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| Feb 02, 2002 San Cristobal de las Casas, MX |
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Again, its been a while since our last update, but we do the best we can. This travel entry will cover some of the best places in Mexico...so take note. Oaxaca... After leaving Puebla we headed for the much smaller colonial town of Oaxaca. Its less than half the size of Puebla and offers twice the fun. Oaxaca is as good as it gets in Mexico, and the huge population of foreigners is proof that many agree with me. There is free music every night in the Zocalo, and it is well attended by locals as well as foreigners. After the music it actually gets better because that is when other local bands, and street performers come out to take advantage of the large crowed that has gathered. The temperature is perfect in the evening, you can walk around totally comfortable in shorts and a t-shirt until late in the night. Da Beach... From Oaxaca we headed for the beach. First stop Puerto Angel. Greg writing now (to explain sudden blast of seemingly random observations largely unrelated to anything but the whim of the moment). Ahhhh, the beach! This is what I had been yearning for like my first pubic hair (for which I waited a long 22 years). And, like that glorious hair, the beaches of Puerto Angel and neighboring Zipolite did not disappoint! Puerto Angel is a somewhat sleepy little fishing port on the southernmost Pacific Coast. The feel is slow, relaxed, and amazingly unspoiled by tourism. As you will see in the pictures, we found the locals to be very hospitable. We stayed a total of about 8 days at the beach. 5 days at Puerto Angel and 3 days at Zipolite, just west on the coast a couple kilometers. Zipolite is a hippie paradise!-- the drugs scene is amazing, naked people everywhere, and laid back to the max. Within the first day, Glen and I had been approached numerous times to buy drugs(many of the dealers are young locals- kind of sad). Our beach pad of choice was the famed Shambala on the far West end of the beach. This is definitely the place to be for an affordable and interesting experience. We rented a cabana with a view of the beach, but there were also dorm style beds, smaller rooms, and hammocks to rent. We spent the days lounging in the hammocks, swimming in the surf, and generally diggin the scene up and down the very happenin beachfront restaurants. Back to the highlands... After getting all the sun we could stand we went back to the highlands, this time in Chiapas. San Cristobal de las Casas is a smaller cousin of Oaxaca. The only real difference as far as I could tell, and the reason I liked Oaxaca better, is that young locals constantly hound you to buy little crafts 24 hours a day, no matter where you are or what you are doing. Oh, the other main difference, and the real reason I am bitter about the whole place.... montezuma's revenge, gallopin gerties- yes folks, my first bout with Traveler's diarrhea! I won't get into the details, but it was ugly and I was laid up for a couple days. No more salads for me. Ok, the hands hurt but the heart beats clear and true for all of you back home, wherever that may be. Cheers and well wishes to all, Greg and Glen |
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