Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Les corvettes en raquettes from jimmy hayes 1 week ago / Creative Commons License: by nc NOT YET RATED Les corvettes en raquettes Saint-Tite-des-Caps - Mars 2013 Musique: An Ending (Ascent) de Brian Eno
Les corvettes en raquettes
Saint-Tite-des-Caps - Mars 2013
Saint-Tite-des-Caps - Mars 2013
Musique: An Ending (Ascent) de Brian Eno
SAN JOSÉ DEL PACÍFICO: COMMUNAL LIVING ABOVE THE CLOUDS March 20, 2013 · by howthisgirltravels · in Places, Transportation
HOW THIS GIRL TRAVELS
A twenty-something's guide to traveling the world.
SAN JOSÉ DEL PACÍFICO: COMMUNAL LIVING ABOVE THE CLOUDS
San José del Pacífico in a Nutshell
Located about half-way between Pochutla and Oaxaca City in Mexico’s state of Oaxaca, San José del Pacífico is the perfect place to get away from civilization for a few nights. As San José in the mountains, you will find yourself watching sunsets from above the clouds. The name “del Pacífico” comes from the fact that you can see the Pacific Ocean if you climb to the top of the mountain (I gave up only partway up). By the way, you won’t find this place on Google Maps, so don’t bother trying.
View of San José
Getting There
A collectivo from Pochutla to San José costs about $80 MXC, takes about 3 1/2 hours, and puts even the strongest stomachs to the test. Travelling along the windiest roads I have ever encountered (with sharp turns every few seconds for hours on end), I strongly regretted eating a $10 MXC doblada immediately before my departure.
Pit stop on the way to San José
Accomodations
We were told that “Casa de Cata” (Cata’s House) is the place to stay in San José. After a relatively short climb up a mountain (although a breathless one, due to the altitude), we found ourselves at a cozy little house covered in hallucinogen-induced wall art and complete with a terrasse that offers a magnificent view of the sun as it’s setting. The cost to stay at Casa de Cata was $50 MXC, and included free coffee and drinking water. There was no hot water, so bathing was either quick and painful, or involved heating water on the stove.
Sunset at Casa de Cata
Sunset at Casa de Cata
The Scene
Casa de Cata is the type of place that will restore your faith in humanity. Travellers from all over the world – Korea, Switzerland, France, Canada, Argentina, Mexico, Germany . made Casa de Cata their home away from home. Conversations flowed in a mix of Spanish, French and English, and somehow everyone understood each other, if not by the help of a bilingual or trilingual friend.
Many of Casa de Cata’s guests spent their days smoking and working on hand-made jewelry that they sell to fund their travels. In the evenings, we took turns cooking meals for the entire crowd, which ranged in size from 8 to 15 people. In the evenings, the sun set drew us outside. With everybody putting in a little work and a little money for ingredients, we ate like kings and had plenty of time to relax while enjoying the fresh mountain air and the warming sun. Proof that life can be good when people work together!
Casa de Cata living room
Communal eating at Casa de Cata
Casa de Cata’s Kitchen
Terrasse at Casa de Cata
Watching the sun set at Casa de Cata
One night, something that doesn’t happen very often (or so I’ve been told) at Casa de Cata finally occured: a fiesta! It all stared with some innocent drinking game involving copious amounts of mezcal. Before you knew it, the furniture was being moved around to make room for a dance floor. The rest of the night was a blur…
Fiesta at Casa de Cata
Fiesta at Casa de Cata
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Tuesday, March 19, 2013
ZIPOLITE AND MAZUNTE: NUDIES, YOGA, AND SUN March 16, 2013 · by howthisgirltravels
HOW THIS GIRL TRAVELS
A twenty-something's guide to traveling the world.
ZIPOLITE AND MAZUNTE: NUDIES, YOGA, AND SUN
Zipolite and Mazunte in a Nutshell
Zipolite and Mazunte are two beach towns in Mexico’s state of Oaxaca and are located about 10 minutes apart, by car. Zipolite is known for being one of Mexico’s only clothing optional (i.e. nude) beaches. Meanwhile, Mazunte is home to the National Mexican Turtle Centre, and apparently turtles like its beaches as a nesting ground (however, ít wasn’t the season when I went in February).
Sunrise at Playa Zipolite
Getting There
While I was freezing my ass off in San Cristobal de las Casas, my friend Toya suggested that I meet her in Zipolite. The idea of a nude beach frightened me slightly (will I have to go COMPLETELY naked? will I be grossed out by the sight of naked people - thin, fat, and everything in between?), but the word “beach” alone was enough to lure me. An overnight bus from Tuxtla Gutierrez got me to Pochutla, Oaxaca for about $320 MXC. From Pochutla, I took my first ride on the back of a camionetta (modified pick-up truck) for $10 MXC to get to Zipolite.
By the way, I thought I was being smart by trying to take combi’s – collective vans - all the way from San Cristobal de Las Casas to Pochutla. My logic being that I made it from Palenque to San Cris in combi’s for a bargain. Nope! Made it as far as Tuxtla Gutierrez, where I was disappointed to find out that the only way to go on was by bus… and that I would have to wait hours and hours in a city where there’s not much to do or see (actually, there’s a really great zoo, which of course happened to be closed on the day I went). Moral of the story: ask around before you try to get somewhere far in a combi!
Accomodations
On my arrival to Zipolite, a German couple pointed me towards Shambhala as a chill place to stay. Shambhala is a spiritual centre with dorms, rooms, and cabanas, as well as a meditation centre on top of a hill. With dorms at $120 MXC, it was a bit pricier than other locations in town, but the moment I saw the view of the beach from the dorm room, I had to stay.
The story behind Shambhala is that the lady who owns it (Gloria) was one of the first Americans to take advantage of the area’s beauty. Back in the hippy days, the police would give shit to the nudies, and she would sound a horn when she saw the police coming in order to warn people that they should clothe themselves, pronto. In a way, she is responsible for making Zipolite what it is today. However, a few years ago a hurricane did some serious damage to her property. Thanks to a volunteer named Dan, I signed up to help bring life to Shambhala by selling some beers on the beach and making signs, in exchange for a free place to stay.
View from Shamblaha dorms
Shamblaha
Making some signs to bring life to Shambhala
The Scene
I dropped off my bags in the dorm rooms of Shabhala at 8:30 am. By 10 am, I had given my first attempt at surfing and seen way more more old-man penis than I was hoping for. The days consisted of early-morning swims, followed by a bit of work, cooking dinner, and a party on occasion. Zipolite doesn’t have too much of a night life, but one night we attended a trance party on the beach (not my type of music, btw).
Getting ready to fiesta at Zipolite
In the evenings, the main street of Zipolite was lined with artists selling their goods. My favourite was a dude who made necklace charms by cutting the negative space out of coins from all over the world.
Artist who makes charms out of coins at Zipolite
Artist who makes charms out of coins at Zipolite
One more thing about Zipolite: the main beach is knows as La Playa de los Muertos (The Beach of the Dead). If that wasn’t creepy enough, two days before my arrival somebody drowned just meters away from where I was staying. To add to the scare factor, during my week-long stay, I saw a dead parrot, two dead fish (one blowfish and one small tuna), and a dead meter-long turtle on the beach. Right. Playa de los Muertos.
Mazunte is a short ride away by camionetta (at $6 MXC), and has some beautiful beaches as well.
Rocky shore near Mazunte
Beach near Mazunte
Art at Mazunte
When we passed by Mazunte, a circus festival was happening. Workshops were being offered in juggling and other circus skills
Mazunte circus workshop
I had a chance to see the work of an artist named Jean-Charles Vignal, who has a travel blog at Petit JC en Amerique (in French).
Jean-Charles Vignal and his art
Art by Jean-Charles Vignal
In Mazunte, a lady was selling fresh fish at three for $10 MXC.
Fresh fish for sale at Mazunte
Comida y Bebida (Food and Drink)
My days at Zipolite usually involved orange juice, coconuts in one form or another, and coconut ice cream (the best).
Coconut on the beach at Zipolite
Zipolite lacked economic food options. As a result, we took advantage of the fire grill outside our (temporary) home. My friend Toya made a great chef on the grill (check out her blog - Breakfast in Montreal)!
Toya cooking meat and veggies at Shambhala
Breakfast crepes with veggies on the grill at Shambhala
Still, one of my Zipolite food highlights was sharing a shrimp omlette and strawberry smoothie at a hotel called Nude.
Shrimp omlette and strawberry smoothie at Nude (Zipolite)
One affordable food option at Zipolite was sopes (a form of tortillas with beans and cheese) for $5 MXC each.
Sopes at Zipolite
At Oralel Cafe, owned by a Quebecois dude, I had some amazing Aztec soup (broth with avocado, cheese, and tortilla chips, $45 MXC) with the best coffee in town ($20 MXC, Americano with milk).
Oralel Cafe
Aztec soup at Cafe Oralel, Zipolite
At Pochutla, I had the best meal that $10 MXC will buy – a doblada with pollo con salsa roja (chicken in red sauce) and rajas con crema (chile peppers with cream). They also had a bunch of other fillings to choose from!
Doblada stand at Pochutla
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