Paradise Found - Part 2
Hola Amigos,
At last communication the three of us had arrived at Puerto Escondido literally meaning “Hidden Port” or just Puerto as the locals call it. This is a must stop for surfers backpackers, hippies, and apparently us. We had planed for a night but somehow stayed for three. The port itself is crescent shaped with a rocky outcropping separating the town in to two districts. The northern district is protected from the big waves while the southern side is home of the infamous Mexican Pipeline. A couple of Canadian girls we had met in the previous town had informed us of a campground just off the main road across from the beach, supposedly the only one in town. In search of the promised cheap sandy accommodations we, quite by accident, happened upon a hidden niche of a campsite, perfect in every way. It once had been a trailer park, but now it houses a single Canadian, Mark, and his canine friend Shelby. We thourghly enjoyed mark and his many peculiarities. Mark had been living in Puerto Escondido for 2 months and was eating the same meal for breakfast and dinner, which he cooked himself, for the whole 2 months when he could have eaten the most excellent Mexican food for 2USD and 30 seconds walk away…The driveway to the trailer park doubles as seating for an outdoor café which literally separates the trailer park from the street. I’m happy to report that Mark was quite content with his routine, maybe we could all learn something from Mark, or then again, maybe not.
After several minutes of deliberation we decided it was indeed time to move on. So back up we did and bid a fond farewell to our little town of Puerto. It was only about 40KM down the road to Zipolite, a quaint little hippie town. We planed on staying for lunch and ended up staying the night. Happens. The “onda” or vibe was too good to pass up. The beach as lovely lined with hammocks under a series of palapas, a great place to grab an afternoon nap. Zipolite is one of those towns were there is more foot traffic than there are cars, a great place to stroll around checking out shops and cafes. In the morning we prepared ourselves for the drive through Chiapas, the Mexican state still in insurrectionary conflict with the Mexican Government. The guide books prepared us for highway robbery and dangers of all kinds. I’m happy to report we encountered no such troubles; in fact the people were courteous and accommodating. We pulled up to a beach off the beaten track named Playa La Flor del Palma. On the beach was a family run restaurant, more like an outdoor kitchen beneath a palm thatched roof. We were warmly welcomed and invited to stay the night under the palapa. Since it was Semanta Santa (the largest holiday week in all of Latin America) there were several Mexican families in celebration. Once the kitchen closed for the night people began setting up tents, and the music started. It was a joyous celebration enjoyed by all. The beach itself was sprawling and gave way to sand dunes which climbed partially up the mountains face. An excellent choice for the last of our Mexico camping adventure
Next stop Guatemala and the Good Friday border crossing. The boarder crossing was comical to say the least. After a couple of runs between the Mexico and Guatemalan boarders for a series of stamps and paperwork processing we were granted right of entry to Guatemala! Guatemala’s beauty is beyond words. Lush jungles line the road while the horizon gives way to rolling hills in the vast countryside. Unbelievable. We pulled up to the mountain town of Antigua. Antigua is special in its own right; old buildings line the narrow cobblestone roads. The town itself is situated high in the mountains while nestled between three active volcanoes. We happened to arrive on Good Friday. Now Good Friday in Antigua is listed in the too 100 things to do before you die list, and as we discovered, for good reason. People come from all over to view the processions of parades and floats commemorating the Semanta Santa holiday. The town square was filled with hundreds of people trying to catch a glimpse of the crucifixion reenactment. We, however, were not too keen on it as we had already seen the Passion of the Christ on video.
That’s all there is time for now…we will pick this up as we enter The Honduras and take a week of diving on Rotan. Currently, we are in the Tikal ruins of Guatemala and will send this via an encrypted wireless 802.11G link first established by the Myans in The Year of Your Lord (but not theirs) eight hundred forty two.
At last communication the three of us had arrived at Puerto Escondido literally meaning “Hidden Port” or just Puerto as the locals call it. This is a must stop for surfers backpackers, hippies, and apparently us. We had planed for a night but somehow stayed for three. The port itself is crescent shaped with a rocky outcropping separating the town in to two districts. The northern district is protected from the big waves while the southern side is home of the infamous Mexican Pipeline. A couple of Canadian girls we had met in the previous town had informed us of a campground just off the main road across from the beach, supposedly the only one in town. In search of the promised cheap sandy accommodations we, quite by accident, happened upon a hidden niche of a campsite, perfect in every way. It once had been a trailer park, but now it houses a single Canadian, Mark, and his canine friend Shelby. We thourghly enjoyed mark and his many peculiarities. Mark had been living in Puerto Escondido for 2 months and was eating the same meal for breakfast and dinner, which he cooked himself, for the whole 2 months when he could have eaten the most excellent Mexican food for 2USD and 30 seconds walk away…The driveway to the trailer park doubles as seating for an outdoor café which literally separates the trailer park from the street. I’m happy to report that Mark was quite content with his routine, maybe we could all learn something from Mark, or then again, maybe not.
After several minutes of deliberation we decided it was indeed time to move on. So back up we did and bid a fond farewell to our little town of Puerto. It was only about 40KM down the road to Zipolite, a quaint little hippie town. We planed on staying for lunch and ended up staying the night. Happens. The “onda” or vibe was too good to pass up. The beach as lovely lined with hammocks under a series of palapas, a great place to grab an afternoon nap. Zipolite is one of those towns were there is more foot traffic than there are cars, a great place to stroll around checking out shops and cafes. In the morning we prepared ourselves for the drive through Chiapas, the Mexican state still in insurrectionary conflict with the Mexican Government. The guide books prepared us for highway robbery and dangers of all kinds. I’m happy to report we encountered no such troubles; in fact the people were courteous and accommodating. We pulled up to a beach off the beaten track named Playa La Flor del Palma. On the beach was a family run restaurant, more like an outdoor kitchen beneath a palm thatched roof. We were warmly welcomed and invited to stay the night under the palapa. Since it was Semanta Santa (the largest holiday week in all of Latin America) there were several Mexican families in celebration. Once the kitchen closed for the night people began setting up tents, and the music started. It was a joyous celebration enjoyed by all. The beach itself was sprawling and gave way to sand dunes which climbed partially up the mountains face. An excellent choice for the last of our Mexico camping adventure
Next stop Guatemala and the Good Friday border crossing. The boarder crossing was comical to say the least. After a couple of runs between the Mexico and Guatemalan boarders for a series of stamps and paperwork processing we were granted right of entry to Guatemala! Guatemala’s beauty is beyond words. Lush jungles line the road while the horizon gives way to rolling hills in the vast countryside. Unbelievable. We pulled up to the mountain town of Antigua. Antigua is special in its own right; old buildings line the narrow cobblestone roads. The town itself is situated high in the mountains while nestled between three active volcanoes. We happened to arrive on Good Friday. Now Good Friday in Antigua is listed in the too 100 things to do before you die list, and as we discovered, for good reason. People come from all over to view the processions of parades and floats commemorating the Semanta Santa holiday. The town square was filled with hundreds of people trying to catch a glimpse of the crucifixion reenactment. We, however, were not too keen on it as we had already seen the Passion of the Christ on video.
That’s all there is time for now…we will pick this up as we enter The Honduras and take a week of diving on Rotan. Currently, we are in the Tikal ruins of Guatemala and will send this via an encrypted wireless 802.11G link first established by the Myans in The Year of Your Lord (but not theirs) eight hundred forty two.
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1:30 PM
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