Puerto Escondido is a low-key destination in Oaxaca, Mexico

Puerto Escondido is a low-key destination in Oaxaca, Mexico

A few years back I visited Huatulco, 100 km south of Puerto Escondido on the coast of Oaxaca. It was a great vacation and I wanted to go back to Oaxaca, but, as much as I liked Huatulco, I was looking for something more down to earth, even more laid-back, and with more travelers than tourists. So I dug out my backpack and bought a flight to Puerto Escondido via Mexico City. I was aware of its reputation as a surfing center, but the fact that I don’t surf didn’t deter me; I loved the photos I’d seen and I was sure in Puerto Escondido would be beaches that were good for swimming. When I got to Puerto Escondido, it was very similar to what I had imagined; beautiful coast and vegetation, low-key, and geared mainly to travelers and surfers on a budget. In Puerto Escondido are plenty of simple, cheap accommodations (I stayed in a hostel for $5 the first night) but in Puerto Escondido are also luxury hotels and restaurants, and as well as rental apartments, condos and beachfront homes.

The first thing you notice when you arrive in Puerto Escondido is the wide sweep of Zicatela Beach, reputed to be one of the best places for surfing in the world. I went down to the beach, had a cup of coffee, and just watched those guys riding the waves; it can have an almost hypnotic effect. It must be fascinating when there is an international surfing competition going on; I think the main one is in November, at the same time as the local fiestas. The other thing that grabs your attention in Puerto Escondido right away, is the pedestrianized street ‘Adoquín’ that runs parallel to the beach – Adoquin Street Puerto Escondido has a bohemian feel and is full of small hotels, bars, restaurants, and a handicraft market with some lovely stuff at low prices. For swimming Puerto Escondido Zicatela Beach is not a safe option unless you are a very strong swimmer. But Puerto Escondido has plenty of safe beaches nearby, with the best probably being Playa Carazalillo, a few minutes by taxi or about half an hour on foot, plus the steps down to the beach (and up again; it’s good exercise!). Talking of exercise my favorite thing in Puerto Escondido was the coastal path; it takes you up along the cliffs that overlook the sea, around the lighthouse and is a truly beautiful walk, and since Puerto Escondido is a low-key destination you don’t have to share it with dozens of other tourists (yes, you are a tourist, but if you’re one among few).

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Another great experience in Puerto Escondido was a boat trip out to sea to see the marine life. In my case the guide threw himself into the sea, dragged a turtle to the boat and asked me to hold onto it, got back onto the boat to haul it in, and well, you can imagine the rest; it’s a very slippery creature, and I’d rather forget the look on his face as we watched it swim off into the distance. Apart from the places to visit in Puerto Escondido, nearby there are plenty of great little places like Playa Mazunte or Playa Zipolite, where you can really enjoy nature next to the beach. About half an hour to the north of Puerto Escondido there is a fabulous lagoon called Manialtepec, where I highly recommend stopping in a little place called ‘Puesta del Sol’ to have breakfast or lunch and enjoying the marvelous views across the lagoon and taking a dip in the warm, inviting waters. And I almost forgot; please visit Hotel Ines, located directly beach front on the Zicatela Beach, ask for Juergen-Peter. Lorenzo or Ines to get the best discount rates and enjoy the pleasure of eating German food….

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The Iguanas Were Here First

DEC29
201116 COMMENTS AND 1 REACTIONWRITTEN BY JOHN CALYPSO

The Calypso Couple have no pets. We have had dogs and birds over the years. Putting aside the costs and the travel problems, we gradually developed a lot of guilt over possessing animals.

In Colorado we had deer, squirrels and rabbits as constant companions in the yard.

We confess we fed them, perhaps unbalancing their survival in nature – but we treated it as supplemental rather than our being the source of their food.

Here in Puerto Escondido we live in iguana land. The fact that we have no cats or dogs seems to appeal to the iguanas – we have several living in our yard.

Recently one 3 footer has taken to living inside the casa with us – in our bedroom. We call this one Taco because many of the locals would prefer it that way – wrapped inside a taco. It is against the law, but they still manage to occasionally end up end up rolled up in tortillas. A delicacy we understand.

Since we share space with them we have been Googling them to find out more. Apparently they can make a good pet, and they are costly at that; often $200 U.S. or more. So we have more than a $1000 U.S. of these pets roaming out yard, climbing our walls and now sharing sleeping quarters with us.

Anita set some ground rules. Her acceptance of them in the house did not come quickly. The iguanas and I eased her into this communal living arrangement. We agreed to not put out dishes of water or supplement their diet inside the casa. This seemed like a fair compromise.

We read that iguanas can actually show affection to their owners. It is suggested they be stroked and handled early on. There is no physical contact to be had for the iguanas at the Calypso’s Casa. At least not to date.

I spend a lot of time at the computer each day. The ‘office’ setup is on the other side of a partial wall that divides the bedroom from a sitting room and office. Taco usually spends quite a bit of the day hanging out with me. He or she, we do not know, sits up on the wall or hangs atop over seeing our every move.

Now that Taco has a name and is accepted – it comes and goes each day. Shortly after sundown Taco gets located between an armoire and the dividing wall. We imagine it feels safe in there. But, certainly it seems to be an odd place to be comfortable.

One of our yard iguanas is missing its tail. Difficult to say if it was an animal or a person that ended up with a tail and no dinner. We do run off the occasional cat in the yard – we assume they are predators to the iguanas.

Over the years we never imagined getting friendly with lizards – but geckos and iguanas were here first and we are getting along just fine –thank you. Stay Tuned!

Posted in Around Mexico, Frugal Travelers, Merida, Mexico Moment, Mexico-Travel, Puerto Escondido

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 1, 2012 Red Lights Seen From Puerto Escondido Mexico

SUNDAY, JANUARY 1, 2012

Red Lights Seen From Puerto Escondido Mexico

 

Date:  December 31, 2011

Time:  Evening.

 

I am a Canadian visiting in Puerto Escondido (South Pacific coast of Mexico) and saw the red lights last night just after midnight too. Very odd. Looked like a bunch of satellites that were burning up, yet traveling together.

 

Wonder if we'll see them again tonight.

 

If you have seen anything like this in the same area please be kind enough to contact Brian Vike at:sighting@telus.net with the details of your sighting. All personal information is kept confidential.

The Vike Factor (Brian Vike) http://the-v-factor-paranormal.blogspot.com/

Sightings.com website: http://www.sightings.com/