Category Archives: Puerto Escondido

Faster Than a Speeding Snail

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From Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca to Xico, Veracruz: We made our 500 mile trip in about 12 hours with a couple short breaks – it can be an 11 hour drive if one wishes to push it.

For those of you that travel that route the good news is the long awaited Salina Cruz by-pass is functioning. This has been a source of aggravation since there never were signs indicating that the by-pass was incomplete and/or non-functional. They were even collecting toll fees only to drive down a few miles and find the roadway did not work. It cuts perhaps a half hour to 45 minutes and the hassle of getting through Salinas Cruz traffic.

The bad news it is 90 pesos (About 7.25 usd) to travel 60 kilometers. We spent about 45 usd in tolls to travel 500 miles – and we avoided one 16-18 usd short jaunt – so you can spend upwards of 60 usd to travel those 500 miles.

We arrived to an unkempt yard and some nice welcome home treats arranged by our friends and fellow Internet sharers. These are the folks that had three robberies – which you have read about here.

So there is the news good and bad – but now for the ugly:  Can you believe that while away from home a few hours yesterday – in part gathering stuff for the makings of our welcome home (wine, bread, garlic-butter,  gazpacho, Macadamia cookies and a bunch of my favorite cold beers)   – that they were once again robbed!

Then we needed to attack some setup problems getting a new radio operational.  That turned out to be a minor adjustment – at least they are on FAST internet again. I ran some tests this morning where we were getting as much as 27 mbps thru put – we love the speed!

Getting settle-in is no small project.  There are cob webs everywhere (no just in my head). The weather in warmer in the daytime and cooler at night than Puerto – our bodies are adjusting – it is subtle as the difference are just a few degrees different in both directions.

It was eerily quiet last night – our first here in Xico. But this morning bright and early our sociopath neighbor greeted us with her BLARING sound system. Word has it that she has this morning ritual going whether we are here or not – I suppose we were taking it personally. It is just we are closest. I can only imagine that she gets some kind of a thrill lauding over the neighborhood with her obnoxious sound levels (equally bad musical taste as well).

It continues…so Stay Tuned!

The Count Down Has Begun

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We are relocating just two weeks from today. The transition to the other house(s) is never fun. However there are some enjoyable aspects.

We look forward to seeing our friends in Xico; several local families and our new gringo friends John and Jane (you remember the couple that was robbed several times). Also this go ‘round we will make a trip to the United States where we will see our friends George and Pearl in New Mexico and family in Las Vegas. At the same time NOT looking forward to all that driving.

We have not been in the United States for a couple of years. Other than the aforementioned friends and family, it has not been missed. I must admit there are things we will buy, in fact, we have already started ordering things from Amazon that will be retrieved there.

We are in full transition mode now getting the yard in order, packing items away and items to make the trip north with us. This is our third time launching (lurching) back and forth between Puerto and Xico – are we any better at it? Time will tell.

What have we accomplished? We are alive and healthy – important. We built a new bodega and it came in under budget (TOTAL cost around $900.00 USD). We just completed a few details – we started building in December – so a very slow operation.

Looking down from our second level – the new Jardin Bodega

Many ‘making our casa more livable’ projects were completed including a permanent installation of our instant on pressurized water heater in the upstairs bathroom – I love a warm shower- beach weather or not.

Very Cool (Hot Actually) Device. Read HERE

We started writing a new book on buying property in Mexico – progress is slow. Showing about 35.000 words thus far. In conjunction with not having gotten it all on ‘paper’, research continues. So adding to the book information even as we write.

For instance the other day we visited the very posh Costa Cumana. It is an exclusive Hood about 10 miles southeast of Puerto. We even saw a lot we would love to own there. We studied their CC&R’s with great interest.  However Costa Cumana represents one of the more risky buying opportunities. We may get into that a little here on the Blog – but for sure it will have its story told in the book.

Anita’s brother and his lady friend arrived here in early November of last year. They seem to be getting settled in and appear to be content thus far with their decision to relocate here sight unseen. Ricardo is about ready to make his second trip back to Las Vegas in that time – seems to be typical – we made many trips back and forth in the early days. As mentioned we have not been up there for a couple of years – and like it better that way.

The weather was a bit different this 6/7 month stay from the preceding two years. We had a greater variety of weather including about four days of some rain (a first). All in all the weather was spectacular and one of the key ingredients of our being here. It will be interesting to hear a firsthand report on what the weather is like during the time we are not here via Ricardo who will be here year round.

The Internet was not as fast as last time – we had some problems. But overall considering the complexity of operating our own radios, we had good luck. On that note we also had good luck with our radio system left operational in Xico being used by our friend’s John and Jane (we share). At least until this last week when there was a lightning bolt that damaged their transformer and glitch’d the radio at their casa ;-(  John and I have been working on that problem and may have him up and running before we next speak.

We will be getting more radios or radios repaired in the U.S. I no longer tell people I can help them get a radio system together. Maintaining them is not for the novice technician which is why I suppose it is so darn costly down here. I am glad I have the expertise as it has saved us some $$$ – but perhaps I am short on the ‘expert’ category and thus taxing my brain on occasion?

At the end of the day there is PLENTY we will miss leaving our beach casa. And then we have so much to look forward to including the view of Mount Orizaba from our Rancho. We are getting back just before running out of our Coatepec coffee.

Mount Orizaba from our Rancho in Xico (Enlarge Here)

This weekend we will dine out (we are going to miss the variety of restaurants) and spend some hours over the weekend watching the Masters golf tournament.

Pueblo Magico Xico here we come. Stay Tuned!

POWER to the PARACHUTES

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Have you seen these motorized parachutes? Here in Puerto Escondido they are common. A powered parachute (motorized parachute, PPC, paraplane) is a parachute with motor and wheels.

The airspeed is typically about 25–35 mph (40–60 km/h). Often they fly almost within grabbing distance to our 2nd floor balcony. Usually they are flying in daylight. Yesterday amid a spectacular sunset we saw a chute cruiser enjoying the view. It must have been an awesome sight from that vantage point – not that you will ever get me up in one of those things. But first the sunset that caught my attention:

Now checkout the flight and view:

We will admit this looks like fun – but sitting back with a tequila sunrise on our deck and enjoying a spectacular view with a gentle ocean breeze is almost as good and a whole lot safer – I am a grounded individual.

Stay Tuned!

Double Parking and Other Thoughtless Acts

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Mexico is indeed freer than its north of the border neighbor. This feature is a two edged sword. There is more freedom to use bad judgement or none at all – they have the stupid people to show for it.

The other night while having dinner at the Santa Fe on Del Morro (Zicatela Strip), we watched a double parking job from our perched view of the ocean just across the road .

I looked to see just what an idiot looks like. Most of the time we just encounter the vehicles. Every so often someone is just leaving or returning to the car. This is where we get a look at the perpetrator, trying to identify a look to associate with this anti-social behavior.

The fact is there is no identifying feature. No condition wherein they all have sunken eyes or eyes too close together or they all walk with a limp – no physical common denominator.

The fact is anyone among us could be one of these thoughtless, brain-dead people.

Although after getting a look at the guy, I will say I probably could have picked this jive character out of a typical double parker’s lineup – he did look the part.

I remarked about how a few days prior we had come upon a double parked car smack dab in the intersection turning off of one of Puerto’s busiest streets into another of the busiest roadways. I was aghast! What kind of a fool would do such a thing?  It can be noted that it is most often a male that does this.

The thoughtlessness of it all. It is ludicrous to leave your car in a blocking manner where upon others will be detained or have to maneuver around this obvious violation of respectful driving (parking). It just reeks of a self-absorbed sociopath.

At dinner I blathered something about how I would love to go down there and ask that dolt what he was thinking parking there – this just after a HUGE tourists bus had to back up and take another try at negotiating the turn due to this double park job.

Eventually the Neanderthal sauntered over to his offending vehicle and took off – all smiles – grrrr. I want to break something right now!

Shortly thereafter I watched three adults load up on a scooter, and without even looking dart off into the traffic. Right behind them a four-wheeler with a rider for each wheel stacked up on that thing zooming down this main tourist drag. I am sure if they could get five or six on either of those small vehicles they would be there. Thank goodness for all that anger management my father taught me while he was beating me for waking him on some weekend mornings.

Not long ago at a stop light we observed a family of four on a scooter stopped at the light. A small infant (less than 3 months old I am guessing) rolled off its floorboard perch and into the street coming to rest JUST behind the wheel of a car next to them. The parent scooped the child up and they continued on down the road – my heart was in my throat!

I am often fighting with libertarian values when it comes to the part about people self-managing their behaviors. I am always offering up my awareness of just how unrealistic libertarian ism is in a modern day society in that regard. People are self-centered, uncaring and mostly obtuse. They just are. Stay Tuned!

Residente Permanente

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Good News! Our migratory status of Residente Permanente is in place. Our permanent resident visa cards are at the local INM office for pickup.

Yesterday via email we received this message: “Por este medio se le informa que sus tarjetas están ya en la Subdelegacion Puerto Escondido.”  In English – We hereby inform you your cards are at the INM office in Puerto Escondido. We will confirm all this when we have them in our hands later this morning.

For seven years the Calypso couple has been being jammed against the wall by the Mexican Bull. This part of the Mexican experience has been a saga of compliance, qualifying and red tape, often comical but mostly frustrating and nerve racking.  The process over time has been a substantial expenditure as well.

It should be noted, because someone will say it, it could have been easier had we hired someone to help us. We have mentioned these services are available. But truth be told I am somewhat bull-headed about some things (no, really) and I wanted to muddle through the trámites (red tape) by ourselves. Plus being a bit miserly I could also mention we saved more than a thousand dollars over that period of time doing it alone. I do recommend going it on your own as it is character building for the Mexican experience – truly.

Now some have had it easier than our stories. And no one’s experience will likely be exactly the same as another’s. But an experience it will be.

My brother-in-law, who is otherwise a great guy, gloats over the fact that he is obtaining his permanent residence visa on his very first attempt to obtain a visa in Mexico. Truly we are happy for him. No one would wish the bloodletting we have gone through on another – especially on such a good fellow.

Issues remain on the table: having a foreign plated vehicle while possessing Residente Permanente status is up in the air.  Will there be a grandfathering clause that allows our BIG Ford truck with New Mexico license plates to be here with us? Generally speaking one cannot have their foreign vehicle here in Mexico as a permanent resident.

Our truck has been here legally in Mexico continuously for the last four years or so. There are a number of stories being bantered about on this issue – we shall see. In the mean time we also have a Mexican plated vehicle – so take that Mexico.

We have felt our lives were somewhat on hold (read hostages) during this long trial to get these visa cards. Now we can run and get our 2013 car registration handled and show our visas to the local delegation office lady to have our water bill ‘legally’ in our name. It already is in our names since we just paid our third annual water bill (1020 pesos or about $80 U.S. dollars per year); but we were advised our account is not official without seeing our visas.

The countdown has started on heading back to Xico, Veracruz for the summer. Stay Tuned to read about making that annual trek to cooler climes – it includes a visit to the United States – where we have been amongst the missing for two years – that should be a trip.

This final visa status has been a three month waiting game that included five visits to the INM office at the Puerto airport.  The goal being to never have to do this again.  Never is a strong word when it comes to immigration issues, but that is the theme of the day – NEVER AGAIN! Our next goal is to get Mexican citizenship for mi guapa esposa. Stay Tuned!

Spring Break Without Break

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Spring Break, without break is the mantra around Puerto Escondido; and it is the catch phrase promoted by Dos Equis Beer Company – whose representation is highly visible beach-side right now. Our town is on the short list for young Mexicans to escape to during Spring Break.

The weather is perfect. The beer and cocktails are cold and life just does not get any better than this!

We usually keep a low profile during Semana Santa week. This year much of the action including the BIG Stage*** is happening just a few blocks from our casa here in La Punta. We could resist it all or join in – we chose the latter.

The very point of La Punta

Birds and People Play in La Punta’s Surf

 

Right next-door to us to the south is probably the most exclusive area of Puerto, La Comunidad Ecológica. This is mostly populated by the families of Mexican politicians, many of whom arrive at our local airport by private jet. Ex-President Vicente Fox’s daughter has a house in there.

Some of the houses in La Comunidad Ecológica overlooking La Punta Beach (upper left corner)

To quote our journalistic friend Barbara Schaffer, “The stage will be on the beach in front of this development. Just goes to show that money and power does not buy you peace and quiet.”

Actually the Big Stage is down the beach a ways from La Comunidad Ecológica  – but none of us residents here in La Punta will be far from the sounds and excitement for the balance of the week.

The BIG STAGE – La Punta Beach Spring Break – 2013

 

Many Expats living here in Mexico are sharing their neighborhood and towns with vacationers right now. Our favorite self-acclaimed curmudgeon Tancho reports the invasion to his town – an invasion of the older set – here it is about college age kids that are a whole lot rowdier and certainly a lot more fun to watch from the peripheral.

Anita and I have been walking down the few blocks from our casa to people watch. The two story stage has bands set up on the second level. The first level as well as the stairs heading up is cluttered with pretty girls in svelte, stylish Dos Equis bikinis.  The excitement is palpable. We enjoy the moment.

Christina, a fetching young Chilango, approaches Anita and I two fisted with pinacoladas. She offers us one – we take sips and return it – extremely sweet and thick slurpy like – definitely a kid’s potion.

We learned that she is here for about ten days with a group that will include a wedding. Christina explains that Puerto was selected rather than the more common Las Vegas, Nevada because they can afford to stay longer due to our reasonable prices – more accurately Spring Break without Breaking the Bank! – even during this madness Puerto Escondido is very affordable here.

The Canon Kept Following Those Dos Equis Girls – hmmm.

Anita and Christina share hugs and off she goes with an admirable energy in the heat and under the blazing sun –  the sweet energy of youth. No doubt we will see each other again before it is all over Sunday – or is it a week from Sunday? Spring Break is two weeks for the students here in Mexico.

There are more photos to come. So Stay Tuned to follow the action!  – remember things are just getting warmed-up here.

*** We just learned there is another HUGE Stage going up on Zicatela Beach a mile or so up the beach – Let the bands, hunks and babes compete (Dos Equis girls vs. the Corona girls) – should be fun!

When Bad Things Happen

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Referring to any one place as “Paradise” diminishes the word. One person’s paradise is another’s hell.

Note to self: I have to stop referring to Puerto Escondido as paradise; stopped referring to Xico as that long ago. Mexico – never started that.

Found on the Puerto Forum:

[last] Sunday Night Beach Robbery

Two American girls, who were walking from the Point to Zicatela were accosted and robbed near Hotel Blater on Sunday night, shortly after dark, by two men armed with machetes, who relieved them of all their possessions but did not harm them otherwise. Cops called and responded. (This info was provided by our gardener, who is a night watchman in the area, and responded to the girls’ pleas for help.)

A discussion ensued about the dangers of walking our local beaches at night.

IMAGO (A local journalist)  replied for example: Do not, do not, do not ever walk on the beach after dark. Robberies like that are way too common. Even walking on a deserted beach during the day can be dangerous.

Anita and I have defied this sage advice on numerous occasions. Simply casting fate to the wind I suppose.

Then there is always one of these persons that KNOW a safer place. DOODAH chimed in with:

[I] Recently was in Cuba….could walk anywhere, anytime and not have any problems. Quite enjoyable relative to my experiences in Mexico where I have had a stiletto at my throat in Puerto Vallarta and never felt comfortable walking at dusk on the beach in PE [Puerto Escondido] Just sayin’….

So I guess, what, we should all relocate to a communist country?

Usually during these discussions someone brings out statistics. “Yes, but there are more muggings and robberies at Disneyland in Anaheim, California than here.”  Does this give us peace of mind here in Puerto?

Of course there are the optimists that believe this could not happen to them. There are the ‘believers’ – “Must have been Karma.”  or “The Lord will protect me.”

And the pessimists. “It is no longer safe anywhere in the world.”

Pick a platitude.

It is a fact that there is little police presence here. And slim chances that much help will be forth coming should such a horrible event occur here. To whom much freedom is given, much danger looms. It is a fact – it is freer here.

The other day this occurred and was bandied about on the local forum:

“Tuna fishermen from Sinaloa kill a local fisherman”

Again IMAGO: Some big tuna trawlers from Sinaloa [have] been “stationed” just off of Playa Marinero [one of Puerto’s local beaches] for the last few days. It’s always bad news for the local fisherman when they are here. Early this morning a group of drunk fishermen from the trawler beat to death a 65-year-old member of the local fishing community when he was setting out some beach chairs. The police, reportedly, did not respond in a timely manner and allowed the presumed attackers to return to their boat, The local fishermen are incensed and are threatening to burn the ship. The beach was closed off for part of the morning. According to various reports the killing took place in front of the restaurant “Olas”. (I’m not familiar with this place.) Apparently the drunk Sinaloan [sailors] wanted to buy beer, and the victim, Hilario Juarez, better known as Don Layeto, told them that the place wasn’t open yet.

We all were greatly saddened by this senseless killing on our local beach.

Truly how does one prepare and defend themselves for such possibilities? One local forum member writes, “Don’t show any excess in wealth here, keep in lighted areas, travel in 2s never alone, beware when your drunk, The big holiday is coming up, also the biggest for crime.. So be on your toes”.

Here is some of the typical advice (not promoting any one):

Do not dress provocatively

No wearing flashy Jewelry or carrying expensive cameras.

Always carry and have readily available pepper spray

Just give them what they want – things can always be replaced.

Always carry a baseball bat and be willing to use it (train for such an occasion)

There is too much violence on television and in films.

Never put yourself in dangerous locations such as the beach at night.

To sum it up, I believe it is not any more dangerous in Puerto Escondido than in most other places not even counting what is known to be classified more dangerous such as several border towns here in Mexico. At the same time pick a few cautionary measures from the lists above and make them a habit.

I also believe here in Puerto there is little to no assurance of any police support if an event occurs. There is a certain element of lawlessness (recall our recent experience with our car being hit before our eyes – read that here). Perhaps as Mexico matures this will get better – only time will tell. In the meantime we are rubbing elbows with paradise here in Puerto Escondido (there I go using that word!). We are not about to give up on this place any time soon.  Stay Tuned!

Is Mexico Dropping Out

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Before we touch on some ugliness that happened recently here in Puerto, to add to the previous entry:

Read Mark Stevenson’s piece, “Mexico May Drop Out of Top Ten Tourists Destinations”

MIAMI — Mexico’s top tourism official said the country may drop out of the world’s top 10 tourist destinations, a spot it has held for years.

Tourism Secretary Claudia Ruiz Massieu hasn’t said why the drop occurred, but there were declines in 2012 in two areas that have been affected by violence: border tourism and cruise ship stopovers.

The number of cruise ship passengers stopping in Mexico dropped 3 percent in 2012 and more than 15 percent over the past two years. The number of border visitors dropped 5.3 percent in 2012, according to Tourism Department figures.

Mexican border cities such as Reynosa and Nuevo Laredo have experienced continued waves of drug cartel violence, and a number of cruise operators have dropped port calls along Mexico’s western Pacific coast. Both areas have been affected by drug-fueled violence that has cost more than 70,000 lives in the past six years.

The drops contributed to a 1.2 percent decline in overall international tourism to Mexico in 2012.

“We have indications that we may drop one or two places, but we’re not sure because the figures aren’t ours, they are from the World Tourism Organization,” Ruiz Massieu said Monday.

The WTO regional director for the Americas, Carlos Vogeler, said Tuesday it may be less a story of Mexico losing tourists, than about other countries making big gains and overtaking Mexico.

“You have to take into account that there are countries that have made a great deal of progress in attracting international visitors,” Vogeler said. “For example, Russia has improved its figures, Malaysia has improved its own, and Austria. There are a number of countries that have increased their numbers significantly.”

And he noted Mexico has continued to gain in tourism revenues. Income from International tourists rose 7.1 percent in 2012, despite the decline in the number of visitors.

“According to our initial data, Mexico has increased its income, apparently because people who arrive by air (rather than crossing a land border or arriving on a cruise ship) generally spend more time, and more money, in the country,” Vogeler said.

Ruiz Massieu seemed fairly calm about the whole affair.

“What this administration and the Tourism Department are doing is looking to the future. … We want to be more competitive globally. We want to diversify our tourism industry,” Ruiz Massieu said, referring to efforts to diversify beyond what has long been the country’s staple: American tourists visiting beach resorts.

While she did not offer specific figures, Ruiz Massieu said Mexico had attracted a large number of spring break visitors this year.

“The spring breakers season is ending and we had a very strong turnout at our main resorts. … We’re very happy that we continue to be a favorite destination for that sector,” she said.

Tourism industry sources say that some Mexican resorts such as Cancun appear almost immune to problems in other parts of the country. The Travel Leaders Group, a network of independently owned and operated travel agencies in the U.S., noted that Cancun continues to be the second-most popular destination among Americans.

“It appears that travelers are quite savvy on the situation in Mexico and understand that there are many popular and safe destinations to visit,” Travel Leaders spokeswoman Kathy Gerhardt wrote earlier this year. “Also, many people are repeat visitors to Mexico. Based on their past experience in a particular destination or at a particular resort, they feel very comfortable traveling there again.”

 

We can add the recent higher costs and additional hassles for obtaining visas. Mexico has raised the bar considerably for those wanting extended stays.

Tourism has been down in the Puerto area for some years now relating to U.S. citizens coming down. But, the town fills up with Chilangos (folks from Mexico City) and other Mexican tourists during Easter (NOW) and Christmas.

Will dropping off the list cause the powers that be to rethink some of its policies? Time will tell. We are still waiting for our permanent Mexican visas; 3 months and counting.

Stay Tuned!

Just Out of the Money

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Why Mexico? We get asked this question a lot. And it is part and parcel to the short introduction for being here Blogging.

We have always tried to not sugar coat it. The syrup has to drip off many a Blogger’s monitor when they are waxing poetic about how great it is in Mexico – some of them even work for Mexico’s tourist promotional arm – sorry if you are looking for that time-share in Miami speech about how great it is here in México – you are in the wrong place.

What you will find here is the truth as we see it. That includes the good, the bad and the ugly; yes there is some of all that.

Here we go in depth about living life in Mexico. And I must disclaim that I occasional talk movies, music and stuff – because that is part of my life as well. And this is after all my Blog.

As an adjunct to the oft answer for “Why Mexico?” Let us offer up this latest news on that question. The long running, rather milk-toast, and obviously successful “International Living Magazine” released their 2013 list of the top 5 places to retire to in the world (The World’s Top Retirement Havens in 2013”)

Guess who came in just out of the money, but number four is not bad when you consider just how many retirement havens exist. Not a win, place or show – but read-on:

“4. Mexico: Culture and Convenience“

By Glynna Prentice

“You don’t have to look far to find fascinating cultural traditions here,” says expat Deborah Mackay about Mexico, her new home. “Music, dancing, all kinds of colorful exhibitions are a regular part of life. And the cherry on the cake is that they’re usually free!”

Mexico’s colorful, vibrant culture does rank high with expats who live here…but it is just the cherry—and the icing—on a very rich cake. For expats, Mexico is an easy, convenient choice…a largely First-World country, at bargain prices, right on their doorstep. No wonder a million or more expats make Mexico their home.

Today’s Mexico offers modern highways and airports, cable and satellite TV, Internet, and other goodies expats enjoy at home. Want a big U.S.-style washer and dryer or a monster refrigerator?

No problem in Mexico—you’ll even find familiar brands. Yet the overall cost of living can be as little as half what you’d pay in the U.S. or Canada.

Health care, too, is good to excellent. (So good, in fact, that many Mexican hospitals do a thriving business in medical tourism.) Across the board, health care—including doctor’s visits, hospital stays, lab tests, and devices—costs a quarter to a half of what you’d pay in the U.S. That’s assuming, of course, that you even pay out of pocket. If you hold a valid residence visa, you can sign up for Mexico’s national health-care system—which has a top cost of about $300 a year.

Rent a comfortable, mid-sized house in Mexico for about $800 a month, while $1,500 can get you a large colonial or a chic beachside apartment. Looking to buy? You can still find comfortable homes for around $150,000, depending on the town.

And one of Mexico’s biggest pluses is its sheer size and variety. If you want beach, Mexico has thousands of miles of it—chic resorts, sleepy beach towns, and everything in between. Prefer cool, mountain scenery?

Mexico has that, too. And there are colonial cities galore, including expat favorites like Oaxaca, San Cristóbal de las Casas, and San Miguel de Allende. In fact, Mexico has at least a dozen expat havens where you can ease almost effortlessly into life abroad.

Whatever you’re looking for…in big, beautiful Mexico you’re sure to find it.”

Makes you want to run off to Mexico – no? Here are their top five retirement havens:

  • Ecuador
  • Panama
  • Malaysia
  • Mexico
  • Costa Rica

We have looked into Ecuador – It is a very expensive plane flight from Las Vegas, NV. It is a bit too Third-World for our liking.  We have grown up with Mexico over the last 8 years – definitely a better fit on that front.

Panama is a bit unstable, as is Ecuador to some degree, and we have read from several others that have moved from there after relocating to Panama because of high crime.

Malaysia – again a far hop. We prefer Mexican food over Asian.

Costa Rica is a bit pricey. And you cannot drive there.

So in our book MEXICO is really number one.***

Look at last night’s sunset for example – taken from our balcony while swaying in a hammock (78 F with a gentle breeze 6:30 PM) – nice photo – being here it will take your breath away!

Disclaimer: It is not all good here in Mexico as previously noted. Next time we will give you an example and if you stay tuned you will get some fair and balanced reviewing – so Stay Tuned!

 

*** A list of 22 best retirement havens according to International Living Magazine can be found by CLICKING HERE.

More On Zipolite

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About 65 Kilometers or about 40 miles southeast of Puerto Escondido are several small communities to visit when in our area. About an hour out of Puerto heading east on Highway 200 you will come to a sign in the road just past a Pemex station. Take this right towards Mazunte, Zipolite and Puerto Angel:

Between Mazunte and Zipolite you will also find San Agustinillo.  Each of these communities is worth a visit –all different- but all have the Pacific Ocean in common.

It should be noted if you are about to jump in your car and follow our bread crumbs – Mazunte is going through some major road work. While it is a mere five miles from the turn-off at Highway 200, it is a fifteen to twenty minute trip in, with several diversion routes.

Over time we are going to cover each of these towns – but at the moment our focus is Zipolite. Puerto has been accurately characterized as a NOT upscale community. Let’s call it a pedestrian beach community. TomZap the large Mexico web site that includes Puerto’s infamous Forum says this about Puerto, “Today, Puerto Escondido is a home for fishermen, surfers, vacationers, and an [eclectic] [expatriate] community.”  OK we are down with that – but where does that leave us with Zipolite.

All TomZap could muster up is, “Nudity is accepted (though not legal) on Zipolite beach but is not welcomed in the restaurants. Nudity is more common on Playa los Amores, just west of Zipolite.” OK yes do not want to eat in a restaurant with a bunch of nude people – I guess….

So how do we describe what we are seeing here? The easy part is the optional clothing thing – yes a nude beach. At that there are more specific areas within the Zipolite beach line for the clothing-optional life style. Although there are those that parade up and down the entire length of the beach with little more than a hat for clothing – keep the sun off your head, the rest well…..

The oft referred to hippy element has a life of its own and remains a part  of the scene; as does the varied dynamic of the restaurants, hotels, hostels and even the very west ends Tibetan-like hideaway Shambhala. TomZap does not even attempt to define Zipolite like they tried with Puerto Escondido.

We have to think about Zipolite in quirky ways. While there is a dynamic to it via the higher end restaurants and big hotels to the wandering street-urchin hippies,  after contemplating the landscape for a few years now, I find the exercise of defining the small community about as interesting as watching paint dry.

What matters is the strange, mysterious, and overwhelming truth that we are here now, in this magnificent place, and we may never know why. Or why not?

I think Anita and I will buy boogie boards and commune with the troubled waters – and leave it at that. Rock-On and Stay Tuned!