Advertisement
Published: June 14th 2010
Warning: The picture quality drastically decreases from now on as in this part of the world I ll travel 'light' and therefore safer with only a point n shoot cam. Still I tried to capture the locations I have been to and some interesting moments. Feel free to browse through the pix by clicking on the first one. Declining wanderlust? After 8 months of traveling I feel first signs of exhaustion. Traveling on my own now without being able to speak Spanish doesn' t make things easier. I start my solo trip by revisiting Playa del Carmen and Isla Mujeres for a few days to plan the rest of my trip. My main goal is to learn a bit of Spanish and try surfing again. Therefore I head to Mexico's pacific coast. In the beginning I spend some days traveling without meeting hardly any foreigners or people able to speak English. I feel a bit exhausted at times and think about maybe quitting my trip a bit earlier as planned.
Buena Onda However things change in Puerto Escondido, as I meet many nice people, take language classes and surf. I find it hard to leave and stay
4 weeks there. I really started to appreciate Mexico more and more: It was not so much for the touristy things I have seen (the ruins, beaches and colonial towns didn't impress me so much any more after all I had seen already), but more for the relaxed vibe in general, especially on the pacific coast. My Spanish improved from 0.5 to 2.5 and my surfing from 'trying to surf and surfing white wash' to 'surfing small waves and getting injured a lot'. Furthermore I had many great party nights with locals and relaxed surf dudes. I also had the opportunity to check out some Mexican doctors, as I got stung by a scorpion in my cabana, and I had to have my leg stiched after the fin of my board cut me (only 200 pesos/ 12 euros).
I really enjoyed staying at the same place for a longer period of time after the previous '3 days here - 4 days here' travel routine. However after some time, I felt it's time for a change and therefore to leave again.
Now I am getting ready for the last part of my trip: I postponed my flight
back to Europe once more and will head down to South America.
To be continued... My itinerary
Cancun Every time I arrive there, I immediately leave to either Playa del Carmen or Isla Mujeres. However this time, I finally check it out for 2 days. The stay only confirmed my negative perception, but at least now I can say I have been there once.
Playa del Carmen The popular caribbean beach town on the peninsula Yucatan is a better option than staying in Cancun, still a bit too touristy and overpriced for Mexican standards. The beach with its turquoise water is nice, but too crowded for my taste. Like 3 years ago, I stay in the very recommendable Casa Tucan (http://www.casatucan.de/en/index.php), an oasis in the busy beach town: it has a nice garden with tropical birds and a pool to relax from the 'busy' beach life. A good hostel to meet other travelers is www.hostelplaya.com. From Playa dives to Cozumel and the cenotes can be arranged. As I hear that dive sites in Cozumel are very crowded and not so special, I go diving at the nearby
cenotes (choc mool) instead, and don't get
disappointed: entering the sinkhole containing sweet and salt water and diving in the caves with a visibility of 150m is very unique. It almost feels like flying. I also go snorkeling with 10m+ whalesharks, another very unique experience (whale shark season May-September, more info: http://www.whaleshark-mexico.com).
Isla Mujeres is a small island and can be reached by a 30min ferry from Cancun. Although touristy as well, Isla is smaller and much quiter than Playa del Carmen and therefore a better option than PDC for those who want to escape the hoards of gringos. The best place to stay, meet people and to party is the hostel Pocna (www.pocna.com). Apart from diving & snorkeling trips and sunbathing, there is not much to do on Isla. Sunbathing is good at Playa Norte and the best off shore snorkeling spot is Playa Garrafon, on the South end of the island: the visibilty is approx 15-20 meters and there are plenty of fish, as they are fed.
Tulum is one of the best-preserved coastal Maya sites and major tourist draws. However I skip it this time as I already have visited the ruins that are beautifully situated on a lovely beach, 3 years
ago.
Palenque was a Maya city state in southern Mexico that flourished in the seventh century CE. in the Mexican state of Chiapas. As it is on my way to the pacific coast I visit the ruins. However, although worth the visit, I am not so impressed as the ruins resemble Tikal in Guatemala a lot. As the town in Palenque is not very appealing I stay at El Panchan at hostel Mayabell (www.mayabell.com.mx), close to the ruins. The place is quiet and nice and most importanly in the hot season: it has a pool.
San Cristobal is a little town in municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico San Juan Chamula. The little colonial town is nice and the vibe is relaxed, but to me it looks like a lot of other colonial towns I already have seen in Nicaragua, Guatemala and Cuba. There is not much night life going on there and restaurants and bars close early, especially during the week. I stay 4 days there and feel that this is more than enough. I just want to relax a bit before the next 10+ hours bus ride. From San Cristobal I make a half day trip
to the indeginous village
Chamula. This trip was really worth it and already justified my stay at San Cristobal, because I got see some unique Maya rituals practiced live in the church San Juan of Chamula. This church is one of the most profound examples of Catholicism and Maya traditions. Inside, the chapel is lit by hundreds of candles placed in front of statues of various saints, the air smells sweetly of incense, and there are small groups of people kneeling on the floor amidst pine needles performing prayers and rituals. You see praying people lighting dozens of candles - each representing a member of the family and certain significance is attached to different colors- sipping local sacred liquor called pox, and some sacrificing chickens. As it is strongly forbidden to take pictures there, I only can post a youtube link of a tourist secretly filming inside the church:
.
Puerto Escondido, the small fishermen town in Oaxaca is mainly known for its big waves and excellent surfing conditions. In the high season (december-april) it can be really crowded and it's mainly a party place. At the time of my stay (May-June) it is pretty quiet with only
occasional small parties on the weekend, but great surfing conditions.
The main beach is playa Zicatela: there all the party action takes place, as most restaurants and bars are situated there. However the catch is that the beach is only suitable for very experienced surfers.
For swimmers or beginners - intermediates the beach is too dangerous. A better option to stay is Punta Zicatela, a really laid back little place. The waves and currents are strong there which makes it not suitable for swimmers, but it is okay for intermediate surfers and for beginners on certain days when the swell is not too big. One of the most relaxed hostels I have ever stayed is right at the beach: Bueano Onda. The vibe is super relaxed and the two French owners super friendly. You just take the drinks from the fridge and write down what you had and pay everything at the end of your stay. They have cabanas and a camping possibilities and an open space where surf dudes and travelers chillax together and party at night. It is hard to leave this place and many got stuck there for many weeks.
The best option for swimmers and absolute
surf beginners is Playa Carrizalillo. This little beach is beautiful and has small waves. However quite often you have to wait a lot in the water between sets or when the swell is bigger and more consistent, then it gets really crowded (sometimes up to 30 people trying to catch one wave). Close to the beach there are a couple of restaurants and hostels, but it is really quiet there in general, as most people stay in Zicatela and only come to Carizalillo for a swim during the day. Hostal Shalom is closest to the beach and offers budget cabanas and dorms with a swimming pool. Surf and language school Oasis, where I take both surf and language lessons, is also situated at Carrizalillo (http://www.oasissurfcamppuerto.com/).
Mazunte is a quiet beach place one hour from Puerto and due to its laid back vibe a favorite among travelers. The beach is safe for swimming and there are a couple of nice basic accomodations right on the beach. One of the most popular places to stay there is posada del arquitecto, situated on a hill overlooking the beach. On top of the hill I sleep in an open air swing bed, a
new experience for me (http://posadadelarquitecto.com/homeenglish.html). During my stay in May, there were hardly any people in Mazunte, still though I stay a couple of days there to relax and learn some Spanish.
Zipolite, the neighboring beach, offers a bit more of a night life with bars, restaurants and even 2 clubs. It is another favorite traveler and hippie wanna be destination with many travelers staying there for weeks or months. However the beach is not suitable for swimming, and I hear many stories that this is not the safest of all places. During my stay it is quiet there as well, so I find it okay. However I can imagine that during high season the place fills up with people, making Mazunte probably the better option to stay. A popular budget place to stay is 'A Nice Place on the Beach'.
Chacahua: is a national park with several beautiful lagoons situated 54km west of Puerto Escondio. It is very quiet place perfect for relaxing and surfing (for both beginners and intermediates). Lagoon cruises can be arranged and the light house offers a stunning view of the lagoons. During my stay there were only a handful of tourists and
the locals were very laid back and friendly. However there are many mosquitos and scorpions there (autsch, I got stung by one in my cabana).
Oaxaca city: For me it is just another colonial city, however it is nicely siuated in the mountains and offers a much better night life than San Cristobal. There are many open air concerts, markets, clubs and bars with life bands as well. I even manage to get to a hard core show and mosh with the local kids being the only foreigner. There are many budget places in Oaxaca, but most lack the right atmosphere. After looking around for a while, I finally find a hostel I would recommend as it has an open area for socializing and offers cheap food and drinks: Hostal Santa Isabel (http://hostalsantaisabel.blogspot.com/). A couple of 1/2-day to full day tours can be arranged from Oaxaca. I visit the archeological site
Monte Alban, the largest pre-Hispaniccity in the region of Oaxaca representing the first urban plan on the American continent. Unfortunately due to blocked roads I cannot visit
Hierve el Agua, a set of natural rock formations that look like a waterfall (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hierve_el_Agua).
Advertisement
Tot: 0.088s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 9; qc: 22; dbt: 0.0373s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Richie
non-member comment
Servas alter, fette Wellen in Zicatela. Nice style in Carizalillo ;-) und wieder ein Besuch beim Doktor...sehr vertrauenserweckend sieht die aber nicht aus ;-) trotzdem besser als selber nähen! sieht so aus als muss ich mal nach Mexico viva la viaje Richie