By: Zdenko Kahlina

Our Mexico adventure continues on the road from Escondido to Acapulco
Two days stay in Puerto Escondido has come to an end and we are again moving closer to the end of this Mexico adventure. Today we are moving from Escondido to Acapulco, which is about 413 km on highway 200.

Acapulco – picture perfect, but reality is different

Our route from Escondido to Acapulco – coastal Highway 200

I heard this trip should take about 6-7 hours. People who say 6 have probably driven this road a lots. Tourists definitely need more time. We left Escondido at 8:40 in the morning and arrived in Acapulco’s Zocalo by 16:30 (almost 8 hours). Be prepared for about 150-200 topes (speed bumps) and some heavy traffic once you get close to Acapulco.

Short stop in Manialtepec Lagoon

Shortly after we left Puerto Escondido (10 km) on the main highway, we were driving by a lagoon on the left side of the road. The Manialtepec Lagoon (Laguna de Manialtepec) has kayak rentals and boat tours for observing spoonbills, storks, pelicans and cranes, and a variety of migratory birds as they feed in the mangroves. A little further, about 56 km west of Puerto Escondido on the same highway is the town of Zapotalito, the Chacahua Lagoon and National Park (Laguna de Chacahua). We stopped at the lagoon for a few moments and could tell this is another place worth a visit. The lagoon is open to the ocean part of which has been designated a preserve since 1937.

Very colorful small hotels by the road

Group of cyclists on the highway 200

Route 200 leaves the coast after Manialtepec Lagoon and heads inland towards the town of Pinotepa National. At San Jose del Progresso, a road leads into Chacahua, another beach, with palapa restaurants and lodging. After San Jose del Progresso the highway heads deeper inland and into the mountains to Pinotepa National.

This is not a scenic road as views of the ocean are rare. The villages yield some interesting churches but otherwise the road to Acapulco is long and bland. Did I mention to watch for Topas? The road reaches Acapulco near the airport and continues along the beaches to the city of Acapulco.

Acapulco map

The worst stretch was just as we were approaching Acapulco (from east) as they are still digging up the road for some way. I was advised to make a right turn onto the toll road signed “Mexico”. But I missed it, thanks to a poor signage! So, instead we went straight over the Las Brisas hill on Escenica road into downtown Acapulco.

Traffic shock in the city
On arrival to Acapulco we were immediately engulfed in its heat and humidity, but that was the least of our problems. TRAFFIC! Driving in Acapulco is quite a bizarre experience that is better to avoid if you can and this is coming from the guy who drove all over the world in many different countries and cities. This was something, I’ve not seen before. It was so clogged that nobody was moving, and even though I was driving like racing on my bike, which means I had to fight for every inch of the road, it was really crazy! Lawless! But we made it to downtown without any incident (BIG success!), and once I passed Zocalo, we stopped to take a breeder and think where we’re going to look for a hotel. I was really in need for a beer by that time…

Picture can’t show how these drivers were moving thru traffic

We continued our ride on the Costera Miguel Aleman Avenue until we spotted several hotels near by. We were somewhere in between La Pinzona and Las Playas area in the western part of the city. I spotted one hotel on the top of the hill and we stopped there. This hotel (Caleta) had available rooms and within 5 minutes we checked in.

Hotel Caleta – on top of the hill

Hotel Caleta
Hotel Caleta is on the Western Edge of Acapulco, on top of a small hill, away from the main strip of discos and bars (though cab fare to the main strip is only 20-30 pesos), on a family-friendly point, called Playa Caleta. Beautiful beach on an inlet between main Acapulco Bay and Isla. Hotel itself was breathtaking from the outside. But closer look from the inside, tells you a different story. Hotel is completely falling apart, and it reminded me on Cuba buildings, that don’t have any maintenance done since the late 50s. This hotel in its heyday was a great hotel for its location and its huge terraces. Now, the place is just deteriorating and not much maintenance is going on. The gardening is well kept but the hotel itself needs a lot of major work.

Hotel Caleta – Picture perfect from the outside

It gives you a feel of “old Mexico” and does not resemble traditional Los Cabos resorts, for example. Our room was very comfortable, though sparsely decorated. One bed was broken, but we could use second bed, so this didn’t matter to us. Balcony was a huge shaded terrace that was larger than the entire room, and was overlooking the bay and two hotel pools on the west side. The shower was O.K. and there was cable TV with a good selection of channels in English (we didn’t watch TV). They still use traditional room keys and not electronic cards, like most western hotels do.

Beautiful view from our terrace in the hotel

Caleta beach – view from the hotel pool

Vera and Zdenko by the pool

Two swimming pools, one fresh water and one salt water, with very nice decks for laying out, and bars next to each of the pools. Hotel Caleta provided the perfect relaxing place to be in Acapulco! Best of all you have a small path beating down to Caleta beach, which is the best beach in Acapulco for children, especially youngsters; gentle waves, no currents and the rest of the beach will be full of other kiddies for them to play with. 

Front desk staff was very pleasant, but none of them spoke any English. All in all, this hotel was the best part of our stay in Acapulco!! It provided a beautiful and relaxing place from which to explore the city. Staying in the hotel provided me with beautiful beaches nearby and breathtaking pools stacked at the edge of the Pacific. Going out was easy, as cabs and buses are plentiful and cheap. We used buses that come very often and cost is only 5 pesos per person.

Hotel is very close to the public Caleta beach

Final hotel tip: weddings, events etc take place on the bay side of the hotel, which can be noisy and last well into the night. If you want peace and quiet, get a room towards the Caleta bay end of the hotel. You’ll also be away from the noisy pool area. The higher the room, the further from the mosquitoes you are.

The best way to see Acapulco – local buses

In the evening we took a bus and returned to main Costera Miguel Aleman and Zocalo. There are many buses for local trips along the coast and they are very affordable. Destinations are printed on the front window of each bus. There is no need to be at one of the buses regular stops in order to get on. Just wave your arm or look at the driver. He will stop and encourage you to get in. The buses cruise around blaring out traditional Mexican music, or more often some rap music, racing each other to each bus stop as they compete for passengers. All of this makes for an unforgettable ride.

Driver and his helper chat during the ride

We didn’t eat at the hotel restaurant. Instead we walked down the hill and there were several restaurants by the Caleta beach. We walked into La Cabaña restaurant which had a huge patio overlooking the beach (and live music, which unfortunately stopped when we arrived). Restaurant was offering a very tasty food, reasonably priced throughout the day. We would also come here next day for a breakfast that should not be skipped, because of the fresh pastry served here.

La Cabaña restaurant

La Cabaña restaurant is the best in the area

Best seafood specialties… jummy.

ACAPULCO City 
Acapulco is the oldest and most beautiful seaport on the Pacific slope of Mexico and also the most popular seaside resort for tourists. It is pleasant winter or summer, for it is far enough south always to be warm in the winter and the breezes from the Pacific almost invariably keep it cool in the summer. It has a vibrant nightlife, postcard-perfect beaches, an amazing array of local food, and visitor-friendly locals.

Beautiful panorama of Acapulco

The city is divided into three main areas surrounding the Bay of Acapulco. On the west side is the old city, with its Zocalo and market. Acapulco Dorado (Golden Acapulco) occupies the central and east sides of the bay. This is the main tourist area where hotels and nightclubs abound. More upscale resorts are located in the newer Acapulco Diamante (Diamond Acapulco) area to the south of Acapulco’s main bay. The Costera Miguel Aleman is the main drag and runs all the way around the bay.

Colorful restaurant in Acapulco

The BAY is 4 miles long and 2 miles wide, and as there are mountains all around it, the vegetation is both tropical and mountain and is as varied as the scenery. Acapulco is Mexico’s premier beach resort areas. There are beach areas where you feel you are far away from the city in an un spoilt natural haven. Acapulco is also a very popular honeymoon destination.

Safety in Acapulco
As long as you steer clear of the Things to Avoid and are generally aware of your surroundings, Acapulco is not very dangerous for tourists. However, petty theft is very common, so keep an eye on your possessions at all times, especially on the beach. If you need help, look for police along the main strip wearing dark shorts, white shirts, and dark hats (and not carrying guns). Perhaps the best advice is to avoid other Mexican police at all costs!

Spell trouble – Police

You have no doubt heard horror stories about the Mexican police and Mexican jails. They hold true in Acapulco. If you feel that you need to go to the police for some reason, it’s probably a better idea to go to your Embassy instead. The ones in blue uniforms are more likely to hassle you just for being a gringo, if you stray from the main strip at night. Try to avoid them especially when driving, as they will go after you, stop you and hassle you until you bribe them to let you go. It did happen to us on the day when we were leaving the city towards Mexico City. We were stopped for no apparent reason, had to pay 500 pesos and they even gave us instructions how to get thru to the famous Acapulco tunnel and leave the city as fast as possible. Way to kill what’s left of the tourism!!

What to Do in Acapulco
Primarily, Acapulco is a place to loaf. It offers the usual pleasures of a smart seaside resort. Only one day that we have planned to spent in Acapulco, we decided to spent it somewhere on the beach. So, again we jumped on one the buses with our backpacks loaded with all the necessities for the day, and left hotel early in the morning. Our destination – playa Hornos.

Playa Hornos is one of the oldest beaches in the city. Sometimes it is also known as Playa Papagayo, because it is located in front of the recreational park with the same name. It is one of the best known and most visited beaches because there are sun shades and lounge chairs available for people who want to spend their time leisurely. Its waves are calm and shallow. Every year Playa Hornos hosts the celebrated traditional Sand Figure Contest. This beach is easy to get to by the Avenue Costera.

Acapulco Hornos beach

Hundreds of vendors on the beach is an annoying problem

Lots of local tourists on the beaches

Day on the beach

We spent the whole day on the beach and sat under the umbrella and two chairs, that were promised to be free if we purchase drinks. We did, but at the end of the day they came and wanted to charge 100 pesos for it. We argued but in the end paid 50 pesos. That episode left us with bad taste about it and we would not return to the same place again. In addition, there were way too many vendors walking by, offering many different things and we had to say “no, gracias” too many times during the day.

Big church on Zocalo

Zócalo – Zócalo, Acapulco’s town square, lies on the western side of La Costera. It’s cool, shady and peaceful during the daytime. There are two fountains and many mature, multi-trunked trees that are a sight in themselves. The Zócalo tends to expose more local culture than other, more tourist-centric, areas. Zócalo contains Acapulco’s cathedral, as well as many restaurants ranging in size from sidewalk bistros and tiny street-corner kitchens. Many of the smaller restaurants will provide full dinners for as little as 35 pesos. The Zócalo at night is worth experiencing. Between 8:00 and 11:00 pm the place is flooded with locals & chilangoes. Clowns entertain the crowd for tips. One was dressed as some sort of aztec warrior/statue thing.

Beautiful local performer getting ready for her performance

Evening show on the Zocalo

Famous Acapulcoo cliff divers
No visit to Acapulco is complete without watching the cliff divers perform their impressive jumps into the shallow stream of water of dangerous tides that forms in the bottom part of La Quebrada. They have been doing it since 1934. One look at the city map, and I figured that if we take a bus from our hotel to Zocalo, we can than walk to the area where the local guys are jumping into the water from high cliffs.

La Quebrada area 

La Quebrada – divers jump from these cliffs

So, we did just that. I can tell you it was an interesting walk thru the non-touristy part of the city. We climbed the hilly streets and once at the top we could see the place where the famous La Quebrada cliff divers jump from. But of course, we didn’t get there at the show time, so we took several photos and returned back to the Zocalo.

What to Buy in Acapulco
There are good small stores and many vendors’ stands in and around the plaza and along the beach. The GOLD CHAINS and EARRINGS made by the local goldsmiths are extremely attractive. ORNAMENTS MADE OF SEASHELLS are a feature of the Acapulco market.

The POTTERY is attractive, as it is everywhere in Mexico and, of course there are the inevitable BASKETS, BLANKETS, and what not.

Conclusion
Acapulco is in the state of Guerrero – along with Sinaloa and some of Michoacan, a state where opium poppy and marijuana is grown, and a state where the “Hatfield-McCoy” feuding has gone on for many years. The criminal activity has on occasion invaded Acapulco, and has caused many a traveler troubles outside of Acapulco. In particular, driving at night and wandering / camping in remote areas is to be strongly discouraged. Daytime driving on the expensive toll highway is generally quite safe, and these are patrolled by the “Green Angels” roadside assistance service.

Vera and I didn’t enjoy this city. It looks nice on the post cards, but the traffic, deteriorated tourism, annoying vendors on the beaches and corrupted police, made our stay not pleasant. I will not return here…

By: Zdenko Kahlina

Vanquishing the winter blues
From Huatulco to Pochutla takes about one hour and to Puerto Escondido another hour. We made a turn to visit Mazunte, beach town, just off of the main highway.

After about three hours, we were back on the main highway. Highway 200 follows the Pacific coast, however, we weren’t able to see the ocean for a long time. The entire leg of the trip was basically straight and flat with lots of… you know already: topas!

Puerto Escondido

As we got closer to Puerto Escondido, we passed miles and miles of road construction. There will soon be a new toll road from Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido, which purportedly will cut the driving time in half; as an extension of the new road system, there will be a new four-lane coastal highway from Puerto Escondido to Huatulco. For the last half hour or so we also passed by lots of mango, papaya and coconut under cultivation.

Fruit vendors by the highway

Highway 200 crosses the Río Colotepec just east of Puerto Escondido

Mouth of Río Colotepec 

Puerto Escondido was much larger than Huatulco. Over the last 25 years, the town has grown from a small fishing village of 3,000 people to a bustling town of over 50,000. Puerto Escondido is also famous for its huge waves that draw hoards of surfing fanatics. Puerto Escondido is a great place for surfers and non-surfers. Most of the Carrizalillo area is actually visited by non-surfers. There are no ancient or historic sites in Puerto Escondido. There are a number of nature/eco type things outside of town though.

We did not have any reservations here, but I made email contact with one B&B place, so I was looking for this place, for which I knew was somewhere close to the light house area.  The light house was built in 1936 at the western entrance of the Puerto Escondido harbor. It warns boats and sailing vessels of the dangerous rocks and cliffs, emitting two bright flashes of light every 10 seconds. Visitors are not allowed.

Arial view of Puerto Escondido

We found the stark white lighthouse, appropriately named “El Faro” (which means “lighthouse”), quite easily. But finding the B&B place proved to be difficult. Soon we stopped looking for the B&B place and while still in the same area, we discovered a nice small hotel on the hill, right by the elementary school. The hotel’s name was “Barlovento”. Hotel was deserted almost empty… no tourists. I think at the time we were here, there was only one room rented out. But the hotel had all amenities we were looking for: affordable price, good location, free internet, nice spacious and clean rooms. They were also serving breakfast at extra cost on a beautiful terrace above the pool. We had a great ocean view from the balcony of our room.

El Faro area where our hotel was

View from our hotel room

In the evening we walked down the hill to the main street in old town, and it was only a 10 minute walk. The main street had plenty of restaurants and shops, but again, no tourists. Every restaurant had their staff outside on the sidewalk, trying to drag those very few tourists that were walking the street, into their place.

The town of Puerto Escondido was established in 1928 as a port for shipping coffee, although the area has been inhabited by indigenous populations for centuries. In the 1960′s it was connected to other coastal towns by Highway 200. Tourists began to discover the town and surfers found its beaches. Its importance as a port diminished as coffee shipments began going by truck instead of boat. The port does continue to support commercial fishing activity.

A Tale of Two Cities  
An interesting aspect of the area known as Puerto Escondido is that it actually is divided between two counties or municipios so that it is politically two separate cities. This division puts the Zicatela side of town into el Municipio de Santa Maria Colotepec, Pochutla, and the eastern portion of the city into el Municipio de San Pedro Mixtepec, Juquila. To make matters worse, there is disagreement as to the boundaries and legalities of this division that leaves many businesses caught in the middle with the burden of paying taxes to both. For years, there has been talk of making Puerto Escondido a city. The proposed limits of the new city would extend from Punta Zicatela on the east to just beyond the Puerto Escondido airport on the west. The president elect of San Pedro Mixtepec, Abraham Ramírez Silva, ran on a platform pledged to achieve the goal of making Puerto Escondido independent of both counties which currently control the area.

Today, Puerto Escondido is a home for fishermen, surfers, vacationers, and an eclectic expatriate community. On 10/29/09 Agencia Puerto Escondido was upgraded to Ciudad Puerto Escondido, reflecting its rapid growth and importance to the state of Oaxaca. The large waves of Zicatela beach put it into the top ten surfing destinations. It does not cater to the high end tourist as much as Huatulco to the east. Its sprawling beaches host numerous small to mid-size hotels and restaurants.

Playa Principal

The beaches
There are three main beaches, Playa Principal, Playa Marinero, and Zicatela, close to the main part of town, as well as several other smaller beaches. Avenida Perez Gasga is a pedestrian only street known as the Adoquín that parallels Playa Principal, where you will find the Information Goddess. The Andador Escénico Sea Walk begins at Playa Principal and winds along rocky ocean side cliffs. Up the hill from the Adoquín is the coastal highway 200 and on the other side of that is the downtown business district where you can find banks, the mercado, etc.

Playa Zicatela only for surfers

Playa Zicatela is a long straight beach on the east side of the bay and can be seen from Playa Principal. Zicatela is where the strong waves are that make Puerto Escondido a world class surfing destination, but this beach was not for us.

Arial view on Playa Zicatela 

Hotels facing Playa Zicatela

Puerto Escondido also has a number of small beaches that are family-friendly, with small waves and clear water. When driving around the town, we kind of just run into small exit road that had a sign pointing to Playa Angelito. Later, we discovered that we could even walk to this beach from our hotel. It was this close.

Playa Manzanillo is located west of the lighthouse and just east of Puerto Angelito, separated by a rocky outcrop. This rocky outcrop is seen on the left in the photo above and has a pathway that leads the short distance to Puerto Angelito, just out of view in this photo. Playa Manzanillo is a good place for snorkeling and swimming. Watch out for the boats that come and go to both beaches.

Playa Manzanillo

Playa Angelito

Playa Angelito

Restaurants on Playa Angelito

The beach was very relaxing. Every once in a while, a vendor would come by selling items—not in a harassing manner at all, but just offering his or her items/services in a soft, non-intrusive voice. We usually would say no thank you (we had the phrase, “No, gracias!” down—spoken very politely, of course).

Playa Carrizalillo

Puerto Escondido is a great place for non-surfers. We drove around the town and stopped at the Carrizalillo area. Carrizalillo is a residential area with luxury nice private homes for people that want very relaxing vacations or living. Most of the Carrizalillo area is actually visited by non-surfers. There are no ancient or historic sites in Puerto Escondido. There are a number of nature/eco type things outside of town though.

Playa Carrizalillo

A private stairway leads you towards Playa Carrizalillo

 Playa Carrizalillo

The beautiful Playa Carrizalillo, is surrounded by high cliffs. We walked more than 160 steps leading down, all the way to the beach. There is direct access to the beach via a private stairway from the front terrace. Carrizalillo is an excellent beach for swimming, snorkeling, fishing, as well as surfing and boogie-boarding.

The water was warm, with small but powerful waves and a sucking current that was a bit more intense than we had anticipated. The high cliffs that surround it ensure that it’s never too crowded. The aquamarine water here is clean, clear, and shallow—perfect for swimming and snorkeling, especially around the rocks that frame the beautiful cove. Sometimes there are waves large enough to be appropriate for beginning surfers. A handful of palm-thatched restaurants rent snorkeling equipment and serve food and drinks. It’s a two-minute drive or 35-minute walk from the center of town; a small sign indicates where to turn onto the unpaved road.

Coconut harvest on the beach

O.K. Gringo, how many Coconut drinks do you want…

Vera and her Coconut drink – fresh from the tree

The Rinconada is a beautiful section of town, close to Carrizalillo. Rinconada begins a short distance north of Playa Carrizalillo and is dominated by a straight divided boulevard named Blvd. Benito Juárez that runs along its southern edge. This boulevard is more popularly known as The Rinconada and the many businesses that face Blvd. Benito Juárez are said to be “on the Rinconada”.

Follow this link to www.mexico-condo.com for some nice aerial photos that show the layout of the area.

And this is all I can say about Puerto Escondido. We stayed here only two days. When we compared Huatulco and Puerto Escondido, we liked Huatulco better. It was more touristy and very clean with better roads. One of the things we didn’t like in Escondido was the main highway, which is in very bad shape throughout the town. Old town Escondido, just north of the highway, was also not very impressive.

Paradise on earth – Puerto Escondido beaches

By: Chris Kitching

Croatia’s capital is a cultural hotspot
Bleary-eyed from an early morning six-hour train ride and staring blankly at a tram system map like it’s an ink blot, I start to wonder if this episode is off to a disastrous start of Griswold proportions.

Trams in Zagreb are blue – favorite local color

  Sveti Duh, Savski gaj, Harambasiceva. Hieroglyphics would be easier to decipher than these tram stop names at this moment. Overwhelmed and impatient in the rain because of a lack of sleep, culture shock, foreign language, and absence of fellow tourists — which novice traveler hasn’t been there?

 The question is, how do you escape before your boil over? In this case, it was one of Zagreb’s finest ambassadors who scooped my girlfriend and I from this predicament — a young English-speaking woman who recognized two fish out of water and went out of her way to approach and assist. 

St. Mark’s Church in the Upper Town

Interpreter
Unsure which tram to recommend, the woman led us to an information booth, acted as an interpreter, and led us back to the tram stop and told us which one to catch. Crisis averted. The people of Croatia’s capital would put out a few more fires for us in the next 72 hours as we found our way around its tangled streets in what turned out to be a pleasant and surprising visit.

Zagreb is vibrant, comfy and cosmopolitan — a cultural hotspot with an abundance of museums, cafes, historic sites, parks and good shopping, and a mix of architectural influences. Old meets new in its medieval-like “old town” or Upper Town (Gornji Grad). More on that later. 

Zagreb – panoramic view of the city and its mountain Sljeme

Typical street in Zagreb

With one million citizens, Zagreb is Croatia’s largest city. Many speak at least a little bit of English. The tram system, it turns out, is easy to navigate once you pick up a map and find your bearings.

Before we embarked on a two-week trip to Europe, which included stops in Munich and Vienna, most friends and relatives asked, “Why Zagreb?” Some didn’t know where to find it on a map, lending credence to its reputation as an overlooked city.

“Because it’s out of the way and not as expensive as other cities,” I replied.

The latter part of that explanation isn’t as true as it used to be. Prices for most things are catching up to Western Europe as Croatia — birthplace of the necktie and ballpoint pen — prepares to join the European Union and shed its Kuna for the Euro. Food, alcohol (how does a pint of beer for $2 or less sound?) and souvenirs, however, remain a bargain. 

Cibona tower – local basketball team headquarters

Geography is to blame for Zagreb being lesser-known. Flocks of tourists bypass it for Croatia’s sunny beaches on the Adriatic coast or central European cities such as Budapest.

First impressions of Zagreb, which attracts about half a million visitors annually, can be underwhelming but don’t let that deter you or veil its true beauty and charm. Rolling in on a train, the immediate scenery is dull — cluttered yards or vacant lots, tiny homes and bleak colors.

“Zagreb?” asks a Croatian woman on the train. She recommended we visit a coastal city instead. Go figure.

Once we finally boarded that tram, we escaped Lower Town (Donji Grad) and entered a drab-looking neighborhood filled with rows of communist-era apartments or shops. Graffiti covers every grey concrete wall. 

The King Tomislav square

In many cities, this is a sign of a crime-ridden no-go zone. In Zagreb, it’s the norm and it doesn’t reflect the social status of the law-abiding apartment dwellers. These simplistic apartments in soul-leeching grey were built when Croatia, now a republic, was part of the former Yugoslavia. Croatia’s secession led to a deadly war in the 1990s. Zagreb was mostly untouched but emotional wounds remain.

Ban Jelacic monument

The best place to start the day is Ban Jelacic Square (Trg Bana Jelacica), the heart of the city. It’s within walking distance to all major attractions. During a break on our second day, it was this square where we grabbed a gigantic slice of pizza and soda for $3, sat down in 20 C weather that is unusually warm for late October, and engaged in people-watching. 

Zagreb in winter

The square is crawling with people, all of them locals. Tourists are scarce at this time of year. People spill out of the overcrowded trams. Young women strut with confidence, young men take notice, a senior feeds a crush of pigeons, and men in suits scurry to work. This is the spot to arm yourself with a map and comfortable pair of walking shoes and head out at your own pace or join a walking tour so you don’t miss anything.

To the north is Upper Town, a pedestrian-friendly area with cobblestone streets and red-tile roofs. It overflows with history. 

Upper Town attraction – Stone Gate

Stops must include Zagreb Cathedral and colorful St. Mark’s Church and square (home to the parliament building). For a panoramic view, visit the observation deck of the 13th-century Lotrscak watchtower. Visit at noon when its cannon is fired daily.

Dolac Market, steps away from Ban Jelacic Square, is a lively place that is olfactory heaven. Consider it an outdoor farmer’s market on steroids. Fresh vegetables, fruits, eggs, cheese and fish are brought in daily. 

Dolac market 

Flowers are sold on the street

Of interest to tourists is the souvenirs — crystal, hand-made crafts, soccer scarves, and other knick-knacks. Vendors are willing to barter, so let ’em have it.

Nearby, we found a decent restaurant, Pivnica Medvedgrad, specializing in its own brew, sausage and pasta. A filling plate of pasta and a pint of beer sets you back $6.

More modern Lower Town is south of the square and home to Zagreb’s collection of museums (archeological, arts and crafts, naive art), galleries and theatres (of those, the Croatian National Theatre is the crown jewel). 

Ban Jelacic Square at night – Zagreb downtown

For shopping, go to the boutiques and name-brand stores of Ilica, a street dividing the upper and lower towns. Or, take a 20-minute tram ride to the south, crossing Sava River, to Avenue Mall in “new” Zagreb. For women, there’s trendy stores like Top Shop and Zara. For men, you can have a beer in the food court. Did I mention beer is inexpensive here?

Zagreb’s grey buildings are countered with its colorful parks. Its gem, 316-hectare Maksimir Park, lies to the east.

New modern buildings

Away from bustle
Maksimir is an ideal place to burn a few hours. Away from the hustle and bustle of central Zagreb, it’s easy to feel alone here. Stroll the paths, paddle a canoe on a man-made lake, sip a drink at the outdoor cafe, or take in a free outdoor concert, depending on the season.

Or, drop by the animal kingdom at Zagreb Zoo, located within the park. The grand attraction is two African lions but there are more than 200 species. The zoo was a bit of a concern, however, because some animals are in aging, cramped enclosures. 

Arena – new sports center

The $6 admission is cheaper if you buy a Zagreb Card, providing unlimited travel on public transportation for 24 hours ($13.50) or 72 hours ($20), and discounts at museums, shops and restaurants. We bought our cards at our hostel but not once did a tram operator ask to see our cards or a ticket.

It’s tough to measure a city’s inhabitants in three days but I gathered the people of Zagreb are friendly, laid-back and very proud. Obesity doesn’t seem to be a problem here. So, it may not have white-sand beaches or glistening blue waters, but our answer to our prodding relatives and friends and the lady on the train remains the same: “Why not Zagreb?”

Lake Jarun

More pictures from Zagreb are available here:

http://zkahlina.ca/eng/photo-albums/?album=5&gallery=1

By Zdenko Kahlina

Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon 15 days later. The 15th day of the new year is called the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade.

The Chinese calendar is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days. In order to “catch up” with the solar calendar the Chinese insert an extra month once every few years (seven years out of a 19-yearcycle). This is the same as adding an extra day on leap year. This is why, according to the solar calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year.

New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are celebrated as a family affair, a time of reunion and thanksgiving. The celebration was traditionally highlighted with a religious ceremony given in honor of Heaven and Earth, the gods of the household and the family ancestors.

The sacrifice to the ancestors, the most vital of all the rituals, united the living members with those who had passed away. Departed relatives are remembered with great respect because they were responsible for laying the foundations for the fortune and glory of the family.

The presence of the ancestors is acknowledged on New Year’s Eve with a dinner arranged for them at the family banquet table. The spirits of the ancestors, together with the living, celebrate the onset of the New Year as one great community. The communal feast called “surrounding the stove” or weilu. It symbolizes family unity and honors the past and present generations.

Probably more food is consumed during the New Year celebrations than any other time of the year. Vast amounts of traditional food is prepared for family and friends, as well as those close to us who have died.

On New Year’s Day, the Chinese family will eat a vegetarian dish called jai. Although the various ingredients in jai are root vegetables or fibrous vegetables, many people attribute various superstitious aspects to them:

Other foods include a whole fish, to represent togetherness and abundance, and a chicken for prosperity. The chicken must be presented with a head, tail and feet to symbolize completeness. Noodles should be uncut, as they represent long life.

In south China, the favorite and most typical dishes were nian gao, sweet steamed glutinous rice pudding and zong zi (glutinous rice wrapped up in reed leaves), another popular delicacy.

In the north, steamed-wheat bread (man tou) and small meat dumplings were the preferred food. The tremendous amount of food prepared at this time was meant to symbolize abundance and wealth for the household.

Chinese New Year Decorations

Prior to New Year’s Day, Chinese families decorate their living rooms with vases of pretty blossoms, platters of oranges and tangerines and a candy tray with eight varieties of dried sweet fruit. On walls and doors are poetic couplets, happy wishes written on red paper. These messages sound better than the typical fortune cookie messages. For instance, “May you enjoy continuous good health” and “May the Star of Happiness, the Star of Wealth and the Star of Longevity shine on you” are especially positive couplets.

Plants and Flowers 

Every traditional Chinese household should also have live blooming plants to symbolize rebirth and new growth. Flowers are believed to be symbolic of wealth and high positions in one’s career. Lucky is the home with a plant that blooms on New Year’s Day, for that foretells a year of prosperity. In more elaborate settings, plum blossoms just starting to bloom are arranged with bamboo and pine sprigs, the grouping symbolizing friends &endash; the plum blossom also signifies reliability and perseverance; the bamboo is known for its compatibility, its utility and its flexible stems for furniture and other articles;the evergreen pine evokes longevity and steadiness. Other highly prized flowers are the pussy willow,azalea, peony and water lily or narcissus.

The Chinese firmly believe that without flowers, there would be no formation of any fruits. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to have flowers and floral decorations.

They are the emblems of reawakening of nature, they are also intimately connected with superstition and with the wish for happiness during the ensuing year.

Oranges and Tangerines 

Etiquette dictates that you must bring a bag of oranges and tangerines and enclose a lai see when visiting family or friends anytime during the two-week long Chinese New Year celebration. Tangerines with leaves intact assure that one’s relationship with the other remains secure. For newlyweds, this represents the branching of the couple into a family with many children. Oranges and tangerines are symbols for abundant happiness.

Candy Tray 

The candy tray arranged in either a circle or octagon is called “The Tray of Togetherness” and has a dazzling array of candy to start the New Year sweetly. After taking several pieces of candy from the tray, adults places a red envelope (lai see) on the center compartment of the tray. Each item represents some kind of good fortune.

Taboos and Superstitions of Chinese New Year

House Cleaning  

The entire house should be cleaned before New Year’s Day. On New Year’s Eve, all brooms, brushes, dusters, dust pans and other cleaning equipment are put away. Sweeping or dusting should not be done on New Year’s Day for fear that good fortune will be swept away. After New Year’s Day, the floors may be swept. Beginning at the door, the dust and rubbish are swept to the middle of the parlor, then placed in the corners and not taken or thrown out until the fifth day. At no time should the rubbish in the corners be trampled upon. In sweeping, there is a superstition that if you sweep the dirt out over the threshold, you will sweep one of the family away. Also, to sweep the dust and dirt out of your house by the front entrance is to sweep away the good fortune of the family; it must always be swept inwards and then carried out, then no harm will follow. All dirt and rubbish must be taken out the back door.  

Bringing In the New Year and Expelling the Old 

Shooting off firecrackers on New Year’s Eve is the Chinese way of sending out the old year and welcoming in the New Year. On the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, every door in the house, and even windows, have to be open to allow the old year to go out.

New Year Activities Set Precendent

All debts had to paid by this time. Nothing should be lent on this day, as anyone who does so will be lending all the year. Back when tinder and flint were used, no one would lend them on this day or give a light to others.

Everyone should refrain from using foul language and bad or unlucky words. Negative terms and the word “four” (Ssu), which sounds like the word for death, are not to be uttered. Death and dying are never mentioned and ghost stories are totally taboo. References to the past year are also avoided as everything should be turned toward the New Year and a new beginning.

If you cry on New Year’s day, you will cry all through the year. Therefore, children are tolerated and are not spanked, even though they are mischievous.  

Personal Appearance and Cleanliness 

On New Year’s Day, we are not suppose to wash our hair because it would mean we would have washed away good luck for the New Year. Red clothing is preferred during this festive occasion. Red is considered a bright, happy color, sure to bring the wearer a sunny and bright future. It is believed that appearance and attitude during New Year’s sets the tone for the rest of the year. Children and unmarried friends, as well as close relatives are given lai see, little red envelopes with crisp one dollar bills inserted, for good fortune.

 More New Year Superstitions 

For those most superstitious, before leaving the house to call on others, the Almanac should be consulted to find the best time to leave the home and the direction which is most auspicious to head out.

The first person one meets and the first words heard are significant as to what the fortunes would be for the entire year. It is a lucky sign to see or hear songbirds or red-colored birds or swallows.

It is considered unlucky to greet anyone in their bedroom so that is why everyone, even the sick, should get dressed and sit in the living room.

Do not use knives or scissors on New Year’s Day as this may cut off fortune.

While many Chinese people today may not believe in these do’s and don’ts, these traditions and customs are still practiced. These traditions and customs are kept because most families realize that it is these very traditions, whether believed or not, that provide continuity with the past and provide the family with an identity. 

By: Zdenko Kahlina 

By: Zdenko Kahlina

The relaxed beach town of Mazunte
So, we left beautiful Huatulco early in the morning. Today we drove west to Puerto Escondido. After Pochutla driving west on a coastal highway 200, there was a turnoff for small beach town Mazunte at San Antonio intersection. Vera wanted to see the turtles, so I made the left turn.

Centro Mexicana de la Tortuga in Mazunte

Village Mazunte 

Only about seven or eight kilometers from the highway, further south was Mazunte, a quintessential beach resort, which is a bit basic and ramshackle, with buildings springing up rather haphazardly. There is only one paved street, the one that went straight through, on to the other beaches of San Agustinillo, Zipolite and Puerto Angel.

Arial map with nearby villages and beaches

Arial view of Mazunte and Playa San Agustinillo

In this small Mexican beach town, there aren’t any cruise ships calling, no college-age hooligans binge drinking and no towering hotels in all-inclusive resorts. No, none of that.

Instead, in this sunbathed town on the Pacific Coast of the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, locals come to dip in the ocean. Fishermen unload cases of sharks in the morning. Kids play beach soccer, with sticks in the sand for goals. Locals lounge on hammocks, their houses a few hundred yards from the beach.

Only one road goes thru the village

Small B&B in the village

It is a beautiful place, surrounded by jungle hills, and of course the beach cove. This town has the lively vibe, yet relaxed without being decrepit. And it is a hippy paradise. But with the coming carretara, there is a building boom happening and now most of the streets in Mazunte are being paved in one way or another. The hostels that allow you to hang a hammock slowly giving way to more cabañas, and dare I say, buildings with honest to God walls. Change is underway, and there is even a new church.

Playa San Agustinillo

Walking on Playa San Agustinillo

The beach is on federal land and drug laws are strictly enforced; nude bathing is prohibited. The safest swimming is at either end of the bay. The hippies are still coming here – from Mexico City, Europe, the US. There are meditation centers, yoga workshops, and an incredible dedication to building green.

Topas are here to slow down motorists

While Mazunte is still home to fishermen, the town has been dramatically changed by a ban on hunting sea turtles and crocodiles enacted about 20 years ago. Now the former turtle hunters have turned to eco-tourism. The Mexican government runs the National Mexican Turtle Center, which features sea turtles in aquariums. Mazunte, once supplied the turtle meat market until turtle hunting was banned in 1990.

Turtle centre – entrance

In this Centro Mexicana de la Tortuga turtle center, a collection of tanks lets you get THIS CLOSE to a vast array of turtle types. Just look at my pictures…

The conservation center was divided into distinct small areas, with different types of turtles in each part. First, we saw some rescued land turtles. We headed over to the large tank in which a number of sea turtles were swimming.

The turtles were beautiful, and we stood in awe for a long time. Here is one that had light coloring. In another area, there were many of these turtles (I think they are pond sliders): There was an area with many baby sea turtles, and of course we “oooooh-ed” and “aaahhhh-ed” our way through.

Small turtle pond

Turtle pool

They have guided tours in Spanish and English (Wed-Sat 10 AM -16:30, Sun 10 AM – 14:30, US$15), crowded with tour buses from Huatulco during the high season.  This is a government institute that studies sea turtles and works to conserve these frequently endangered species, as well as to educate visitors and the local population. There are interesting viewing tanks to observe many species of turtles underwater.

Guided tours for tourists and kids

A trail leads from the west end of the beach to Punta Cometa, a spit of land with lovely views of the thundering breakers below, a popular spot to view the sunset and well worth the 30-minute walk. With its proximity to Zipolite, Mazunte is also attracting the alternative crowd and signs for yoga, massage, vegetarian and vegan food positively abound. It’s a good place to try local therapies; by the cemetery there’s a spiritual healer offering to treat everything from stress to insomnia; he also does ritual cleansings.

Walking on Playa San Agustinillo

We spent only couple of hours here, but it was enough to get the feel of this place. I would love to return one day and stay several days, maybe even the whole two weeks of vacation. But right now, we turned around and returned to the main highway to continue our journey towards Puerto Escondido.

By: Dumneazu

Signs of Spring: Chinese Food!
Obviously, March is not a month that inspires an awful lot of comment. Now, February… that’s what I call a month! Stepping out of our building we saw the first of spring’s kolbasz buds on a tree in the back yard. Really…

I am not sure whether my neighbor was saving this for an outdoor snack or whether there is some folky reason to stick sausage on a tree branch, but it stayed there for several weeks.

My birthday was adequately celebrated by a trip to the new Chinese restaurant in my neigborhood, Master Wang’s. Chef Wang was the original chef at the Lanzhou Restaurant on Luther Utca, and this is his fourth Budapest locale.

Why get excited about a Chinese restaurant? Well, Budapest has a lot of them, but by and large they are mediocre, overpriced, or unspeakably bad. That last category is aimed at the numerous “Chinese Buffet” joints polluting our gastronomic scene, offering up cheap plates of faux-sinitic stew on rice. Due to a quirk in Hungarian immigration law, any ethnic restaurant has the right to sponsor a residence permit for its cooking staff. So the Chinese folks cooking your fried rice and aromatic duck at the corner take out in Budapest, are far more likely to have graduated from business or even medical school than culinary school. And they are far more likely to come from Northern China than from better known culinary regions like Szechuan or Canton.

There are some Chinese banquet restaurants dotting the back neighborhoods of the city, places where the local Chinese go to celebrate a business deal or a family holiday with an off the menu hot-pot party or dim sum blast, but these are constantly changing and none has ever stayed in one locality for very long. Chef Wang Qiang comes from Lanzhou, a region west of Beijing with a significant Hui muslim population. The Lanzhou always had a special Chinese language only menu offering various mutton dishes for errant Hui in Budapest, but at the new Master Wang on they go all out with a great spicy cumin lamb dish.

Since I had recently stretched my boundaries of icky food by eating sea cucumber and sea squirts at the a Korean Restaurant in the States, I also went for the Hundred Day Eggs. I had heard they were good, I had watched Chinese diners at the Lanzhou order them, but… black eggs? Eggs pickled in clay and salt for a few months until they turn black and gelatinous? And surprise! They were delicious. Run, don’t walk, to your local Chinese banquet hall and order these today. Wang’s were served with chopped tofu and peppers. Not smelly, not slimy, not really anything I had ever related to eggs before. I want more.

Fumie was laughing at me for never having tried them before, but then, I had never seen Fumie order them either. And yes, I have already looked at the wikipedia entry on Century Eggs with a perverse mind to making them myself at home, and just as quickly discarded the idea. Chef Wangs is only a few blocks away (off the 7 bus along Thőkőly út at Gizella út 46) so why bother? And they serve one of my favorite Chinese beer snack plates: spicy mixed offal salad.

Who says a salad need to be wholesome to be good? Sliced tripe, tongue, heart, and kidney in a fiery red pepper oil sauce topped with chopped garlic and Chile pepper. It is almost enough to make me like beer.

By: Zdenko Kahlina

Puerto Angel Mexico – Defines the Beauty of Oaxaca!
While spending our vacation in the village of Santa Cruz, Huatulco, one day we decided to drive all the way to Puerto Angel, which was 52 km away, or just around 1 hour of driving.

Puerto Angel

Arial view of Puerto Angel

Puerto Angel is located on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, in the state of Oaxaca. It is accessible via coastal highway 200 from Acapulco Gerrero and Puerto Escondido to the north-west and Huatulco to the south-east. From Pochutla it is only 7 km down the twisty road, towards the ocean. Puerto Angel is one of the more preferred destinations for tourists from all over the world. The rustic fishing village is located on the pacific coast of Oaxaca. They don’t have big hotels, only small B&B places…

Geographical location of the village between charming bay of Bahias de Huatulco and Puerto Escondido offers array of attractions and adventure. The sandy beaches and rocky mountains will welcome you with an amazing natural view.

Village centre is very simple

Almost every house is small B&B

In the past the village was an important shipping port for the coffee growers of the area, and its small protected bay provides safe harbor today for many. The town has a population of only about 12,000 inhabitants, and the pace of life is slow and peaceful. The town is tranquil yet provides ample of opportunities to feel the silent excitement while traveling through sandy roads. Romantic travelers find peaceful setting and much awaited privacy in the area. You can plan a day trip and explore the ruins in beautiful environment before enjoying the spectacular sun while sitting on the sandy beach. Shoreline gets darker with the overlapping of waves and you will find moonlight transforming the blue waters into incredible crystalline liquid.

Fresh fish is awaiting buyers

There are several beaches in Puerto Angel. Play Del Panteon, Playa Zipolite and Playa La Tijer are some of them.

Playa Principal

Playa Principal is located in the town beach. In the mornings one can watch the fishermen bringing in their catch. Fishing is excellent in the area, and fishermen regularly bring in tuna, red snapper and sailfish as well as lobster and octopus.

Playa Panteon

Playa Panteon, is located at the west end of the beach on a paved walkway curves along the rock cliffs, It is named for the cemetery located nearby, the beach is suitable for swimming but playa panteon is perhaps a little more sheltered and offers better snorkeling around the rocks. However, Playa del Panteon is the beach known for its wonderful marine life. Big waves and strong currents are boon for fishing boats.

Playa Principal

On the beach – Playa Panteon 

Playa Zipolite is located 4 miles to the west over a narrow secondary (gravel) road. Playa Zipolite is a long beach with perfect waves. Zipolite became popular as a nude beach in the 70′s when its mile long solitary beach was visited only by adventurous campers. But now it is a much larger community with a series of restaurants and cafes along the sand, elegant tropical residences and even telephone and Internet service. The beach is on an open ocean and care should be taken in the strong surf and undertow. It is still frequented by backpackers and campers.

Puerto Angel, has different kinds of hotels, one of them is Villa La Luna, located at the top of a hill in Puerto Angel. It is the nicest accommodation in the area. Villa La Luna is a combination of mexican style and French commodities. The hotel offer you private bath and terrace for each room, sweeping ocean views, pool, Jacuzzi, air conditioned, sky TV and even a garage.

Playa Principal

The small beachfront restaurants all serve delicious, fresh seafood prepare just as you like it. Remember this is a fishing village, so fresh fish comes in each morning. Dia del Pescador (Fisherman’s Day) is an important celebration in Puerto Angel and it’s celebrated on August 5th. Festivities include music, a foot race, swimming, fishing and boating competitions and land sports tournaments. Awards are given at the end of the day to the winners of the various competitive activities.

We stopped in the town centre for a few minutes only. One look around and we continued for another kilometer or so until we reached Playa Panteon. Again we were immediately surrounded by these vendor guys who are trying to get us under their umbrellas, but we ignored them. Once on the beach we walked to the end and back, before we settled in front of the Cordelia’s hotel.

Nightmare for tourists – These guys surrounded us even before we reached the beach and all of them were polling in different direction

Water was very warm, and the waves were small. There were number of fishing boats on the beach and only a few gringo tourists. We met a couple from Vancouver Island, Shirley and Jim, with whom we had a beer, and exchanged our Mexico’s experiences. Like us, they came only for a day, from Puerto Escondido, to check this place with the idea of spending their next vacation here.

Cordelia’s hotel on Playa Panteon

You can become lethargic and lie on the white sand else can kill the hunger for thrilling adventure with surfing and snorkeling. There are underwater caves, where you can dive and explore the enigmatic marine life. The colorful aquatic ambience will create a sense of nostalgia whenever you think of aquatic adventure. Do you want to get a closer look of crocodiles? Yes! You should visit the lagoon of Ventanilla where crocodiles are available in abundance. Other worth visiting places in the area are: the Los Reys waterfall and the tropical spring-fed El Paraiso. We didn’t go to any of these places… not enough time for all!

Chilling out on the beach

Since we didn’t do any of this stuff, we choose to stay on the beach and enjoy the sun. As the waves were getting closer and closer to our chairs throughout the day, due to the tide, I was watching local fisherman getting (parking) their boats on the beach. They would come with full speed, slide on the sand and I wondered if they will manage to stop before hitting chair and tables where we were sitting. But they did (manage to stop)…

Cordelia’s hotel on Playa Panteon

If looking for a place to stay, you’ll have to decide whether you want to be in the main part of town or on Playa Panteón. The latter accommodations have the advantage of being right on the beach, but they are often more expensive and have more of a family atmosphere; the former are farther from the surf but more laid-back; several also have beautiful views of the bay.

Puerto Ángel (pop. 12,000) is several times larger than Mazunte or Zipolite. Its center is bustling by comparison, with a steady stream of taxis and small trucks rumbling down the main drag. Beyond the Calle Principal, though, the old lackadaisical Oaxacan coast returns, with Mexican families lounging at Playa Panteón and backpackers swinging on hammocks on the hills overlooking the bay.

By: Zdenko Kahlina

Charming Mexican town in Huatulco area
La Crucecita is a marvelous small town which you have to visit if you’re visiting the bays of Huatulco. From the coastal highway 200, beautiful wide Boulevard with 3 lanes in each direction and a green grass median, lead us to La Crucecita. This is charming Mexican town with a traditional central square bounded by shops and patio restaurants.

There is an amazing selection of goods and souvenirs. You’ll find a large market that sells silver, pottery, souvenirs, clothing and crafts. In addition to the market, there are stores around the plaza that all sell similar merchandise.

Huatulco refers to the resort area Bahías de Huatulco or the bays of Huatulco. The four main parts of Huatulco are Tangolunda, the area where the more upscale resorts are located, Santa Cruz, a small town with more hotels, the marina and Santa Cruz beach, Chahué, an area between Santa Cruz and Tangolunda and La Crucecita, another small town just inland from the beach area having a more genuine Mexican ambiance.

The modern Cathedral in Crucecita has magnificent murals – the biggest mural of La Virgin de la Guadeloupe. La Crucecita church is often referred to as El Templo de Guadalupe. It is located in the center of town surrounded by shops and a Zocalo park. The church is dedicated to the Patron of Mexico, the Virgin Mary. The interior of the church is covered with several frescoes and on the ceiling is a fresco of what locals claim to be the largest painting of the Virgin de Guadalupe in Mexico. Make sure you hear the birds at dusk in the plaza! 

Since we were there in December, the processions were coming to the church every evening, which was a nice entertainment for tourists like us.

Zocalo in La Crucecita

Vera and Zdenko on Zocalo in La Crucecita

Nightlife is more or less restricted to the bars and discos of the major hotels, although the nightlife scene in La Crucieta, has improved to the point of becoming worth a look.  Shopping, banking facilities and the many reasonably priced restaurants make spending a late afternoon or extended evening, in La Crucieta, a possible alternative to the hotel disco scene of Huatulco. You must go and sit in the square in the evening. The Mexican families gather here every evening, so many people. Total joy to watch these families… very safe.

Restaurants:
At Mexican side street restaurants in La Crucecita, tacos are less than a buck, and beer $1. You could probably get a good meal and a beer for about $6 but the same would cost more in tourist oriented venues around the square.

Tostado’s Grill: nice ambiance, but food was not so good

In our opinion the best restaurant in La Crucecita was Terra-Cotta, just across the street from Flamboyant hotel. Terra Cotta, part of Hotel Mision de los Arcos in La Crucecita, Huatulco is very popular with locals and tourists. They have a lot of Mexican and Oaxacan specialties but they also have baguettes, salads and really good pizzas. They have AC but if you prefer to sit outside, they also have a terrace.

From their menu we tasted “Tampiquena” and “Fajitas le Pollo” meals – they were delicious. This is an upscale place with reasonable prices, good service and English speaking personal and guests. Adjacent coffee-bar/ice-cream place at the front also has great big size ice-creams.

We played it safe at Tostado’s Grill on Zocalo square where we liked the location and their out-front patio. The food was so-so… nothing special.

Il Giardino del Papa serves authentic Italian cuisine. L’echalote is the other restaurant which I consider the two top restaurants in Huatulco. We visit both places but I have set my mind on simple rule: if there are no other guests inside, I am not entering, no matter how good the place might be. Both Italian restaurants were empty at the time we looked inside so we didn’t try their food.

Restaurants around Zocalo

Frente al Mar restaurant on Santa Clara beach is very good. The waiter Fidel, was very friendly and the food was good. We ordered “Tampiquena” and “seafood pasta” dishes. Mexican steak was also good. They sure make a good pina colada/huacoco drinks there. After couple of days, Fidel remembered our faces, so we felt he treated us really special as returning customers.

Tampiquena steak I had at Terra-Cotta restaurant

Try some food that peddlers bring on the beach: empanadas with pineapple or milk on weekends only, fried plantanos with/out condensed Carnation milk, tamales (black mole not a favorite), fresh raw oysters, scallops with a dash of lime and hot sauce.

Street food vendors offer plenty of food

Shopping 
Mescal degustation shop, Casa de los Albrejitos (nice choice and quality differ). Albrejitos vendors sell some good quality only there on Thursdays. There is no museum of the Artinisat as advertised on some Huatulco tourism website – the address was a chic shop in front of Los Arcos B’n'B which sells top quality barra negra, alebrejites, but pricey even when/if they bargain it down. There’s a shop – always on Bugambilla with a pushy saleman Leonardo’s trying to sell painted wooden bowls- the bowls are pretty – quality differs. Bargain not so much of a deal.

Boutique shops in La Crucecita

Good quality shopping can be had in Santa Cruz for real alejrites, barra negra pottery, and jewelry. Avoid on days when cruise liners invade them. The Santa Cruz market has cheap stuff. Few places sell the Mayordomo orange-flavoured Mescal. I liked the promotional degustation place better. We didn’t go to Museum of Mezcal under papaya club. Maderno shopping centre isn’t really for tourists except department store, movies, Z bar and grill, Jacky’s sandwich shop, new sushi Don Wilo chain, but worth a visit a nice pastry shop.

Typical colorful houses in La Crucecita

Parents waiting for their children at th school entrance

Flamboyant hotel on Zocalo

Climate
The climate here suited us perfectly. It was 29/30 degrees all week, with big blue skies. The locals say it doesn’t rain there until April or so and then only at night. An average daytime winter temperature is about 28C (82F) and spring/summer maximums are about 38C (100F). The hottest time is from late April to the end of May, when the humidity is building up prior to the rains. The winter evenings are pleasantly cool but never below 15C (60F). The Pacific coast is mountainous and the breezes from both the sea and the mountains go a long way toward keeping the climate comfortable. Every evening Vera needed her vest just to cover shoulders. I was O.K. with short sleeves.

Unlike many parts of the Pacific coast the ocean in Huatulco is sufficiently warm to swim almost every day of the year but from May to November it can be like a tepid bathtub.

Kids dressed up for celebrations

Mexicans like to party

Tours and activities in Santa Cruz Bay.
Having a car was again our advantage that saved us lot of money, as we could take all the tours on our own. We just need brochures or access to the internet… and we had both.

There are some very interesting tours and activities here and in the nearby mountains. One of the tours takes you to a forest where you can swing like Tarzan into a lagoon and swim through a waterfall. The more adventurous may enjoy rappelling down a 100-foot waterfall and during the rainy season white water rafting is available from levels 1 to 5.

Coffee growing was once a major industry in the nearby mountains and naturally grown Oaxacan coffee can be found at many gourmet coffee shops around the world. We brought home with us two kilos and it really is a good coffee. It is possible to combine a trip to one of the coffee “fincas” with a swim in a waterfall.

Kids dressed up for celebrations

Water sports will occupy much of your time in Huatulco and there is certainly no lack of water related activities here.  Great scuba diving and sport fishing is relatively close to shore and all of the other water sports you would expect at a world class resort exist here.  Snorkeling in some of the more protected bays can be downright incredible.  A glass-bottom boat tour to each of the bays is a must, if you have enough time.  If not, you can arrange to visit only the beaches you choose.  Horseback riding is offered on a few of the beaches and extended rides into the jungle can be arranged and provide an interesting alternative to spending the entire day at the beach or in the water. 

Local girls working in a restaurant

If you golf, you are sure to enjoy the beautiful Tangolunda Golf Course, an 18 hole (72 par), championship course, designed by Mario Schjetnan, which is beautifully blended into the surrounding jungle. The course features a spectacular waterfront green on the 13th hole. Many people are delighted to discover that this golf course is so under utilized that you can practically name your tee time.  

The Tangolunda Golf Course also has some very nice tennis facilities which, like the golf course, are open to the public. Most of the hotels in Huatulco also have tennis courts, but as a general rule they are for the exclusive use of their guests. 

The numerous hills make bicycling a bit too strenuous for beginners ability (if I had a bike with me, it would be enjoyable), but Huatulco has hosted a 1/2 Iron Man Competition for three consecutive years and there are those who enjoy the challenge.

Old style loom – machine for weaving cloth in La Crucecita

Safety concerns in Huatulco
Go to Huatulco without scare, because we have not experienced (nor even seen) any problems, violent crime or something else. Mischievous kids and loud arguments between neighbors, maybe, but hey, you see that everywhere. Aggressive vendors around the beaches (in Santa Cruz) was the biggest issue we had in Huatulco.

That said, and in no particular order, here are our top ten safety concerns in and around Huatulco:

1) Not drinking enough water on those 85-90 degree days

2) Forgetting how to tie our shoe laces (after not wearing shoes for weeks)

3) Forgetting to turn off the BBQ as we finish one meal and immediately start planning the next

4) Overeating

5) Losing track of the days of the week with the possibility of missing our flights

6) Too much sun

7) Losing our bathing suits in the surf at Chahue

Spending too much money on local crafts

9) Falling asleep on the beach with a rising tide

10) Deciding to stay in Huatulco (with all the violence everywhere else in world, who in their right mind would want to leave?)

It seems inevitable that Huatulco will, in time, become a success, given the natural beauty that the project had to start with.  For those seeking an, as yet, undiscovered beach paradise, this just might be the place you have been searching for.

If we do visit Huatulco ever again, we wouldn’t hesitate twice to come here and to recommend this hotel to friends. But it’s unlikely we will, as we prefer changing scenery every year and visit other real and non-commercialized destinations like Costa Rica or Belize.

This review is a bit long, but I hope it will help someone who is planning to come here. Our next stop is Puerto Escondido, on our way to Acapulco, so please come back to read my future blogs…

THE TOWN – HUATULCO

http://www.tomzap.com/FLIGHTplayas_M.html

By: Zdenko Kahlina

The best-kept secret in Mexico
So, after crossing Sierra Madre Del Sur Mountains by car, we are finally here on the Pacific coast, in place that’s called Huatulco. And the best part is we’ll stay here for ten days! Yippy! Only sun, sandy beaches and cerveza for next ten days… that’s what I call life!! Even the “commercial” beaches with palapa (palm thatch) restaurants, such as La Entrega, are rarely crowded at this time of a year (before Christmas holidays).

Club de Playa Chahue

I had vaguely heard of Huatulco before, but when I looked at the map of Mexico’s south as I was making plans for our trip, I knew immediately this was the place I wanted to see. Huatulco is accurately described as “the best-kept secret in Mexico”. For us this was one of the charms.

Air view of Santa Cruz and La Crucecita town in the background

What is considered Huatulco
But first let me explain what is actually a place called Huatulco. The name Huatulco in the “nahuatl” language means “place where the wood is venerated” surges more than 1,500 years before the Spanish colonization.

Huatulco refers to the resort area Bahías de Huatulco or the bays of Huatulco. The four main parts of Huatulco are Tangolunda, the area where the more upscale resorts are located, Santa Cruz, a small town with more hotels, the marina and Santa Cruz beach, La Crucecita, another small town just inland from the beach area having a more genuine Mexican ambiance, and Chahué, an area between Santa Cruz and Tangolunda. These areas are within a mile or two from each other. All this places together are simply called Huatulco.

Construction on the Huatulco resort area began in 1983; virtually all structures were built after that date. The existing population was relocated to Santa Maria Huatulco some 20 km away. The area is known for its beautiful isolated bays separated by rocky hills set against the backdrop of the Sierra Madre del Sur. For a look at the area see Aerial Photos of Huatulco. Traveling north of the area, the terrain rises quickly becoming a lush tropical jungle where crops such as coffee, bananas, cashew nuts are grown. For some specific recommendations, see The Best of Huatulco.

Huatulco is very Mexican — one has only to walk through the local market or sit in the central square in La Crucecita, on a Sunday evening and watch the local people to be convinced of this. Music and dance are an important part of the culture and frequently there are performances in the central square or in the ecological park. It is true however, that Huatulco is a cleaner, neater version of Mexico.

Some criticize Huatulco as not being “the real Mexico”, because it is a town constructed as a beach resort and many of its inhabitants are not local. I disagree. Although many of the people are from different parts of the state and indeed from around the country, they bring with them rich mixture of Mexican culture.

The wide, paved streets, lined with grass, flowering shrubs and palm trees, contribute to making Huatulco an extremely pleasant place to be. Huatulco beaches have been reported to be the cleanest in all the country and this is no accident. Benefiting from extensive government resources, Huatulco has a series of water treatment plants for processing and recycling all sewage, the product of which is used on the extensive green spaces around the town. Not a drop of sewage treated or otherwise, is deposited into the ocean, making Huatulco unique in Mexico.

Hotel Marina in Santa Cruz

This resort town was created to provide jobs for the people of Oaxaca, one of the poorest, most traditional states in Mexico. The government has invested almost one billion dollars in this resort to the benefit of thousands of Oaxacan families and also the foreign and domestic tourists who enjoy the world-class facilities of Huatulco.

Driving into Huatulco (wa-TOOL-co) my wife commented that the town center, La Crucecita, was charmingly Mexican with a traditional central square bounded by shops and patio restaurants. Beautiful wide boulevard lead us to Santa Cruz area, only 2 km further from La Crucecita, where we were going to look for the hotel.

We found our accommodation easily, even though we didn’t make any advanced reservations, in one of the all inclusive hotels in Santa Cruz, hotel La Castillo. Since we were staying here for 10 days, we wanted to stay at a nice place, somewhere near the beach, with free Wi-Fi and breakfast included. We purposely picked beginning of December for our trip, so the prices were very low and affordable.

Santa Cruz 

Santa Cruz 
It’s a small village and walkable in an hour or so but has lots to offer. A square shaped marina directly across from our hotel, a collection of market stalls where prices are better than at beaches or La Crucecita – except when the cruise ships are in town. There is also Zocalo, a nice small park with a coffee shop at its hub, and several stores, restaurants and mini hotels. On the far side of the marina is an HSBC bank with ATM that accepts major credit cards. At the Scotiabank down the street I exchanged my Canadian dollars into pesos with no hitches… and got better exchange rate than I would in La Crucecita.

Santa Cruz marina

Beyond the park, you come to more shops, a row of restaurants (including Jess y mar, Dona Celia) and the beach, though most other beaches are better. Little disturbing was seeing how many houses and future hotels are not finished and are left empty. Just on the hill above Santa Cruz marina is a big unfinished housing complex left standing there as a ghost town. Not a nice picture for all the tourists who arrive with the Cruise ships. I guess this is reflection on current situation in Mexico, all the negative writings about gang killings, which resulted in luck of tourists.

Hotel La Castillo
When we arrived in Santa Cruz, first we looked at the Marina hotel, but something told us to look around some more. La Castillo hotel was just around the corner.

All inclusive hotel La Castillo

La Castillo hotel was clean, with great food, and great service. The location and the price is why we considered this place. In La Castillo, we were just behind the Santa Cruz marina and close to the public beaches. We were on walking distance to Santa Cruz shopping area and market, banks – the ones which have the best exchange rates are also nearby, taxi terminus as well, to get into La Crucecita. We spent $800 CDN for our 10 days stay in the hotel, including buffet breakfast and secured free parking. Its location (on the main street) doesn’t mean it’s noisy except early in the morning when the marina boys blare music from their vans and boats which is normal since even on vacation one must wake-up at a decent hour to do things.
The hotel itself is low rise Mexican colonial style building with about 100 rooms. The pool is good but not always in the sun, with several umbrellas for shade. But, who wants to stay by the pool (we didn’t), when there is such a big selection of beautiful beaches. The rooms are spacious – ceramic floors and beautiful balconies, which made me feel I was in a Mexican telenovella (Soap Operas) set in colonial times. The lobby bar has live music on Fridays and Saturdays.

Marina Santa Cruz

La Castillo hotel seems well-organized with a shuttle bus to Chahue beach club which is only 1 km away from hotel (15 min if you walk). Though, the other beach – Santa Cruz beach is even closer, only 5 min walk nearby. We used shuttle bus only on our first day, but later didn’t want to depend on their schedule, so we always used our car. The shuttle leaves the hotel every 30 minutes for this 5 minute trip.

Chahue beach club
The beach club is fantastic, with a pool, restaurant, washrooms, volley ball courts, hammocks and lots of palapas. The beach is never crowded, bar and food service was well beyond expectations… everyone smiling and saying hello. Our server Eleuterio (Teo) did a wonderful job serving us, bringing cold cerveza under our umbrella on the beach in the bucket of ice. And most importantly, he wasn’t “pushy” salesman… if I order only one beer (it never happened) or several, it didn’t matter to Teo.

Chahue beach club – paradise

Chahue beach

On this beach, we didn’t get bothered by too many vendors. Few of them would stop and offer jewellery for sale, massage services or hair braiding (very popular). One local guy, walking the beach with an open suitcase full of jewellery, was there every day trying to sell his stuff. He would start talking to us and we learnt he visited Canada few years back. His name was Pepe, and to show us how he knows English, he kept repeating “Hole Mole, Guacamole!” Locals say you should never pay more than half the asking price in tourist stores or from vendors. Vera got a $45 silver ring with large red coral stone from Pepe, for $250 pesos (~$20 CAD). It has the .925 stamp on it, indicating real silver, and would be more in a shop. Besides we befriended him and he continued to stop by our umbrella every day to chit chat about Canada and Mexico. When I mentioned our next stop will be Acapulco, he gave me instructions how to get into the city and save time.

The clientele of this hotel is mostly Mexican families, try out your Spanish and make new friends. We did… but there were Canadians as well. We met great couple from Saskatchewan, Natalie and David, who were staying in our hotel. Hello guys… if you read this.

Croatian-Canadian on Chahue beach

While we were there, for several days we couldn’t go into the water because of the jellyfish. First three days were good, but than one morning there was jellyfish all over the beach. One day, when I was thinking they were gone, I swam into jellyfish and got stung several times but it wasn’t painful and diminished quickly. So, when swimming or snorkeling, look up occasionally to see if there are jellyfish. They were small, translucent, white, pink and blue. Again, locals told us they will disappear in about three days and they were right.

Restaurant in Chahue beach club

Vera on the beach

Chahue area has Best Western which looks into a dead end area but Eden Costa hotel in Chahue is lovely, well-lit and houses the excellent fusion-cuisine Echalote restaurant. Next door to the Chahue beach club was Xquenda Huatulco Spa hotel, which looked very deserted. There are condos being build everywhere in this area, but the prices are pretty high.

Boulevard Santa Cruz connecting with Tangolunda area
 

Barefoot on the beach
More than anything else it was the beaches that sold us on Huatulco. There are nine bays with thirty-seven beaches spread along 18 kilometers of rugged coastline. Several of the beaches are set into coves within the bays so that, unlike much of the Pacific coast, the waters are calm and safe for swimming and snorkeling. Some areas are accessible only by boat and many are virgin beaches with nothing but pristine sand and crystal clear water. We were surprised by how very few tourists were here at this time. Mexico’s tourism is really being hit hard by all the negative writings about gang killings and danger. We didn’t see any of this, especially not here in Huatulco area, and we felt safe at all times. I keep repeating this, but it’s true!!

With our car, we checked every strip of beach available and depending on our impression of a particular location, our stay lasted from one hour to whole day. Five of Huatulco bays have been designated as a National Aquatic Park. While the coral is not as colorful as you might find in the Caribbean, the abundance and variety of marine life will fascinate those interested in diving or snorkeling.

Vera on Santa Cruz public beach

Santa Cruz public beach was within walking distance. It has a few excellent seafood palapa restaurants. Umbrella and chairs given for free with the purchase of a drink(s). This is the democratic public beach for Mexicans. What was annoying was those first minutes when approaching the beach area. You are suddenly surrounded by several guys at once, who are trying to get you to their part of the beach, so they can sell you drinks and food later. We created our own tactic to ignore them at first, pick the place that we like and than move toward chairs and umbrellas.

Vera and Zdenko on Santa Cruz public beach

Vera in front of a restaurant in Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz marina

La Marina hotel has a private beach – so small and empty, not worth the visit. There is no beach club as advertised. Well, it’s physically there, but empty.

La Marina beach – very small

La Entrega is beautiful. La Entrega, with the best snorkeling in the area, is about a two miles past the Santa Cruz beach, by road. It is worth a cab ride. We came with our car at the end of the day, just to explore it. Water was clean and warm, but the beach can be busy during the day. To see schools of fish there, just follow the right side row of buoys that marks the swimming area. Use the attached rope to propel you along. Restaurants here are more expensive. Between the beach and Santa Cruz there is a nice vista, with the view on Santa Cruz bay. You should stop there and take a few pictures…

Beautiful La Entrega beach

Maguey Bay
We didn’t like Maguey beach because of the procession of vendors, who jumped on us at the parking lot above the beach. They followed us all the way down to the beach trying to get us to their restaurant. They were really annoying. The beach was nice, but not as big as we expected. With a 400 m long beach, this bay offers its fresh soft waves and soothing environment, ideal for the families with children to enjoy water sports, snorkeling and Jet Ski.

Maguey beach offers good snorkeling

Maguey beach: too many restaurants and very few tourists

The water was much warmer here than on our beach in Chahue. Approaching the beach there is about 2 km of grovel road, because you have to go through construction zone, as they are expanding Santa Cruz boulevard, all the way to Maquey bay.

Playa La Bocana
We fell in love with La Bocana. It’s a short 10 minute car drive from Santa Cruz. The ocean there is amazing! The few hours we spent there were most memorable. Huge waves crashing to the shore, local kids jumping from the rocks into the ocean. The surfers… it was all breath taking and a fantastic place to take pictures.

Entrance to La Playa Bocana – wide bouleward

La Playa Bocana

The restaurants at Bocana are right at the end of the beach – where the road stops. The beach goes on quite a bit after that….so if you want drinks and food you should stay at the entrance. If you go to the secluded beaches – Cacaluta and La India (we didn’t) are the prettiest but you might get seasickness since they are far away. You get to see them from afar in the seven bay tours.

Cruise ship pier in Santa Cruz Bay.
The newly constructed cruise ship dock in Santa Cruz is receiving on the average of 80 cruise ships per year. While we were there the cruise ship “Norwegian Star” arrived early in the morning on Wednesday and left shortly after 5 PM.

Cruise ship ”Norwegian Star” has arrived

Tourists from the cruise ship on the beach

Prices go way up in town when the ships arrive. We were told there are about 6 ships a month, depending on the time of year. It’s not too bad shopping on the same day as the cruise ship arrives; at least it provides some entertainment watching cruise ship people try to find their way around. However, you should avoid real shopping in Santa Cruz, when the cruise ship is in, because the prices increase substantially for the benefit of the tourists on the ship. Even the restaurants at the marina where the cruise ship docks, have all the prices jacked up on the day when ship arrives. As soon the ship leaves, the real menu comes out with everything nearly half priced. Vera and I stayed on the marina beach that day, curious to see tourists from the ship and all the events surrounding them, but the chair and umbrellas on the beach were $100 pesos on that day and the beach was very crowded.

Norwegian Star cruise ship

By: Zdenko Kahlina

If you’re not travelling, you’re not living!
It was time to hit the road again. We were ready to move on, after two very busy days in Oaxaca (see my previous blog). After some thought about which road to use, we finally decided to use highway 175 from Oaxaca City and drive across the mountains to our destination Huatulco. This road is also called the “vomit” road. Soon we’ll discover why… lol!

TOPE – was the word for the day

From Oaxaca to Huatulco (or Puerto Escondido), you can choose between two main routes, 175 and 130. Highway 175 is normally in better shape but longer and 130 is not as good of a road, but it is more direct. In October, both roads will have gone through a full wet season and there will more than likely be bad sections.

Driving in Mexico has its own share of oddities from ambiguous turn signals other drivers use, farm animals on the road, road blocks for whatever political reason happening at the time, possibly getting a “ticket” that you pay directly to the police officer (it happened to us in Mexico City), and although rare, being robbed. Insurance laws in Mexico are also very different. There are lots of guides and articles on the net that can give you some experiences others have had. However, having the freedom of your own car to drive at whatever pace you wish and being able to stop and go as you wish and to see whatever you want may outweigh any potential negative aspects of driving in Mexico.

Probable the most scenic road in the world

Just another “Reductor” that’s hard to see.

PRELIMINARY ADVICE
Before this trip I contacted some local people and we have been advised to following four simple rules:

1. Drive only during daytime. While the roads are paved and generally good, and in fact many of the bridges are freshly painted white, lighting is an issue. More importantly, there’s much more of a risk when driving at night of encountering inebriated drivers, pedestrians or animals.
2. Start out with a full tank of gas. While there are gas stations en route, and signs advertising mechanics and gasoline along the roadways, by not having to make a stop to fill up, you have an opportunity to make other stops along the way, more productive than stopping to simply top up. The trip to the coast takes well less than a tank of gas.
3. While stating the obvious, make sure you’ve had the mechanical fitness, and oil and water levels of the car checked before leaving. Brakes, tires and steering are the most important for negotiating the portions of highway with mountain switchbacks.
4. Regardless of time of year, take a jacket, sweater or sweatshirt since you’ll be climbing to about 9,000 feet on route 175. If you tend to be susceptible to motion sickness, take along anti-nausea medication.

ROUTE – Highway 175
I knew that this was one of the most scenic highways in the world. The plan was to leave our hotel early in the morning and drive up slowly, so that we have full day to make this trip. Numerous people told us the road was the worse road they had driven on. I laughed. I’m originally from Europe (Croatia) where we have real mountain roads so I wasn’t really bothered about some flatlander’s anguish of “bad roads”. But the road was everything advertised and more. It is an unforgiving, unrelenting, twisting, turning, up and down, bender of a road and if you get car sick this is the road that could make you yearn for death.

The good news is the Mexican government is building a new super highway to replace highway 175 and it should be finished this year. The bad news is the highway is not finished yet and by far, the worst sections of the road were around construction zones. Occasionally you can run into frustrations and difficulties. We were directed to use gravel sections on several occasions, to bypass workers working on new highway.

So on this fine morning, we skipped our usual coffee and pastries with fresh fruit for breakfast, because all the food places were still closed so early in the morning. We packed our bags and left Oaxaca City, determined to have a breakfast somewhere on the road.

Driving out of the city was straight-forward and didn’t involve any trickery as it did in Puebla two days before. We quickly hit highway 175 heading south and since it was so early in the morning, traffic was “normal”. First thing to note about driving in Mexico is to watch out for a sign that reads ‘Tope’ and slow down when you see one. I mean, really slow down. Tope means randomly placed big bump on the road. This seems like an ingenious system that the Mexican highway authority had devised to discipline the Mexican macho drivers. The Topes were initially annoying but we quickly got used to them. If you swing the steering wheel quickly to the left and then right (you may change the order) as the front wheels go over the hump, then you don’t have to slow down as much and the car will not sustain any damages. Perhaps next time I should rent an SUV instead…

The road was in good condition

Oaxaca to Ocotlan: Takes about 45 minutes, initially with urban sprawl out of the city, and then gently rolling hills with a few strong curves, vegetation predominantly agave and corn under cultivation. Passes by the villages producing black pottery (San Bartolo Coyotepec), alebrijes (San Martin Tilcajete), and cotton textiles (Santo Tomas Jalieza). In Ocotlan, noted for its Friday market, you’ll find clay painted figures of the Aguilar sisters, the workshop of knife maker Angel Aguilar, and tributes to artist Rodolfo Morales…his home and foundation, mural at the municipal offices, and museum featuring his and earlier works.

Ocotlan to Ejutla: Takes about 35 minutes, with long easy straight-aways and occasional curves and gentle hills. Once again agave and some corn, with a number of outcrops of carriso (river reed used for making ceilings, roofs and fences). Known for its Thursday market, with sale of animal skins. You can easily avoid going into Ejutla by taking the well-marked bypass. But we wanted to buy some food, so we drove straight into the town. There was a small stand in front of one house that we couldn’t miss. They were selling fresh pastry… but no coffee. The pastry was fresh and smelled so nice…

So far it is a nice quiet drive with some detours on gravel road, because of construction zones around new highway. Otherwise, fair road conditions. No traffic. Perfect weather. Vera kept taking pictures while I kept my focus on the road -The Topes! They are really slowing us down.

In Sierra Madre mountains

Scenic drive across the mountains

Ejutla to Mihuatlan: Takes about 1 hour, with more pronounced curves and hills, and easy-to-navigate peaks and valleys through similar vegetation and some mixed brush. Good idea to take your Dramamine or Gravol about 15 minutes into this portion of the trip. While there is no specific bypass, it’s not necessary to enter the main downtown section of town. Just keep going straight and the highway takes you out of the city.

Mihuatlan to San Jose del Pacífico: Takes also about 1 hour. Leaving Mihuatlan you’ll see the impressive mountain range in front of you, which you quickly begin to climb. You’ll note the temperature change quite readily, as you witness the dramatic change in vegetation. In addition to deciduous trees including scrub oak, you’ll see an abundance of conifers, mainly pine. The agave changes from espadín under cultivation, to very different and impressive wild varieties along the side of the road, growing from rock outcrops, some reaching an immense size, with stock (chiote) shooting up from its core dwarfing many of the surrounding trees. This segment of the trip, and the next with descent to Pochutla, are characterized predominantly by significant mountain switchbacks. You’ll see roadside eateries, booths with alebrijes for sale, and small cottage-industry lumber and firewood producers.

San Jose del Pacifico has internet café…

Several restaurants and good choice for food

The road got narrower and more winding as we climbed higher until we reached San Jose del Pacifico. San Jose del Pacífico is noted for the sale of locally harvested hallucinogenic mushrooms, in particular during the rainy season, and therefore you’ll come across roadside workshops selling hand-made wooden mushrooms as well as other hand-crafted products.

View from 9000 feet is incredible

You can rent a cabin if you wish to break up the trip and spend the night. Clean accommodations, with private bath, start at about 300 pesos. There’s well-marked signage alongside the highway. Some are more modern and advertise satellite TV and other facilities. There are a few restaurants, grocery stores, bakery, etc. It’s a relaxing way to spend a few hours, perhaps hiking up the dirt roads where most residents tend to live. We stopped here to have a lunch. The place was busy but we had a good food and good service. If you ever take this route, making a stop at this place is highly recommended. It’s probably one of the sleepiest towns you’ll ever see in Mexico.

San Jose del Pacífico to Pochutla: You’ll continue to climb for about another 10 minutes until you reach El Manzanal, then begin the descent. This portion of the trip takes about 3  hours and 25 minutes. The ride down is initially quite gradual, and then more pronounced once you reach San Miguel Suchixtepec, a picturesque village with large impressive church, and homes strung out along a few hilly mountain roads.

San Miguel Suchixtepec a picturesque village

You’ll begin to detect another significant temperature change, depending on the facing of the portion of mountain you are descending relative to the sun. At different portions of the stretch you’ll pass by a couple of waterfalls and three or four smaller rivulets spilling across the highway, goats and donkeys, home construction of wood, pine cones on the roadway, brilliant orange flowered bromeliads, wild orchids, large expanses of boston-like ferns, and perhaps one or two patches of fog.

San Miguel Suchixtepec has large impressive church

For several kilometers you’ll encounter a sweet smell similar to that of maple syrup. Because of the steep descent, you may even detect the smell of burning rubber, but don’t worry, it’s likely a truck up ahead having brake problems. At about three hours into the trip you’ll begin to hear tropical insect and bird sounds and calls, and see bananas and sugar cane under cultivation and for sale, with coffee and honey also offered at roadside stands. On the approach to Pochutla the roadway will then gradually straighten out, with curves much easier to navigate. Tropical grasses predominate the roadside landscapes. An indication that you’re getting closer to the ocean will be blown sand encroaching part of the roadway, and finally a sign stating “Iguana Hunting Prohibited.”

Donkey that loves flowers

Twisty road all the way to Pochutla

All in all it was a beautiful drive. Although we were both a bit disappointed not to see all the street side food stalls and fruit and vegetable vendors we were hoping to see. And going downhill and all those tight curves made Vera a bit dizzy. The weather was getting much warmer as well.

You can buy these souvenirs at the road side food stalls

Pochutla to Puerto Escondido: Takes about an hour. The road goes straight thru the Pochutla town. On the other side of the town you’ll get to intersection and see the sign pointing left to Huatulco and right for the Puerto Escondido. Highway 175 continues straight all the way to Puerto Angel. At this intersection, you’ll also see the army check point. We made a left turn on highway 200 towards Huatulco, following along the Pacific. However, we didn’t see the ocean for about 40 minutes. For the last half hour or so we did see mango, papaya and coconut under cultivation. We’d pass by the exit to San Maria Huatulco on our left, shortly after there was a turnoff for Huatulco international airport. About 20 minutes later we made right turn onto a wide boulevard heading towards La Crucecita and Santa Cruz… our destination and vacation base for next 10 days. Finally the ocean was in front of us and we can start looking for a place to stay. By now it was already 5 PM.

CONCLUSION
I highly recommend driving this route. Consider taking an extra day so you can stop at some of the sites and villages, perhaps at a couple of mezcal operations, or just to get out of the car and take a stroll. Spending one overnight will help you to get a feel for rural Mexico, and add immeasurably to the totality of your vacation. San Jose del Pacífico gets my vote since it’s seemingly a bit more geared to ecotourism than the other towns and villages en route, although there are other quaint, interesting stopovers, where tourists don’t normally stop for the night, which might lead to even a more interesting sojourn.

APPENDIX ROUTE 175:

By: Zdenko Kahlina

Off the beaten path in Oaxaca, Mexico
There are numerous attractions within a few miles of the city of Oaxaca. There are villages known for their pottery, weaving, embroidery, and wood carvings, there are breathtaking natural areas, and archeological sites that provide a glimpse of Oaxaca’s past civilizations.  Since we couldn’t possible visit all of them in two days we were here, we picked two biggest archeological sites to visit: Monte Alban and Mitla.

Map of Monte Alban Ruins ~ Oaxaca, Mexico 

Yesterday’s traffic experience was not so encouraging, so today we were looking at alternative ways to visit archeological sites around the city. In the tourist office they told us where to get on the bus that will take us directly to Monte Alban. The Autobuses Turísticos leaves from the corner of Calle Diaz & Mina in front of house #501, which is across from hotel Mesón del Angel. Autobuses Turísticos makes seven runs daily, at 8:30, 9:30, 10:30, and 11:30am and 12:30, 1:30, and 3:30pm.  Return service leaves the ruins at 11am, noon, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5:30pm. The round-trip fare is $40 pesos per person. The two of us were the only gringos in the bus, on its first morning ride, but I felt good. It was fun… I didn’t have to drive thru the traffic. If you’re driving from Oaxaca, take Calle Trujano out of town. It becomes the road to Monte Albán, about 10km (6 miles) away.

The Autobuses Turísticos leaves from the corner of Calle Diaz & Mina

Our bus arrived at Monte Alban

The bus takes about a half-hour, mostly climbing the hill south of the city. Road was narrow, but it was clearly marked for Monte Alban, so even if I decided to drive, I wouldn’t have problems getting there. Scheduled return time is 2 hours after arrival. It’s possible to take a later return for an additional $1 (though you won’t be guaranteed a seat); inform the driver of your intent. We didn’t have to do this, as clearly we were there out of the season, and there were very few tourists. During the high season there are usually additional buses.

The admission fee was $40 pesos per person, and soon we were surrounded by people trying to sell souvenirs… too bad we said no to all of them, but we could of bought a sculpture made of green jade at very good price ($200 pesos or only $20 CAD).

As you enter the site, you’ll see a museum, a shop with guidebooks to the ruins, a cafe, and a craft shop. I recommend purchasing a guidebook. Video camera permits cost $5, but cameras are allowed everywhere. The site is open daily from 8am to 6pm. Licensed guides charge $15 per person for a walking tour… we didn’t hire a guide.

Monte Alban
Had I been the priest-king of a large Indian nation in search of the perfect site on which to build a ceremonial center, this would have been it.  Monte Albán sits on a mountain that rises from the middle of the valley floor – or, rather, divides two valleys.  From here you can see all that lies between you and the distant mountains.

Monte Albano ruins

Monte Albano ruins

Vera still regret’s not buying this mask made of jade

Starting around 2000 B.C., village-dwelling peoples of unknown origin inhabited the Oaxaca valleys.  Between 800 and 500 B.C., a new ceramic style appeared, indicating an influx of new peoples, now called Zapotec.  Around 500 B.C., these peoples began the monumental exercise of leveling the top of a mountain, where they would build Monte Albán (mohn-teh ahl-bahn).

Very little of the original structures remain; they’ve either been obscured beneath newer construction or had their stones reused for other buildings.  The Danzantes friezes date from this period.

A center of Zapotec culture, Monte Albán was also influenced by contemporary cultures outside the valley of Mexico.  You can see Olmec influence in the early sculptures; more recent masks and sculptures reflect contact with the Maya.  When Monte Albán was at its zenith in A.D. 300, it borrowed architectural ideas from Teotihuacán.  By around A.D. 800, the significance of Monte Albán in Zapotec society began to wane.  Although most likely never completely abandoned, it became a shadow of its former grandeur.  At the beginning of the 13th century, the Mixtec appropriated Monte Albán.  The Mixtec, who had long coexisted in the area with the Zapotec, began expanding their territory.  At Monte Albán, they added little to the existing architecture; however, they seem to have considered it an appropriate burial ground for their royalty.  They left many tombs, including Tomb 7, with its famous treasure.

Enjoying the early morning sun at the ruins

Monte Albano ruins

Ruins in Mexico are very impressive

Monte Albán centers on the Great Plaza, a man-made area created by flattening the mountaintop. From this plaza, aligned north to south, you can survey the Oaxacan valley. The excavations at Monte Albán have revealed more than 170 tombs, numerous ceremonial altars, stelae, pyramids, and palaces.

Begin your tour of the ruins on the eastern side of the Great Plaza at the I-shaped ball court. This ball court differs slightly from Maya and Toltec ball courts in that there are no goal rings, and the sides of the court slope. Also on the east side of the plaza are several altars and pyramids that were once covered with stucco.  Note the sloping walls, wide stairs, and ramps; all are typical of Zapotec architecture and reminiscent of the architecture of Teotihuacán. The building, slightly out of line with the plaza (not on the north-south axis), is thought by some to have been an observatory; it was probably aligned with the heavenly bodies rather than with the points of the compass.

Monte Albano ruins and the view of the Oaxacan valley.

Monte Albano ruins

Monte Albano: one of the pyramids

The south side of the plaza has a large platform that bore several stelae, most of which are now in the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City.  There’s a good view of the surrounding area from the top of this platform.

The west side has more ceremonial platforms and pyramids.  On top of the pyramid substructure are four columns that probably supported the roof of the temple at one time.

The famous Building of the Dancers (Danzantes), on the west side of the plaza, is the earliest known structure at Monte Albán.  This building is covered with large stone slabs that have distorted naked figures carved into them (the ones you see are copies; the originals are protected in the site museum).  There is speculation about who carved these figures and what they represent, although there is a distinct resemblance to the Olmec baby faces at La Venta, in Tabasco state.  The distorted bodies and pained expressions might connote disease.  Clear examples of figures representing childbirth, dwarfism, and infantilism are visible.  Because of the fluid movement represented in the figures, they became known as the Danzantes – merely a modern label for these ancient and mysterious carvings.

Pyramids of the Monte Albano

Vera showing Zapotec architecture used to build the structures at Monte Albano

The Northern Platform is a maze of temples and palaces interwoven with subterranean tunnels and sanctuaries.  Take time to wander here, for there are numerous reliefs, glyphs, paintings, and friezes along the lintels and jambs as well as the walls.  In this section of the ruins, you are likely to see vendors discreetly selling “original” artifacts found at the site.  These guys come from the nearby town of Arrazola, where the fabrication of “antiquities” is a long-standing cottage industry.  I like to buy a piece from them occasionally and pretend I’m getting the real thing just to get an opportunity to talk with them.

Pyramids of the Monte Albano

Monte Albano ruins and the view of the Oaxacan valley.

Leaving the Great Plaza, head north to the cemetery and tombs.  If you have a day to spend at Monte Albán, be sure to visit some of the tombs, which contain magnificent glyphs, paintings, and stone carvings of gods, goddesses, birds, and serpents.  Lately, the tombs have been closed to the public, but check anyway.  Of the tombs so far excavated, the most famous is Tomb 7, next to the parking lot.  It yielded some 500 pieces of gold, amber, and turquoise jewelry, as well as silver, alabaster, and bone art objects.  This amazing collection is on display at the Regional Museum of Oaxaca.

On our way back down to Oaxaca, I snapped few pictures from the bus, as the driver was going slowly over numerous “topas”, driving thru the villages where only poor people live.

Mountain village – suburbs of Oaxaca 

Mountain village – suburbs of Oaxaca

By: Zdenko Kahlina

Capital city of the state of Oaxaca
Finally we arrived in Oaxaca city. Immediately we got stuck in a hectic Oaxaca traffic. But I’m a fast learner, so I quickly managed to find a small street and bypass the problem on the main road. Still the area around Zocalo was very busy and parking was hard to find…

San Juan De Dios, Oaxaca 

In a busy Oaxaca traffic especially around the centre, it wasn’t easy to find hotel which I picked over the Internet. But, almost every house close to Zocalo is a hotel… small B&B places, but nevertheless hotels. So, we changed our plans and since we didn’t have reservation anywhere, we randomly picked one B&B that had indoor parking and WI-Fi internet included for free.

Hotel Villa Vazari… only two blocks away from Zocalo

So we decided to stay in hotel Villa Vazari, which is located in the Historic Center of Oaxaca, one of the most beautiful colonial cities in Mexico. This hotel is a local historic landmark, but for a tourists like us, it was a small purple building in a busy street. Hotel is located on Ignacio Aldama Street No. 409, just two blocks from Plaza of Constitution (Zocalo) Catedral and the tourist walkway. The things we liked the most about this hotel, was its location and how rooms were at the back of the house structure, far away from the street noise. Considering the low price, it was an excellent choice for us, as we were planning on staying there only for two nights.

Rooms in this hotel are away from the busy street at the front

Busy street close to our hotel

Oaxaca is the capital city of the state of Oaxaca and is located near the center of the state in a high mountain valley (5100′), with a population of about 250,000. The climate is spring like during most of the year with warm days and cool evenings. The region is generally arid with a rainy season beginning about July and lasting until October.

Oaxaca is a cultural intersection that brings together many aspects of Mexico, mixing them together like a delicious, complicated mole. The city itself is full of the gorgeous colonial style architecture that you see in many beautiful cities throughout the Mexican heartland, such as Morelia, Puebla, Guanajuato and Queretaro. The atmosphere is relaxed, and in the main square on weekends the cafes are full of people drinking coffees and micheladas, and families and children with balloons out for a day at the park. Although Oaxaca is well known to Mexican tourists, there are relatively few international tourists there, the majority of which are European families and student backpackers.

Numerous cafes are around Zocalo

What to Do in Oaxaca
Oaxaca‘s best Time To go is for the Festivals that are important Events in Oaxaca. The November Day of The Dead and the Easter Semana Santa being two of the important times. Christmas is a festive time in Oaxaca and the July regional dances the Guelaguetza are festive times. The weather of Oaxaca is nearly ideal year round because Oaxaca is at 5000 feet elevation in a valley surrounded by mountains that go to nearly 10,000 feet. 

Zocalo is always full with people

Most Mexicans buy food from street vendors

Vera and I walked all the streets around the Zocalo mixing with locals. But venturing beyond the main square and the quaint colonial streets, Oaxaca also has one of the richest arts and crafts traditions in Mexico, where indigenous groups still make many beautiful handmade goods such as green glazed and carved black pottery, colorful wool tapestries, clothing, jewelry and art.

You can also buy snacks on the street

There is plenty of restaurants around Zocalo

Zócalo
Oaxaca is rich in history and culture. The zócalo (main square) is the heart of the city and has been so since 1529. On the south side of the zócalo is the state government building*; on the north side is the Cathedral of Oaxaca which dates from 1535. The thick stone walls are designed to withstand the earthquakes of the region. To the northwest is Alemada de Leon. A number of cafes surround the zócalo and sitting at a sidewalk table and watching the activities in the square is a popular pastime.

Zocalo at night

Zocalo at night – there is always something happening

Vera in front of the Cathedral by Zocalo

More street vendors on Zocalo

You can get your shoes shine on Zocalo

The band which plays at frequent intervals in the plaza, is one of the best bands in Mexico. When it plays, the plaza, particularly on Sundays, is a wonderful sight. Here you will see the Mixtecan and the Zapotecan Indians, the men in their spotless Sunday white and the women often wearing the elaborately embroidered huipil.

Numerous cafes are around Zocalo

Under the portales around the plaza are numerous cafes, and at the one outside the Bar Moctezuma, where you are in an excellent position to hear the band, they serve a divine, but powerfully strong drink known as the pablo. The bartender refused to reveal the secret of the concoction, but it tastes as though every known kind of fruit juice-all good-had been mixed into a perfect blend and then treated with some other wonderful flavors. It is served in rather small glasses with tiny tortillas which act as a sort of hors d’oeuvres, or cocktail snack. They are the best tortillas I have ever eaten anywhere.

We had a dinner in “La Casa de la Abuela” restaurant with the view on Zocalo. Food was excellent and from the second floor we could see everything that was happening on the square bellow us.

The zócalo is also the site of frequent political rallies and protests, which turned deadly in 2006. I will use the location of the zócalo as a reference to describe the locations of other points in the city. See also this article about the zócalo by Stan Gotlieb.

 Santo Domingo church – Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán 
The great architectural sight is the old church of SANTO DOMINGO, founded in 1539. A great many people consider this the outstanding church of Mexico. The style is baroque, and because of its massive construction, has remained in an excellent state of preservation in spite of the earthquakes from which Oaxaca has so often suffered. The monastery adjoining the church once covered ten acres, but it is now being used as barracks.

The exterior is splendid in its architectural strength, but the great feature of the church is the interior.

Santo Domingo church – interior

Santo Domingo church – interior

The interior of the church of Santo Domingo is said to be the most magnificent interior of any church in Mexico, and according to some, in the world. It is decorated with inconceivable richness, and yet, instead of being merely rich, as so many of these baroque interiors are, it is also amazingly beautiful, with its walls and ceiling covered with gold and polychrome ornaments in high relief.

The church is attached to its former cloisters which today house the Centro Cultural de Santo Domingo. Founded as a Dominican convent, construction began in 1570. Despite damaging earthquakes in 1603-4, it was consecrated in 1608. The cloister was completed in 1619, damaged by an earthquake in 1660 and rebuilt in 1661. The nave, interior stucco and façade were completed during 1657-1675.

The church is adorned with paintings and frescos that depict passages from the Old and New Testaments. The main alter is a reproduction of the original, covered in gold-leaf and constructed in 1959 by Oaxacan craftsmen. The Capilla del Rosario (Church of the Rosary), constructed in 1724-31 and connected to the main temple, is dedicated to the Virgen of the Rosary. The nave, vault and side walls are decorated with images that depict the mystery of the Rosary.

Capilla De La Virgen Del Rosario
The eighteenth-century Capilla del Rosario (annexed to the church) is an architectural jewel dedicated to the Virgin of the same name. The finest part of the church and the most elaborately decorated is the CAPILLA DE LA VIRGEN DEL ROSARIO. This is almost a separate church. Although the style is fundamentally the same as that of the much-admired chapel of the same name in Puebla, it decidedly was not done by the same artist. This one has a homogeneous design with a tree motif, and the richness of its ornamentation, instead of seeming studied and tortured appears to be quite natural. Most of the high relief is not appliquéd, but is built directly into the brick walls as a protection against earthquakes.

The walls of the main building are six yards thick, and the side chapels are built into the wall. The old MAIN ALTAR was made of gold. It was melted by Diaz in 1866, and a columned horror has been substituted in its place. The railings in front of the main altar and the altar in the chapel were at one time of solid silver, but now iron ones have been substituted. Another interesting feature of the church is the wonderful CHOIR LOFT over the central door.

One of the most colorful markets takes place only in May and June and is not held in the market place at all. This is the little BIRD MARKET along the side of the plaza, where an unbelievable variety of singing birds is on display.

Cathedral de Oaxaca – La Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción
This dominant church is also referred to as The Cathedral of the Virgin of the Assumption. Located just off the Zócalo, this is the third to be built after fires and earthquakes in the 16th and 18th centuries destroyed the first two. Construction began in 1702 and was completed consecrated in 1733.

Cathedral de Oaxaca

Its Baroque façade is made of the quarried green stone commonly found in Oaxaca’s buildings and includes a relief over the central door of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary with stylized clouds and cherubs. The interior was plundered during the Wars of the Reform so is less elaborate. It is Neoclassical with a bronze altar crafted in Italy during the Porfirio era that features a statue of Nuestra Señora de al Asunción (Our Lady of the Assumption).

A small chapel near the alter houses the one piece that survived when the first structure was destroyed by lightning-induced fire, the Crucifix of El Señor del Rayo (Our Lord of Lightning). You can read more about this church here.

San Juan De Dios
Near the market the old church of SAN JUAN DE DlOs marks the site of the first straw, bamboo, and thatch church built in Oaxaca. This one dates from about 1600 and was built to mark the spot where the original church stood. There are some excellent native paintings of scenes of the Conquest in the church, but otherwise, except for historical and sentimental reasons, it offers nothing of particular interest.

San Juan De Dios, Oaxaca 

Although there are some twenty-five churches in and around Oaxaca, these are the principal ones, and after you have seen Santo Domingo, any other church would be an anticlimax. If you want a short, pleasant drive, follow the old AQUEDUCT out of town. The aqueduct is still in use, and homes have been built right into its arches. Follow the aqueduct out into the country until you pass the atrocious pseudo-Greek structure erected as the HOUSE OF THE GOVERNOR arid then comes back by way of Main Street.

There is a nice little park beside this street with whitewashed trees and the inevitable basketball court. BASKETBALL has become practically the national game of Mexico, and there is hardly a town or village in Mexico without a basketball court.

Having admired the park, we walked up the hill toward the Juarez statue. Juarez, one of Mexico’s great men, was a native of Oaxaca, and they have erected his statue on a most commanding position overlooking the town. As far as I know, there is no statue dedicated to Diaz, who was also born here, and who studied law under Juarez and through him acquired the revolutionary ideas which in his later life he forsook for extreme conservatism. The statue points to Monte Alban, and the little bumps on the hill which you will see far across the valley are all parts of that great Archaeological Zone which covers some eighteen square miles. The statue is also said to point to the railway station and to show you the way out of town if you don’t like the place!

Convent and Church of our Lady of Solitude
You can also get a good view of the CONVENT AND CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF SOLITUDE from this vantage point. The convent has been unroofed by time and earthquakes, but in the church there still stands the miraculous statue of the patroness of Oaxaca. She is famous as the patroness of sailors and has a beautiful pearl in her forehead which was given her by one of her admirers. There is a rather touching story of how this sailor once prayed to the Virgin of Solitude to save him when he was in peril at sea. She heard his prayer, and when in later years he became a pearl fisherman, he found this wonderful pearl and as an old man returned to Oaxaca and presented the pearl to the Virgin in fulfillment of his vow to give her the most valuable thing he had in return for saving his life.

They tell another story about this church. On the outside of the church there is a replica of the miraculous statue of the Virgin which stands on the altar. The church used to be the favorite place of worship for mule drivers, who would tie their pack animals outside, go in to worship, and then come out to discover that their goods had been stolen. The replica on the outside of the church is said to have been placed there so that the mule drivers could worship and keep an eye on their property at the same time.

Oaxaca – local mama

Food
And how could I forget the food? We wandered through the huge markets, getting lost in the winding corridors that were full of the sweet and spicy scents of fruit, nuts, chiles and herbs, and stopping to sample strange traditional snacks like chapulines (fried grasshoppers with chile and salt). We watched artesians mixing and grinding Oaxacan chocolate, infused with cinnamon and spices. We tasted Oaxacan mole, sampled mezcal, and of course, enjoyed a few Indio micheladas.

Dancing in front of church in the evening 

Dancing in front of church in the evening 

The Ladies of Isthmus

Lesser Traveled Places of Oaxaca, Mexico 
The city of Oaxaca and surrounding area have so much to offer that you can’t see it all in one trip. Oaxaca is one of Mexico’s most intriguing destinations, offering a rare natural beauty, dynamic culture, magnificent Zapotec, Mixtec, Monte Albano and Mitla to name just a few, archaeological sites, and some of this country’s finest and most varied regional cuisine. The vibrant festivities in the city traditionally attract thousands of international visitors and participating ethnic groups from all seven regions of the state. Fireworks, music, age-old dances, magnificent costumes and more offer an exciting glimpse into well-preserved traditions, many followed by Oaxaca’s indigenous groups to this day.

The countryside around Oaxaca, Mexico is dotted with small archaeological sites and villages, and the most important are easy to reach. The landmark ruins in the region are Monte Albán (30 min.) and Mitla (1 hr.). If you’re heading toward Mitla, there are some interesting stops. A number of interesting villages in other directions make good day trips from Oaxaca, Mexico. The State Tourism Office will give you a map that shows nearby villages where beautiful handicrafts are made or ask them for the Travel Guide. They told us where the bus is that will take us to Monte Alban for only 40 pesos/person. Vera and I did visit Monte Alban (by bus) and Mitla (by car), but this will be covered in my next blog…

Typical street in Oaxaca

Promenade – Street in Oaxaca without cars

Conclusion
The city of Oaxaca is not on the coast. It is only 147 miles (237 km) from the city to the coast, but the road crosses the Sierra Madre del Sur, making this an 8-hour drive. Nevertheless, hwy 175 is a world class drive through gorgeous tropical forests and I highly recommend it for the adventurous traveler. Vera and I are going to do it after we leave Oaxaca. Many travelers combine visit the city of Oaxaca with a trip to the coast.

Anyhow, Oaxaca City was beautiful. Its only drawback was the smelly traffic and clogged streets with cars that are barely moving. The streets are filled with the sweet, sweet smell of exhaust, pretty much at any given time. Our lungs have probably blackened…

Overall, that was a small annoyance. Oaxaca is very picturesque with cobble stone streets, large cathedrals (it’s not a Mexican city without at least one cathedral) and many restaurants and street fare (yes, we’re still stuffing our faces). The city is Mexico’s centre for handicrafts, chocolate, coffee and mezcal (tequila’s dirtier cousin with the worm).

It is in this city where I have fallen in love with coffee. Never much of a coffee drinker (prefer beer) but there’s something about Oaxacan coffee that I love. Oaxaca City is a much smaller city compared to Mexico City and Puebla; in both square kilometers and population.

In various parts of the world Christmas is celebrated differently, but the Christmas tree in some form or fashion is quite popular; examining differences and similarities.

The Capitol Christmas tree in Washington, D.C., is decorated with 3,000 ornaments that are the handiwork of U.S. school children. Encircling evergreens in the ‘Pathway of Peace’ represent the 50 U.S. states.

The world’s largest Christmas tree display rises up the slopes of Monte Ingino outside of Gubbio, in Italy’s Umbria region. Composed of about 500 lights connected by 40,000 feet of wire, the ‘tree’ is a modern marvel for an ancient city

A Christmas tree befitting Tokyo’s nighttime neon display is projected onto the exterior of the Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka.

 
Illuminating the Gothic facades of Prague’s Old Town Square, and casting its glow over the manger display of the famous Christmas market, is a grand tree cut in the Sumava mountains in the southern Czech Republic.

Venice ‘s Murano Island renowned throughout the world for its quality glasswork is home to the tallest glass tree in the world. Sculpted by master glass blower Simone Cenedese, the artistic Christmas tree is a modern reflection of the holiday season.

 
Moscow celebrates Christmas according to the Russian Orthodox calendar on Jan. 7. For weeks beforehand, the city is alive with festivities in anticipation of Father Frost’s arrival on his magical troika with the Snow Maiden. He and his helper deliver gifts under  the New Year tree, or yolka, which is traditionally a fir.

The largest Christmas tree in Europe (more than 230 feet tall) can be found in the Praça do Comércio in Lisbon, Portugal. Thousands of lights adorn the tree, adding to the special enchantment of the city during the holiday season.

 ‘Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree’: Even in its humblest attire, aglow beside a tiny chapel in Germany’s Karwendel mountains, a Christmas tree is a wondrous sight.

 Ooh la la Galeries Lafayette! In Paris, even the Christmas trees are chic. With its monumental, baroque dome, plus 10 stories of lights and high fashion, it’s no surprise this show-stopping department store draws more visitors than the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower.

 In addition to the Vatican’s heavenly evergreen, St. Peter’s Square in Rome hosts a larger-than-life nativity scene in front of the obelisk.

 The Christmas tree that greets revelers at the Puerta del Sol is dressed for a party. Madrid’s two-week celebration makes millionaires along with merrymakers. On Dec. 22, a lucky citizen will win El Gordo (the fat one), the world’s biggest lottery.

 A token of gratitude for Britain’s aid during World War II, the Christmas tree in London’s Trafalgar Square has been the annual gift of the people of Norway since 1947.

 Drink a glass of gluhwein from the holiday market at the Romer Frankfurt’s city hall since 1405 and enjoy a taste of Christmas past.

Against a backdrop of tall, shadowy firs, a rainbow trio of Christmas trees lights up the night (location unknown).

Christmas Carol:

 There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me. What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won’t come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?

This week, I found out.

 From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.

 -The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.
-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.
-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.
-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit–Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.
-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.
-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit–Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness,  Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.
-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.
-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.
-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles’ Creed.

 So there is your history for today. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol…so pass it on if you wish.’

 Merry (Twelve Days of) Christmas Everyone!

By: Zdenko Kahlina

Highway to Oaxaca
After spending two days in beautiful city of Puebla, we are on the road again. Today’s plan is to drive from Puebla de Zaragoza over the mountains to the capital city of the state Oaxaca that carries the same name: Oaxaca.

Highway to Oaxaca – highway MEX135D

The fastest way to get to Oaxaca from the Puebla is the tolled highway, also known as the Puebla – Oaxaca Super Highway. The distance between both cities is of over 350 kilometers, which are covered in approximately 5-6 hours (if you are tourists like us). The drive from Puebla to Oaxaca, without stopping other that for a couple of pit stops, takes about three and a half hours. 

Until 1995 when the toll road opened, all the way from the capital to Oaxaca, for much of the route you were required to travel along secondary roads and highways, pretty well doubling the length of the drive. Even today, this trip would take a little over 9 hours on Federal Highway 1 (toll free).

Landscape: Scrubby palms and tall cacti

Landscape: Scrubby palms and tall cacti

These days we have the benefit of a much shorter and definitely a safer trip along quality well-marked pavement, with the added feature of the option of getting off the main highway and venturing into some villages to take in additional sites, scenery and local culture. The only cautionary note is to not drive outside of any major urban center, and in particular on the highways or even toll roads, at night, unless absolutely necessary. Lighting tends to be lacking or insufficient, and laws regarding impaired driving are rarely enforced.

Puebla – Tehuacan route -  highway MEX150D

Virtually the entire roadway from Puebla to Oaxaca was well-marked and paved toll road. Signage was large and clearly lettered. However, a few key pointers are in order. You want to be where it says “cuota” and not “libre,” the former being the toll road and the latter the much slower, single lane highway. “Autopista” is invariably the toll road. En route to Puebla from Mexico City you’ll see signs directing you to the Puebla, and then from Puebla, the signage will indicate Oaxaca.

Tehuacan – Oaxaca route – highway MEX135D

The highways are either two lanes each way, a lane and a half, or a single lane. However, custom dictates that cars going slower move to the right and onto the paved shoulder when they see you coming, so regardless of the type of highway, most of the time you should be able to go at the speed to which you are accustomed. There are, however exceptions as with any rule. Sometimes, for example, large tractor trailers are too wide to move over enough to let you pass. But when they see that the roadway ahead is clear, they’ll put on the left-hand signal, telling you its okay to pass on the left … assuming you trust them.

Highway 135D has only two lanes 

Highway 135D is in good condition

A solid center line tends to be suggestive only and you’ll quickly learn that with cars moving over to the right for you, you can pass notwithstanding the solid line … except when there’s a significant curve, peak or valley up ahead.

Once on the toll highway after you’ve passed all the exits for Puebla, keep your eyes peeled for a PEMEX, and pull over for a fill-up. Even if you’ve got a half tank, this is one of the only gas stations you’ll encounter for miles, and you don’t want to be running on fumes on Highway 135D. The next PEMEX you see really IS the last one for miles, so if you ignored my earlier advice, fill up now. For real. And while you’re at it, grab a mochacchino at The Italian Coffee Company and a snack–drinks and food, like gas, are scarce. Credit cards are generally accepted for filling up, and now as well at the many toll booths… except when the system has broken down.

Sierra Madre mountains

If you have to stop for some reason, see what the vendors have to offer. And at the toll booths there will be even more offerings, from uniquely Poblano sweets known as camotes, to whole wheat tortillas, to puppies.

Two lanes become one and a half, as we approached the turn-off to the right to continue on to Tehuacan and Oaxaca. The road signage changed here from 150D to 135D. From now on we just followed the highway 135D signs towards Oaxaca; this two lane highway will take you straight into Oaxaca.

Once we were burning rubber on Highway 135D, we noticed an abrupt shift in the landscape, from farmland to scrubby palms and tall cacti. We could see the breathtaking snow-capped peak as we looked ahead towards Orizába (but don’t take that road or you’ll end up in Veracruz).

There are two recommended stops, unless you also want to spend time at Tehuacan. The first is at the onyx / marble village of San Antonio Texcala. Take the second Tehuacan exit (after the Tehuacan toll booth), onto highway 125 leading to Huajuapan. After 6 km you’ll arrive at the village, with five or more factory outlets where you can by almost anything into which these stones can be shaped – tequila sets, plates, sinks, lamps, tables, bowls, boxes, unicorns, fish, hash pipes, and of course a number of diverse ornaments with religious imagery. Prices are about half of what you’ll pay elsewhere.

Vera in the mountains

Center line tends to be suggestive only

Next is the Museo de Agua, or water museum, actually a misnomer because it is so much more. Take the well-marked next exit after your return to the autopista, for Sangabriel and Chilac. There will also be signage for the museum. You’ll be given a tour (in Spanish) in the main building, and of the outside surrounding landscapes. You’ll learn how progress is being made to teach villagers in desolate regions where water is scarce and soil fertility is lacking, to conserve and recycle water; to use compost, worm culture and other techniques to enrich the land; and to grow and market nutritious produce such as amaranth.

In terms of the land and townscapes, near Tehuacan you’ll see long narrow white-topped buildings where poultry is produced and then trucked throughout the state of Puebla and further abroad. There were couples of locations demarcated as stops for tourists to pull over and appreciate and photograph the deep valleys and high mountaintops. I didn’t miss this opportunity and my pictures a proof of that. Long well-marked expansion bridges serve to showcase the valleys and mountains. There were several kilometers of impressive “telephone pole” cactuses. Close to the approach to Oaxaca we sow vendors on each side of the highway selling brightly colored miniature wooden trucks. Vera almost bought one for our grandson Luka.

Parador turistico” (overlook) in Sierra Madre mountains

Our next stop was around kilometer 83, at a “parador turistico” (overlook) right before the Puente Calapa. We pulled over for a helluva view and a quick break. Here, we were able to look into a deep canyon and the trickling river that runs through it. Leave an offering at the shrine that’s out of sight just below the parking area. I snapped a number of photos here at the peak just off to the west, and admired the engineering work it took to build Puente Calapa, which soars a mile, it seems, above the river bed.

Puente Calapa

Sierra Madre dramatic-mountain view

Back on the highway, the scenery starts to get dramatic–mountains as impressive as those in the American West, which makes perfect geographical sense. I drove slowly down through this passage, not only because I wanted to enjoy the views, but for my own safety’s sake, too. 18 wheelers make this route, too, and impatient drivers (just about everyone) risk their lives trying to pass at ridiculous speeds on the curve-ridden roads. The hazards of people traveling by foot or bike on the shoulder are also amplified on this part of the road.

Leaving the Sierra Madre behind, we hit a fairly straight stretch leading us directly into Oaxaca Centro (Central Oaxaca). The last toll booth was called Huitzo. About 15 – 20 minutes further we approached Oaxaca. A few minutes after entering the city, we were stopped by a huge traffic jam. Nobody was moving… I had to take a turn into small dusty roads around that intersection to bypass this. After this slight delay, we just kept driving straight; eventually entering onto a one-way street that was leading us to the core of the downtown area and the zócalo.

Approaching the city of Oaxaca

Traffic in the city was… well, Mexican!

It was around 320 km between Puebla and Oaxaca and we made it in 6 hours, stopping several times to take photos. Since this was a toll highway – quota (MEX150D, MEX135D), we also stopped five times (Oaxaca exit $50, Tehuacan $34, Miahutlan $24, Oaxaca state border crossing $53, and Huitzo $63), to pay for the road which came to total of 224 pesos, before we arrived in Oaxaca city.

I’ll describe our impressions of this magic city, in the next blog, but can I just say: You have to visit Oaxaca!

Practical Tips 

Tolls: There are five tolls between Puebla and Oaxaca. Each charges a different rate; in total, though, we spent about 224 pesos ($20 CAD).

Telephones: If you’re carrying a cell phone, don’t expect to have a signal on most of Highway 135. There are SOS call boxes, though, so if you find yourself in a jam, pull over and use one.

Panoramic view of Oaxaca

By: Zdenko Kahlina

So, our second day in Mexico started fairly peaceful with waking up, a shower, a breakfast in the hotel and walking couple of blocks to the centre, or how it’s called here: zocalo. Today our plan was to spend the day walking around the old city center, visit the cathedral and appreciate colonial architecture. We also wanted to visit the convent of Santa Clara, where one of the most famous gourmet dishes in Mexico was invented: Mole Poblano.

Vera on zocalo, Puebla

Puebla 
Though popular with Mexicans, Puebla is not much touted as a tourist destination for the rest of us. There’s not even a city-sponsored website in English that I can find. And that’s our loss, as well as theirs, because Puebla is a standout amongst Mexico’s exciting colonial cities. Puebla is probably Mexico’s most charismatic colonial city. Nowhere in Mexico is Spain’s influence more prominent: from the moment you drive into the city, you see the dome shaped roofs of churches and buildings, suggesting Spanish and Moor influences which arrived centuries ago and which have remained here in Puebla ever since.

Puebla panorama

Building decorated by Talavera craft

Puebla zocalo

Puebla is Mexico’s fourth largest city, although most of its 1.5 million inhabitants live outside of the colonial center. The most notable industry here today is car manufacture: VW employ over 7,000 people to manufacture cars in Puebla, including the VW Beetle; the only place in the world where Beetles are still made. When you see a VW Beetle, think of Puebla – it began its life here!

Very interesting yards usually not visible from the street

Zocalo
El Zocalo de Puebla is another magnificent place to visit and it was only two blocks away from our hotel. This colonial center is a colorful, vibrant and charming reflection of what Mexico’s colonial days looked and felt like. The main plaza is the central focus of the colonial city and weekends see the center packed with locals and visitors, enjoying the relaxed atmosphere, street performers and live bands. This is an extended park surrounded by restaurants museums and Cathedral.

Puebla zocalo

Puebla zocalo

Puebla town is beautiful, as is most of Mexico so far. Puebla’s zocalo is a capacious square filled with gardens, fountains, walkways, shade trees and welcoming benches. It’s large and sprawling, but the rest of downtown core is quaint, small and full of interesting shops, crafts, restaurants and clean, inexpensive hotels. Within a couple of blocks of the zócalo are good hotels, an extensive pedestrian walkway with many shops, and Los Sapos, a few streets filled with crafts, antiques and collectibles.

One of the best parts about Puebla is the proximity of the attractions. For instance, once you visit El Zocalo all you have to do is keep walking north and you’ll be amazed by the following ten blocks of interesting sights. Right there in the Zocalo you can see the Municipal Palace which is an excellent example of the Spanish-French renaissance architecture. After this, you can see the Museo Universitario, also known as Casa de los Muneco or Doll House, built in the 1600s.

Very colorful buildings in Puebla

Very colorful buildings in Puebla

Puebla City Centre Streets Configuration
The grid pattern of Puebla City streets is based on a very quirky scheme that is totally bewildering to an outsider. The city center is divided into 4 quadrants with Reforma-Don Juan de Palafox Y Mendoza forming the East-West axis and the 5 de Mayo-16 de Septiembre forming the North-South axis.

The N-S streets to the west of the vertical center are odd-numbered North-South streets. They are 3 Norte, 5 Norte etc. above Reforma and 3-Sur, 5-Sur etc. below Reforma. The N-S streets to the east of the vertical center are even-numbered (2-Norte, 4-Norte etc. above Don Juan and 2-Sur, 4-Sur etc. below Don Juan).

Correspondingly, the E-W streets to the north of the horizontal center are even numbered (2-Poniente, 4-Poniente to the left of 5 de Mayo, and 2-Oriente, 4-Oriente to the right of 5 de Mayo). The streets to the south of the horizontal center are odd numbered (3-Poniente, 5 Poniente etc. to the left of 16 de Septiembre and 3-Oriente, 5 Oriente etc. to the right).

Of course, Norte = North, Sur = South, Poniente = West and Oriente = East. Venkatesh is normally good at geographical orientation but this was too much to master in a couple of days. 5 de Mayo (Cinco de Mayo = 5th of May) and 16 de Septiembre (16th of September) are named to commemorate important events in Mexico’s history. Cinco de Mayo is celebrated in the United States too and there is a misconception that it is Mexico’s Independence day. It actually commemorates an initial victory of Mexican forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín over French forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. 16th of September is Mexico’s Independence day (from Spain, 1810) and is its most important National Holiday.

History
Puebla is famous for one of Mexico’s most notable battles, which took place on May 5th 1862, against the French. 6,000 well armed French troops, sent by Napoleon III to occupy Mexico City (they had to take Puebla first) were defeated by 2000 poor, rag-tag, and poorly armed Mexicans. Although the French returned to occupy the city a year later, the event is a centerpiece in Mexican history and a symbol of its struggle and persistent determination against its foreign invaders. Today “Cinco de Mayo” (fifth of May) is a national holiday, celebrating the victory of the Batalla de Puebla (Battle of Puebla).

This was one of the first cities founded by the Spanish in 1531 that was not built on top of ruins of local civilizations. When visiting this city it is apparent that it was a European planned city because the streets are square, they are set at odd angles with strange intersections but laid out in a grid formation.

Enchiladas de mole” specialty of Puebla…

Cuisine
Besides the famous Battle, Puebla is famous for its cuisine – some of Mexico’s most popular national dishes, including Mole and Chile Poblano were created in Puebla. Mole is a thick spicy sauce that’s become a culinary hallmark of southern Mexico. At Fonda de Santa Clara, the city’s oldest and most celebrated restaurant, waiters swear the mole recipe is identical to the one concocted more than 400 years ago by the nuns of the Santa Rosa Convent. Whether or not the sauce is exactly the same, the meals there are always divine — featuring various combinations of green chili, red chili and dark brown chocolate mole over enchiladas.

Fonda de Santa Clara restaurant

Vera and I went to this famous restaurant in the evening (the restaurant was only one block away from our hotel), because it was recommended to us as the best place to sample Puebla’s cuisine. Vera ordered “enchiladas de mole” specialty of Puebla…

Building decorated by Talavera craft

Talavera
When the Spanish arrived, they brought with them Talavera (itself a Moor craft), a very strong and hard-wearing ceramic, which was colorfully decorated and used primarily for tiles (wall and floor). Today, Talavera is still manufactured here. Talavera is not an inexpensive good anywhere you buy it in Mexico, although you’ll find some of the lowest prices for it here in Puebla. You can visit the Museo Universitario, also known as Casa de los Muneco or Doll House. This Museum was built using red brick and hand-made talavera tiles. Talavera is a white and glazed type of ceramic used for vases, decorations, and so on. Special cartoons are painted on the tiles, and this is what gives the museum the name of House of Dolls.

One form of talavera ceramic sold to tourists

Religion
Puebla is a very religious city and serves as host to over 70 churches, as well as its magnificent Cathedral, which you’ll see as part of your colonial city exploration.

Puebla is well connected by road with Mexico City, and also has an airport, so its very accessible. It’s do-able on a day-trip, but staying longer to explore the nooks and crannies is even better and will provide you with a much better experience of this beautiful and important colonial city.

Iglesia del San Cristobal

The state of Puebla also hosts Mexico’s most famous (and non-dormant) volcano: Popocatepetl. If you drive or take the bus to Puebla, you’ll see this magnificent tower of natural energy from the south side; it is sometimes capped with snow. In the 1970′s you could see it from Mexico City, but today, air pollution blocks the view. If you want to see the Volcano, travel EARLY in the morning – late mornings and afternoons bring heat that causes mist so a clear view is obscured from the road to Puebla. There are no less than 3 other volcanoes in the area: Iztaccihuatl, Malinche and Citlaltepetl.

The city of Puebla is considered Patrimony of Humanity and one of the most beautiful places to visit in Mexico for its natural landscape, its Mesoamerican and colonial architecture and for the colorfulness of its handcrafts.

La Catedral de la Concepcion Inmaculada in Puebla 

Cathedral
Just across the street from zocalo is Mexico’s most beautiful church, La Catedral de la Concepcion Inmaculada (Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception). This cathedral has two identical towers that seem to touch heaven, incredible!

Details of altar in cathedral

La Catedral de la Concepcion Inmaculada in Puebla 

Cholula 
A short drive from Puebla is the colonial town of Cholula; famous for its church, which is flanked by the volcano Popocatepetl. In the zocalo plaza of the village of Cholula, on one side you can see the two beautiful volcanoes: Popocatepetl and Iztacihuatl, and on the other side one of the largest monuments ever built in America: the pyramid of Quetzalcoatl. We’ll visit the local market and then take a tour of the pyramid. But this story will be covered in different blog…

Vera and Zdenko in front of the Nuestra Señora de los Remedios

 
Puebla’s guide can be found here:
http://www.mexperience.com/guide/colonial/puebla.php