Friday, January 25, 2013
Still in Zipolite
Still in Zipolite
We seem to be stuck in Zipolite, and it has nothing to do with the bus.
We cant quite wrap our minds around this little, stuck in the 60’s free spirited hippy beach community, but we love it still the same. Somehow life is simpler here- and given the life we’ve been living the last 6 months that’s quite a dramatic statement.
I guess the primary reason we are still here is that we have been hoping to connect with the local vw expert to see if he has any more luck with the engine than most…but that’s a pretty frail excuse. We know his shop is only a 5minute drive away and we know where to catch him for his morning beer, yet still we somehow manage to put it off every day. Eh, Manana.
Here in zipolite, we usually see both sunrise and sunset. Even though we are in a tiny sand filled lot between 2-3 story buildings the colors of sunrise seem to weave their way through all obstacles to let us know the show has begun, should we chose to make our way to the beach for better seating. The last few mornings the community here at dos estrellas has been doing sunrise yoga on the roof, and jen has happily joined in. The mangled concrete and rebar may not be the typical zen studio motif, but the lighting cant be beat.
The heat keeps us in the shade during the heat of the day which gives us a good chance to try and figure out our plans from here. We know we want to do a bit more exploring on the Oaxacan coast and see Puerto Escondido and surrounds, but after that things get a bit more difficult. We really struggle every time the conversation comes to leaving mexico. When we dipped into Belize and Guatemala our tourist visas renewed and it simply seems a pity to not use every day. We have so many beaches we have yet to explore between here and Jalisco (where we headed inland for the rally), but also are excited for the countries that await us when we drive south. Either way means that once we’ve made the drive, theres a lot of backtracking to make it the other way… Probably yet another reason we haven’t pried ourselves away from our current spot- it would mean we might actually have to make a decision.
Instead we spend our days talking about what our future might hold and trying to tap into what we really want, or are looking/searching for. Me sketching out what our perfect beach house might look like, how we would renovate the dilapidated hotel down the beach if we could afford it (or if it was for sale), or what a remodel to our property back home might look like when we return. Have I mentioned my brain doesn’t sit still very well. Jen meanwhile, has never had troubles calming the mind and can get lost staring at the sea for hours. I still have so much to learn…
After the sun starts to become a bit more manageable we head out on foot either to walk the length of the beach or to weave in amongst the nightlife on the pedestrian corridor. Usually both. We recall our first walk on the beach here. Not uncomfortable with the nudity around us, but still taken aback after years of north american standards and even the conservative mexican style. Now, our brains have fully adjusted and acclimated to what seems very natural and free. Those who choose to wear bathing suits do while those who prefer not don’t. We realize it’s no longer the first thing we notice when seeing a person lying on the beach, and only midway through a conversation yesterday did i glance down and realize i was talking to a naked man.
My spanish seems to have moved to the same level of comfort. I have several times now found myself responding to someone in spanish before realizing that they asked the question in english. It’s still probably that of a 6th grader’s and i need a lot of work, but i love being able to communicate with anyone and not feel like i’m a burden on the local i’m trying to enter a dialogue with.
After the sunset show, our most difficult decision is which local establishment to support for dinner. Our favorite entrepreneur and his chill bar (with the best meat and veggie skewers we’ve had in ages) or the wood fired pizza place right outside our place. Maybe the to-die-for chicken mole overlooking the beach. When we pulled into town we were concerned about staying on budget for the month after all the driving, but every day here puts us well under. It’s so cheap here that we can camp, eat out three meals a day and still come in under $30. Amazing, and no wonder the backpacking crowd has found a stronghold here.
Tomorrow we will roll up the awning, put away the bbq that hasn’t seen use in a week and leave Zipolite to make the 5 minute drive to the mechanic in Puerto Angel.
Unless of course, we don’t.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Views of Mexico City by TC
New post on no hay bronca |  |
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Tuesday, January 22, 2013
About theDangerz
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Zipolite, Mexico
I often find it hard to update the blog when we are sitting still… In fact I often go through the same questions even when we’re discovering new places: who cares, why would they want to know, or what is the right amount of detail… but then i remember our promise to ourselves that this blog would simply be a…
Zipolite, Mexico
We are spending our days exploring the small coastal towns and beaches of Oaxaca….and loving it. We spend most of our days (before and after the sun reaches its sweltering peak) walking the length of beaches and meeting locals. First we were hoping to find an area for camping or a restaurant that would allow us to stay beside them…
Life and Death on Playa Zipolite
We had read that one of the much debated translations of Zipolite was “beach of the dead”. Sadly, today we found out why. We awoke to the calming sound of waves breaking just out the open doors of our cabana. As morning arrives the mosquito net surrounding our bed adds a gentle glow to the beachscape beyond. Jen has already…
looking back at 6 months on the road
Wow, time flies… We’re half a month late on the release (thanks to the rally, breaking down on a belizean beach and the absence of wifi), but thought it was worth a synopsis post after our 6month mark and making through mainland mexico. We have fully adapted (most days) to life on the road at this point and as we…
Zipolite, Mexico
My attitude has improved dramatically from yesterday. Nothing a good night’s sleep and a day without driving cant cure. There was nothing luxurious or fun abut the last few days and we feel completely lucky to have run into friends to at least break up the 3 days of driving. It’s funny how a long drive gives you an opportunity…
Life as a Mexican Truck Driver
We could simply caravan with Kent and Lynn forever but we wake up knowing that our desire to be on a pacific beach is only growing. We both pack up our rigs and head out after a plate of breakfast nachos. The mansion turns east for tulum the riviera maya and we aim west for oaxaca. My brain just cant…
Mexico. What? Yes, Mexico…
Sitting at the bar last night with another overland traveller we find out about a border crossing that (he thinks) leads to mexico without having to go all the way to the pacific and just like that our plans change again. We have been antagonizing about whether to travel the main highways all the way to southern Guatemala or backtrack…
Zipolite, Mexico by TheDangerz on January 20, 2013 in Mexico, Van
http://overlandsphere.com/overland-travel/americas/north-america/mexico/zipolite-mexico-3/115525?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=zipolite-mexico-3
Yesterday we went into Pochulta for a much needed new muffler. It turns out “stealth” camping is a bit more difficult when someone can hear you coming ten minutes before you arrive. The difference is astounding and we had completely forgotten how quiet an engine is supposed to be. I have to keep myself from turning the key again to restart the bus because i cant hear it running. Sadly, while the muffler is great, the bus actually felt more ill than before we went in and we weren’t sure we would even make it back to our campsite in zipolite. Today i got the points and valves adjusted and at least got us back to running the way we did before yesterday. Tomorrow i’ll see if i can actually get us running on 4 cylinders- something that hasn’t happened for longer than a few days at a time since before the rally. I feel like i still know almost nothing about working on the bus, but it’s amazing how them mindset has shifted to a point of simply taking it apart to see if i can figure out why its not working… a far cry from being afraid to change the oil when we left.
Zipolite, Mexico
Overland Adventure Travel - Read the original post on the overlanders website: theDangerz | theDangerz.
I often find it hard to update the blog when we are sitting still…
In fact I often go through the same questions even when we’re discovering new places: who cares, why would they want to know, or what is the right amount of detail… but then i remember our promise to ourselves that this blog would simply be a collections of photos and stories for us to look back on and remember these days, as it’s already hard to remember those from only a few months ago. Problem solved.
It seems after our long stay renting in Punta Mita (combined with the rushed drive to finish the rally) the nature of our trip has changed a bit. We are no longer feeling the rush to see something new every day or scratch a new state/country on the wall of the bus. These days we are enjoying things at a slower pace and even the days when i’m a bit bored i’m really enjoying the slower nature of each of them.
We’ve been in Zipolite now for a week, and are aware that we could have easily torn through this town without so much as stopping to sleep on the street, fill our water and grab a coffee before moving on. Instead, we are getting so much time to soak up the local atmosphere (which we love), meet new people and even walk into the hills with several locals to look at lots for sale. Don’t worry family and friends, this doesn’t mean we have found a place to stop- this is actually an old habit for us. For years we have found ourselves checking the market and asking prices in almost every destination we visit, but until now we haven’t slowed down enough to do so on this trip. Why we do this i’m not sure- but probably the same set of reasons why we used to always visit open houses on weekends, even when we had no need or desire to buy.
We’ve been in Zipolite now for a week, and are aware that we could have easily torn through this town without so much as stopping to sleep on the street, fill our water and grab a coffee before moving on. Instead, we are getting so much time to soak up the local atmosphere (which we love), meet new people and even walk into the hills with several locals to look at lots for sale. Don’t worry family and friends, this doesn’t mean we have found a place to stop- this is actually an old habit for us. For years we have found ourselves checking the market and asking prices in almost every destination we visit, but until now we haven’t slowed down enough to do so on this trip. Why we do this i’m not sure- but probably the same set of reasons why we used to always visit open houses on weekends, even when we had no need or desire to buy.
There’s something that can be learned when talking with people about their home (what they like about it and what they hate) that is a very quick and raw truth about a place. It also allows me to engage that part of my brain that immediately starts redesigning every space I walk into. Sorry again to all of you who I started telling to rip walls out of your new home before i realized it might be taken as less than positive… i’ve learned to wait until asked 
We spent a bit of time the last few days walking barefoot around the hills above zipolite and looking at the town from a slightly different angle. The vistas overlooking the beaches are fantastic and it’s fun to see the same beach from so many different perspectives. If anyone is looking to throw some cash at a beachfront investment opportunity let us know, otherwise we’ll keep looking as it’s a bit out of our price range.
We spent a bit of time the last few days walking barefoot around the hills above zipolite and looking at the town from a slightly different angle. The vistas overlooking the beaches are fantastic and it’s fun to see the same beach from so many different perspectives. If anyone is looking to throw some cash at a beachfront investment opportunity let us know, otherwise we’ll keep looking as it’s a bit out of our price range.Yesterday we went into Pochulta for a much needed new muffler. It turns out “stealth” camping is a bit more difficult when someone can hear you coming ten minutes before you arrive. The difference is astounding and we had completely forgotten how quiet an engine is supposed to be. I have to keep myself from turning the key again to restart the bus because i cant hear it running. Sadly, while the muffler is great, the bus actually felt more ill than before we went in and we weren’t sure we would even make it back to our campsite in zipolite. Today i got the points and valves adjusted and at least got us back to running the way we did before yesterday. Tomorrow i’ll see if i can actually get us running on 4 cylinders- something that hasn’t happened for longer than a few days at a time since before the rally. I feel like i still know almost nothing about working on the bus, but it’s amazing how them mindset has shifted to a point of simply taking it apart to see if i can figure out why its not working… a far cry from being afraid to change the oil when we left.
We have camped in three different spots in town now. 2 outside of locals’ home and now in an empty lot that allows people to pitch a tent for as long as they want to stay. Which, for most we’ve met so far in Zipolite is at least several months. Yesterday the group that “lives” here gathered for some african drumming and dance. Jen hopped up and took an hour or so of group lessons on shaking her parts accordingly before retiring to the beach with me and the other onlookers. We love free entertainment!
Today saw us apply for our first housesitting post. Pretty much what it sounds like- watching over an expats’ home/pets/plants while they return north for the hot part of the year… No idea if it will fall into place and it would actually mean turning around and driving way north to Jalisco, but we’ve talked of trying this for some time and of the benefits/savings that might come with an extended stay in one place.
We also just got news that a very dear friend is considering coming to visit in a month or two. We couldn’t be more excited! As soon as she books a flight we’ll start counting the minutes until we get to pick her up at the airport, drive her around (whatever town is home at the time) and soak up every second we can before we make her hitchhike back to the airport.
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