found a taxi that would take us half way to a village on the way to our destination. A little old lady was in the taxi with us and we managed to understand that she would help us get to the next taxi rink when we arrived, for us to catch another taxi to Llano Grande. We walked with her to a different looking taxi area and we waited with her for an hour. When no taxis arrived, she said wait 30 more minutes. She was going to catch it too because she lived in the village just before Llano Grande. We waited TWO and a HALF HOURS! It was getting ridiculous so I went on a mission and found a random cab and he took us (and the old lady) up to Lllano Grande for 350 pesos instead of 40 pesos which it should have been in a collectivo. At this stage we couldn't care less, it was late, there were no taxis, and we figured the little old lady was confused. We paid for her because we weren't sure how she would get home and she was almost small enough to fit in Mikeys pocket 😊 It was a 45 minute trip winding up a small mountain road. We turned up at Llano Grande and its just a street with a few houses. We found our guide for the next day and he said he was about to leave and give up on us in 5 minutes! So glad we got the taxi.. We had dinner and were shown our cabin which was GORGEOUS. It was made from stone and wood and was so cosy with an open fire. We loved it so much. Its really cold up here with the altitude so we were super glad we brought our puffer jackets with us. Such a contrast to the blistering heat of Cuba. It was actually quite nice rugging up warm for a change 😊
Thursday 28th August:
Today we mountain biked from Llano Grande which is at 3000m to Amatlan at 2100m. Because of the altitude, our hearts were beating out of our chests and we felt really out of breath when we weren't doing that much exercise. It was a crazy feeling. The trails were a mixture of single track and 4WD track. The single track sections were epic and fast. We stopped at our guides family farm with corn fields and a wee cottage, really cool talking to him in pigeon Spanish and actually understanding a lot of what he said. Mikeys guts were feeling the effects of too much spicy Zapotec food, but he came right by the end of the day thank goodness. Amatlan was so cool. The cabins we stayed in were in a gorgeous area on the edge of a precipice looking over the mountains and were also made with stone and wood. We had a cute wee Zapotec lady cooking us dinner, breakfast and a picnic for the next days walk. We explored the village and then studied Spanish. A nice relaxing afternoon in the sun.
Friday 29th August:
We walked from Amatlan to Latuvi along an ancient prehispanic trail. Our guide also couldn't speak English but we managed to pick up about 50% of what he was saying 😊 He was so knowledgeable about the flora and fauna. He would pick plants and get us to smell or eat them and they were tasty or smelled amazing. He would indicate what it would be for with hand gestures like for your stomach etc.
The walk itself was stunning, we went through so many different forests with different climates in our 6 hour walk. At one part the forest was covered in amazing hanging moss so it was eerie and beautiful all at once. Adolfo, our guide, would show us different images naturally carved into rock that the Aztecs used to identify where they were in the forest. He also showed us ancient trees that had been bent when they were young to form an arrow to point the trail. SO cool. This walk was an epic experience, especially with Adolfo showing us everything. He was so careful with the insects he showed us, putting them carefully back or picking up a fallen tree cactus and replanting it. We loved how proud and knowledgeable he was.
The Latuvi Cabins were also nice but not as good as the other two villages. Every day up in the mountains, we've been getting hot chocolates made from local cacao for lunch and dinner and we're hooked. They are so so good. We relaxed in the hammocks overlooking the valley for the afternoon and again practised our Spanish.
Saturday 30th August:
Today we walked from Latuvi to Benito Juarez. It was mostly uphill for two hours and we loved the exercise. The scenery was different but equally beautiful and diverse. When we arrived we got chatting to some Dutch people and they gave us tips on other places to visit. We had lunch and then walked along a pretty track to get to the main mountain road to catch a collectivo taxi. It was mostly uphill and Benito Juarez was already at 3000m so we reckon we walked to approximately 3200m and we again had fluttering hearts and were out of breath at the start. When we got to the tar sealed road, there was a rally driving contest in progress! Was pretty sweet watching the drivers scream uphill in random cars but it got pretty old after 3 hours.. To top it off, it started raining. Luckily, we had our ponchos. Eventually the race finished so the taxis could start and we had a hassle free and cheap trip back to Oaxaca.
Loved our time in the mountains, the views, nature, food, people and epic accommodation in the cabins were all awesome and original. Seeing, trekking and experiencing the pre hispanic culture of the Aztecs was also fascinating.
When we arrived back, we went out to our favourite food, the street stalls. We had a three course dinner, jumping from stall to stall. So good.
Caught up with some family and friends on skype, so good to see you!
Sunday 31st August:
Today was a mega bus ride to Puerto Escondido. It took 11 hours, but the scenery was spectacular. When we arrived at the language school we were tired, starving and its back to the heat so we were hot and bothered to throw that into the mix. We were both crabby and over it so we went for a quick meal and crashed out in our bungalow.
Monday 1st August.
We awoke feeling way better and could take stock of our surroundings. We are just above the main surf break in Puerto Escondido in a rustic wee bungalow complete with kitchen and bathroom, only 2 minutes walk to the beach. We went shopping for food for the week which was overwhelming but fun trying to find stuff. Food is so much cheaper here than in NZ. After shopping we wandered down to the beach and checked it out. The surf isn't too good at the moment. We had our first lesson in Spanish at 12pm for two hours and it was good to go over the grammar and pronunciation. The second lesson at 2:30pm for two hours was with someone else and we went over our conversation skills. Talk about brain explosions. The content is really hard to get your head around but also we are not totally stoked with the teachers and how they explain things. We are getting there though and are learning lots.
Tuesday 2nd August:
Today we went for a long walk on the beach and swam and body surfed for yonks. Such a great way to start the day. The water is so refreshing, the perfect temperature. We had our four hours of Spanish which again was more brain explosion time, but still learning loads. Afterwards we had an hour or so to chill and then we had an hour Salsa dancing lesson which was awesome. It was with a guy who couldn't speak English but we managed to communicate and demonstrate fine. He covered most of the steps and then showed us more steps to add to our sequence. We loved it. We were pooped by the end, but what a great day.
Wednesday 3rd August:
This morning we spent nearly three hours going over the grammar and all the rules we are learning for Spanish. It is so much to take in that we wanted to get a head start before the classes started. The classes today were good as we asked to practice what we are learning more so we can solidify it in our brains. After classes, the school's mama, Luisa, came to our Bungalow and showed us how to make salsa and tacos. Such a cute old lady and it was delicious food that we ate together. She couldn't speak English, so we practised the Spanish we learnt with her. We finished our meal off with some of the drinking chocolate that we had brought at the Zapotec market last week. Deeelish!
Thursday 4th August:
Went for another mission walk on the beach and a body surf. Puerto Escondido is a pretty place but its quite built up with ugly buildings as they don't have restrictions on what they can do. We liked the beach but not blown away.
Had more Spanish lessons for the whole afternoon and then us and two Aussie girls cooked in our tiny house a meal of whole fish. Luisa was a bit more flustered with this one but it was still fun. The Aussies didn't know any Spanish at all as they had just started so they were looking at us in panic whenever she started speaking to them so we had to listen to every word she was saying to get a gist of what she wanted and who from. We sat and ate and chatted until really late.
Friday 5th August:
Mikey got up early and went out for a surf. Its been bad conditions for surfing but he just went out for a go anyway. He managed to catch a few waves first thing in the morning but when I went down it was pretty flat as it had died down again in lulls. It was either enormous clean up sets or lulls. He still enjoyed getting out there and paddling around in the wonderfully cool water.
When we were walking back along the beach the waves were even more enormous and we saw some chargers with jetskis catching some of the waves. It was so awesome to see, they were HUGE waves and they were getting barreled and completely wiped out by the waves. I've never seen such big waves, so many people getting barrels or so many people getting so smashed before! haha The wave hitting the deck had a whitewash spray that was more than twice as big as the size of the wave! Such heavy surf.
Came back for our lessons in Spanish which were awesome today as while I was watching Mikey I wrote down all the topics that we had covered over the week and highlighted ones that we needed more help on. So in the class, we went over all the stuff again that we needed more practise with. After class we had salsa dancing again with Juan. So so much fun, he's a sweetie and me and Mikey learnt heaps more funny swinging around and ducking under moves. Lots of laughs and brain explosions trying to remember sequences.
Saturday 6th August:
Went into town to get some money out ready for our mission further South where there are not many ATMs. Went for another swim to cool off as its so hot. Not as debilitating hot as it was in Cuba sometimes, but still smoking hot. When we got back we made ceviche with four other Aussies and Americans. Great class, great laughs. We were cooking outside this time so there was more space and it was cooler.
Had our last salsa class with Juan and we learnt even more sequences with Mikey lifting me in parts and then dipping me to finish. So much fun but wow, so hard to then put all the sequences together that we had learnt with him over the three classes.
A CRAZY thing happened today to Mikey... We were walking up the path, following the owner of the place and I was behind Mikey when he suddenly yelled out and ducked and held his head and I saw an explosion of water. He had been hit square on the head with a COCONUT!!!!!! It was a medium sized green one with a deadly point on it but luckily it had hit him flat on the head. It was as hard as rock and he had cracked it open and drained the water out of it! So so lucky. He had cracked his teeth together from impact but no damage thank goodness and his head wasn't even that sore. Couldn't believe it. The impact was so loud, the Aussie couple came out of their bungalow to see what had happened. Coconuts hitting people on the head is normally deadly (especially in Hawaii) so we are counting our lucky stars. I reckon it would have knocked me out if it had hit me! Today (Sunday) his neck is a bit sore down one side so it would have been wrenched on impact.
We met up with the four people we had met at ceviche and went down to the main street on the beach for some beers on the beachfront. Great to be meeting and chatting people again. We've been pretty busy with learning spanish, cooking and salsa the past week so we haven't had the chance or energy to get out and meet people. Afterwards we went out for dinner at a hip place, one of the guys had been here a while so he was taking us to the right places. Had a yum dinner and then went out to one of the salsa bars. Some amazing dancers and a live band. Great fun to watch, we hung out on the swinging beds on the beach and yarned and laughed into the early hours of the morning. Such a great night.
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