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A little about Playa Zipolite, The Beach of the Dead . . .

Playa Zipolite, Oaxaca, Southern Mexico, on the Pacific Ocean. A little bit about my favorite little get-away on this small world of ours.

Zipolite, a sweaty 30-minute walk west from Puerto Angel, brings you to Playa Zipolite and another world. The feeling here is 1970's - Led Zep, Marley, and scruffy gringos.

A long, long time ago, Zipolite beach was usually visited by the Zapotecans...who made it a magical place. They came to visit Zipolite to meditate, or just to rest.

Recently, this beach has begun to receive day-trippers from Puerto Angel and Puerto Escondido, giving it a more TOURISTY feel than before.

Most people come here for the novelty of the nude beach, yoga, turtles, seafood, surf, meditation, vegetarians, discos, party, to get burnt by the sun, or to see how long they can stretch their skinny budget.

I post WWW Oaxaca, Mexico, Zipolite and areas nearby information. Also general budget, backpacker, surfer, off the beaten path, Mexico and beyond, information.

REMEMBER: Everyone is welcome at Zipolite.

ivan

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Huatulco, Oaxaca, Mexico – 3


Huatulco, Oaxaca, Mexico – 3

Trip to Huatulco – Part 3

Completed BuildingsAs I mentioned I was in Huatulco to visit Cosmo Residences a development in the Life Rich Real Estate Inc. property portfolio. So I thought it was time that I told you a little more about the development!
The Cosmo development is described as ‘Elegant Oceanfront living’ and I have to say that it met and exceeded my expectations.  This development sits on a fabulous piece of property that is just a little over 9 acres and features generous botanical gardens and lush tropical plants.
Access to Cosmo is on a very good, well maintained road. Entrance to the development is through a secure gated entry that is manned 24/7.
As you come down the driveway set on the hill to your left are 3 of the first buildings to be completed; offering stunning ocean views.  The hillside vegetation of lush ground cover and bright flowers – make the driveway ‘fresh’.
We head into the private parking area of the building where the sales office is located.  We enter through the private front entrance and a hallway that leads to an enclosed garden and then into the magnificent 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom villa + media room (256m2)  that is currently used as the sales office (it is also available for sale!).
Shaun and I spent a little bit of time taking advantage of the reliable internet connection at the sales office before grabbing a bottle of water and heading off to find the golf cart and to begin our tour of the property, suites and buildings.
The development offers 2 bedroom/2 bathroom condos and 3 bedrooms/3 bathrooms + media room options.  The suggested furnishing of the media room allows it to be very easily converted to a 4thbedroom as necessary.
The price range on the condos is from US $275,000 to US $629,000.  There is a 10% discount offered on pre-construction.
As with all the developments in the Life Rich Real Estate property portfolio there is also an additional money saving exclusive offer available for our clients.  Please contact us for the details of the special offer available at Cosmo!
The buildings are all only 3 storey’s high (this is the maximum height for residential buildings allowed in Huatulco)  and 6 units per buildings.  The development has a couple of pools already completed – the plan is for a total of 4 along with a gym and a spa.
The quality of the cabinetry, flooring and everything throughout the suites is very impressive; from the custom made solid wooden doors & cabinetry, large Travertine marble tile throughout, marble shower enclosures, designer bathroom fixtures, kitchens that feature granite counter tops, double sinks with garbage disposal and top of the line stainless steel appliances that include double door fridge, built-in microwave/range hood, dishwasher, stove and even a wine fridge!  The units also offer in-suite laundry facilities.  Each room has separate air conditioning units with remote controls.
Each suite has its own storage room and a private parking space.  Each suite features floor to ceiling aluminum glass doors that open fully to provide maximum view and extend the living area out to the terrace.
Entry to the 3 bedroom suites has magnificent double wood doors – a really neat feature of these doors is that a couple of the panels unlock & tilt to allow a fabulous cross breeze whilst maintaining the privacy of the unit.  The arrangement  within the buildings of the front entrances of the individual condos means that most have ample space in front of them to allow for a private sitting area.
The developer completes the building & it’s infrastructure (i.e. elevators & common areas) ready for occupancy, however, the interiors of the individual condos are only completed once they are purchased allowing the buyer to choose their cabinets, counters, etc.
There are a number of units available for purchase at this time.  They would be ready for occupancy approximately 3 months after the buyer has chosen their finishings.
Construction is about to begin on several more buildings and the time to occupancy will be approximately 12 – 18 months depending on the building chosen.
The construction materials used are most definitely of a higher standard than generally found and the developer has a couple of ‘display boards’ that show the quality of the materials being used in the construction.
After reviewing the different buildings and locations we then took a walk down through the wonderful lush & colourful grounds working our way down past the Ocean Bar and down to the Arrocito beach.  The Ocean Bar has a wonderful reputation already as you can see by the reviews in Trip Advisor.  They location is stunning and a number of couples have held their weddings at the venue and I also understand that it has also been the location of some very successful parties.
The Arrocito beach is a wonderful family friendly beach with its gently sloping beach and calm water with only gently rolling waves coming onto the beach – unlike the adjacent Tongalunda bay where I noticed that the waves are very large and the beach steep..  The Cosmo beach club features private beach access, lounging chairs and some wonderful covered  ‘double beds’ that gently swung in the breeze under the canopies.  Certainly a very inviting location!
To be continued …

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Huatulco, Oaxaca, Mexico - part 4



Camino Real Zaashila BeachTrip to Huatulco – Part 4

The final full day of my visit to Huatulco dawned as had each 
day – bright,  sunny with just a hint of humidity!
I headed down to the beach side restaurant  for breakfast – 
and once again was greeted by a wonderful fresh spread of
; other hot selections plus the omelet station.
After enjoying some fabulous fruit I decided to have an omelet.  
I was assembling the items that I wanted in my omelet when
 I came across something I most definitely did not want – 
cooked grasshoppers! Yic! No thank you – I was assured 
that they were quite good, full of protein & they’d add 
some crunch however, I decided to pass on this delicacy 
and stick with more familiar items – mushrooms & cheese with some tomato & peppers 
thrown in to give me crunch!
Shaun picked me up at 9.30 at the hotel and we headed over to the Cosmos office for a cup of tea 
and to make use of the great internet access to get caught up on our e-mails.  We were also able 
to pick up Shaun’s car that had been repaired and returned to him.  The A/C had started to behave erratically the day before so we had taken the Cosmo car & Shaun’s car at the office.  The 
mechanic came out the previous afternoon to Cosmo to fix it – now that is what I call service!  
Chatting to Shaun about the cost of repairs, etc. and he mentioned that they were a fraction 
of the cost of repairs in the US – not only were they less expensive – the mechanic comes to you!
After finishing up at the office we jumped in the car as Shaun wanted to show me the surrounding 
areas & the investment that was taking place in Huatulco by the government, private and 
corporate investors
Huatulco has been designated as an Integrally Planned Resort (IPR) by FONATUR and the future
is looking very bright as large amount of investment dollars are planned to be spent in the area
I was struck by the cleanliness everywhere – the curbs of the roads are pristine white or yellow 
all along the highway  – several times we passed men painting them!  The roads are in excellent 
condition.
Road to HuatulcoAs we drove along the road way away from Cosmo and the
 town of Huatulco Shaun explained that a number of well
 known hotel chains had bought large tracts of lands along 
the various bays and over the next few years there would 
be additional resorts being built along the road away from
 town and Cosmo.
Road along coastWe were on a ‘mission’ and that was to visit theSecrets resort to get a feel for the kind of investment that is being made in this area.
There is only one away to describe this resort – stunning!  From the gated grand entry to the impressive, yet welcoming, lobby area – everything spoke of a luxury high end resort.  This particular resort is couples only, they have a ‘sister’ resort in near my hotel called Dreams – I didn’t have a chance to visit this resort however it was very impressive from what I could see driving by.
Secrets, located on Canejos Bay, was truly magnificent from the impressive lobby with check-in 
desks lining each side of the wide spacious lobby.  We strolled to the end of the lobby area to
 have a look at the view – it really was very impressive.  The resort is massive offering many 
themed a-la-carte restaurants, activities, quiet areas – everything a couple wanting to have 
a 5 star vacation could wish for.
Shaun & SueView from Lobby bar
The photo to the left is myself and the developer of Cosmo Residences, Shaun and to the 
right you have an ‘unobstructed’ view from the lobby bar.  The photos below show the 
beach & pool area of Secrets taken from the lobby bar.
Secrets Beach - 1Secrets Beach - 2Secrets Beach - 3
On the way back to the hotel we drove into town as Shaun wanted to pick up some fresh fruit and vegetables.  He prefers to buy them from the store in town rather than from the large supermarket
 ‘Super Che’ (the store not only sells groceries, liquor and other daily necessities – it also sells 
Motorcyles!!) The supermarket is great for the everyday items;  Shaun however, does prefer to 
shop at the local butcher,  fruit and vegetable stores for his meat & veg.
The price for the fruit and vegetables at the local store downtown were VERY reasonable and 
everything looked so fresh and well presented – the store itself was impeccable as was the service.
DowntownFruit displayVegetable display
Avocado and shrimpShaun dropped me back to my hotel as we both had some work to catch up on.  I took my computer and headed to the Beach club for some lunch and catch up time and chose to enjoy the same lunch as I had the day before as it was so delicious – an avocado stuffed with shrimp on greens with tomatoes – and as it was my birthday I decided to enjoy a Margarita with my lunch!
Shaun would be back at 2 p.m. to pick me up and take me sailing so that I could see everything from the ocean.  We would be going out on a 47′ Beneteau yacht with it’s own captain.  This yacht is available for the owners and residents of Cosmo to charter at an extremely reasonable price of less than US $200 for a morning or afternoon sail.  I’ll tell you about this in a separate blog!
As I sit opening up my laptop to catch up on some work whilst I wait for my lunch I have a view of the beach, the ocean, the sparkling of the sun on the beach club pool, a soothing breeze blowing across my table … ahhh …  I must admit I do love my job!!
Sue                                                                 Sue Coleman
Direct: 1-800-209-3214Direct fax: 1-866-632-1297

E-mail: sue@liferichrealestate.com
E-mail:
 sue@suecolemanrealtor.com
Website: www.liferichrealestate.com
Website: www.suecolemanrealtor.com
Skype: suecolemaninternational

This information has been taken from sources believed reliable but not guaranteed

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Piña Palmera’s Mission: Being a volunteer in Piña Palmera


Piña Palmera’s Mission:

Our mission is to contribute to the improvement of the quality of life for people with disabilities and their families in the southern coast of Oaxaca.
Piña Palmera’s Objectives:
  • to help people with disabilities to accept themselves and to integrate themselves into their families, communities and daily lives
  • to assist disabled people to be as independent as possible
  • to promote the development of the abilities of people with disabilities to the fullest
  • to generate social acceptance in the region towards people with disabilities


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    Being a volunteer in Piña Palmera

    We are dreaming of a society, where EVERYBODY recognizes and respects differences !

    Piña Palmera Centro de Atención Infantil, A.C. is a non-governmental organization (NGO), legally constituted without any political or religious interest, which has tackled since more than 20 years the issue disability of persons of any age from rural communities, its majority are indigenous people. We are working in the southern coast of Oaxaca on rehabilitation, social integration, information and prevention of any kind of disability (physical, intellectual or conductive), without bearing in mind the grade of disability, ability to pay and/or ethnicity.
    We consider that the work with disabled persons is not a matter of kindness, but of bringing their human rights to bear. The extreme poverty or various social problems complement the challenge of Piña. The central axis of our work is respect towards differences and the formation of an integrative society. The center’s efforts focus on changing the way local people regard people with disabilities, by promoting awareness and rehabilitation programs for families, schools and local communities.
    These programs teach people to use adaptive equipment and therapeutic techniques as well as to take care of people with disabilities. Thus children and adults with disabilities become more integrated into everyday life.
    We are a Civil Association, legally constituted, with the right to receive deductible donations. Since our foundation, more than 5000 children and adults with different disabilities have participated in our programs. Today participate 350 persons in our programs (20% children, 35% youths, 10% elderly people…).
    We are dreaming of a society, where EVERYBODY recognizes and respects differences.
    We want to create a world where it is less difficult to love
    (Paulo Freire, brasilian pedagogue)
    If you want to know more, write to:
    Flavia Anau
    C.A.I. Piña Palmera A.C. Apartado Postal 109,
    C.P. 70900, Pochutla- Oaxaca,
    México
    E-Mail: caippac@yahoo.com.mx
    Telephone: (01) 958- 58 43147 and Fax: (01) 958 - 58 431 45



Insane Surf, Nudists, and Hippy Communes!


Insane Surf, Nudists, and Hippy Communes!

North America » Mexico » Oaxaca » Zipolite
May 30th 2011 

Puerto EscondidoPuerto Escondido
Puerto Escondido

The view from our hostel.
Puerto Escondido is a quiet Mexican town with an insane beach break, most commonly known as the Mexican Pipeline. I read later that it is one of the heaviest beach breaks in the world, and many people have broken their boards or even their spines in the pounding surf. 

Apart from surfing, there is not a lot to do in Escondido, so thankfully we managed to find a few kiddies waves that were more suited to my level. Unfortunately my year-long stint in London had taken its toll and my surfing was more than a little rusty, but I still managed to have fun! We spent a couple of nights drinking beer in the local bars, where we met a lovely Australian couple called Beth and Matt. They, like us, were sick of the heat, and were thinking of heading down to a little chilled out beach called Zipolite. We also had Zipolite on our 'must do list' so we decided to join them. 

Zipolite is Mexico's only official nudist beach; however, the entire time we were there we only saw three nude people, and none of them were pretty. There was nothing much to do there apart from 
ZipoliteZipolite
Zipolite

The place we stayed. It was indeed, a nice place on the beach.
lie in hammocks, read, eat, splash about in the surf, and drink beer. It was pure heaven! At night we often made the excursion down to 'El Chocolate Invincible', the bar owned by Mr Crazy Horse Invincible. So the story goes, Crazy Horse got drunk one night in England, where he's from, and legally changed his name to Crazy Horse Invincible. He is a really nice bloke, but at the time he had a broken leg and was hobbling around on crutches. We asked how he broke his leg and he said that he fell from the first floor of his mates' house while sleepwalking one night. He refuses to go to the hospital to get it fixed , despite the fact that the local community has offered to pay his hospital bills. One night on the way back from his bar we saw a huge turtle laying eggs in the sand. 

We also met an awesome couple of Mexican guys who were staying in the room next to us. They spoke great English and enjoyed listening to Claire, myself, and the Australian couple talk about our home countries. We ended up catching a ride with them to a 
little mountain town called San Jose Del Pacifico; Mexico's home of magic mushrooms. We managed to avoid the magic mushrooms, which luckily were out of season, and ended up staying in this weird hippy commune. In the evening the clouds descended and the entire town was shrouded in this eerie fog, while tiny fire flies provided flickers of light around the tops of the trees. The people in the commune were very nice and the scenery was spectacular, but weren't really feeling the hippy vibe so we decided to move on.