Beach Time

And now, off to the  beach...  I took a long time reading about the beaches I hadn't yet visited (I had done a big tour of west and east coast beach destinations years ago, and my pretty hard and fast rule is to always go somewhere new). So no Puerto Vallarta, Alcapulco, Mazatlan, or east-coast beaches, either...  I chose Puerto Escondito because of the proximity of a lot of beaches south of it, in case PE did not hold my interest for the whole time I was there.

 Puerto Escondito is home of the "Mexican Pipeline" - a world famous line of surf.  It is not safe to swim in that water as the undertow is just incredible.  I pranced around in it - had a blast! 

 (No fool I, I was right under the elevated hut of the lifesavers)

In spite of the great beaches in Puerto Escondito, those who know me know I can only sit still or lay around for so long, so in fact I did jump on some buses and check out some others too -

 here is a taste of a number of them:

 OK, I'll stop with the beach pictures now - any more and you'll accuse me of bragging.  

Yes, the were as glorious as they look - stunning, in fact.

  

On my beach-reconnaissance day I travelled on bigger buses, but then had to catch small local ones from beach to beach.  I let a few of them go by before I realized that they were buses at all:  

 Now, I ask you - does that look like a bus to you?!

Pelicans and fishing boats - these was the scene outside the hotel I stayed at.  

As I write this it is the 1st of December and I am FREEZING inland and northwards in Tequis!

And my tan is fading fast - oh how I yearn for more beach time....

Karen

Oaxaca and The Day of the Dead

I never really focussed on the fact that my birthday is 

the Mexican Day of the Dead, but hey,  Dia de los Meurtos is very very cool!  

So black-humoured and campy and fun - it really kicks butt on Halloween!

So, the Oct/Nov week off came - and it just seemed right to go to the Mexican heart soul and funny-bone of Dia de los Muertos - Oaxaca.  And so I did - took a night bus from Mexico City with 2 of my 3 English lads and we arrived bright and early on Nov 1.  Now, let me tell you - crowds were predicted, as this is a BIG festival, but the trick is to arrive at these things early, and avoid the crowds - and so we did. 

We got to the hotel that I had arranged (remember, I am known as the Compound Mother) and there we were - a perfectly nice little hotel:

Now, I may be truly old now but I have not lost my razor-sharp wit:  I told the boys we could only afford a black & white hotel.  (It seemed funnier after a long bus ride) .

Here is me with some of the locals:

  Just so you know, I am wearing a fetching skeleton necklace and earring set  :>)

Here is one of hundreds of altars to the dead - this can be a very personal memorial to one's relatives:

Candy figures heavily into the whole D of the D scene - this skull is a cake covered in marzipan:

The next day was spent at Monte Alban - one of the great ruins of a great lost culture:

Do ya see the moon?

And there I was in heaven, on my birthday:  ancient Mexico, with an eagle that soared overhead at one point, and me reading Shakespeare's sonnets.  No, it actually doesn't get better than that!!

Will write about the 2nd half of this trip - the beach part - later...

Adios, KMG