22.10.-02.11. Puerto Escondido & Mazunte

I arrived in Puerto Escondido by night bus - a surfer hotspot on the Pacific, very touristy but much more pleasant than the American tourism in Cancun & Co.

On the bus, I met Alexis from Chicago, he has Mexican roots and became a good friend during my time in Puerto Escondido (he also had a car, which definitely had advantages).

For the first two days, I stayed in a private Airbnb room, I needed a little break from hostel life. But the beach (Zicatela) near the accommodation was not suitable for swimming at all, only experienced surfers are at this beach.

On the second evening, I ended up in a salsa class with Alexis and his sister Jazbel, unplanned. I was skeptical at first but had so much fun in the end! And to apply what we learned, we went to a bar with live music where we danced Salsa, Cumbia & Bachata. As soon as we arrived, an older man asked me if I wanted to dance. Although I didn't want to at first, I ended up having the time of my life. I learned that as a woman, you don't really need to know how to dance, as long as the man can lead you.

The next day, Emanuel (whom I met at the salsa class the day before) picked me up with his moped and we went to the beautiful beach of Carizalillo. There, I had to learn how to get out of the water when there are big waves. On my first attempt, I got completely dragged through the sand.

The day after, Alexis and Jazbel picked me up, and we spent a day at a beach club by the pool/beach.

From the beach club, we went to the beach Bacocho, where you can release a turtle into the water for 100 pesos (4.50€). A non-profit organization takes care of the turtle nests and protects them from humans and animals. The babies we released were only 3 hours old. Just as they started their first meters into the water, the little ones were attacked by crabs. One of them didn't make it and was pulled into a hole by a crab.

Meanwhile, I have changed accommodation, still at Zicatela beach but closer to the clubs for partying. In the new hostel, I met Annika, Marvin, and Christian. We spent several evenings playing billiards.

After a few days, I moved again to "La Punta," the southern part of Puerto Escondido, where I liked the atmosphere the most. Some bars, restaurants, and people gather at the beach for sunset.

On my last evening in Puerto, I was the only person in the hostel. I thought I would just go to sleep and that's it, but then two girls came by to pick up their luggage and asked if I wanted to go out and party with them. It turned out that the two "girls" were 38 years old and could party really well. I love it when there are days when I don't expect anything special anymore and then something nice happens unexpectedly.

Eating out worked quite well here, except for two exceptions. Once at night after partying, we were hungry and instead of having a kebab shop open like in Germany, there was a taco shop. But all they had for me was a burrito with lettuce, tomato, onions, and a little salsa - hmm, tasty. The other time, I ordered guacamole at a restaurant, but what I got as a side dish was crispy grasshoppers.

In general, I spent a lot of time on the beach, eating, partying, and playing billiards in Puerto Escondido. And I liked it so much, I would have loved to stay much longer. I met such great people, so I was incredibly sad when I left. But I'm also looking forward to new places and new people.

Afterward, I went to Mazunte for 2 nights, a small town with 2 busy streets, a beautiful beach, and many hippie people. My accommodation had a beautiful view!

Apart from the view, I also got acquainted with cockroaches who loved my backpack.

One evening, I met Caroline and her boyfriend. She is the daughter of a friend of my great aunt from Switzerland.

The next day, I moved on. I wanted to take a colectivo (small bus) to get to the bus station, but unfortunately, they were all full, and the other couple and I didn't get a seat. An ice cream seller took the three of us on his cargo area. Here, I learned once again that there is always a solution somehow. I then took a night bus for 16 hours to Puebla.