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Mexico - Oaxaca offers city, countryside, and sea

Publié: 26.06.2019

Oaxaca

In order to get to the south, I had to take a plane. And shortly after, I arrived in Oaxaca. A beautiful colonial city - again. And even though I'm at an altitude of about 1500m, it's incredibly hot. The city tour is a tough job again. First, I have a hearty breakfast in the restaurants around the Plaza. Then I visit the former Dominican monastery, which now houses a cultural center with a detailed historical museum. The thick walls provide some cooling. The streets are touristy with various galleries and museums of local artists. The city is also known for its good chocolate, but I don't have any appetite for hot chocolate in this temperature.

In the streets of Oaxaca. Colorful, colonial, well-preserved, and touristy.
In the streets of Oaxaca. Colorful, colonial, well-preserved, and touristy.

Temple and former convent Santo Domingo with the museum about the history of Oaxaca.
Temple and former convent Santo Domingo with the museum about the history of Oaxaca.

In this city, one is constantly looking for shade.
In this city, one is constantly looking for shade.

It
It's pleasantly cool in the courtyard.
Opulent inside.
Opulent inside.

Some interesting exhibits.
Some interesting exhibits.

The most important finding from Tomb Number 7 in the nearby Monte Albán.
The most important finding from Tomb Number 7 in the nearby Monte Albán.
And a nice library with ancient books was also attached.
And a nice library with ancient books was also attached.
And the view of the adjacent botanical garden is wonderful.
And the view of the adjacent botanical garden is wonderful.
In the background, the surrounding mountains.
In the background, the surrounding mountains.
View of the Plaza and over the city.
View of the Plaza and over the city.
Visit to the museum of local artists. Of course, the national sport is extensively celebrated here.
Visit to the museum of local artists. Of course, the national sport is extensively celebrated here.
With powerful images.
With powerful images.
And colorful installations.
And colorful installations.
The traditional customs of Oaxaca are also exhibited here.
The traditional customs of Oaxaca are also exhibited here.
Old family portraits. This style seems to be prevalent worldwide.
Old family portraits. This style seems to be prevalent worldwide.
In a gallery, I found some modern masks.
In a gallery, I found some modern masks.
Masks are very popular in Mexico. Anchored in the traditions of the Maya, this culture survives to this day, even in wrestling.
Masks are very popular in Mexico. Anchored in the traditions of the Maya, this culture survives to this day, even in wrestling.
Visit to the botanical garden.
Visit to the botanical garden.
It
It's only about 20 years old. Most plants were transplanted because the 'waiting time' would have been too long otherwise.
The facility is well done and there are many different plants to discover.
The facility is well done and there are many different plants to discover.


Also a few butterflies.
Also a few butterflies.
And many cacti.
And many cacti.


In the shade of the former convent.
In the shade of the former convent.


The next day, I go on a tour. The program includes one of the largest and oldest trees in the world, a mezcal factory, a carpet weaving workshop, and the mineral-rich springs 'Hierve el Agua'. So the day is well filled.

Contrast program the next day. The tour starts with a visit to the
Contrast program the next day. The tour starts with a visit to the 'Árbol de Tule'.
It wasn
It wasn't particularly tall, but incredibly wide and old.
Next stop, the villages of traditional textile art. This comes from weaving and not from the
Next stop, the villages of traditional textile art. This comes from weaving and not from the 'web'. 😉
The wool is exclusively dyed with natural materials. These can be seen on the table.
The wool is exclusively dyed with natural materials. These can be seen on the table.
This is what it looks like in practice.
This is what it looks like in practice.
Foot and hand work well coordinated.
Foot and hand work well coordinated.
The master. It takes him 3 months to make the carpet he
The master. It takes him 3 months to make the carpet he's currently working on! The price for so much work was ridiculously low. In these villages, agriculture is hardly possible, so they have specialized in weaving and trade the products with neighboring villages or today with tourists.
A lot of detailed work.
A lot of detailed work.
And the products are really impressive.
And the products are really impressive.
Then it was time for a mezcal tasting. Of course, the process was also explained...
Then it was time for a mezcal tasting. Of course, the process was also explained...
Then we continued to some ruins.
Then we continued to some ruins.
And then to the last stop
And then to the last stop 'Hierve del Agua' with a wonderful view over the valley.
Of course, there was again an extensive photo shoot.
Of course, there was again an extensive photo shoot.


So, I still have to visit 'Monte Alban'. I'll do that with a short trip near the city the next day. I'm a bit late getting started, so I can visit the ruins in scorching heat. At least everything around is green. It seems to be rainy season, even though I don't notice much of it. I also wanted to visit the villages in the mountains around Oaxaca, but that turned out to be relatively difficult because there are no buses going to these areas. Something like this never happened to me in South America. There was always a solution or a carpool if you just waited a few minutes.

The ruins of Monte Alban.
The ruins of Monte Alban.
Everything is green despite the strong sun during the rainy season.
Everything is green despite the strong sun during the rainy season.
Climbing stairs, a sweaty affair.
Climbing stairs, a sweaty affair.
In return, the view from above is much better.
In return, the view from above is much better.

The surrounding villages near Oaxaca.
The surrounding villages near Oaxaca.
First, I had a Tlayuda for strength. It
First, I had a Tlayuda for strength. It's a kind of giant taco, even though it looks like a pizza. It was also very difficult to eat, but very tasty. A specialty of this region.


San José del Pacífico

Well, then I continue my journey towards the coast. It's about a 7-hour drive from Oaxaca to the coast through the mountains. There's a stopover halfway in a hippie mountain village called 'San José del Pacífico'. It's at an altitude of about 2600m, so it finally feels cooler. It gets really cold at night and it's also raining a lot at the moment. When it clears up, you can see the Pacific Ocean. But I'm already happy when the sun comes out a bit and I can look down on the clouds. There is still a lot of forest with fresh air around San José. The place is mainly known for its hippies and for Temazcal, which is a traditional sauna for cleansing body and mind. This suits me very well, since I've caught a cold and can't really get rid of it. Even the delicious hot chocolate in town doesn't help much, so I continue to the coast after a few days. And this time, it takes me only 3 hours to go from an altitude of about 2600m down to sea level. And accordingly, the road is winding. I'm constantly thrown from one side of my seat to the other. The drivers also see it as a race. They brake hard before every curve and then accelerate again in the hundred meters to the next curve until the whole maneuver starts all over again. In addition, there are all these speed bumps that have been randomly built into the road and also encourage full braking. Nevertheless, I arrive safely at the hot coast. From there, it's another hour to Puerto Escondido.

San José del Pacífico mainly offers a lot of forest and mountains.
San José del Pacífico mainly offers a lot of forest and mountains.
That was basically everything I did in Chacahua for 2 days.
That was basically everything I did in Chacahua for 2 days.
The return trip from Chacahua by boat was much more pleasant and beautiful than the bumpy journey there.
The return trip from Chacahua by boat was much more pleasant and beautiful than the bumpy journey there.
And also more varied. So I could enjoy the lagoon a bit.
And also more varied. So I could enjoy the lagoon a bit.

Mazunte is also beautifully located. Great beaches.
Mazunte is also beautifully located. Great beaches.
A walk along the cliffs.
A walk along the cliffs.

Seemingly endless coast.
Seemingly endless coast.


Coast

Puerto Escondido is a surfer hotspot in Mexico. Surfers from all over the world come here to ride the big waves. And so the hostels are also full, it's surfing season for the big waves. However, during the few days I was there, there wasn't much going on as the waves were rather calm. I still had my cold from the mountains, which wasn't very pleasant in the heat. So I took it easy during those days. The next stop was Chacahua, a hard to reach small beach town. First, a bus, then a shared taxi, then a boat, and finally on the loading area of a truck through the cactus landscapes of the coast. When I arrived there, I continued my recovery and spent two days hanging in a hammock, only getting up to swim and eat. Actually, you can see bioluminescent plankton there. But since it was full moon, it was too bright at night to see it glow. Nevertheless, it was beautiful at the beach during full moon. The last stop on the coast was Mazunte, another sleepy little town with a beautiful beach and tourist infrastructure. There's a museum with a turtle breeding station. Of course, it was closed during these days as well. So my timing was really bad! In the winter months, you can support hundreds of baby turtles on their way to the sea when they make their way after hatching, especially during a full moon. And I'm also on my way before the heat makes me completely immobile. I'm heading back towards the mountains, to Chiapas, to San Cristóbal de las Casas.

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