It has been more than two weeks since I last posted. I have been going through some intense dental work, involving a lot of deep pain. With several dentist visits per week, I barely have time to start to feel good before the numbing, drilling, aching cycle resumes. Because of that, I have taken a calculated, heart-guided break from my writing, postponing half-made plans and simply surrendering. I will document this entire journey in a future blog.
But since I am not writing in the short term, I have decided to try to catch up with a flury of photo posts, dating back nearly eleven months in time, beginning with an unplanned trip to Mexico in September 2012. At the time, I was also just finishing up with a painful root canal, and I was climbing the walls of insanity, desperately needing a break and a beach.
With trust and courage as my guides, I packed my backpack, climbed aboard an early morning chicken bus, and headed toward the Mexican fronteir, near Tapachula, Mexico — with no plans — only intentions to find some quality beach time.
This photo post covers the first portion of that trip, one which eventually landed me in the beautiful state of Oaxaca, Mexico.
As usual, the photos in this post are thumbnail images. Please click on any photo to enlarge it. The thumbnails leave much to be desired as far as colors and resolution – plus the thumnails clip all of the edges. I use thumbnails for the post itself, because it gives people an opportunity to get a summary glimpse without downloading huge amounts of data for the high-res photos.
CLICK ON ANY PHOTO TO ENLARGE TO HIGH RESOLUTION
Mexico Or Bust
On September 20, 2012, after six hours on two chicken buses, a minivan, a border crossing, and two more minivan collectivo rides, I landed in a little town called Puerto Madero. It is a beach town, near the southernmost tip of Mexico on the Pacific ocean side. I might have stayed there longer, but there was no functioning ATM in town, very little access to inexpensive food, and the surf on the beach (what little beach I found) was extreme (and that is an understatement).
This is a view from the main street of this tiny town, looking through some rundown buildings at the ocean beyond. You can barely see the water between the buildings.
Another view, from the same spot, looking in the opposite direction.
Down by the beach, there are huge walls built with giant black boulders. As I explored, it looked to me like these walls were constructed to keep the heavy surf at bay. There were many places where I could see that the beaches had begun eroding away, undermining buildings etc. It appears that the walls are here to keep further erosion from happening.
Another view of the wall.
And another, this one taken from on top of the wall itself. I was getting sprayed in this spot as the surf crashed against the wall and sent droplets into the air.
I sat in this “beachfront” cafe drinking, enjoying the view and a soda. Even though it is well above water level, I had to be careful where I sat. Most places were very wet from the constant splashing of the heavy surf.
In this photo, I managed to capture a tiny glimpse of some of the spray as it rises above the wall and lunges toward me.
And another smilar photo.
One more at the beach. Between the near wall and the far one, there was a little inlet where the wall was not built, allowing swimmers. As I stood watching the surf, contemplating the possibilities of entering the water, common sense told me to think again. I did not go swimming here.
In the center (left and behind the bicycle) is the common form of public transportation in this town. I arrived just before sunset on the first day, having no idea what I would find in this town. I hired one of these motorcycle taxis to drive me all over to the three tiny hotels that were open, helping me find a place to stay. This photo was taken on the next morning.
And yes, they have bicycle taxis too. I didn’t ride in one of these.
A look down the main street.
My hotel is right in the center of the photo, just left of the tall tree in the background.
A closeup of the hotel’s front. It looks nicer than it is. My room was upstairs.
A chicken place, across the street from my Hotel. I couldn’t find any breakfast I liked, so I ended up having fried chicken for brunch, just before boarding another minivan to continue my journey.
But before I left, I had to return to the hotel to grab my luggage. This is a view inside the main entryway on the ground floor.
This is a view on the second floor. My room is the first door on the right. As you can see, it was not a luxury resort … but it did have air conditioning, which was extremely welcome. If you look closely, you can see puddles of water under the air conditioners from the condensation of water.
This is inside my room, with my trusty backpack on the bed to the right. The mattresses were not comfortable, but I was able to sleep.
A self-portrait of me in the mirror.
Mazunte Here I Come
After grabbing my backpack and leaving the hotel, I boarded a tiny collective minivan (they call them combie’s here in this part of Mexico. For less than 25 pesos (about $2.00 US), I took a half hour ride back to Tapachula, the big city in the region. After the combie dropped me off in a little minivan station, I began to ask for guidance on where I might find a bus to Puerto Escondido (in Oaxaca). It took me twenty minutes, but I managed to find a bus station that had a direct bus leaving just before midnight.
Not wanting to travel all night, and wanting to try something new, I found another nearby bus station that had a second-class bus that would take me about 1/3 of the way. The ticket salesman reassured me that once I arrived, I would then be able to find another bus to take me further.
I was not quite so sure when I was eventually dropped off in front of a tiny tienda (store), in the middle of a small residential area. But when I went inside and asked for directions, I was told to walk two blocks down the road, turn left, and go two more blocks. To my delight, I found a great big, modern bus terminal. With barely enough time for a bathroom break, I quickly boarded another second-class bus that was leaving in five minutes. It took me to the 2/3 mark of my journey, where I decided to stop and find a hotel near the bus station.
Early the next morning, I boarded one last bus, this one a first-class direct bus to Puerto Escondido. It was literally an all day ride (my third long travel day in a row), dropping me in Puerto Escondido in late afternoon. The bus station was up on a hill, and I could see the main beaches and tourist area about a mile away. As I began to walk with my heavy backpack in the hot sun, I briefly paused across the street from the bus station. I was already tired.
Suddenly a man spoke to me, asked where I wanted to go. I told him I planned to go to Mazunte, but would probably just stay here tonight because it was already so late.
“This bus right here goes to Mazunte every 20 minutes,” he quickly pointed to a small white bus that was only a few feet from where I was currently standing.
Seconds later, I boarded the bus, paid less than $2.00, and continued my journey for another hour in the hot afternoon sun. To my dismay, the driver dropped me off at an abandoned gas station, telling me that he did not go all the way to Mazunte, and that I would need to take a pickup truck or taxi from here. As I watched the skies darken and threaten to break into a thunderstorm, I opted for the taxi route. The driver was nice, and helped me find an inexpensive little hotel right on the beach in Mazunte.
This is a view of my hotel, taken from the beach. My room is on the second floor balcony on the right side of the building, hidding up in the palm trees.
Another view of my hotel, taken from a different angle.
This is the backside of my hotel, the “Posada Yuri”. My room is in the second floor of the building above the white pickup.
The sun was rising as I took this photo early the next morning. My room is the last one on the left, on the balcony.
A closeup of my balcony. I am in room number 10. That is my window above the green table and white chair.
Inside my room, lookinig toward the window and door. I slept in this double bed on the first night, but it was extremely uncomfortable. I spent the rest of the week sleeping in the twin bed by the window. I could sit on the bed and meditate with the window open, giving me a beautiful view of the beach below.
The only drawback to this hotel was that the surf here is so noisy that I had to use earplugs to sleep at night.
A view out my window. it is hard to see from the glare, but the beach and surf are just beyond the palm trees on the right.
Another view, this one from my balcony. You can see the beach much more clearly in this photo. I loved being so close to the rumbling, crashing waves.
And another view, looking from my balcony directly at the beach below.
And another.
This one is taken from the same spot, but with a zoom. The red flag indicates heavy surf. The flag remaind in this place for the whole week, but I did some swimming anyway.
Another view from my balcony, looking away from the beach, back toward the town of Mazunte.
The little restaurant below my room. I ate here a couple of times.
A beach view from the property of the hotel. In this photo, I am looking toward the east. It is interesting that in this part of Mexico, the beach runs mostly in an east-west direction.
This sign on the hotel property made me laugh, pondering why such a sign might even be needed.
Exploring The Beach
In this photo are a couple of hotels on the beach, just up to the east from my own.
This is a view of several restaurants just to the west of my hotel.
Another view of the restaurants along the beach. My hotel is down on the far right …
Looking to the east at the beautiful beach.
Another view looking east.
This is taken from the same spot, still looking east, but with full zoom. This fortress-like wall blocks the beach at this point. It looks like private beach access to some type of center on top the hill.
More of the beautiful scenery.
It was on a boat like one of these launchas that I take a turtle/dolphin tour later in the week. It is quite the process to push these boats into and out of the water.
A panoramic view looking to the west. My hotel is right about in the center of the photo.
Another view to the west. My hotel is the building on the right.
A wide-angle visual of the western view … the hill in the background is part of “punta cometa” or “comet point.” I will take a hike out there in a few days.
A full view of Punta Cometa. I went all the way to the very tip.
And a zoomed in view of the same.
This is a fully zoomed view of some island rocks far to the southeast. The white rock is a home to thousands of birds … thus the white color LOL.
A friendly dog on the beach.
My freshly painted toenails enjoying the coarse, warm sand.
Around Mazunte
This is a view of the road leading from my hotel toward the center of this small beach town.
A small futbol (soccer) field along this road, just before the main road.
A restaurant at the intersection to the main road. I ate here a couple of times.
A view following the main road up to the east.
Another section of the main road through town. It is lined with cute little shops and restaurants.
Yet another section of the main road.
This is part of a second road that leads to a separate little beach on the west side of town. Many of the secondary roads in town are dirt.
Another view along this road.
Very typical housing construction in this part of the world.
And yet another little part of town.
I have to laugh at this sign just up the road from my hotel. The full word is “Estacionamiento,” which means parking lot. In this part of the world, they abbreviate words in the most interesting ways. The price is in pesos, which would equate to about $2.00 US.
Near my hotel, on the way back to the beach, which you can barely see directly in front.
Hike To Punta Cometa
Around midday on September 25, 2012, I decided to hike out to Punta Cometa. In retrospect, I definitely should have made the trek during a cooler part of the day.
As I walked past the last semblance of homes and civilization, I strolled by this small town cemetary, directly adjacent to the road.
Another section of the tiny buriel grounds.
Beautiful view of the road as I walked in the hot sun through beautiful scenery.
Eventually, the road ended and I followed signs to a trail that kept going.
The sign reads: “Caution and Respect. Protected and conserved sacred zone, by the people of Mazunte. From all times and until forever.”
Entering the actual Punta Cometa trail / park. The sign reads: “Comet Point, eological reserve, the community of Mazunte, Protect it.”
A view looking back at Mazunte from the top of the hill. My hotel is almost directly in the center of this photo.
A zoomed-in view of my hotel area.
An even more zoomed-in view of my hotel, as seen from Punta Cometa.
Another view of the Mazunte beaches. The beach on the left is a separate little beach, with calmer waters. I walked to it several times and swam here as well.
Another view taken from the exact same vantage point, but this time looking to the southwest, toward the tip of Punta Cometa.
The trail leading down to the extreme point of this little penninsula is quite steep.
At the bottom of the trail from the previous photo, looking back to the top of the hill from where I was taking photos.
A closeup view of the rocks at the tip of the Punta Cometa. I did not walk all the way down there. The trail was quite trecherous, and I was very tired.
Another view at the extreme point, taken from the bluff above.
This horse was tied up right on the trail. I was not sure how friendly he was, so I carefully maneuvered around him.
Another view from this area, looking back toward Mazunte.
And another view looking back.
In this photo, I am standing on the point, looking further to the west, in the opposite direction of Mazunte. There is an isolated little beach here that looks tempting, and I am going to hike down to it.
Approaching the beach, low and right of center.
And still closer. The trail was quite wild and harder to follow in this area.
On that magical little beach. It was a beautiful place. I did not swim here … too tired and hot, and no swimsuit.
I started hiking home, getting hotter with sweat and heat stroke as I climbed back up the steep hill. This view is nearing the top, looking back at the hidden beach below and Punta Cometa in the distance.
I had to take a rest. I was really drained and could hardly take another step, dripping sweat. I took a photo of myself. In this photo, I look much more relaxed than I actually was. My heart was beating fast, I was extremely hot, and had already drunk all my water. It was a very hot day, and I went hiking right in the middle of the afternoon.
Another view of me trying to cool off in some shade, craving an ice cold drink and some rest.
And one more without the hat, wet hair a dripping.
Trip To The Turtle Museum
On September 26, I went for a visit to the local turtle museum. “Tortugas” or “turtles” are quite common in this part of the word, and nearby are beaches where they nest and lay their eggs.
The sign at the entrance. It reads: “Mexican Center of the Turtle.”
At the museum are a huge variety of turtle species. I was amazed by the different colors, textures, and sizes of turtles.
Many were kept in large aqua-colored tubs. This is a little turtle.
These three all wanted to look up and say “hello.”
One of the bigger turtles.
These two have very interesting geometric shapes and colors on their backs.
This turtle looks more like some type of dinosaur.
Another variety.
This one has fascinating colors and patterns.
A crowded group of little turtles. I love the interesting patterns on their shells.
I feel like I am in the movie “Finding Nemo” as i watch this large tortuga swiming around in a big tank.
Another view in the larger aquarium.
And another …
Swimming right toward me.
Mazunte Boat Tour to See Turtles And Dolphins
The next day, on Sept 27, I took a boat tour out into the ocean, planing to see turtles and hoping to see dolphins, possibly even swimming with them.
Some of the people on the boat. The two without life preserves were our guides.
Looking back toward shore.
The spray of the motor splashing up while watching the shorline fade further away.
A zoomed-in view of the coast somewhere to the east of Mazunte, possibly near the town of Zipolite.
Another zoom view somewhere near Zipolite (the next town to the east).
Stopping the boat and raising the motor.
Looking back toward shore WITHOUT the zoom. We are way out here.
A wild turtle, one of many that we saw along the way. You may have to click on this photo to see more detail.
Yippee. We did find some wild dolphins. There were many of them. We tried to follow them, and the driver even let us put our snorkle gear on with the hope that we could swim with them, but the dolphins would not come close to us while we were in the water.
I am not sure if this is the back of a turtle, or possibly a dolphin briefly surfacing.
A dolphin swimming nearby. I found it quite diffucult to get a photo when they were totally above water.
A turtle saying “hi.”
If you click and load the high-res image, this is a beautiful photo of both a turtle and a dolphin in the same photo, swimming near to each other.
Another turtle swimming nearby.
Many of the turtles we found were under water.
I managed to catch two dolphin fins in this photo, but still cannot get their whole bodies.
Got a little more of the dolphin in this photo. Fill in the rest with your imagination.
And another dolphin playing hide-and-seek.
These thumbnail images do not show it as clearly, but this is about the best I could get.
While we were unable to get the dolphins to stay around while we swam, we did get to briefly visit with one turtle.
Another view of the same turtle.
Two turtles getting friendly.
On our way home, we came close to the shore of Punta Cometa where I hiked a few days earlier.
Just off Punta Cometa, looking back toward Mazunte.
Back at the shore, with the boat pushed up on the beach, unloading our stuff. (We had to jump into the water before the boat was brought ashore so that it would be lighter.)
Another view on the shore, showing the beach and water.
From Mazunte To The City Of Oaxaca
After a week in Mazunte, I got up early Sunday morning, September 30, 2012. After packing up my gear, I set off in the dark to catch a 7:00 a.m. pickup that would take me to the nearest larger town where I already knew I would be able to catch a shuttle to take me over the tall, rugged mountains that separate the ocean from Oaxaca city, the capitol of the state of Oaxaca. it was a long, over-six-hour drive through winding, steep mountain roads, up and then back down.
I got to sit in the front passenger seat, giving me a beautiful vantage point to see the scenery. This is our driver.
Just like the back country of Guatemala, the roads in these mountains in Mexico can be quite damaged from flooding and mudslides. This section of road here is barely passable.
The church in one of the many small mountain villages that we passed through.
.
A very typical section of road, passing through sparsely populated areas.
Another common view along the road. These covered pickup trucks are part of the local transportation system.
This area of road is thickly crowded by trees on both sides. The mountain views are gorgeous, but hard to find a spot where a photo is possible.
A blurry shot of a small roadside home.
A beautiful tree-covered mountain.
Finally got a better photo showing the beautiful mountains. Sorry about the blurry foreground.
As the main road heads down, a local side road splits upward.
A typical scene in one of the many mountain villages. This looks like corn, but it is really “maize” — the type of corn used only for tortillas.
I never cease to be amazed by how the local indigenous people love to live in the mountain tops.
Another interesting view in one of the villages.
I love this beautiful photo of one of the villages on the side of the mountain. It is one of my favorite photos along this stretch of road.
Just another typical road view.
Blurry foilage along the road. It is colder and wetter up here.
When we reached the top of the mountain, at our half-way point, we stopped at this tiny bus station. This photo is funny, because I took it through the van window and it has reflections. We stayed here for a while so I went inside and bought a sandwich to partially fill my hungry tummy.
It is really quite the contrast here. Three hours ago, I was dripping with sweat in the heat and humidity of the pacific coast. Now, at the top of the mountain, everyone is wearing coats and knitted hats. It is really cold up here.
The same young man, warmly wrapped up in winter clothes.
More of this beautiful mountain town.
A man standing on a nearby corner. He does not seem to be cold.
Back in the van and now headed down the other side of the mountain. We will be in Oaxaca city in about three hours.
More roadside views.
Starting to see the high-mountain valley below (barely visible behind the shrubs).
A better view of the valley. This is not yet the city of Oaxaca, but we are only about an hour away.
Getting ever closer. As we hit the bottom of the hill and started driving on flat ground, we were pulled over by a Mexican army checkpoint, and all of our bags were searched.
Some of the beautiful flowers along the road in the valley.
The road is finally wide and fast.
Typical surroundings in the valley.
Nearing our last major intersection before turning toward Oaxaca. The road to the left goes back to the coast over a different mountain pass.
An old home along the way.
Finally, nine hours after I left my beach hotel this morning, we are nearing the city of Oaxaca in the far right background.
This is the end of this photo posting. The next post will contain part one of hundreds of the photos I took in and around the city of Oaxaca.
Copyright © 2013 by Brenda Larsen, All Rights Reserved