With our packs once again on our backs we walk the cold streets of Oaxaca city still in the complete darkness of the night for a 6:15am bus to warmer weather, the ocean, and a change of pace. Our bus is around a 20 seater Mercedes van, certainly not designed for the comfort of people taller than around 5 1/2 feet and we cram in ready for the 7 hour trek through winding roads over the mountains that surround Oaxaca city, travel sickness pills in hand. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and after the first hour of relentless left and right turns and up’s and down’s we are all questioning whether the cheaper and quicker bus we were now on was worth the discomfort.
As we disembark the bus in Puerto Escondido we are immediately greeted by the hot temperature and humidity of the Pacific coast and it’s a welcome change from the hustling, bustling, grey concrete jungle that is Mexico City. Within a few hours we’ve got the warm waters of the Playa Zicatela beach lapping at our feet and we watch the hours tick by as we spend the first of many afternoons here. This particular region of Mexico is famous for its surfing and as the waves barrel in and a group of surfers sitting out near the break it’s no surprise why. Unfortunately with huge numbers of rips stretching all along the main beach it does not make for the best swimming which is better done at the next secluded and enclosed beach; Playa De Carrizalillo. The whole town is small and for 30 pesos a taxi will take you from one end to the other – seat belts not included.
Our hostel is a fairly basic wooden shack type building nestled amongst a well manicured garden, 4 bunk beds crammed together with barely enough room to move, but despite this the relaxed atmosphere of the place makes it well worth it and before long we’re lounging around in the hammocks reading, drinking Pina Mezcalada’s and quite simply relaxing. Dave our the hostel owner/operator spent 2 years travelling from Mexico all the way down to the end of the world at Patagonia and had written a book to document his travels made up of paths we are about to take so this made for some good reading. As a strict vegan his restaurant at the hostel doesn’t do any dish with meat which is a change but nevertheless the falafel wraps and vege burgers were incredible.
Sunset in Mazunte at Punto Cometa
Mexico is one of those places where street dogs are just everywhere, mostly harmless and well accustomed to life with people surrounding them but it’s a sad sight to see them without homes even though they all seem happy and well fed. It’s Christmas Eve and as we walk between bars on whats almost our first night to an actual bar/club we start patting one of the dogs who then proceeds to lead us, acting as our protector, quickly herding the people walking towards us out of our way. As you sit around at night you can hear many dogs barking and howling and on one particular night the sound of dogs fighting. A night or two later walking around the dimly lit and dusty streets the dogs approach their fences barking, and many emerge from the shadows with bad intentions and somewhat of a pack mentality, a stark contrast to patting and feeding them as we had done earlier. Having armed ourselves with rocks they retreat and slowly fade into the darkness, we walk further and the night goes quiet. The reality that these are wild animals is certainly cemented, replacing the naivety that the quiet streets are free of danger.
Before long 5 days have passed and we look back on the sunsets we watched set behind the silhouette of the lighthouse, the hours at the beach, the dogs, and the fantastic company of our friends Alex and Meg who we’ve spent the majority of the last 2 weeks with. With heavy hearts we say our goodbyes and head to the centre of town for a 1 hour trip by bus and taxi 65km south east to Mazunte which by all reports is a must see place.
The town of Mazunte is probably best described as a hippy town, comprised of only a handful of roads, tacerias, street stalls and people selling colourful garments, necklaces, bands, and various other souvenir type things. It has a Byron Bay type feel with plenty of hippies and it’s surprising how hot it is considering it’s the middle of Winter. As the humidity wraps you like an inescapable blanket it makes you wonder how unbearable summer must be in this part of the world. With a deadline to be in Colombia on the 20th of February and a decent list of things we want to do between then and now we had earlier decided to spend only 1 night in Mazunte and leave before New Years Eve. After meeting a whole crew of great people including 2 American guys and their giant German Shepard named Rex, a street performer we saw daily earlier in Puerto Escondido, and having seen the town we realise this is the kind of place we wished we had more time for and feel like we’ve made a mistake leaving so soon. Despite the limited time we manage to watch a baby turtle release, more swimming and snorkeling and another amazing sunset over the Pacific Ocean.
I can’t help but notice how the lives of those we encounter are like slightly overlapping circles with people briefly coming into each others lives before departing just as quickly and continuing on with their own unique journeys. It’s a sad realisation that many of the people you’ll meet you will probably not see again although we’ve had a few occasions of bumping into people we earlier met later in our trip.
As we depart for a 10pm night bus to our next destination we stop in at a fish taco place and fill up on probably the best taco’s we have had in all of Mexico. Just another bullet point on the list of things we liked about Mazunte. Next stop; San Cristobal.
Two story bar and guesthouse. Ground floor: place to enjoy a snack in comfortable armchairs or swim in the pool. On the 1st floor: bar with good music, drinks and a place to dance. Elsewhere on the 1st floor: rooms for rent to visitors daily, weekly or monthly. Free breakfast, private bath, good quality mattress, air conditioning and a welcome glass of champagne.
Two story bar and guesthouse. Ground floor: place to enjoy a snack in comfortable armchairs or swim in the pool. On the 1st floor: bar with good music, drinks and a place to dance. Elsewhere on the 1st floor: rooms for rent to visitors daily, weekly or monthly. Free breakfast, private bath, good quality mattress, air conditioning and a welcome glass of champagne.
