A paradise called Mazunte
24NOV
The taxi left us in the main corner of Mazunte, a small beach town of the Oaxaca state, on the Pacific coast. We planned to stay there just one night and then proceed towards Puerto Escondido, but we ended up staying for 6 days. And reading below you will understand why.
All of us were so excited to have arrived in such a magic paradisiac place: a very wild place with few people, many dogs and unfortunately thousand of mosquitos, that would be the only nightmare during the entire stay At Mazunte. There is no way to be safe from them, they kept divoring especially my legs and ankles. Jeremy told me that his grandad once told him to marry a girl who would be mostly bitten by mosquitos, probably for its evident sweet blood characteristics. I dont know if i should consider it a good thing though.
we were all so relaxed, we spend a lot of time laying on the sand and just considering ourselves lucky enough to be there and to have decided to travel together.
it is sometimes diffiicult to share 24 hours a day with other people, but it all run smoothly and we sometimes left on purpose Martin and Jeremy to have their own time since it was also a trip they had firstly planned to do alone. I spent a lot of time with Soo, but i will describe her in details further on.
i was the happiest person ever, few people resist the sun more than me, I was so happy that I could finally lay on the beach taking all the energy the sun could give me and listening to my favourite music.
I listened to Mannarino quite a lot, an artist discovered through a lovely guy met in London just few time before to leave for this trip.
He told me it would have been a good company for my trip and it is actually being.
it has been funny to listen to this italian cool but not so popular singer in the crowded street of manhattan, in the car while driving from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, while walking In Colonia Roma in mexico city and so on. it is amazing how music can be the soundtrack of your life, trip, loves and friendships.
during this trip i have also listened to the XX a lot, Devendra Banhart, Feist, LCD soundsystem, RHCP, Jovanotti, Lykke li, Giovanni Allevi, and many others. One day at the posadas cafeteria I listened to a song from Zoe, a mexican rock band and I adored a song called Sone. I used Shazam to detect it and I immediately bought it on itunes, listening to it thousands times a day.
When not on my own, i have enjoied my travel mates chats and living magical sunsets in Mazunte, with lovely mojitos oaxaquenos made with mezcal.
We had an amazing sunset in Punta Cometa, a small mountain that juts out from the lshoreline, also called “Cerro Sagrado”, in english Sacred Hill. It is the southernmost point of the state of Oaxaca and an important stopping place for migratory birds and whales. We walked through the jungle up to the top of the mountain and enjoied the sun getting down in the sea from there. Magical.
I loved Mazunte and its surroundings. Before the mid 20th century, this place had nearly no population, the area was isolated and not even accesible by other means than boats. it started to change when a market for sea turtle meat and eggs developed in the 70′s, and whem the first curious travellers started to arrive in this beautiful place.
nowadays it is still mostly a rural village and its architecture based on the use of natural materials only.
The first night we stayed in a two floors cabana with swing beds and basic but cool decoration at Posada del arquitecto: a place recommended by Diana, a lovely girl I had met through Andres in Cholula. And it was a great suggestion, since it is probably the best place to stay at when in Mazunte, run by a smart and funny italian man named Guido, “the architect” ; he arrived in this magic place as a visitor in the 80′s and decided to settle down by building many of the eco-friendly cabanas made up of palm fronds, adobe, bamboo, shells stones coconut shells and wood.
Together with Guido, many other Italians immigrated to Mazunte in the 80′s. this is the reason why you can often listen to italian people at the posada. it was actually a pleasant surprise since during the prior 2 weeks in Mexico i had barely listened to my native language. One of the italians settled there opened a small take away pizza that i totally appreciated, since i was getting a little bit sick of corn tortillas and tacos, and i think his focaccia with rosemary had nothing to envy to the ones i like eating in campo de fiori in Rome.
One afternoon, while having a delicious fresh orange juice at the beautiful cafeteria of the posada, I met another Guido, a funny guy from Brescia, a city in the northern part of Italy. He was there on his own, he had decided to go to Mazunte since it was a place where his dad wanted to come before to die, and that he was actually Guido (the architect)’ s classmate. I was fascinated to hear that story; there is always a reason for our trip, sometimes might be sad and sometimes funny, but i am curious and excited to hear them all.
On the third day it was time to sadly say goodbye to Martin and Jeremy, who would proceed their trip towards D.F. Even if I was in that paradise, for one second I envied them to go to the capital, i would have loved to be there in that moment, and maybe go for a walk in La Condesa and get a “cold” tequila to Pata Negra bar.
But not only for that, even if i love the beach i still consider myself a a city animal and there were some things i was missing, most of all an Atm to withdraw some money: in Mazunte there is no place where you can pay by credit card nor a cash point; so if you need it you have to drive 30 minutes to Potchula.
Luckily i was able to take a ride from Olga, a lovely girl always with a smile on her face and his boyfriend Jacob, a funny swiss tall guy: a great couple that both me and Soo had previously crossed at the Barefoot Hostel in Mexico City. What a coincidence. Isnt it bizarre that with all the places and hostels you can visit in mexico, it was already the second time I bumped into the same person in places miles a d miles away from eachother? (It had already happened with Soo in Oaxaca)
It was lovely to share few chats and time with them anyway.
The day of Martin and Jeremy’ s leaving, i met again Guido, and that afternoon he took us to see one of the most beautiful and virgin beaches in Mexico: Mermejita. There we met there a funny guy from Alessandria, Matteo, he is living in Mazunte working as a jolly wherever he can and enjoing life.
We took beautiful pictures of that sunset in Mermejita, then the sun went down leaving beautiful different orange colors in the sky and the moon replaced it with its beautiful stars.
We laid down on the sand taking a look at the stars and eventually being lucky to see shooting ones. Me and Soo enjoied the stories and explanations about costellations given by Guido. He looked quite informed and appassionate about the topic and he tried to show us bizarre images in the sky that we often couldnt see. But it is nice how sometimes we see different things from the other, and as it happen with people, soetimes i might see the beauty in a person that for a onother is just an ordinary person; probably that night we were not focused enough to see what guido could see.
That night we went back to the posada quite late, just the time to get a shower and get rid of the sand spreaded wherever on the body and join Guido, who invited us out for dinner at an argentinian restaurant. we met again Olga and Jacob, who would leave the following morning. after dinner we went to the only bar with music, and even if salsa is not my cup of tea, i enjoyed to experience It in that magical scenery.
Among the nice people met in mazunte there was Andrea, a nice naval captain from Milan, who had come to Mazunte to visit a couple of friends who are opening a very beautiful posada in Mazunte called “Oceano Mar”. I had the chance to visit the property even if it was still with works in progress. So, thanks to Martino, a nice guy from Milan as well as one of the hotel posada owner, who took me up there with his crazy motorcycle: i think i had never been on such a precarious mean of transport, but i enjoyed it so much, speeding the likewise precarious streets of Mazunte.
I loved the posada in construction, i think it is going to be amazing.
It has stunning views on Mermejita beach, a nice pool overviewing the ocean, stylish and refined but natural decoration and a good italian touch.
There are just 5 rooms, a bar and a restaurant with wood stove, situated in the middle of the jungle in a priceless peace.
I wish Martino and his nice and friendly business partners met after the posada visit at his place, the best of luck for this great project. Ad another thanks for preparing for me a lavazza coffee prepared with the moka. Simple habits that i was missing a bit.
A afternoon we went with Andrea at another beach town just beside Mazunte, called Sant’ Agustinillo. On the way to that little town we finally had a natural coconut. We first drank its milk and then a young girl cut it for us in small pieces. We enjoied it while walking and left it on the ground when we found out a lovely hotel called Pan De Miel, one of the few proper hotels in the area with higher starred service and with an amazing pool on the ocean.
We also had an aperitive at a nice beach bar called Mexico Lindo, with again wonderful views on the bay and in a nice company.
That night it was the first day of the popular annual international jazz festival of Mazunte. We expected something better, but the owner and chef of one of the best restaurant, an italian called Cangrejo Azul, prepared a delicious lasagna that we could eat just on the sand while enjoing the music.
We spent our last full day in Mazunte by deligting our favourite treat: the Chocolatin. A delicious pastry prepared by lovely young guys who opened the first bakery shop in Mazunte, called actually “la primera”.
It is one of the things you cannot miss in Mazunte, the smell of “pan relleno” and “chocolatines” wrapped in a red checked cloth in a basket carried by beautiful and smiley girls will be one of the most desidered and awaited moment of the day.
A big congratulations goes to the bakers, a funny skinny mexican guy and his austian girlfriend.
They also prepare delicious quiches and cupcakes.
The bakery is situated beside another important spot in Mazunte, the “cosmeticos naturales de mazunte”‘, a community enterprise dedicated to making high quality make-up that is 100% environmentally friendly.
This business began about a decade ago with the sponsorship of The Body Shop and the Mexican federal government. It definetly worth a visit to enjoy the amazing natural flavours.
While waiting for the collectivo that would take us at the bus stop to Puerto Escondido, we enjoied our last chocolatin at the Primera bakery, until the car arrived full of people;but a curly blond nice guy shouted us to go onboard anyway as he would make space for us.
It began another adventure, but would leave it on the next blog.
