Filled with excitement for our upcoming trip, I was wide-awake at 6:30 on Thursday morning. I forced myself to doze for a little longer, before getting up and heading to classes. After classes, I walked home, grabbed my bags, and we all headed to CAPU, the main bus station in Puebla. We had a 4-5 hour bus ride to Oaxaca, Oaxaca. We arrived to a steady rainfall, which was foreign to us after an absolutely beautiful and dry month of October in Puebla. Kendra, Bryce, and I would travel onto Puerto Escondido, the beach!, but Megan had decided to stay in Oaxaca for the entire break, so we took her to the hostel, before finding a delicious restaurant to grab a bite to eat. We walked the city for a bit, took Megan back to the hostel, and went back to the bus station. We loved what we saw in the hour or two that we were in Oaxaca, and we were excited to return after a couple of days of soaking up the sun in Puerto Escondido.
We got on the bus to Puerto Escondido around 9:00 and prepared ourselves for the 10-hour ride ahead. We were about two hours outside of Oaxaca, when the bus suddenly stopped at a military operated checkpoint. After an hour of sitting on the dark, hot, and stuffy bus, we were told that there was a “medical emergency” and a young lady on the bus was not well. So, we watched the mother fan the daughter with a towel for another hour, before an ambulance finally showed up to take the girl. Why on earth the family didn’t get off the bus and wait at the checkpoint, but chose to stay on the sweltering bus and hold up the trek, is beyond us, but I think this is a prime example of the difference in attitude regarding time between Americans and Mexicans. Also, in the United States it would never take two hours for an ambulance to arrive. Following this little medical episode, we were once again on our way to Puerto Escondido. I managed to doze on and off again for the next 7 or so hours, and when I woke up around 6:30, I saw a beautiful sunrise as we drove down the Pacific coast.
We got on the bus to Puerto Escondido around 9:00 and prepared ourselves for the 10-hour ride ahead. We were about two hours outside of Oaxaca, when the bus suddenly stopped at a military operated checkpoint. After an hour of sitting on the dark, hot, and stuffy bus, we were told that there was a “medical emergency” and a young lady on the bus was not well. So, we watched the mother fan the daughter with a towel for another hour, before an ambulance finally showed up to take the girl. Why on earth the family didn’t get off the bus and wait at the checkpoint, but chose to stay on the sweltering bus and hold up the trek, is beyond us, but I think this is a prime example of the difference in attitude regarding time between Americans and Mexicans. Also, in the United States it would never take two hours for an ambulance to arrive. Following this little medical episode, we were once again on our way to Puerto Escondido. I managed to doze on and off again for the next 7 or so hours, and when I woke up around 6:30, I saw a beautiful sunrise as we drove down the Pacific coast.
We arrived at the bus terminal in Puerto Escondido around 9, and I called the hostel to see if there was a possibility of getting into our room early. Luck was with us, and we went straight to our hostel, changed our clothes, and headed to the beach. The hostel was more like a hotel, in that we had our own bathroom and two twin beds, opposed to shared bathrooms and bunk beds. It was a nice change, and the hostel was a minute walk to the beach. In Puebla, we are so highly elevated that there is little humidity, so with the high humidity and rising temperatures, it didn’t take long for us to go running into the Pacific Ocean. We were staying on Zicatela Beach, which is supposedly one of the best surfing beaches in the world, and for this reason the waves were really rough! We were all taken out by the waves at least once, and I think we all left with scratches and minor injuries of sorts. But, it was definitely worth it, and the temperature of the water was that perfect temperature that refreshingly chills you at first, but allows you to adjust quickly. We laid out on the beach, reading and relaxing, until 1:30 or so, before eating lunch at a restaurant on the beach and heading back to the hostel. We had a little down time before our scheduled lagoon tour, so I took the time to read in a hammock for a bit, until Martin, the owner of the hostel, came and talked with me for a while. We discussed things to do and places to see in the area, and then just chatted. It is nice to be at the point where I feel confident enough to carry on a conversation in Spanish for a period of time.
Around 3:30, the lagoon tour guides picked us up from the hostel and we made the 30-minute drive to Manialtepec Lagoon. We then got on a small boat and took a tour of the lagoon, observing the trees, birds, and diverse surroundings. After an hour or so, we reached a beautiful point where Manialtepec Lagoon, Manialtepec River, and the Pacific Ocean all come together. We were able to get out of the boat, walk around this breathtaking area, and, of course, take a lot of photos. We took the boat back to the starting point, made the trip back to the hostel, and rushed to the beach to see an amazing sunset. I have been blessed to see sunsets in many unique settings in my lifetime (Uluru in Australia, boat ride in Jamaica, Upper Peninsula, etc.), but this was by the far the prettiest sunset that I have seen. The colors and clouds in the sky with the reflection off the ocean were picture perfect.
After the remarkable sunset, we went back to the hostel to shower and get ready for a night out on the town. I had read some positive reviews about a restaurant, Guadua, near our hostel, so we decided to give it a try. Best decision we could have made for dinner! The restaurant was located right on the beach, so with the sound of crashing waves in the background and candlelight over the table, we all enjoyed our delicious meals. I had chicken, potatoes, and salad, which does not sound like anything all that exciting, but it was one of the best meals I’ve had in Mexico. We all shared a white chocolate moose with almonds for dessert….mmm mmm good! Then, we took a taxi to the downtown area of Zicatela beach, where there are several bars, clubs, etc. right on the beach. I absolutely loved the relaxed and fun atmosphere that enveloped the area! First we went to a bar where we were able to sit out on cushions on the beach and enjoy a drink and a band playing some American classics. Then, we headed to a club that was having a toga party, and although we were not dressed accordingly, we were allowed to enter. We danced the night away until 3:30 or so, when we finally headed back to the hostel to catch a couple hours of sleep.
Not wanting to waste any sacred beach time, we got up around 8:30 on Saturday morning and were out on the beach again by 9. We had breakfast brought out to us on the beach and enjoyed the quite morning by napping, reading, taking in the sun, and tackling the waves. Bryce and I walked down to the far end of beach to climb the rocks and take pictures. Then, we went back to the hostel to shower and change before going to the downtown area again to eat lunch and do some shopping. A few girls from school that we know were also spending the long break in Puerto Escondido, and their hostel was actually right next to ours. So, we had dinner with them at a restaurant on the beach and watched another perfect sunset before going back to the hostel real quick to grab our bags and take a taxi to the bus station. We had spent 2 days in paradise, and we were definitely not ready to leave. But, at the same time, we were excited to celebrate Halloween and Day of the Dead in Oaxaca. So, we loaded the bus back to Oaxaca around 8:30 and started the 10-hour journey back to Oaxaca. Having not slept well/much the past two nights, I passed out almost immediately and sleep soundly the majority of the trip.
Pictures from the beach:
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