Puerto Angel

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I arrived in Puerto Angel, but not after some dramas.

To start my adventure I took a taxi to the airport that the hotel organised. They´re a bit pricier but I thought the convenience was worth it. But on the way to the airport we got stopped by Mexican police. Apparently it´s normal for them to stop drivers randomly and to ask to see their papers. When my driver pulled over he said to me in broken English ¨I´m not a taxi, ok?¨ The police asked me some questions in Spanish and even though I could understand bits, I played dumb and said the driver was my ¨amigo¨ and not a taxi driver. Two policemen later and twenty minutes sitting in the car, I was now running late for my flight so I got out of the unofficial taxi and took a real taxi to the airport. Instead of it costing me $12, it cost me $4 😊

The flight to Puerto Escondido only took 45 minutes (I thought it took at least an hour) and a taxi drove me the hour and twenty minutes to Puerto Angel. The Lonely Planet claims it should cost $45 but airport taxi booth charged me $60. They originally quoted me $75 but I told them there was no way I was paying that. The taxis at the airport always overcharge. They have ¨official taxi¨ booths where you´re supposed to pre-pay for your taxi but they overcharge by atleast $10 and there´s not a lot you can do if you want to get out of the airport, especially Mexico City airport. There weren´t a lot of taxis at Puerto Escondido airport so I didn´t have much choice but to pay $60.

My hotel here is beautiful. It´s up on a hill so it gets a breeze and it´s built amongst trees. I have my own balcony and hammock and my bed has a huge mozzie net over the top. The shower has only cold water but it´s so bloody hot here, it´s all I need.

I´m happy I chose this place, and not Puerto Escondido or Zipotle, as was recommended. They´re both popular with surfers and they´re the last people I want to be sharing a beach with. Puerto Angel is described as a ¨sleepy fisherman´s village¨ and that´s exactly how it looks and feels. No tourists, no wandering salesmen selling crap on the beach.

I´m a short walk from the main beach but another smaller beach is accessible by a cobblestone bridge and walkway. Walking back tonight I stumbled across masses of crabs crossing the bridge to get to the ocean. I nearly shit myself thinking they would bite my feet.

I have already made plans to go diving tomorrow at 10am. A snorkelling tour is included in the $60 dive. Unfortunately the wreck is no longer accessible due to some kind of sand issue, but I´m sure the dive will be great no matter where we go.

I really think I´m destined to live on the beach 😊)

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