At the end of August we headed back to our roots and visited the Istmo.  It had been about 10 months since our last visit and it was long overdue.   The biggest problem about visiting the Istmo is getting there –it’s just not that easy.  Our options are 18 hours by car, 20 odd hours by bus or 6 hours by bus + 1 hour flight + 2 hour drive.  Any option makes it difficult to get there, but that’s the beauty of going there:  it’s well off the beaten path so you don’t run into too many tourists. 

There aren’t any beaches up here in the altiplano so we wanted to take some time to relax and enjoy the beaches near Huatulco before heading into Salina Cruz.  We made arrangements through our friends at Hecho en Mexico Tours to stay 2 nights out at San Augustin, which is a tiny village about 45 minutes outside of Huatulco and is an amazing spot for snorkelling–all you have to do is stand in less than 3 feet of water, stick your snorkel and mask on and open your eyes.  It’s the most important coral reef on Mexico’s Pacific coast and a must see if you are in the Huatulco area.  San Augustin

Most people come for the day, snorkel and eat some fish and return to their resorts in Huatulco however there are a few rustic cabins where you can spend the night.  The cabins are basic: bed, mosquito net and a light.  If you need to go to the bathroom or take a shower, you’ll have to climb down the stairs and walk down the road a bit.  This is exactly what we were looking for and Don was actually a little disappointed that we had a bed and didn’t have hammocks to sleep in.  Of course there was one on the patio so he slept in the hammock (for some reason mosquitos don’t like Don) and I slept comfortably in the bed under my mosquito net.  Don's "bed"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We spent our first day doing some snorkelling and taking it easy because we had been traveling since the night before and wanted to relax and rest.  We enjoyed some yummy fish at a restaurant and discovered that puffer fish aren’t always spiny, they can also be smooth (which I found out when I dove down and scared a pretty yellow one).  We planned scuba diving for the next day and we did two 2-tank dives in different areas near San Augustin.  The water was so warm you didn’t need a wetsuit and we saw octopus, lobsters and lots of different fish.  My only complaint was that there were a bunch of small jellyfish in the water and they were stinging me from time to time.  Of course, I was in their domain, so I shouldn’t really complain. 

After our dives, we returned to San Augustin and ate some clams that our divemaster had caught.  They were served up raw with just some chili and lime and they were perfect.  Of course, I ate Don’s clams and he drank my beer so it all worked out well. 

Don took this picture of the sunrise on our first morning in San Augustin:

Sunrise San Augustin

What?  Sunrise on the pacific coast??  Yep, there is from weird geography that goes on near Huatulco and Salina Cruz and it was possible to see the sun rise over the pacific.  He wanted to try to grab a picture of the sunset, but it wasn’t nearly as nice that night. 

The next morning, we did some more snorkelling and then headed into Huatulco for 2 nights to shake the sand off of ourselves and get cleaned up before heading into Salina Cruz.  The two days in Hualtulco were relatively uneventful but also very relaxing.  It was great to be in a place where we didn’t really have to think too much.  We ate breakfast at Terracotta in the Mision de los Arcos hotel where they serve up the best omelettes and French toast that you’ll ever try on the Pacific Coast of Mexico.  Every time we’re in Huatulco, we go there for breakfast and I always order the same thing. 

The next morning our friends from Salina Cruz picked us up at our hotel and we headed on the 2 hour trip from Huatulco to Salina Cruz.  The highway is long and windy and unfortunately we had to pull over for one of our travel companions who got a little motion sick.  After arriving in Salina Cruz, we checked into the Mision San Jose which is by the far the best hotel in Salina Cruz.  It’s simple and comfortable with air conditioning and hot & cold running water.  That afternoon we spent having lunch with our friends and catching up on everyone’s lives.  The next day we did a little shopping (for coffee & totopos) in the market and then headed back to our friends place for some more good eating.  rotarios

That night we took the bus up to Oaxaca.  Normally night busses are rather comfortable but this ride was a little too windy and bumpy for me to be able to sleep (250 kms in 5 hours, you do the math).  We arrived early in the morning and checked into our usual Oaxaca hotel, Las Mariposas.  Again, it’s just a nice, simple, comfortable hotel with great service and it’s well located in the city. 

The first day we did a bit of shopping and then picked up some Scorpion Mezcal that we had ordered before we arrived.  Mezcal is traditionally bottled with the worm from the agave cactus however for a twist, this company puts in a whole scorpion instead.  It’s a great marketing tool and the mezcal is award winning too, plus there’s the added dare of eating the scorpion when the bottle is empty. 

The next day we headed to the village of Teotitlan del Valle near Oaxaca where they specialize in weaving and we picked up a beautiful area rug and also a wall hanging of Diego Rivera’s “Desnudo con Alcatraces”.  It’s a gorgeous rug and I’m so happy to have it.  We returned to Oaxaca and had lunch at Don’s favourite restaurant La Biznaga and ate some of the finest Oaxacan food in the city. 

The next day we arrived at the bus station at 8:45 to catch our 9:30AM bus to Mexico City only to find that the teachers were protesting and had blocked the highways in and out of Oaxaca and all buses were cancelled until 2:30PM.  This was not good news as we had tickets on another bus line for 5:30PM in Mexico City and now there was no way we were going to make our connection.  The roadblock was cleared by about 11:00 and we were able to get on the 12:30 bus out of Oaxaca.  We were still going to miss our connection in Mexico City but this meant we could make it home by 1AM rather than 3AM.  The bus company in Mexico City honoured our tickets even though we missed the bus we were supposed to be on and we made it back by about 1:30AM (we were originally planning to be home by 9:30 PM).  That’s life in Mexico. Some days even the best of plans can turn sideways but all you can do is laugh and be patient. 

It was an amazing holiday and I hope that I can get back to the Istmo again soon.  The friends we have there are like family and it felt so good to be back home again.  Hopefully next time we can stay longer.