Mexico Travelogue 2012/2013…Part One
My tropical journey got off to a slightly bumpy start due to my typical last minute preparations. I was mostly packed the night before but did not really look at my itinerary closely until the day of departure, Thanksgiving day. Upon further investigation, I noticed that after an hour and a half flight from Atlanta to Dallas, I had an 8 hour (!!!) layover there! Damn, I guess that is what you get when you book these extreme budget flights. Also, I noticed that my final destination seemed to be Toluca, Mexico not Mexico City where I thought I was flying into. WTF?? Where in the hell is Toluca anyway? Davey got me to the airport without incident and on time. I used the 8 hours in Dallas to get my head around Toluca in my Lonely Planet Mexico guide book. Turns out that Toluca is an hour or so (depending on traffic) west of Mexico City so no huge deal but I would have to figure out transport there. I arrived in Toluca at about 2 am and was semi-surprised when we disembarked from a staircase onto the tarmac (haven`t done that since Calcutta!) instead of the usual hallway tunnel thing. Spirit Air might have some of the cheapest flights to Latin America but when it comes to perks, they suck! All of the international flights that I have taken previously not only had good free meals (China Air rocks!!) but also free booze. Spirit Air charges for water!! This smaller airport was pretty much shut down in the middle of the night so I resigned myself to another long wait. I managed to catch a few hours of sleep on the floor and caught a shared taxi shortly after sunrise to Mex City and Terminal Poinenta, where I had been informed by the lady at the info booth I could catch a bus to Oaxaca. Now I know from expereince that buses to Oaxaca leave from Terminal TAPO and Terminal Orriente but thought that things might have changed since I was down here a few years ago. No, it turned out that the info lady had provided complete misinformation. Upon arrival at the bus station, I was informed that there were no buses from there to Oaxaca. So I paid another taxi to take me across town to the right bus station. I would have taken the Metro (subway) but it was rush hour and my backpack was way too big to deal with the masses. Cruising around Mex City by cab was crazy and chaotic as usual. It never fails to blow my mind that a megalopolis like this even exists (almost 30 million people, largest city in the world by population!) So finally, after going to the wrong airport and the wrong bus station, I purchased a ticket to Oaxaca. I got lucky with that at least since the bus was leaving 15 minutes after my arrival at the station. The 6 hour bus ride is very scenic but I did not see much scenery since I crashed out hard. At this point, I had been in transit for over 24 hours and was completely exhausted. I awoke in a small town about an hour from Oaxaca City to hear the driver giving a long speech. Since my Spanish was pretty rusty and I was still halfway asleep, I did not follow most of what he said but gathered that the bus would not be moving for quite some time. An older French lady on the street explained that protests and demonstrations in Oaxaca City were blocking all transit. Having been here many times, that was not too surprising because these people love to protest! I asked the driver how long he thought that we would be there. He said that he did not know, maybe 2 hours, maybe longer. I briefly considered getting a hotel room but then decided to fall into a Mom and Pops mezcal shop instead. A few shots of the potent cactus liquor perked me right up and I was able to whip the Spanish back into shape talking to the super friendly family than ran the place. During my periodic check ins at the bus station, I met a very cool Japanese dreadlocked guy, who was travelling with his equally cool Japanese wife. It turned out that we had been to some of the same places in Thailand and they were also going to the Rainbow Gathering in Palenque on Dec 21st. I am really glad that we met since he was the only one who knew where to find me (pretty drunk by this time at the mezcal shop) when the bus pulled out about an hour and a half later. He excitedly stuck his head in the door and yelled ^Come On!! Lets go! The bus is leaving^ Being friendly truly has its advantages! I would have undoubtedly been left behind without his assistance. The Japanese spoke very little Spanish so I decided to take them under my wing. I recommended our usual Oaxaca headquarters, Hostel Santa Isabel. We arrived there together for a joyous reunion with Sharky and O (Oregon firefighter buddy and his lovely wife from Thailand), who were very happy that I had made it and were doing well. Following a great Cumbia band in the Zocalo (main public plaza), we did a bit of bar hopping until we arrived at a familiar quaint place that features live jazz and blues. O`s famous last words were ¨I have drank 6 cups of mezcal and this stuff does not do anything to me¨. A short while later, she spent 45 minutes in the bathroom and had to take a taxi back to the hostel. I hit one more dance club for a short while and then decided to call it a night myself. All in all, it was a great Friday night reintroduction to Oaxaca City!!
We spent a few days chilling around the hostel, wherein I took the opportunity to refamilairize with the cuisine and culture of lovely Oaxaca City. If you`ve never been there, I truly recommend it. It`s a world apart from other places in Mexico with so many unique aspects. We determined that we would leave Monday morning for the high mountain village of San Jose de Pacifico (famous for magick mushrooms), so I decided somewhat impulsively on Sunday afternoon that we should take an excursion to El Tule tree- a 3000 year old Cypress that at 164 feet wide is the largest tree in the world by circumfrence!! This tree is so spectacular that it has its own large church and village named after it. Our Japanese friends wanted to come along. They told their Japanese friends and go figure, they wanted to come as well. The next thing you know, 8 of us crammed into a tiny taxi cab (2 Americans, 1 Thai girl, 4 Japanese, and a Mexican (the driver)!! It was one hell of a tight squeeze lap ride, FOR REAL!! We even got pulled over by the cops within feet of our destination for having too many people in the car. In 10 years of coming down here, it was the first time I have ever seem blue lights rolling in the rearview mirror! Everyone was blown away by the tree. The Japanese were very grateful that I had invited them to come along. We said goodbye to the Japanese that evening, who were en route to Guatemala, and promised to reunite at the Rainbow Gathering.
Sharky, O, and I arrived the next day at San Jose de Pacifico. We went straight to our favorite spot, Restaurant de Gabrielle and had the best Negra Mole (on chicken enchiladas) in the entire world! The way this lady makes the thick and rich sauce (consisting of chocolate, hot peppers, and a smorgasboard of herbs and spices) is unbelievable!! Then we were happily surprised to move into some really nice new cabanas ($4 a piece US a night!) that had a nice view of the surrounding mountains. We spent 2 days there so I had the chance to do some hiking amongst the gorgeous surroundng scenery. We caught a spectacular sunset from Gabrielle`s restaurant, for which San Jose is also famous. After 2 days, we moved on to the beach.
It was hot as shit when we arrived at the beach, I assure you. Sharky and O moved into a room with a great ocean view in San Augustinillo while I opted for the extreme budget option of camping on the beach for free a 15 minute walk up the road near Mazunte. With a little bit of exploration, I was able to discover the perfect hidden camping spot on my own private beach! The crashing of the tides was phenomenol on this full moon night indeed. I popped my tent up and decided to hang out au natural (in the nude) for a few hours on the beach in the moonlight. My camping spot was so perfect that I had a cliff right behind me that blocked the sun till late in the morning so I could even sleep in little bit before crawling out of the tent into the excessive heat. A few days later, I encountered an old friend that I have known for a decade on the beach. He offered me a private room for 50 pesos a night ($4 bucks), which is unheard of for current beach prices. After 3 nights of sleeping in my tent on the beach, I decided to take him up on it and obtained lodgings for the weekend. I met and dined with 2 different lovely Canadian chicks on 2 separate occasions during this period. Since they were both beautiful and in their early 20s, it was a nice reminder that I have still got it!! They were both really cool and also en route to the Gathering. Sharky, O, and I caught a magnificent show of local circus acrobats at a classy place in San Augustinillo on Saturday night that involved pole dancing, trapeze, hanging and jumping thrugh rings, scantily clad beautiful girls doing wild maneuvers while hanging from fabric from the ceiling, and sexy tango dancing. This was the best entertainment I have seen in a long time and much fun was had by all. I normally favor higher elevations but I have to say that on this 8 night stay at this gorgeous tropical beach (5 nights camping for free, 3 nights in a rustic room); I really settled into the beach lifestyle. I swam no less than 4 or 5 times a day (every day) in the fabulous Pacific Ocean. There were even a couple of days there when the temperatures were slightly mild, by local standards.
Alas, the Sharky, O, Flow Show decided to split up temporarily. Sharky and O opted to explore futher North and West a relatively undeveloped coastal community known as Chacahau, while I hopped on an 11 hour bus trip to the state of Chiapas and the gorgeous high elevation (over 7000 feet) colonial city of San Cristobal de la Casas. We promised to reunite in no less than 2 weeks. San Cristobal is as wonderful as I remembered with its cool brisk nights, high quality organic coffee, colorful indigenous Mayan people, cobble stoned streets, beautiful architecture, and gerneral loveliness. I just checked into a room here for $12 a night (150 pesos) with private bathroom, hot water shower, cable TV (including many channels with movies in English!), free internet, and kitchen access! God, I love Mexico! Being Friday night, I am sure that I will find something fun to get into with this city`s much celebrated nightlife. Tomorrow night, I will take an overnight bus to a place that I have not been to in a decade, Palenque and it`s mighty pyramids, at the heart of the Mayan people, deep in the jungle. I am really looking forward to convening with the freaks from all over the world there at the International Rainbow Gathering. Stay tuned for Part 2..till then, Adios!
Paz y Amore
Flujo Bebe