Puerto Escondido

(posted a bit late...written on Monday)

We survived the bus ride, despite the long and winding road that required an entire night. We all took Dramamine, which helped us sleep and not get too car sick, but it was still uncomfortable. We’re not yet Mexican enough to get a good night’s sleep on a bus.

I'm standing on the balcony of our room...see photo. Look left (behind me) and see the famous Zicatella Big Wave Beach (ask a surfer near you and he/she’ll tell you about Zicatella. We don't swim there). Look right (not pictured) and view Marineros Beach, where we like to swim, though we regularly receive a pounding from the very strong waves.

Three aspects of our Puerto Escondido stay feel ideal. One is the view from our room. The second is the fantastic and delicious breakfasts that we are served each morning and the other is the sounds of the surf that fill the space, every moment of every day. The pounding surf keeps us from turning on the air conditioning too often. The air unit is an antiquated swamp cooler that roars so loudly it obliterates the sounds of the surf, so we’ve chosen to “suffer”, sleep on top of our covers, wake up with that slightly salty, sticky feeling…all for the sensations that come with this place, the sounds, the ocean air that cools us by morning, the smell of the Pacific breeze. Over 90% humidity here on most days.

This B & B, called Tabachin, is interesting. It is run by an aging man, who I imagine has not been up the 3 flights of stairs to check out this room in months if not a year. Tabachin was probably running at its height about six years ago. The climate here is damp and the salt air, sun and wind, so destructive to property, upkeep has to be an ongoing task for any hotel owner. Our owner, for whatever reason, let this place go. Consequently, the price of $65 per night (he came down in price and gave us a bigger room) is buying us an incredible stay in a post-luxury hotel. To our family of 4, we feel the breakfast is worth at least this much and the beds are very good…plusses and minuses, not everyone would tolerate the minuses. The gorgeous Santa Fe hotel, which our owner used to manage, is a stones through away…in fact, our view looks over their roof. For twice as much per night, but a smaller room, no view, no breakfast, we could enjoy the comforts of 4-star.

Contemplating the pros and cons finds its way into my night thoughts. Last night, I lay awake as I often do in the middle of the night…my particular insomnia...The sounds were heavenly, worth the waking. So were the sights...The moon was shimmering on the water, the wind blowing through the palms. The beauty was breathtaking, even in the dark. This is good because earlier that day I was complaining of the ants in our room, about the fact that our bathroom was not cleaned adequately and the towels smelled of mildew. My midnight attitude adjustment was a helpful one.

That morning, we took an early morning boat ride into the open seas and saw sea turtles and dolphins that the Mexican’s call “Pintos” because they are black and have little white bean-shaped spots all over. We got close enough to see the spots. We also saw a sea snake (long and black with a yellow stripe down his back), schools of sardines and flying fish. The boat ride was beautiful and none of us felt sick at the end, despite the fact that the surf was already high at 8 in the morning.

As predicted, the kids are loving the beach, the water and all the trappings of Mexican Beach Resort.