Spring Break in Puerto Escondido

Spring break was fast approaching. Where would we go? After all, we had almost two weeks off at ASF and we live in Mexico, the land of gringo vacations. We had taken that awesome trip to the Yucatan over Thanksgiving. And there was that crazy New Year's Eve in Acapulco. There had to be some cool trip to take for this upcoming vacation. But what? I had kicked some ideas around with Ale and Will, but nothing definitive had come together. Tick, tick, tick…

With about two weeks to go, Will and I sat on the couch discussing the situation. Someplace new (to us), someplace mellow, someplace warm, someplace ocean side, these were the requirements. Finally, we settled on the idea of Puerto Escondido, a little surf town on the southern Pacific coast of Mexico, in the state of Oaxaca. Ale had been there once before and confirmed that it was worth a visit. So we hopped on the computer and started searching Vacation Rentals By Owner Dot Com (vrbo.com). The first house that came up on our search was awesome: pool, three levels, barbecue, hammocks, rooftop patio, sleeps fourteen. Jeez, it was nice but we didn’t need anything that size or expense. So we moved on. Unfortunately, everything else we were looking at was already booked for Easter Week. As we went through the (un)availability of each rental in succession, our hearts were quickly dropping. Finally, there was only one rental left to check, the giant place we had looked at first. It was available, and after further investigation, would cost only $2000 for 10 days. Since there was going to be a group of us this worked out to be a fraction of the cost per person of a hotel room most anywhere, and certainly much less than renting a beach house of similar proportions at the Jersey Shore. Sweet!

Puerto Escondido was first known to outsiders for having a long stretch of beach, Playa Zicatella in which large waves break perfectly much of the time. The waves there break in huge empty circles, causing a tunnel or pipe-like effect in which surfers can literally surf through. Because of this it is called, “the Mexican Pipeline,” after the world famous “Pipeline” beach in Hawaii. Consequently, Playa Zicatella has become increasingly developed and the strip parallel to the beach resembles a boardwalk, replete with shops, restuarants, young people and crowded beaches. The main part of town surrounds the principal cove, or “Playa Principal.” It is cobblestoned, with a pedestrian only area, and is also full of shops, restaurants and bars. The bay is dotted with a variety of types of sailboats. Up the coast a bit, is a small, gorgeous, secluded cove, “Playa Carrizalilla,” surrounded on three sides by steep, rocky cliffs. In order to enjoy this natural spectacle, you need to walk down hundreds (thousands?) of steps. It’s a bit of work (especially going back up) but well worth it. Another primary beach is a stretch north of the town, Playa Bocacho, which is long, natural and practically deserted. It reminded me of Long Island State Park in New Jersey, consisting simply of surf, sand and dunes. One good thing about all of the beaches is that you can order food and drink from the little stands nearby. Many of our days were filled with ice cold beers and sautéed octopus, served right on the beach. (Ah, the life!) Overall, Puerto Escondido generally remains a sleepy Mexican jewel. However, there are signs everywhere that the increasing development will soon change the essence of Puerto Escondido forever. As Don Henley sings in the Last Reprise, “Call someplace paradise, kiss it goodbye.” I advise you to get there before it becomes another Acapulco.

After we contacted the owners from VRBO, we shared the information about our Puerto house with our friends at work. Most folks more on the ball than us had already made their plans. Still, we ended up with a core crew of quality people: Walter, Tania, Tim, Sandy, Will, Ale and me. We got off to a rough start when there were some issues wiring the money to the owners in Puerto Escondido. Luckily, my buddy Nik was already there, after having visited me for a week in the DF, and he assisted with getting the house secured. After that was all straightened out, we had more unexpected trouble. Sandy had the misfortune of attempting to exit a bus while it was being robbed, resulting in her being sprawled out on the concrete with a broken arm. To her dismay and ours, she would not be able to make the trip. Still, we decided to carry on with the vacation in her name. Someone had to...

Will, Ale and I flew down together. Nothing beats the feeling of getting off of a plane and getting smacked in the face a wave of tropical sun and breeze. Even though the weather in Mexico City is a delight, it’s a 75 degree delight. Now it was time for some serious tropical heat. We rented a car and drove a few hours north up the scenic coast from Huatulco. The house was just as advertised: huge and colorful, with a pool and all the amenities, including boogie boards, snorkel gear and bicycles. It was located just blocks from the ocean in a suburban neighborhood north of Puerto Escondido proper. Many of the houses were fantastic retirement/vacation homes built by gringos. Each of these houses had its own original style and personality. Even thought the neighborhood is said to be 20 years old, there are still many vacant lots among the beautiful houses there. (For anyone looking to invest here, the time to buy is NOW!) After Tim, Walter and Tania joined us the next day, the first order of business was going shopping and filling the fridge and cabinets with food and drink. After that, well honestly, we didn’t do a whole lot of anything significant.

For the next ten days we had a totally awesome time. It was not the whirlwind of activity of our Thanksgiving vacation in the Yucatan. Mostly, we swam in the pool, played cards, hit the beaches, laid in the hammocks, read, ate, drank, and walked around the sleepy little town. In the pool, we played some Marco Polo type game Will taught us, conducted handstand-walking contests and chilled on the raft. Mike jogged in the mornings and Walter biked in the evenings. Tim took everyone’s money in Texas hold ‘em. Ale worked on her tan. Tania cooked some fantastic meals. At the local bars/discos, Will made out with questionable looking girls and Walter tried to dance with lesbians. (He almost got his assed kicked!) Mike turned 42 whether he liked it or not. Everyone read books and watched two full seasons of Arrested Development. (A must see series if you haven’t seen it.) It was a lazy, sunny, refreshing respite from the hustle and bustle of Mexico City.

One thing I kept thinking while I was there was, “I wish some of my family and friends back home could have been here too.” I’m sure everyone in the house was thinking the same thing. Hopefully, next time, we can make that happen.

Photo note: Will chillin' in the hammock on the roof of our Puerto Pad.

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