Thursday, January 10, 2013
Mazunte and Puerto Escondido « The Chicken Bus Nomads Posts about Mazunte and Puerto Escondido written by leeroy22. chickenbusnomads.wordpress.com/.../mazunte-and-puerto-esc...
Mazunte and Puerto Escondido « The Chicken Bus Nomads
Posts about Mazunte and Puerto Escondido written by leeroy22.
chickenbusnomads.wordpress.
Posts about Mazunte and Puerto Escondido written by leeroy22.
chickenbusnomads.wordpress.
Rocking around Latin America!
Mazunte and Puerto Escondido
Mexico’s Pacific Coast – Puerto Escondido y Mazunte
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.
Ben Clarke - In 2 Deep (Uh-Oh) (Original Mix).
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YouTube - Videos from this emailTuesday, January 8, 2013
H500C - C - FujiProvia400 - Step Mazunte | Flickr - Photo Sharing! H500C - C - FujiProvia400 - Step Mazunte. ... Newest photo →; H500C - C - FujiProvia400 - Channa Mazunte · H500C - C - FujiProvia400 - Step Mazunte ... www.flickr.com/photos/47380189@N03/8360795427/
H500C - C - FujiProvia400 - Step Mazunte | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
H500C - C - FujiProvia400 - Step Mazunte. ... Newest photo →; H500C - C - FujiProvia400 - Channa Mazunte · H500C - C - FujiProvia400 - StepMazunte ...
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H500C - C - FujiProvia400 - Step Mazunte. ... Newest photo →; H500C - C - FujiProvia400 - Channa Mazunte · H500C - C - FujiProvia400 - StepMazunte ...
www.flickr.com/photos/
Mazunte, Oaxaca Año Nuevo 2013 - YouTube Mazunte, Oaxaca Año Nuevo 2013. luisurk·50 videos. Subscribe Subscribed Unsubscribe 19. 4 ... www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3xHx3mJph0
 | Mazunte, Oaxaca Año Nuevo 2013 - YouTube Mazunte, Oaxaca Año Nuevo 2013. luisurk·50 videos. Subscribe Subscribed Unsubscribe 19. 4 ... www.youtube.com/watch?v= |
Mi exposicion fotografica LOS COLORES DE ZIPOLITE " La luz y la musica de colores del amanecer toca mi alma y tambien mis sentimientos. Vivo, Amo, y soy Amado. Recibo en mi Ser cuanto Existe." Gracias Mexico — at Playa Zipolite,Zipolite,Oaxaca,Mexico.
Mi exposicion fotografica
LOS COLORES DE ZIPOLITE
" La luz y la musica de colores del amanecer toca mi alma y tambien mis sentimientos.
Vivo, Amo, y soy Amado. Recibo en mi Ser cuanto Existe."
Gracias Mexico — at Playa Zipolite,Zipolite,Oaxaca,Mexico.
LOS COLORES DE ZIPOLITE
" La luz y la musica de colores del amanecer toca mi alma y tambien mis sentimientos.
Vivo, Amo, y soy Amado. Recibo en mi Ser cuanto Existe."
Gracias Mexico — at Playa Zipolite,Zipolite,Oaxaca,Mexico.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Zipolite Surfer | Flickr - Photo Sharing! Zipolite Surfer. ... This photo belongs to. phil.w's photostream (1,741). Newest photo →; Surfer Sunset · Zipolite Surfer · Riptide · Pochutla Square ... www.flickr.com/photos/420deimos/8353847603/
Zipolite Surfer | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Zipolite Surfer. ... This photo belongs to. phil.w's photostream (1,741). Newest photo →; Surfer Sunset · Zipolite Surfer · Riptide · Pochutla Square ...
www.flickr.com/photos/
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Teaching English in Mexico – My Story by TC
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Mazunte: Another corner of paradise
Viva Puerto #8 | Mazunte: Another corner of paradise
Viva Puerto is a bilingual magazine published in Puerto Escondido, Oax. focussing on local news, culture, & real estate.
vivapuerto.com/vp8/mazunte.php
Viva Puerto is a bilingual magazine published in Puerto Escondido, Oax. focussing on local news, culture, & real estate.
vivapuerto.com/vp8/mazunte.php
Mazunte: Another corner of paradise
Mazunte, main street
I was suffering from tourist envy. Puerto Escondido is obviously paradise for visitors; they seem so happy and relaxed. But when you live here, it’s just home. So I decided to take a vacation in Mazunte.
While there are a bunch of small, upscale hotels with swimming pools and air conditioning on the hills above the town (the Zoa charges $280 to $300 U.S. a night), the hotels and hostels near the beach are very affordable: 100 pesos a night for a room in a hostel without a private bath.
Posada del Arquitecto, Mazunte
I chose the Posada del Arquitecto on the Rinconcito beach. For 450 pesos a night (550 during high season) I had a room with a double bed, mosquito netting, a fan and a large terrace with a hammock. Since the hotel is built into a hillside, all the rooms are all at different levels. I loved it.
Cappuccino at the hotel’s beachside café is only 15 pesos, but most people favored beer. Across the street was the more elegant Estrella Fugaz(cappuccino 25 pesos). A few steps up the block were grocery stores and a bakery that had Argentine pastries. The Italian restaurant,Sahuaro, on the other side of the hotel, is great for dinner.
Mazunte beach
While I alternated between the tranquility of Rinconcito beach and the hammock, Lalo Romero, ¡Viva Puerto!’s photographer was busy covering the skimboard competition on the main beach. (See article) On the five-minute walk on calle Rinconcito from the beach to the main street, we discovered Armadillo, an art gallery and restaurant.
Artist and sculptor Raúl Ávila, the owner of Armadillo, has lived in Mazunte since 1995 and has many tales to tell over a mezcal. Another tourist experience: going out drinking every night!
Punta Cometa, a nature reserve just outside of Mazunte, is famous for its sunsets. It also offers a taste of what most of the coast look liked before it was cleared: a thick forest of briars and thorns. A must visit.
Mazunte attracts younger foreign and Mexican travelers, most of whom stay two or three nights, or forever. After three nights, I was ready to move on too, but not before visiting San Agustinillo. This neighboring beach town attracts at older crowd, and México, !Qué Lindo! is theplace to eat and hang out on a hammock.
On the way back to Puerto, we stopped at Ventanilla, a small village dedicated to eco-tourism. This was my fourth visit in six years to the lagoon, and I was shocked to see the devastation to the mangroves wrought by last June’s hurricane Carlotta. But the crocodiles are still in the water and the birds flock in the late afternoon. If you go, be sure to take a canoe tour with the Centro Ecoturístico; the ticket office is on the left side of the street. There is a competing tour operator across the street, but that tour does not have access to the visitors’ center in the lagoon.
Getting there: It’s less than an hour drive from Puerto to Mazunte. Take the Coastal Highway east towards Huatulco, the turn-off for Mazunte is well marked. Or take any bus going to Pochutla and get off at San Antonio. From there you can get a colectivo or taxi.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
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