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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

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

10 New Rules for Finding Cheap Flights by Ed Perkins - September 12, 2015

http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-advice/10-new-rules-for-finding-cheap-flights.html?id=25410369&source=91&value=2015-09-16+00%3A00%3A00&u=LIGIAOHBZG&nl_cs=25478162%3A%3A7597281%3A%3A25410369%3A%3A


10 New Rules for Finding Cheap Flights

by  - September 12, 2015
  1
(Photo: Thinkstock/iStock)
If you want to get the best fare, you need to keep up with the changing marketplace. Here are the new rules you need to follow to snag a cheap flight.
It seems as if someone posts or prints a set of air ticket buying tips every day now, and most of those tips belong to the "round up the usual suspects" family: Be flexible, check alternate airports, fly a low-fare airline, visit all the websites, buy domestic tickets two months in advance and international tickets three months in advance. Buy on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Sunday. Fly midweek. You've already seen all of them, many times, and you've found out that while often they help, sometimes they don't.
But even when the many sources agree, it's clear that these old rules are no longer sufficient. The marketplace has changed, and your search strategy needs to account for those changes.

Extras First, Not Last

You have to build the important extras into your search from the get-go, not wait until the final buying process. Be specific about exactly what you want to buy. Airlines are offering more packages and options, at varying prices, and you can't be a smart buyer unless you have a clear idea of what you want and what you don't want. Each airline prices and packages these various features in its own way. At a minimum, decide whether you want:
  • One or more checked bags and a carry-on that needs to go into an overhead bin.
  • Meals/snacks.
  • In-flight Wi-Fi.
  • Advance seat assignment.
  • Early boarding (an alternative to an advance seat assignment on some airlines).
  • Preferred extra-legroom seating.
  • Waived ticket change fee.
  • No or minimal same-day standby fee for earlier flight.
Note any airlines on which you are trying to pile up miles, or if have frequent flyer status or a credit cardthat covers some or all of these options.

Narrow Your Search Quickly

Because you have to check more sources than ever before, you need to limit the workload as much as you can. Start your search with an aggregator to identify the feasible schedules and flight options. There's no point in looking at Southwest if you want to fly to Charleston, WV, Pittsburgh, or Shreveport, for example, because it doesn't fly there or anywhere close.
But don't ignore the outliers. Some search systems do not identify routes and schedules of Allegiant and Southwest. Chances are, however, that if Allegiant is a possibility, you know about it—and it's probably your only nonstop option.

Expect a Connection

You will often find that your cheapest option is for a connecting itinerary rather than a nonstop. From my home airport in Medford, Oregon, for example, a mid-September round-trip fare to San Francisco is cheaper via Seattle ($240, five hours and five minutes, 1,031 total miles) than on a nonstop ($413, one hour and 18 minutes, 329 total miles).
If you check peak season transatlantic fares, you may well find that the cheapest option is via Kiev, Moscow, or Istanbul. Most cases aren't as extreme as these, but you have to decide whether you'd accept a connecting itinerary, with all the extra time, risks, and hassles, to knock some big dollars off your cost.

You Can't Rely on the Aggregators

You need to compare the all-up costs of taking the trip you want, including extras. Unfortunately, the familiar aggregators and online travel agencies you used to rely on are no longer able to find the cheapest ticket that includes the combination of the extras you want. So, for each feasible itinerary, you have to check fares and extra fees on each airline's website. Look at both the lowest fares and the optional bundled fares, look up the fees for any unbundled extras, and note any extras your frequent flyer status or credit card cover.
Find Cheap Flights!
Get Prices

The Lowest Fare Isn't Always the Cheapest

The airline with the lowest base fare is not necessarily the cheapest after you figure in the extras you want. The most obvious case in point is Southwest: If you intend to check a bag or bags, round-trip, its no-charge policy for two bags gives it a minimum $50 cushion over any competitor that charges the usual $25 per bag each way. Similarly, you may find that some airlines' bundles result in a lower total cost than others' individually priced fares and extras.

Buy and Cancel

If you find what looks like a good deal early in your search, you might want to go ahead and "buy," knowing that as long as you're looking more than a week in advance, you can cancel within 24 hourswithout penalty. Then keep on looking for a better deal.

Quality Matters

This one doesn't show up on many lists, but it can be important. There are noticeable product quality differences in coach/economy among airlines.
Carriers like JetBlueVirgin America, and Alaska are niche players that compete on quality along with price. Flying on one of those lines may well be worth a few bucks more than flying on any of the "big three" giant network airlines or a low-fare airline. In Europe, Turkish has a somewhat similar reputation.
On the other hand, SpiritFrontier, and Allegiant are quality bottom-feeders. Most people would probably choose to fly them only if fares or schedules are much better than options available on other lines. Ryanair is the equivalent in Europe. Air Transat (some planes), Meridiana, and XL Airways are bottom-quality transatlantic operations.

Seniors Must Check Southwest

Travelers age 65 or over should always check Southwest. It's the only North American airline with useful senior fares. Time was, seniors could usually get a lower Southwest fare with an any-age ticket than on the senior fare, but now those low any-age tickets sell out well in advance, and the senior fares look better all the time.

Avoid Penalty Fees

On many airlines—especially low-fare airlines—fees for checked bags, carry-on bags, seat assignments, printing a boarding pass, and other functions escalate as you progress from initial purchase to boarding the flight.
On Spirit, for example, if you want to check a bag, you pay $30 when you first book, $35 if you pay online after the initial booking, $40 during online check-in, and $50 at the airport. You can print a boarding pass free at home, but pay $2 at an airport kiosk or $10 at an agent station. Other low-fare lines follow similar pricing systems.
Clearly, once you have identified what you want in the way of extras, pay for them as soon as feasible. There's no reason to wait until you have to pay what amounts to a "delay of game" penalty.

Airfare Sales Are Back

After several years of inactivity, you can see some indications that limited-time airfare sales are back. Typically, you have only a short time—maybe even just a few days or a week—to buy promotionally priced tickets, but several months to fly.
The return of sales, however, poses something of a quandary: Do you buy up to three months in advance, as some old rules advocate, or sit around waiting for a sale? We have no ready answer there. The best advice: When you see a really good deal, pounce on it.

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(Top photo: Thinkstock/iStock)

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

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Monday, September 14, 2015

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Fiestas Patrias: September 15-16 Independence Parties in Mexico SEP 14

https://nohaybronca.wordpress.com/2015/09/14/fiestas-patrias-september-15-16-independence-parties-in-mexico/

Fiestas Patrias: September 15-16 Independence Parties in Mexico

On September 16, 1810, the Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla rang the bells of his church in Dolores, Guanajuato. A crowd of locals gathered around him on the front steps, and Hidalgo gave an passionate speech about the need for an independent Mexico, though today the exact words aren’t known.
Today, there are parties all over Mexico to commemorate this symbolic beginning of the Mexican War of Independence against Spain. The end of the war finally came 11 long years later in 1821.
Hidalgo’s grito (cry, shout) is reenacted all over Mexico the night before the holiday on September 15, usually at 11 p.m.. The highest government official around rings the bell that hangs from the front of the government palace in nearly every city and town. People fill thezocalo, the center square fronted by government buildings and the cathedral. They party and dance to live music, waiting for the mayor, governor or president to hang out the window, pull the cord for the bell, and give the grito. This is followed by three cheers of ¡Viva México!from the crowd.
¡Viva! ¡Viva! ¡Viva!
Toluca sept 15
This is Mexican Independence day, not Cinco de Mayo. Cinco de Mayo was a victory against the French in the city of Puebla in 1862, though it’s better known in the U.S. as a good day to shove a lemon down the neck of your Corona, do tequila shots and eat tacos.
(By the way, in Mexico, they squeeze a lime into the beer, not a lemon, and never stick it down the neck. It’s like when Mexicans put ketchup on pizza – it just ain’t right.)
If a Mexican family doesn’t go to the zocalo to watch the grito, they may host or go to anoche mexicana (Mexican night), a party where they listen to Mexican music, eat antojitos mexicanos, and maybe dress up in traditional clothes.
It’s a big holiday in Mexico, and everyone has the day off on the 16th. Some fortunate folks – government workers like me – get more days off for a long weekend.
For weeks before, you can buy party favors on the street: flags, sombreros, fake moustaches – stuff like that. You don’t need to buy fireworks – the city will have plenty of those, along withbands, food and drink. It all depends on where you are.
sept 15 1

In a city

There will be a big stage set up in the zocalo and a few bands. In big cities, or when especially popular bands are scheduled to play, people might get there in the afternoon before it gets too crowded. In Mexico City, for example, where the president gives the grito from the executive building on the zocalo, there are outdoor parties in other parts of town as well.
After the grito you can expect big fireworks, and then more music.
Toluca sept 15 4
I’ve been to the zocalo on September 15 a few times in Toluca, where I live. Among others, I’ve seen classics like Los Angeles Azules, Los Tucanes del Norte, Pepe Aguilar, Banda el Recodo, and the comedian Adrian Uribe, better known as “El Vitor.” He’s the host of the Mexican version of Family Fued, 100 Mexicanos Dijieron.
victor 2
Toluca sept 15 3
This year is different in Toluca, perhaps everywhere in Mexico. Notices going around on social media are asking people not to attend in order to protest the government.

Small towns

In a small town with a close community, the party might be more like a huge potluck. Everyone stocks up on disposable plates and silverware and brings lots of food. The food might come out of a big tupperware container, or it might be grilled up right there. You’ll eat tacos, pozole, pambasos, tostadas, and much more. There’s also plenty of tequila, dancing and patiotism. Once in Temoaya, in the State of Mexico, they brought out a copy of the Mexican constitution:
temoaya fiesta 1 temoaya fiesta 2
And then the party afterwards:
temoaya fiesta 3
Elsewhere, a fun thing after the grito is for the kids to spray everyone with silly string or sticky powder in a can. I’ve seen this after soccer victories too. This sleepy girl and her family are selling eggs full of powder and confetti to throw at people:
pueblito sept 15 3
The party goes on, before and after the grito. If small towns don’t have a stage set up for live bands, they at least have an extra loud DJ:
pueblito sept 15 1 pueblito sept 15 2
The queen of the party:
pueblito sept 15 4

On the beach, etc.

I’ve never been to a beach on September 15 or 16. I get a few days off work, but so does everyone else, so it’s not the ideal time to travel.
Mexico is a big, diverse country with regional cultural differences in every corner. It’s a bad country for generalizations – I’m just describing what I’ve seen here in the center of the country. Each region has at least one thing in common: deep, colorful, musical, delicious culture.
I’ve you’ve been to a different sort of Mexican Independence party, please tell me about it below.
¡Viva México!

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