The little Lineas Unidas bus was full, so two of us got to sit up front with a very friendly driver, Geovanni Gris, who, when he learned I am a biologist, shared lots about plants, but also language and culture. He explained how a tall grass, carrizo, I’d mistaken for corn is used for basket-making. It’s been planted in the US but grows wild in Mexico, often on extremely steep slopes, but also by wetlands.
I hadn’t seen many cattle during my trip, and when we saw a pair yoked to a plow, he said the yoke is called a “yunta,” and usually has one older cow who teaches its younger partner, who is stronger.
He mentioned “poleo” tea, which translates as Mexican pennyroyal but is really a kind of vervain whose scientific name is Lippia turbinata. He said it will pick you up the morning after you drink too much.
Giovanni made a beautiful tlaloc mask for Dia de los Muertos. Tlaloc is the big native salamander similar to our hellbender except for the thick ring of gills around its neck. His version is much more fierce looking…He’s from San Agustin, about 1 hour north of Oaxaca on the road to Mexico City.Though initially in the mountains, most of the journey was on broad valley roads, slowed only by the many speed bumps. This is agave used in making mezcal.Most of the main road into Oaxaca is divided, with bougainvillea and other flowering shrubs and trees planted for miles.
I picked up Oliver Sacks’ book, Oaxaca Journal, thinking I’d have lots of reading time at the beach—wrong! Had I read it, I’d have known San Jose del Pacifico was one of the Oaxacan villages where sacred ceremonial mushrooms were traditionally used only with great reverence and care until the psychedelic movement of the 60s brought seekers like Sacks.
Though I’d heard villagers lamented the loss of those sacred times before the world discovered them, San Jose del Pacifico remains a beautiful peaceful haven in the mountains. Though lots of natural herbal teas, dried mushrooms, and knitted art and clothing were for sale, the few tourists I met were all interested in enjoying mountain trails and vistas.
I met an older woman from Minnesota who was teaching English in a village about an hour north, and was in town for a friend’s birthday. It was easy to imagine staying there for a long time…
The first few photos are from the coastal road and as I headed back up into the mountains.
It’s hard to see, but there are lots more mountains behind those easily seen behind this river.I think this is a mango orchard.Our bus driver was very cautious and serious, but had this turtle and San Judas Tadeo (Saint Jude Thaddeus), the patron saint of hopeless causes, for comfort (reassurance?).Somewhere along the route…Corn was planted in some very steep places!Beautiful villages along the way. Quick break during the 3 hour trip. They were in another “collectivo” (small bus)?heading to the warm coast just as a cool spell hit the mountains. Super sweet sisters who shared the ride with me. Irene and I had met two sisters who were doctors visiting Mazunte, so was surprised to learn these two were also doctors. On my next trip, the last leg to Oaxaca, I sat next to a nurse!The view from my hostel in San Jose del Pacifico and perfect quiet were wonderful!! Lots of beautiful flowers everywhere…And some mushroom influenced artwork around town…
I ended up going to Puerto Escondido because I was mixed up about how to get to a mountain village Stephan recommended, San Jose del Pacifico. I much preferred little Mazunte and Playa Zipolite, but I met tourists who preferred the larger city.
Carla and I shared the first leg of her trip to Lagunas de Chacahua. She was loaded up with food since she’d learned there might not be any stores or restaurants there.I stopped for tacos and hibiscus flower tea. The vendor said she didn’t move her bicycle stand any longer, which was a relief as Puerto Escondido is a very hilly town!It was Saturday and the beach was packed! Can you see all the folks in the water?I walked to a “mirador,” one of many places to look out over the ocean. A young man arrived with a harpoon and swam between the rocks on the left. I didn’t see what he caught, as I left before he came back up, but found myself regretting not swimming from the rocks in Rabat in Morocco when I had the chance, where Suzanne Sunshine encouraged me to join the young fellows off the rocks there…Lots of birds, including this black vulture. Impossible to get good photos of bunches of swallows, but Merlin said they were violet-green swallows, which made me wish I had a better vantage point (they looked dark gray from the cliff).Inca dove. Wish I’d captured its cooing, but folks walked up and it flew…A city park near my hotel—nearly all the benches are full.A cafe with gorgeous portraits and the whole front side completely open. Hope it fills up more than that night!Lovely garden oasis at my hotel, but the restaurant next door hosted an all night rapper who was a relative (so all the family came to celebrate his success), then at 4:30a, after the rapping ended, the party moved to outside my door. Not my best night…and I was relieved to head out early that morning. Playa Zicatela is one of the best surfing spots in Mexico, in Puerto Escondido. Most of the Pacific beaches I visited, unless sheltered in a cove, had red flags indicating dangerous undertows (and I now realize dangerous waves). At Playa Zipolite, the nudist beach near Mazunte, there was no flag. I love to body surf and though I saw waves picking up a lot of sand, decided to try catching a wave. I rode one beautiful wave that gently dropped me close to the beach after a lovely ride, then nearly broke my neck with the next. The Afe restaurant gave me ice for my tattered nose and face, and it took about a week for the scabs to disappear. My shoulders still ache a bit sometimes. So maybe I was a bit grumpy by the time I reached Puerto Escondido.
Playa Zipolite, the only nudist beach in Oaxaca, is just 20 minutes east of Mazunte and hosts an annual nudist festival. You don’t have to go nude on the beach, and the festival starts with a traditional parade (fully clothed), though less clothed events were happening on the beach. Irene, Carla, and I went partly because Carla had heard of a fantastic fish restaurant. The main streets in town were pedestrian only—not sure if that’s normal or was for the parade, but it was really pleasant, with lovely shops.
We headed for a cafe on the beach until the restaurant was due to open. But when the restaurant wasn’t open when expected, Carla and I headed for a swim while Irene listened to dance music and then had some impromptu dance lessons…
Then came a beautiful parade with each nearby village represented with their signature dresses and lots of music! Irene borrowed my regular camera and took some beautiful photos and videos. When I get them posted on Flickr, will share a link here.
Back in Mazunte, a little more music and dancing to close a lovely day before we all headed different directions…Carla to a gorgeous natural area Lagunas de Chacahua, and Irene to San Cristobal de las Cruces.
Across from the music, a mural about a dog rescue organization. At Afe!!We shared delicious dishes at Restaurante Afe where we learned we were just in time for the opening traditional parade!! As the parade participants were getting ready, lots of photos..Irene captured nicer video and photos with my camera so hope to post those soon on Flickr and add links here. Carla found out which villages were represented…but I didn’t keep track. On the way back to Mazunte. Cuban music you may recognize from Buena Vista Social Club! Hoping a new salsa trend will start in the US for old fogeys like me who are in bed before the dancing starts at 10 pm.
Whenever we made a toast, I noticed that Carla and Irene would tap their glasses on the table before taking a sip, so they taught me two sayings, highlighting the importance of tapping your glass and swirling it after a toast before taking a sip. “Quien no apoya no folla” and “Quien no recorre no se corre” suggest tapping and swirling to ensure the best time in bed! Maybe things will change for the better now that I know…
Irene is a physical therapist in France and also teaches classes on making fermented foods and Carla is an assistant director for a film company, along with her beau. What a treat to have the chance to share some time with them.
Hoping to add a separate post with some birds and other wildlife once download camera photos.
From Oaxaca, you can take a day trip to the coast for whale, dolphin and turtle watching, but that’s 6 hours plus round trip, and it just made a lot more sense to spend a few days on the coast. Another new friend, the first Andorran I’ve met, Carla, also let me know about a beautiful natural area west of Mazunte, so if I visited again, I think I’d try to do a lot more nature-focused visits. The coast also has a neat diversity of birds.
Faviola was the only marine biologist associated with the marine trips, but she never joined any to lead them, sadly. Hopefully you can zoom in to this and the next page if interested in learning more about the species along this part of the coast. If not, I’ll be posting all the trip photos on Flickr and can share a link.
The boats are zoomed onto the beach across plastic tubing and when ready to go back in, everyone pitches in to turn them around and push back in.A humpback whale!We saw a few humpbacks but this was the best shot I got. Felt like maybe just watching and enjoying would be better than trying to capture photos. Faviola said there wasn’t evidence that the earlier boats saw more, but tours from other towns left at 6a or 7a vs Mazunte’s at 8a. One researcher offers the opportunity to help him monitor humpbacks at 6a from the shore (I imagine a cliff) near Puerto Escondido, a couple hours west, so couldn’t help thinking maybe earlier is better…The dolphins tend to swim right in front of the boats so we took turns sitting at the very front. Sorry for the bit of green (I had a phone holder that partially blocked the lens sometimes). Mating olive Ridley’s turtles. We saw a lot of turtles and I worried about them getting hit when the boats were going really fast. New research indicates turtles are more social than scientists had believed. Sooo beautiful!
The road to the coast passes through a lot of steep mountains, and one area was still pretty rough from a landslide. The fancy bus, ADO, takes only 3 hours on a relatively new highway. Other roads may double the time but you see many more towns along the way.
Arriving in Mazunte, a delightful Spanish traveler and new friend, Irene, and I signed up for the release of Olive Ridley’s turtles from a nearby beach town just west, Playa Ventanilla.
To reduce predation from mammals, birds, and other wildlife, the turtles eggs are carefully dug up and transferred to this protected area. To help support the conservation work, raise awareness among tourists, and provide alternative income (in the past the turtles and eggs were harvested to eat), tourists can join in the release of young turtles the day they hatch.We all lined up with a few babies in gourd bowls, careful not to touch them, and released them all at once. I suspect such releases are controversial among conservationists but it was a beautiful few moments seeing them reach the sea.
Mazunte is home to a Turtle Conservation Center where another new friend, Stephan from Austria, had worked for two months twenty years ago. I’ll include some photos from there in a later post.
On my way back to Oaxaca from the coast, I learned the dry season in Oaxaca can be from October to June, July, or August, though rain used to arrive more typically in April. That’s way longer than the dry season in Peten, Guatemala, where I worked as an intern for many months in the 90s, though made me wonder if it’s expanded there, too. A very kind Coca Cola rep I met on the plane had mentioned that water was critically short in the region. Many homes depend on delivery of water via truck, pumping water to rooftops for gravity feeds.
One reason the streets are filled with flowering trees is that they tend to bloom during the dry season. And in the central part of historic Oaxaca, many blind musicians also add their music.
I had hoped you might see the fruit vendor on the left better. Visitors sometimes worry about buying street food, but I was very thirsty and got some mango. When she accepted money and gave change she put on a plastic sleeve so her hands would not get dirty. Like in Thailand and Cambodia, they sprinkle chile and salt on a lot of fresh fruit. I assumed it would be hot chile and usually declined but she explained there were hot (spicey) and mild, so I tried with mild. The chile and salt combo was sooooo delicious with the mango pieces that practically melted in my mouth!!!I meant to ask where he was from, as this sounded like Andean music to me. He’s playing a famous song I learned while traveling in Michoacán with friends Carol, Kim, and Susan to see the overwintering monarch butterflies. It’s called La Llorona (Weeping Woman), a tragic love story of deep sorrow and regret.
While at the Contemporary Art Museum earlier, we met an American, Jim, who spends much of each year traveling in the Americas. It was a stroke of luck because he explained I needed to buy my bus ticket in advance. So I rushed off to do so (later learned I could have gone online to purchase, but I enjoyed the walk through a new part of town and got the 2nd or 3rd last seat for the next morning—phew!).
I caught up with Anita and Dave at the Museum of Oaxacan Painters, another lovely gallery. I’m sorry I didn’t capture the artist info for the painting above. These are by J. C. Edgar Before heading to our favorite seafood restaurant, we visited the main square where Anita found a beautiful top, I found a lizard, and Dave found a fabulous ficus tree. The next morning took me by some new murals as I made my way to the bus station. This refers to the tragic killing of protestors in 2016 supporting teachers. An ice cream stand…art everywhere.
The museum is in a beautiful colonial building with a wide range of art. Just sharing a few pieces that caught my eye.
Although there is a separate textile museum, it was so nice to see they included contemporary textiles in this museum, too. Palestine. The Arabic word in gold in the bottom right corner means heart or soul (or, I guess, heart and soul).
The main exhibition was Endemism and it was so nice to have the English easily accessible. Some museums have QR codes for info in English.
So much in Mexico reminds me of North Africa. These tremendously thick walls with gorgeous plant-filled courtyards are wonderfully comfortable and quiet.
This was my last afternoon with Anita and Dave. Such a treat to hang out with them. One more post with them, I think, then I head to the Pacific and they to the Atlantic…
Since I’m not much of a drinker, I didn’t think I’d try much mezcal, but it was really interesting learning about how it’s made. The agave plants are harvested right before they bloom and roasted in pits, then distilled. If I’m remembering correctly, it takes about 7 years for the most commonly used species of agave to mature. For artisanal mezcal, there are a bunch of other species that take longer to mature, some planted in the garden in the photo below.
Our second to last stop of the day was to learn about some of the traditional dyes and weaving techniques. The 13 year old daughter of the shop owners spoke to the English-speaking group. She let us try carding wool (and see what hard work it is), showed us how it’s spun, and explained what natural ingredients are used for various colors. Then her dad and sister explained how the loom worked.
These are dried cochineal, scale insects that feed on prickly pear cactus and are used to make red colors. In the past, cochineal were very important dye in lipsticks and other cosmetics around the world. We also have them on our prickly pears in the US. If you see a cottony substance on prickly pear, you can find the insect below (inside) the fluff, sheltered sort of like spit bugs on some other plants—unless you clear away the cotton or spittle, you don’t see the insects. Even though I’ve seen and crushed live cochineal, this was the first time I’d seen them like this, collected and dried. She showed us how different mordants affected the colors.Guests comparing how the colors could change depending on what was added. Their rugs are made on pedal looms (manipulated by foot pedals), but I’m pretty sure most weaving for clothing is done by backstrap loom. If I didn’t already include a photo of a woman weaving on a backstrap loom on a street in Oaxaca, it will be in another post, and later a visit to the Textile Museum includes clothes made on backstrap looms. Those looms are portable and make long narrow cloth. She gave the Spanish language demo, while her dad did the English one.
Wild Bee Plantings 