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| Coastal jungle... hot, humid, but gorgeous sunrises and sunsets here on the Pacific... and pretty great swimming, too! |
After a 7 hour journey inside of the "Linneas Unidas" van (a 12-seater, I do believe)--affectionately dubbed the "vomit comet" by all those in the know!-- it was a great relief to arrive on the coast of Oaxaca.
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| It is actually a pretty comfortable van, overall... for 300 pesos, a pretty good deal. It would have even been pleasant--the scenery along the way was lovely--if not for the ups and downs, twists and turns... and way too many stops. |
WHY does the van transport have the horrible nickname that it does?! It is because the driver flies--like a bat out of hell-- up and over the the mountain pass between Oaxaca city and the beach. It is full day's journey, and the mountain roads are VERY windy and steep. Furthermore, the drivers of these extended vans seem to believe they are riding on Harleys!
Taking my friend Steve's advice, I reserved the seat directly behind the front ones, next to the van door and with the most leg space. That was all well and good until I had to stand up and move my bags numerous times to allow for the many stops in which passengers got in or out! Most unpleasant. Worse, About half way down the mountain, with a couple hours of the grueling journey left to go, I starting getting seriously nauseous. I asked to change to one of the empty seats in front--the driver would not let me--God forbid he move his jacket and mochila to let me sit there!! What a total jerk (I avowed that, if I DID vomit, I would make sure to do it on HIM!!!) Fortunately, though, the lovely Mexicana who occupied the other front seat agreed to change with me... hence, I was spared additional nausea for the remainder of the ride. Miraculously, not one of the other passengers vomited, either! So apparently I had the weakest stomach amongst them all!
The trip ended in the town of Pochutla, where Steve picked me up from the van station. After a quick shop for groceries at Chedraui, we drove the 30 minute distance to the "Puebla Magica" town of Mazunte. I was here once before--in 2020. In fact, I spent a very trying 6 weeks here... both because my very rustic Airbnb was pretty awful, and because it was at the beginning of the pandemic. I came back this time to enjoy the upside, which is the beautiful scenery of the tropics, see my expat buddy, and get some serious ocean swimming in.
3 years later, it is very much the same as I remembered it, except for the shocking increase of prices. I got a "deal" on my cabana-- happily, only a few minutes' walk to the beach-- because it is off-season, but I am still paying 416 pesos, or the equivalent of about $25 per night. (While not a lot by U.S. standards, this IS a lot for Mexico, in a podunk town like Mazunte! It is also a lot on MY meager budget!) Normally, in high season (November through January), the price of my accommodation would be more than double.
Additionally, the cost of food everywhere has greatly increased. Case in point: A simple sandwich at a popular cafe costs me 105 pesos, or about $7.00 after tip! Crazy! It would have been 30-40 percent less in 2020 (also considering I only get 16-17 pesos to the dollar now, as opposed to 20 pesos to the dollar back then!) A few fruits? $8.00! VERY dismaying, all the way around.
Still, I have been enjoying my time here over all. Despite taking several showers a day (no AC in my cabana--only fans--am perpetually hot and sticky!) I DO love my daily swims, the fresh produce, the stellar view of the sea from my terraza, the sounds of birds and roosters in the morning, a hammock to repose in, etc. MUCH is good about this place, to be sure! A week was a good amount of time, though...ready to get back to cooler climes!
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| Truly a tropical jungle setting, this cabana-- el studio--is one of numerous cabanas at "La Secreta". I only lasted 2 nights in here, though... there was not enough air circulation, and I kept smelling mold. Fortunately, because of low occupancy, I was able to shift to a neighboring cabana, which was a vast improvement, and for the same price. |
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The "windows" are simply screens to keep the bugs--mostly mosquitoes--out! It is so wonderful to look out into the jungle and see so much lovely greenery at all times!
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It was also quite a large space to have all to myself... really meant for 4 people... sharing the costs, and would have been more fun! Well...God willing, maybe next time... I should be so lucky! :0/
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My classic repose: in the hammock, in front of the fan!!!
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Much happier to spend the subsequent 6 nights in the new place: have a terrace this time! It is cozier and there is much better air circulation... though I still smell traces of mold from time to time. I guess it is simply unavoidable, considering the high humidity...
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My sweet little terrace...
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The cozy/comfy interior...
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| Far enough to avoid the noise from the main beach part of town....but high enough to get the view... perfect for me! |
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Pretty much my typical sunrise scene at 6 a.m.!
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| Then, sunset and moonrise... the moon is waxing, and quite beautiful, seen from my terrace! |
Next, general scenes from around town...not too many, as not much is really picture-worthy, and I took so very many the last time I was here!
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What better way to start my day than with a fresh, home made mango smoothie?!
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| The steep lane leading up to Steve's abode... it was about a half-hour walk to get there, in the adjacent town of San Agustino. |
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Walking along the main road into San Agustino from Mazunte... the hotel on the hill is iconic here.
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The center of the town... have always loved the palm frond roofs of the buildings here!
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One day, Steve and I drove to the next town over called Zipolite. Like Mazunte, it is a small, hippy town (meaning, kinda taken over by hippy tourists and expats... the younger generation of them). The good aspects of the hippy towns are an abundance of yoga centers and vegetarian/vegan restaurants. Zipolite, though, has an added dimension: IT is famous for its nude beaches! Very unusual for Mexico, which is still very much a conservative--mostly Catholic--country. Still, there are always the exceptions...especially when it comes to the great influx of $$ the foreigners bring to Mexican beach communities! Nudism is definitely not MY thing.... and I don't particularly condone it here, either. But heck, if the Mexicans want to allow it, then that is their business, por supuesto!
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This mural painter/artist clearly had quite a sense of humor about the nudism! (I wonder how many people stuck their heads in the holes for the photo op??! Sure wouldn't be ME!!)
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| My great veggie sandwich, laden with veggies and cheese... though pricey, I at least got two meals out of it! |
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We lounged under a thatched covering and watched the ocean waves...too rough to swim in. Interestingly, we only saw one--older--nudist couple on the beach... Steve told me they really came out in high season here.
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| My buddy, Steve... fellow expat.. gringo from the Northwest! |
On my last day in Mazunte, I made it over to the tortuga museum... a thrill, because it was closed the entire time I was here in 2020. I LOVE tortugas!!! (Turtles). SO... being able to finally go to this museum was a real treat! (I am sure you can tell just how MUCH I love tortugas by all the photos I took! I am, most especially, enamoured with the sea tortoise, who is as graceful in the water as it is beautiful to look at. When I see the care given to these creatures to protect them in Mexico, I want to weep with gladness. They were seriously endangered not long ago, because of the poaching that went on... of both the adults--for their meat and shells-- and the eggs. Now, there are serious consequences for the criminals... thank God!)
The babies, in a hatchery. They will be released in a couple weeks, when larger and stronger. They are just SO "preciosa"!!
The colors and patterns of these sea creatures are just so magnificently gorgous!
There were many lovely murals around the museum grounds...
Couldn't BELIEVE the MASSIVE "dinosaur" tortuga in the photo!
This guy popped his head up for some air... apparently, they can go up to an hour before surfacing to breathe. Pretty amazing!
The museum not only had all the various Mexican species in residence, but many from other countries as well...including the U.S., of course!
And finally, last but certainly not least, parting shots of the beautiful beach... I won't miss the heat and humidity, but WILL miss my lovely cabana, my swims, and the lovely scenery here!
One of the best aspects of Mazunte is that it is not built up, like so many other beach destinations of Mexico. In fact, in off-season, like now, the beaches are "muy tranquila", and there are not many people there at all. SO lovely!
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