Been a while...
And things have changed quite a bit since we last updated this. Managed to get a little behind on the deadlines, but no better time for some escapism, so time to jog our memories and crack on with it. From Mexico City we got the night bus to Oaxaca, which left us in a bit of a fatigued stupor for our first day - but we had around five days here so plenty of time to fit in our sightseeing after a day of rest. Night buses aren't worth it. We checked in to Hostal Central, a lovely spot and made all the better by some of the people we met: two roommates - Margot & Hemma who we'd spend a bit of time with while in Mexico, and a couple of Irish voices too, that we came across over a game of Kaboom - the first in a while. First night, tired, we picked the easiest food option close to the hostel:
Domino's. For shame. Tummy's full and a night of sleep ahead of us, we made sure to ask the hostel the one thing we needed to do the next day - the answer being the walking tour of the city:
Lovely as it was, we found out at the end that it was our tour guide's second walking tour ever - and unfortunately, we could tell. Still, despite being a little underwhelmed, it gave us a quick overview of everything we needed to know about the beautiful little city, and gave us some direction for the rest of our day - time to try some mezcal. To ignorantly summarise, it's a smoky tequila - and it's pretty good. We had tried some with our friends Paulina & Mario + family before, but this is where mezcal originated, and we'd a guided taste tour at a bar featuring local distilleries:
Made somehow even better by the happy hour at Palapita Bar - The greatest pina coladas ever created, served in a pineapple - you buy one, then refills are ~90c for a couple of hours. Safe to say our two hours here were welll spent.
We spent the rest of our time doing much of the same, checking out different cafes, and different beaches - we met back up with Margot & Hemma after a brief separation.
And together headed out to one of the beaches where they release turtle hatchlings, hoping to protect them as they make it to the sea. Didn't quite go to plan though for Margot, as her turtle was unfortuntely snapped up by a hungry seagull. Everyone else's was grand.
And that was pretty much that. Many a lazy day, spent on the beach:
And how lucky we were to have them. Oaxaca was incredible, as Mexico has been in general. We've one more place to check out before we leave here, but everything up to now has been fantastic - and we've been incredibly lucky to get to see it all. It'll be a long time before we're this lucky again. Stay safe, and be thankful for how lucky we all are.
Big love,
Dani & Stu.
And things have changed quite a bit since we last updated this. Managed to get a little behind on the deadlines, but no better time for some escapism, so time to jog our memories and crack on with it. From Mexico City we got the night bus to Oaxaca, which left us in a bit of a fatigued stupor for our first day - but we had around five days here so plenty of time to fit in our sightseeing after a day of rest. Night buses aren't worth it. We checked in to Hostal Central, a lovely spot and made all the better by some of the people we met: two roommates - Margot & Hemma who we'd spend a bit of time with while in Mexico, and a couple of Irish voices too, that we came across over a game of Kaboom - the first in a while. First night, tired, we picked the easiest food option close to the hostel:
Domino's. For shame. Tummy's full and a night of sleep ahead of us, we made sure to ask the hostel the one thing we needed to do the next day - the answer being the walking tour of the city:
Lovely as it was, we found out at the end that it was our tour guide's second walking tour ever - and unfortunately, we could tell. Still, despite being a little underwhelmed, it gave us a quick overview of everything we needed to know about the beautiful little city, and gave us some direction for the rest of our day - time to try some mezcal. To ignorantly summarise, it's a smoky tequila - and it's pretty good. We had tried some with our friends Paulina & Mario + family before, but this is where mezcal originated, and we'd a guided taste tour at a bar featuring local distilleries:
We even bought some to take with us for a Christmas celebration with family, but unfortunately someone left the bottle in the hostel. No finger pointing. Great day all in, and next on the list was to visit Hierve el Agua, a petrified waterfall and natural limestone pools. It was an absolute effort to get there - we went by public transport, waiting an hour or so for a bus that seemed like it would never come. We were waiting at the same time as three Israeli backpackers, and unfortunately one of them had her gold chain ripped from her neck as we waited. The first time all year anything rough has happened, so I guess we've done alright. After we finally got the bus, we had to hop in the back of a truck and had another hour of climbing bumpy mountain roads. Tough slog. All absolutely worth it though, as it was quite the sight to behold:
And that was that, pretty much. One thing we were all about during our time there, was a cafe called Boulenc. If you ever find yourself in Oaxaca, make sure to go. It was a little bit...European feeling, but had local coffee, food, and had the best bakery we've seen all year. Happy hour wasn't too bad either. We were approaching Day of the Dead, so festivities were starting, but unfortunately we'd be out of the country for the main event.
Still, we'd seen plenty in Oaxaca city, but now we were going further afield in Oaxaca province - heading to a seaside town called Puerto Escondido. Another somewhat rough journey ahead:
Absolutely worth it though, as it's a nice break from all the cities and a beautiful place to chill out. We stayed in two hostels, Bonobo Surf House, and La Escondida Hostel - both lovely, but we'd definitely recommend the latter - main reason being: air-conditioning is pretty important in Mexico. We set off for the beach on our first day, first stopping for a veggie burrito and a smoothie at some small cafe, of which the name escapes us:
And the beach didn't disappoint:
Made somehow even better by the happy hour at Palapita Bar - The greatest pina coladas ever created, served in a pineapple - you buy one, then refills are ~90c for a couple of hours. Safe to say our two hours here were welll spent.
We spent the rest of our time doing much of the same, checking out different cafes, and different beaches - we met back up with Margot & Hemma after a brief separation.
And together headed out to one of the beaches where they release turtle hatchlings, hoping to protect them as they make it to the sea. Didn't quite go to plan though for Margot, as her turtle was unfortuntely snapped up by a hungry seagull. Everyone else's was grand.
And that was pretty much that. Many a lazy day, spent on the beach:
Big love,
Dani & Stu.
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