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!