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Published: July 11th 2015
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view of the mountains from our cabin Hello there. I did not include in any of my last blog posts my visit to San Jose del Pacifico on the way to Masunte. Which worked out well actually because I passed through again with a little more exploration, so now I´ll recount both enchanted visits. And enchanted they certainly were.
San Jose Part I: The Fog
A group of young hooligans and I left Cielo Rojo in Oaxaca a few weeks ago (Mid June) to head to the coast. The group consisted of a couple english blokes and some nice young ladies from Nebraska. It was a fun crowd. The coast is about 7 hours from Oaxaca. Many people break it up by stopping half-way through in a small, magical town high the mountains called San Jose del Pacifico. San Jose was breathtaking, both figuratively and literally from the gorgeous views to the high altitude making my 50 lb backpack feel more like 70 lbs. Especially since the entire town is on a hill so you´re usually either going down or up hill. Its small, comfortably chilled, and you may witness someone tripping balls shortly after departing your colectivo. One of the things San Jose is most
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hammock looking out onto the universe known for is its hallucinogenic mushrooms. Lots of young people pass through to have a magical experience, then continue onward. I found San Jose to be completely magical without the addition of psychadellics. But my friends certainly did have a lovely time in their freshly-picked fungi that were wrapped in a large leaf with just the right amount of rocks and dirt for crunchiness.
We found 2 little cabins to split between us on the mountain face, totally open to the view. We had the most gorgeous spot that looked out over the mountains. The cabins had chimneys and big comfy beds and that was probably the most comfortable with the best sleep Ive had on this whole trip so far. It was really easy for my friends to find mushrooms. Honestly tons of people in town sell them openly, you can ask for them at the tourist information center. The owner of the cabins offered my friends straight up which made the whole process even easier. They tripped, I made sure nobody got hurt or lost anything lol. Even though I was sober, it felt like I was almost having my own trip and it was a really
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beautiful garden on mountainside good. I align well the vibrational frequencies of mushrooms naturally, being super silly and giggly and random and all, so it was more fun than I expected.
The next day we found a colective to Masunte for 130 pesos (less than $10) for the almost 4 hour ride. Something I might have done if we´d stayed longer would have been participating in a temazcal. Its like a sweat lodge. Its a ceremonial cleansing ritual and process done in the indigenous Zapotec language. The main who approached us about it offered it both with mushrooms and without. Its a tradition having to do with spirituality and medicine which are things I am very interested in and want to pursue. They are offered in other places in Mexico though so hopefully I did not miss my chance.
San Jose Part II: The Refogening
I did not expect to pass through San Jose again, but I did with my new friend Guido. I rode with him from Masunte back to Oaxaca. He goes back and forth every week and I met him through some friends that has passed through Cielo Rojo before. Guido has friends in San Jose
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the view goes on and on so we had a lovely afternoon visiting them. Im really glad I got another chance to see San Jose because we didnt actually do much exploring the first time. We had walked around a bit, but did not check out much of the forest. The friends lived in the woods and it was gorgeous. They have to walk about 10 minutes into the woods to get to their house. They live on a ridge of the mountain with some plants making me think of the mesozoic era. Giant agave plants and I even saw a variety of Madrona. Not as brightly colored, large, or impressive as the ones on Orcas, but Madrona still made me feel closer to home. We walked to their home which was constructed with much consideration of the environment. The oven is handmade out of organic materials and is powered by a fire. The energy of the place was so natural and serene. I could easily envision myself living in a home like this. Simple and with everything you need, in the middle of the forest.
We had a delicious lunch of greens fresh from the garden, foccacia, and artichoke heart. They also had a
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giant agave plants next to prehistoric-looking trees delicious mushroom topping made of mushrooms picked in the forest around their home. Everything was delicious, fresh, healthy and came from their back yard. It felt luxurious and natural, the ultimate life. Hearing Guido and his friends chat in a mix of Spanish and Italian was really cool. It was such a delightful afternoon and though I probably will not see them again, they made a very good impression and a memory I will not forget. I loved observing their lifestyle and want to take from that when the time comes for me to start a sedentary relationship with an area of dirt.
After that, we set off on a way bumpy road to continue down the mountain and head home to Oaxaca. I felt so grateful to have come to meet Guido, and ultimately lovely friends and beautiful family. Not only did it same me some pesos for the colectivo, but getting to meet people and connect to wonderful souls and other parts of the world is one of the best experiences one can have in my opinion.
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