It's been a while! Last we left off, we were in Zipolite, poor Oli was struck down by some bad papaya juice, and I was sipping beer by my lonesome. Oli did make it out to the beach for one last drink that night, but two sips in his tummy caught back and he was down for the count. I grabbed the check and we called it and early night.
The next morning we checked out of our grub ridden bungalow, caught a cab to Pachutla, and then a couple hour bus to Puerto Escondido. Our next cabbie had loads of trouble finding our next sanctuary, and after three times as long as it should have taken, we found our way to Casa de Dan y Carmen. We had a lovely little room with a fantastic view and cable tv. We spent our time in Escondido eating yummy food, vegging out, and even doing laps in the hotel pool. Oli mainly did the laps.. I acquired some little Mexican girls who enjoyed holding onto my legs while I dragged them around the pool, and also liked to hook their fingers into my belly button to hold onto me while I swam. Cute as they were, I didn't appreciate the belly hooks.
Also while we were in Escondido, we passed a cafe/library that had extremely familiar art. We finally went in, and the art was by Justine Ward, who does out art for the festival! She did a gorgeous mosaic, as well as some fabulous art on the walls. Incredible!
We really did want to surf while we we were there, but the surf was far far too strong for beginners. So we decided to do a day of scuba! We teamed up with Lorenzo, our divemaster, and headed out to swim with some fishies. Strangely enough, this was our first experience with a heavy surge. We have encountered heavy currents before, but in those situations you really just go with the flow. With a surge, you are thrown backwards and forwards, up and down. It is a lot more difficult to ensure you don't bang into any precious coral, or hurt yourself! Additionally, the visibility was awful, so you really needed to keep a close eye on your spatial awareness. The dives were not a wash though- we watched an octopus go nutso and all inky, and also found our first Spanish dancer! Good times.
We then ventured to Acapulco for an evening on our way to Zihuatenejo. The bus ride was long and awful, and arriving in Acapulco was just smelly. It literally smelled like raw sewage everywhere we went, even in our $100/night splurge of a hotel room. Gross. We did have yummy tacos and watched lightening touch down less than 500 meters away from us, so the layover wasn't for nothin'! We also stopped in at a Mexicana office and confirmed that our flights ARE still valid. Horray! We hopped on another bus and headed to Zihua. I feel like we've spent our lives on shitty transportation.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Piccies
Here are the pics that we promised, another blog to come soon.....
Oaxaca
Zipolite and Puerto Escondido
Enjoy!
p.s. New beer photos too!!
Oaxaca
Zipolite and Puerto Escondido
Enjoy!
p.s. New beer photos too!!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Evening invaders and too much sun
Zipolite is a pleasure. Gorgeous beaches, friendly locals, cheap beer, and yummy food! Our cabaña is interesting to say the least. It harbors more life than one would initially expect. After our first night here, we awoke to find a large family of grubs living in our shower, which is less a shower and more a corner of the bathroom with a shanty tap rigged to a beam, spewing out salt water. We can only surmise that our grubby little friends live in the smelly drain, and regardless of our attempts to relocate said family, they always resurface, slugging their way across the floor, even once visiting us right next to our bed. Maybe it's them that are smelly and not the drain; either way, there is a pungent odor of rotting onions/old man breath that permeates the room. The grubs are not the most exciting visitor, that honor belongs to a poorly deceased crab. While starting to dig out my bikini for a day of fun in the sun, I noticed an amputated crab leg on top of my backpack. Upon confirming the specimen with Oli and discarding it outside, I moved my bag and discovered the owner of the leg, an upside down crabby, that was missing not one but three legs. Where are the other two legs, and pray tell, how did the original leg end up three feet higher than the rest of the body? Something wicked this way comes. We can only guess that there was a brutal crab fight, and the winner took off with his earnings. I say it was a python, Oli tells me I'm ridiculous. Either way, there was a fight to the death, mere inches from my feet, and I am pleased to say the fighter has not resurfaced. Another pet that we have spied is a large moth that also likes to find it's way into our baño. It has the wingspan of a large bat, and thankfully does not hang out while we are in the area. After living on a farm since February one would have thought us prepared for such invasions, but I must admit these particular species are new to us in domestic form.
We lounged on the beach, Oli determined to bronze his newly toned physique. You can all guess how well that turned out, as sadly I am not permitted to post any pictures. Needless to say, after that first tanning sesh, I was left to brave the suns rays alone while Oli put some of our beer donations to use in the safety of a shaded bar.
And this is exactly how we have spent the last few days. Before our arrival here, I had grandiose dreams of finally learning to surf, but unfortunately the current is such that I can hardly enter the water above my ankles without flopping over and giving all the nudies a show. Yes, our end of the beach is rampant with the free of heart and free of clothes crowd, which at least gives Oli something to gaze at over his Coronas.
We have come to the end of our days in this free-wheeling town. Tomorrow we shall catch another bus and head up the coast to Puerto Escondido in search of cheap diving. As I type overlooking the waves, and sipping my Indio, my better half is bedridden with a bellyache. Let's hope he recovers soon enough for one last moonlit beer in our little paradise. We promise to enter a dreaded Internet cafe soon and upload the pictures of our adventures thus far. Until next time... Stay classy.
We lounged on the beach, Oli determined to bronze his newly toned physique. You can all guess how well that turned out, as sadly I am not permitted to post any pictures. Needless to say, after that first tanning sesh, I was left to brave the suns rays alone while Oli put some of our beer donations to use in the safety of a shaded bar.
And this is exactly how we have spent the last few days. Before our arrival here, I had grandiose dreams of finally learning to surf, but unfortunately the current is such that I can hardly enter the water above my ankles without flopping over and giving all the nudies a show. Yes, our end of the beach is rampant with the free of heart and free of clothes crowd, which at least gives Oli something to gaze at over his Coronas.
We have come to the end of our days in this free-wheeling town. Tomorrow we shall catch another bus and head up the coast to Puerto Escondido in search of cheap diving. As I type overlooking the waves, and sipping my Indio, my better half is bedridden with a bellyache. Let's hope he recovers soon enough for one last moonlit beer in our little paradise. We promise to enter a dreaded Internet cafe soon and upload the pictures of our adventures thus far. Until next time... Stay classy.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Birthday, beers and beaches
We spent my dreaded 26th birthday gorging on huevos and chocolate, and the night ended after a fab margarita and not so fab mezcal, tasting too much like bandaids for comfort. Another year bites the dust.
On Sunday we hopped on a public bus up to Monte Albán, the old Zapotec city of ruins. Gorgeous views of the city, but far too many people to linger long. Once back in town we did a little self guided tour of the chocolate factories, and we were proud of our restraint. We needed to pack up and say adios to Oaxaca- thanks for all the delicious mole and chocolate!
We arose at 6 am to head to the dingy second class bus station, and the skies were pitch black until our departure. We managed to get one last chocolate con leche in before we boarded the bus from hell. What was supposed to be a 7 hour trip turned out to be anything but. Have we forgotten the cardinal rule?! Whilst traveling with a lonely planet guide, one must first and foremost double all prices listed, regardless of how recently it was published, one must also never ever expect a bus to arrive at it's estimated time. This bus was a true Mexican gem- threadbare seats, less than no legroom, hotter and colder than one thought possible, and packed to the gills. We picked up every person along the way, which extended our journey by at least two hours. And stubborn Oli wouldn't let me pack provisions- eating roadside is fun! While I agree, it's always good to have a backup. Needless to say, when we finally arrived in Pochutla at 4, we had consumed only that hot chocolate at 6:45 am and some warm water. We found an ATM, screamed "to hell with it" and hopped in a taxi to take us to Zipolite. Twice the price of a colectivo, but at a price of 100 pesos we arrived at our hotel in half the time. We checked into our place; we have a cabaña a few steps from the beach for less than $20. Ok, so the digs are less than luxurious but there is some semblance of a private bathroom, a fan, and a tolerable bed with a mosquito net. It will do! We dropped off our bags and headed next door for some much needed food and beverages. Revived, we explored the town. Zipolite is a tiny beach town which is reportedly overrun by naked hippies, but we have yet to encounter this demographic. It was "discovered" by a bunch of hippies back in the 60's as a perfect place to watch the eclipse, and the tourists have been coming back ever since. Cheap places to pop up a tent, $1 beers, and ten foot swells keep the frugal minded backpackers happy. As for the naked part, there are a fair bunch of naturalists, but they seem mainly of the domestic type, both male and female. And as is usually the case, those who bare all are the type you wouldn't necessarily WANT to see all of. But hey, everyone is having a blast, they are all super friendly, and why not shake what yo momma gave you?
We grabbed a few corona familiars and lounged on the rocks, swatting at the insatiable mozzies and having a ball. I must mention that some filming of one of my favorite movies, Y Tu Mama Tambien, took place here by the way. Not too shabby!
We went to bed early, pooped from our bus ride. I was pleased that I remembered my earplugs, as the only things louder than the crashing waves were the squeals of delight from our neighbors, who clearly love the free love aspect of the place.
This morning we headed into town, a block off of the beachfront, for delish huevos oaxaquena and tacos. The rest of our day has comprised of enjoying the sun and fighting the riptide just off the shore. Is it beer o'clock yet!? Thanks to our dear beer donators, we will have to start getting our thank u pix up! For now, I am writing on my iPhone, trying to keep the masses updated! Wifi on the beach, who knew? And how on earth did we ever travel without our iPhones?? We can now avoid the hours of sweaty hell in dingy Internet cafes, save money, and enjoy ourselves! Life is grand. I think we will stick it out in zipolite for a while.... We will keep you posted, our faithful readers!
On Sunday we hopped on a public bus up to Monte Albán, the old Zapotec city of ruins. Gorgeous views of the city, but far too many people to linger long. Once back in town we did a little self guided tour of the chocolate factories, and we were proud of our restraint. We needed to pack up and say adios to Oaxaca- thanks for all the delicious mole and chocolate!
We arose at 6 am to head to the dingy second class bus station, and the skies were pitch black until our departure. We managed to get one last chocolate con leche in before we boarded the bus from hell. What was supposed to be a 7 hour trip turned out to be anything but. Have we forgotten the cardinal rule?! Whilst traveling with a lonely planet guide, one must first and foremost double all prices listed, regardless of how recently it was published, one must also never ever expect a bus to arrive at it's estimated time. This bus was a true Mexican gem- threadbare seats, less than no legroom, hotter and colder than one thought possible, and packed to the gills. We picked up every person along the way, which extended our journey by at least two hours. And stubborn Oli wouldn't let me pack provisions- eating roadside is fun! While I agree, it's always good to have a backup. Needless to say, when we finally arrived in Pochutla at 4, we had consumed only that hot chocolate at 6:45 am and some warm water. We found an ATM, screamed "to hell with it" and hopped in a taxi to take us to Zipolite. Twice the price of a colectivo, but at a price of 100 pesos we arrived at our hotel in half the time. We checked into our place; we have a cabaña a few steps from the beach for less than $20. Ok, so the digs are less than luxurious but there is some semblance of a private bathroom, a fan, and a tolerable bed with a mosquito net. It will do! We dropped off our bags and headed next door for some much needed food and beverages. Revived, we explored the town. Zipolite is a tiny beach town which is reportedly overrun by naked hippies, but we have yet to encounter this demographic. It was "discovered" by a bunch of hippies back in the 60's as a perfect place to watch the eclipse, and the tourists have been coming back ever since. Cheap places to pop up a tent, $1 beers, and ten foot swells keep the frugal minded backpackers happy. As for the naked part, there are a fair bunch of naturalists, but they seem mainly of the domestic type, both male and female. And as is usually the case, those who bare all are the type you wouldn't necessarily WANT to see all of. But hey, everyone is having a blast, they are all super friendly, and why not shake what yo momma gave you?
We grabbed a few corona familiars and lounged on the rocks, swatting at the insatiable mozzies and having a ball. I must mention that some filming of one of my favorite movies, Y Tu Mama Tambien, took place here by the way. Not too shabby!
We went to bed early, pooped from our bus ride. I was pleased that I remembered my earplugs, as the only things louder than the crashing waves were the squeals of delight from our neighbors, who clearly love the free love aspect of the place.
This morning we headed into town, a block off of the beachfront, for delish huevos oaxaquena and tacos. The rest of our day has comprised of enjoying the sun and fighting the riptide just off the shore. Is it beer o'clock yet!? Thanks to our dear beer donators, we will have to start getting our thank u pix up! For now, I am writing on my iPhone, trying to keep the masses updated! Wifi on the beach, who knew? And how on earth did we ever travel without our iPhones?? We can now avoid the hours of sweaty hell in dingy Internet cafes, save money, and enjoy ourselves! Life is grand. I think we will stick it out in zipolite for a while.... We will keep you posted, our faithful readers!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Holy molé
We have arrived! We spent yesterday in the city (San Fran, obvs :) with my dad, munching on some house of nanking and getting nostalgic about our old days on Green St. We were dropped at SFO and joined the hour plus line to check in; security check was no joke either. After a hellish sleep deprived coupla flights, we hopped on a combo bus that gave us a tour of rural Oaxaca before plopping us at our gorgeous hotel an hour later. The time? Eight-thirty am. Check in wasn't until one, so we put out bags down, enjoyed some delish cinnamon coffee, and stared at each other with the realization that we are completely outta practice. Nights like last were the norm a year ago, now we look like we have been hit by a chicken bus after one measly night of discomfort. We better shape up! We grabbed our camera and cash, and set out to explore.
First stop, the Cathedral de Santa Domingo. Dubbed the most impressive in all of Oaxaca, the carved ceiling and incredible reliefs did not disappoint. Southbound, to the zocalo! Oaxaca is a darling city- reminiscent of Antigua with its old colonial architecture and color schemes. We hobbled downtown, admired the local entrepreneurs and the crap they were selling (from a distance!) and settled in at a cafe on the SE corner of the square for what will be known as the best huevos rancheros of my life. Oli's huevos de oaxaquina were delightful, ohhhhh all that queso fresco! This is going to be a challenge not eating every second of our time here. Maybe we should bite the bullet and reserve another seat on the flight home for our inevitable taco-induced love handles. I digress...
One thing we were not expecting was the vast number of bugs here. No, not las cucarachas- more along the lines of the German type. There are vw bugs on every corner, on every street. They've got to be the most popular car in Oaxaca. Even on the drive in from el aeropuerto we passed two vw dealerships. Oh Mexico, you are always full of surprises.
We headed back to our little Eden, las mariposas, and our room was ready! And hot damn, they gave us the nicest room in the place. Right at the back, overlooking the courtyard, big window, vaulted ceilings, king size bed, and a shower that I was happy to use whilst barefooted. What could be better? Ah yes.... Nap time.
Fast forward to dinnertime, which coincidentally is when we woke up. We ventured into town, past the grand Santo Domingo, and arrived at a hip little place that was packed to the gills. Dos mezcales de la casa por favor, y dos coronas. And the best molé we have ever tasted. Oaxaca has certainly held up it's end of the bargain! We are gonna stay put until Monday, when we venture out to the coast. But for now, we have lots of chocolate to sample, some ruins to see, and of course, to celebrate the passing of my first quarter century on this earth. I have a feeling that not all 26th birthdays could possibly be this much fun. We truly are blessed!
First stop, the Cathedral de Santa Domingo. Dubbed the most impressive in all of Oaxaca, the carved ceiling and incredible reliefs did not disappoint. Southbound, to the zocalo! Oaxaca is a darling city- reminiscent of Antigua with its old colonial architecture and color schemes. We hobbled downtown, admired the local entrepreneurs and the crap they were selling (from a distance!) and settled in at a cafe on the SE corner of the square for what will be known as the best huevos rancheros of my life. Oli's huevos de oaxaquina were delightful, ohhhhh all that queso fresco! This is going to be a challenge not eating every second of our time here. Maybe we should bite the bullet and reserve another seat on the flight home for our inevitable taco-induced love handles. I digress...
One thing we were not expecting was the vast number of bugs here. No, not las cucarachas- more along the lines of the German type. There are vw bugs on every corner, on every street. They've got to be the most popular car in Oaxaca. Even on the drive in from el aeropuerto we passed two vw dealerships. Oh Mexico, you are always full of surprises.
We headed back to our little Eden, las mariposas, and our room was ready! And hot damn, they gave us the nicest room in the place. Right at the back, overlooking the courtyard, big window, vaulted ceilings, king size bed, and a shower that I was happy to use whilst barefooted. What could be better? Ah yes.... Nap time.
Fast forward to dinnertime, which coincidentally is when we woke up. We ventured into town, past the grand Santo Domingo, and arrived at a hip little place that was packed to the gills. Dos mezcales de la casa por favor, y dos coronas. And the best molé we have ever tasted. Oaxaca has certainly held up it's end of the bargain! We are gonna stay put until Monday, when we venture out to the coast. But for now, we have lots of chocolate to sample, some ruins to see, and of course, to celebrate the passing of my first quarter century on this earth. I have a feeling that not all 26th birthdays could possibly be this much fun. We truly are blessed!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Back on the loose!
Oli and I are hitting the road again, for a nice little adventure along Pacific Mexico. We will be down there for a month- diving, eating delicious food, taking far too many pictures, and getting reacquainted with our good old friend, tequila :)
For those out of touch with our comings and goings of the past 8 months, here's a quick recap:
We finished up our relaxing, overindulgent times in Crete, and flew back to the UK. I split down to Melbourne, Aus. to attend the Australasian World Music Festival as a delegate for a week, coincidentally meeting up with our old pal Ryan for a few nights of mayhem. Oli relaxed at home with his family, and it was a happy reunion when I returned to Heathrow. We had a whirlwind few weeks ahead of us, helping out a bit with our good friends Nick and Lucy's wedding. It was amazing, to say the least. The bride was timeless, the groom a surprisingly adept public speaker, and Oli was one of the best men. Fun times! We then had my family come and stay with us at the Buchanans. We even had time to slip down to Brighton to give them a little tour! After a beautiful Christmas, Oli and I headed back to the states to visit with the other half of my family. We had a killer NYE party, and enjoyed a decompressing January, hitting the road in the 3rd week to venture back out west. We did another mini road trip, stopping in Birmingham for the best hospitality around with the Woods, and also getting to stop in on my old friend Kel in Austin. What would a road trip be without the requisite stop in Sin City with our old pals, before hitting that last 11 hour stretch to our new home- the Ranch.
Since February, Oli and I have been working on our family festival, Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, which went off without a hitch the June 18-20. We learned tons, it was nice to be around my Dad and Gret daily, and Oli is a handyman at heart, which brightened up the house dramatically. My dad was sick for a while, then our faithful old cat Wissa became ill as well, to the point where we had nightly drips from an IV. Oli became quite the nurse! Then there was the unexpected and tragic passing of my dear uncle Scott, which shook everyone up irreversibly. We were forced to power through and come together immediately, and as Scott was a key member of our staff, it was difficult moving forward with the festival. We pulled it off though, and couldn't have done so without the extreme loyalty and dedication of our staff and crew. The weekend was amazing fun, we were able to see so many of our favorite people, and even Oli's sister Sorrel was able to fly out at the last minute and partake in all the fun.
After the festival was over, we forced my dad and Gret to go on vacation in NY, and Oli and I held down the Ranch. Our planned week of silence and recuperation was put on hold when we decided to work our asses off and get the house in the best shape of its century plus life. Oli even redid the bathroom (or tried to anyway, that toilet might forever be a work in progress). We enjoyed our 4th anniversary, even though the dog ate our dinner, and decided to go and visit our Vegas pals once again. So we hopped in the car for a long weekend down south, followed by a camping trip and then a trip to visit Grams. Our long weekend turned into a week in Vegas as the camping trip was cancelled, and I was able to indulge in some much needed Aidan James time, my favorite little boy in the universe. We brewed some beer at my old buddy Brian's house (the boys did... we ladies watched movies), went out on the Strip for the first time in years, hung out at Chris and Heather's house, ate far too many good meals, swam in the pool(s) for hours, and indulged in hanging out with our friends. After the week ended we headed to San Luis Obispo to hang out Grams. Went to a play, made pizza, had breakfast with her buddies, and prepared the house for the imminent arrival of my Mom, Aunt, Sister, Brother, and Lauren, brother dear's girlfriend, and Henry, Jessy's new little pup. Amazing times, a trip to Hearst Castle, and I even got to celebrate my birthday early :)
We drove home, but the next day popped into the city to see the fam for a yummy dinner at world famous La Barca. Yum! Nice to see the fam, as who knows when we will be back east next.
Well... that was Thursday! The past few days have consisted of shopping, packing, GTL, and such. We have a trip to prepare for! So on Wednesday, the 28th, we hop on our flight to Mexico City, then continue on to Oaxaca. The adventure begins... stay tuned!
For those out of touch with our comings and goings of the past 8 months, here's a quick recap:
We finished up our relaxing, overindulgent times in Crete, and flew back to the UK. I split down to Melbourne, Aus. to attend the Australasian World Music Festival as a delegate for a week, coincidentally meeting up with our old pal Ryan for a few nights of mayhem. Oli relaxed at home with his family, and it was a happy reunion when I returned to Heathrow. We had a whirlwind few weeks ahead of us, helping out a bit with our good friends Nick and Lucy's wedding. It was amazing, to say the least. The bride was timeless, the groom a surprisingly adept public speaker, and Oli was one of the best men. Fun times! We then had my family come and stay with us at the Buchanans. We even had time to slip down to Brighton to give them a little tour! After a beautiful Christmas, Oli and I headed back to the states to visit with the other half of my family. We had a killer NYE party, and enjoyed a decompressing January, hitting the road in the 3rd week to venture back out west. We did another mini road trip, stopping in Birmingham for the best hospitality around with the Woods, and also getting to stop in on my old friend Kel in Austin. What would a road trip be without the requisite stop in Sin City with our old pals, before hitting that last 11 hour stretch to our new home- the Ranch.
Since February, Oli and I have been working on our family festival, Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, which went off without a hitch the June 18-20. We learned tons, it was nice to be around my Dad and Gret daily, and Oli is a handyman at heart, which brightened up the house dramatically. My dad was sick for a while, then our faithful old cat Wissa became ill as well, to the point where we had nightly drips from an IV. Oli became quite the nurse! Then there was the unexpected and tragic passing of my dear uncle Scott, which shook everyone up irreversibly. We were forced to power through and come together immediately, and as Scott was a key member of our staff, it was difficult moving forward with the festival. We pulled it off though, and couldn't have done so without the extreme loyalty and dedication of our staff and crew. The weekend was amazing fun, we were able to see so many of our favorite people, and even Oli's sister Sorrel was able to fly out at the last minute and partake in all the fun.
After the festival was over, we forced my dad and Gret to go on vacation in NY, and Oli and I held down the Ranch. Our planned week of silence and recuperation was put on hold when we decided to work our asses off and get the house in the best shape of its century plus life. Oli even redid the bathroom (or tried to anyway, that toilet might forever be a work in progress). We enjoyed our 4th anniversary, even though the dog ate our dinner, and decided to go and visit our Vegas pals once again. So we hopped in the car for a long weekend down south, followed by a camping trip and then a trip to visit Grams. Our long weekend turned into a week in Vegas as the camping trip was cancelled, and I was able to indulge in some much needed Aidan James time, my favorite little boy in the universe. We brewed some beer at my old buddy Brian's house (the boys did... we ladies watched movies), went out on the Strip for the first time in years, hung out at Chris and Heather's house, ate far too many good meals, swam in the pool(s) for hours, and indulged in hanging out with our friends. After the week ended we headed to San Luis Obispo to hang out Grams. Went to a play, made pizza, had breakfast with her buddies, and prepared the house for the imminent arrival of my Mom, Aunt, Sister, Brother, and Lauren, brother dear's girlfriend, and Henry, Jessy's new little pup. Amazing times, a trip to Hearst Castle, and I even got to celebrate my birthday early :)
We drove home, but the next day popped into the city to see the fam for a yummy dinner at world famous La Barca. Yum! Nice to see the fam, as who knows when we will be back east next.
Well... that was Thursday! The past few days have consisted of shopping, packing, GTL, and such. We have a trip to prepare for! So on Wednesday, the 28th, we hop on our flight to Mexico City, then continue on to Oaxaca. The adventure begins... stay tuned!
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