We left Oaxaca, a place that was starting to feel like home, and flew to the south coast. We could have caught a bus but the journey twists and winds so much through the mountains that the bus is nicknamed "The Vomit Comet". I'm not good on winding roads at the best of times, so we opted to fly. We pre-arranged a taxi from the airport to our place in a seaside village called San Agustinillo.
There are a string of villages along the coast here. San Agustinillo is one of the smaller, quieter ones. This suited us. We didn't need 21 year-olds partying all night outside our room. Accommodation was expensive along the coast. We got a place on the beach but it was pretty simple. It had no aircon and I struggled with the heat. We also got attacked by mosquitoes. Fortunately, there's no malaria here.
We soon learnt to go for a walk at first light, before the heat of the sun kicked in, which was about 5 minutes after it rose! The beaches were quite pretty.
The birdlife was interesting. Pelicans lived on the rocks just offshore and spent their days diving for fish. They were rather spectacular! It was also fun being in the water and a huge pelican would suddenly dive into the water near you.
We also saw plenty of frigate birds and terns . There were also squirrels around. I didn't know squirrels could live in the tropics.
One morning we walked out to a nearby headland. On the way there were some cool murals. This is Mexico, after all, where any blank wall is fair game to have a mural painted on it!
One for you Mangles! (We think it's the name of the tree.)
Even though we're in the tropics, it's still quite arid in the dry season.
The sun had only been up for less than an hour but we were very hot and sweaty!
There are many turtles in this area and we found this nest on the beach.
One day, we were sitting outside our room and I happened to be under the edge of the thatched roof of the bungalow next to us. The roof was about three metres above my head. Suddenly something big and with claws fell on my head! I had no idea what it was and screamed for John to get it off me, much to the amusement of people nearby. It turned out to be a lizard about 45cms long which had fallen off the thatched roof. I don't know who got the biggest fright, the lizard or me!
The reason we had come to San Agustinillo was to ride the waves. I love boogie boarding and John loves body surfing. We eagerly hit the waves the first day and soon realised they were unlike anything we had dealt with before. It wasn't that they were extraordinarily huge, it's just that they acted weirdly. Almost every time I caught a wave I would be riding it into the shore when suddenly a few waves would catch each other so I found myself on top of doubled-up waves. At the same time, the water underneath would get sucked back off the sand. The result was that I would suddenly get dumped on the sand from a few feet in the air. After a few uncomfortable landings, I gave up when I broke the boogie board I had hired!
The other weird thing about the waves is that they bounce back from the shore. There was a group of local boys who seemed to ride every afternoon. We watched in amazement as the waves they were riding would smack straight into a wave returning from the shore. Bodies and boards were flung into the air like grains of sand. The boys would just keep going. Several times I saw surfers and boarders ride waves backwards from the shore, that is, they were riding them out in a seaward direction. It was all very strange.
The heat and the lack of good waves put a dampener on things a bit. We had booked for four nights which I felt was a bit too long. Maddy and Ash arrived on our last day though. They had been walking in our footsteps in the Pueblos Mancomunados. They covered more ground than us and found it to be hard enough, but an interesting experience. We caught up with them for dinner, eating freshly barbequed fish at tables on the sand. It was lovely! At the end of the meal, John and Ash ordered some mezcal and it was served in teacups! John and Ash thought this was a bit posh.
We said goodbye to Mads and Ash and moved onto another town called Huatulco, further up the coast. We wanted to be on the beach but the beaches here are lined with resorts. We thought we'd found the right place for us - a small place that wasn't a resort but was right on the water. Unfortunately, I hadn't read the details of the price properly and it turned out to be quite expensive, plus it was a fair way out of town. We decided to only stay for two days instead of four. We made the most of the beautiful place in that two days though!
The buildings were almost Greek looking with their white domes and whitewashed walls.
The view from our window.
We found these cool birds and took a photo for you Gary!
In the lobby they had this amazing piece of art that was created all of figurines. One side told many stories from the bible and the other side showed some of Mexico's history.
Huatulco is unique. In the 80's, someone in government decided that this beautiful area of bays and sandy beaches should be developed for tourism. Surprisingly, they did a pretty good job of it. They developed a National Park and limited building development to four stories high. Something like three-quarters of the area is parks or reserves. Although some areas are lined with all-inclusive resorts, it doesn't feel too crowded. To top it off, they also created a town, called La Crucecita. They did it well and it has quickly become a genuine Mexican town.
There seems to be a thing about margaritas here. They're enormous! I had this strawberry one before dinner one night and was totally on my ear after one drink! I had to hold it with two hands.
We set out to explore the nearby beaches where we could snorkel. En route, our taxi driver stopped at a lookout point.
Going to the beach here is a very comfortable experience. You sit at tables and chairs at a palapa (restaurant) and have food and drinks!
A nice lunch of seafood tacos, guacamole and a coconut! A point of interest - this is the first straw we've had in a drink in all of Mexico. They have banned them in most places. Afterwards, we went to pay the bill and the guy tried to rip us off. As well as overcharging for two out of three things we ordered, he added on his own tip! Needless to say there were some terse words and there was definitely no tip! It was a shame this happened as we've found most people to be so lovely and usually quite honest about prices.
We went snorkelling here but it wasn't anything special (compared to the western tropical Pacific). There were a few nice fish and some plain coral and the water was really clear.
Preparations were being made for some sort of a fiesta at this beach on the next day. It seemed to be in relation to the anniversary of the beach but we don't know how that's possible! There were speeches being made and a military band playing.
We had switched hotels and were now staying in La Crucecita. That night we ended up at an Italian restaurant for dinner. It was fantastic! The family were Italian and our funny ADHD waiter was their son who handmade our pasta. We got great prosecco, an Aperol spritz and wonderful Italian wine as well! We enjoy Mexican food but it's good to have variety.
We caught a taxi the next day to another beach where there is supposed to be good snorkelling but it was only just ok. We then returned to yesterday's beach to see how the fiesta was going. People were playing games of beach volleyball and football on the sand. Music was blaring over the top of everything. There was a fishing competition and, from what we could work out, the fish were then going to be cooked and handed out for free to everyone. The biggest catches were on display. They were amazing! We don't know our big fish very well but I suspect these were mostly sailfish. They were huge!
I think the best thing about this coastal part of the trip was, strangely, the town of La Crucecita. It's a fun and likeable town. It's small enough that it's easy to get around and to understand. It's full of Canadians mainly, with some Americans thrown in, yet is still ok despite that (just joking, our Canadian and American friends!). Americans and Canadians tend to visit Mexico in the same way that Aussies visit Bali. Most go just for the beach playground, but some explore beyond the shores and get to know the area very well. A lot more north Americans speak Spanish that Aussies speak Indonesian though, that's for sure!
We haven't met any Aussies for ages. In fact, we're not sure we've met any! In all our taxi travels around here (taxis are cheap and the best way to get around), we've twice been asked if we speak English or French in Australia! Sacre bleu!
It was Valentines Day here yeseterday and Mexicans seem to be big on it as there were flower and balloon sellers out in force. We went to a nice restaurant for dinner.
One night when we were in Oaxaca, there was a TV with Netflix on it in our room. We started watching 'Outlander'. On many nights since then, we've had our dosage of Mexican culture during the day then become immersed in the doings of Claire and Jamie in the Scottish Highlands at night on our laptops. It's such a mix of cultures!
We are about to leave this lovely town and head inland. We are looking forward to some new and interesting experiences. We travel on buses for nine hours over the next two days so I hope there aren't too many winding roads!
Hasta luego.
Heather and John
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