Bienvenidos de nuevo.
I lost track of how many times I have been to Mexico. My first trip to Mexico was on a mission trip to Reynosa, right on the border of Texas. I was 11. It was not your typical trip to the stunning coastal towns, but it was the first of many, many trips to this stunning country. Mexico is the cheapest getaway vacation for Americans and let’s just say I have taken advantage of that. I have visited Acapulco, Cancun, Riviera Maya, Tulum, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo, Sayulita, and some I am likely forgetting about. I am not saying this to brag, I am saying this because as you can see, I love Mexico. To be honest, I thought I knew the country pretty well. Man was I wrong!
When I was planning out my Central American stint of my travels, I added Mexico for two reasons. 1.) I wanted to see the REAL Mexico – not the beach resort towns. 2.) I wanted to be there for Day of the Dead which is the beginning of November. My original plan was to fly from northern Guatemala to Oaxaca. That plan was squashed with the political happenings so after moving some things around, I extended my Mexico trip by another week and added Puerto Escondido to my list where I began my Mexico adventures.
The best fish tacos I have ever had.
Puerto Escondido is in the state of Oaxaca on the Pacific side of Mexico. It is a seven-hour drive from Oaxaca city and a seven-hour drive from Acapulco down the coast. It is known for stunning beaches and good surfing. It does not have the same feel as other resort towns in Mexico (AKA the all-inclusive resorts), but it is a bit more rustic and better suited for backpackers. I had five nights booked at Huitzilin hostel. It was a five-minute walk from the beach and had great reviews online. My first night I got weird vibes from the other travelers as it felt clicky…I was even considering switching hostels. But boy am I glad I didn’t.
My second day, I met some amazing people. About five of us (Brits, Australians, Dutchies, and a fellow American) decided to go to the nearby Manzanilla Beach for the afternoon and get some fish tacos. We took the collectivo (aka bus/pickup truck with seats in the back) that you wave down on the main road and jump in the back for 50 cents. We swam until we were hungry. We went to Rey Shaman for a late lunch, and I got coconut shrimp and fish tacos. I will not forget those mouth-watering tacos. We stopped at the HUGE local market (Mercado Benito Juarez) in the center of the town on the way back to get some vegetables and do some light browsing. We got a beer and walked down to watch the sunset as we proceeded to do every night. Unfortunately, we never got a clear sunset, but they were still beautiful to say the least.
Next day we planned to go to the south end of the beach to La Punta. This is the more touristy part of the beach with adorable coffee shops and overpriced beach shops. Reminded me a little of Tulum. We rented an umbrella for the afternoon (no shade on the beach). I immediately spotted a massage table and signed up (what do you expect?). After we had our fill with the heat, we ventured to the most popular restaurant in town, Fish Shack. It was expensive, but for good reason. I got fish al pastor and coconut shrimp tacos. They melted in your mouth. The flavors, the right amount of crispiness, and the tender fish. I mean I am drooling just thinking about them. They were honestly the best tacos I have ever had in my life! There was a salsa class at the hostel which we all participated in. My partner and I did well if I don’t say so myself. We made our way out to the bars after to show off our skills. However there was a $10 cover at the club. On a Wednesday night??? C’mon. We opted for a ping pong bar instead and had a blast playing ping pong until it was time to go home.
My last night in Puerto Escondido I went with three others to a lagoon with bioluminescence. The small organisms typically light up blue, but these were white due to the lower light levels and photoreceptors. The only time I have done this was in Puerto Rico many years ago and it was after a hurricane so the plankton were few and far between. So I was excited to experience it again! We took a small boat out to the middle of the lake and swam for 30 minutes enjoying the phenomenon. I felt like a kid again playing in the water.
The land of agave.
I booked a bus from Puerto Escondido to Oaxaca and boarded at 7am. What I didn’t know was that bus ride was going to take 12 hours instead of what I thought was seven. We went the long way and stopped many times to pick more people up. The good news was the bus was comfortable with a bathroom and a bit more space. But still, that is a long time to be on a bus. Especially with my bruised tailbone. I made it to Oaxaca in time for dinner. I found a local place and ordered chile rellenos and went straight to bed.
Oaxaca is a well-known city for many reasons. It is quaint and charming. It is known for its amazing food and, of course, mezcal. It is colorful with beautiful street art everywhere. It has huge markets full of local foods, handcrafts, and clothing. It is also listed as the best place to be for Day of the Dead for a more cultural and local experience. The cities hotels and hostels book out months in advance for the holiday and activities are happening all around the town. I was there the last week in October, before Day of the Dead, and got to witness some of holiday’s celebration.
I joined a walking tour the next morning to get to know the city better. We started on the hill overlooking the city, walked by the Templo de Santo Domingo where they were setting up for a wedding, ventured through the huge Zocalo square, visited the market Benito Juarez and ended at Mercado 20 de Noviembre (a market full of so many food stalls and fruit stands). A few of us stayed in the market to eat lunch. I ordered mole with chorizo, a very traditional dish for the area. It was very flavorful and rich. We went out for a few drinks in the evening at the most popular bar, Txalaparta. We made reservations to see my first Lucha Libre match the next night. Similar to WWE match in the US, except they wear the iconic masks. There was an “injury” on the 5th round with one of the fighters. No one is really sure if it was staged or not, but he was taken off on a stretcher and the ambulance came shortly after, so we decided after that it was time to go. Not before we snapped a photo with one of the luchadores. It was definitely an experience!
The next day I joined five other travelers that hired a private car to visit the Hierve el Agua, (or Petrified Waterfalls) a mezcal factory, and the widest tree in the world. Hierve el Aqua is a set of natural travertine rock formations nestled in the foothills with stunning views in every direction. We hiked down to the bottom of the falls, worked up a sweat and jumped in the natural pools overlooking the mountains. The views were incredible. Most people come all done up in their Sunday finest to take pics on the ledge for the gram. But we were actually enjoying the pools as they are intended…see photo below. We stopped at a local restaurant in the town and had a traditional memelitas, thick handmade corn tortilla topped with refried beans, Oaxacan cheese and chorizo or pork. So tasty! We stopped on our drive back at a mezcal factory to learn how to make the national drink. There have agave farm after agave farm after agave farm in the state. Each farm has a factory/store to stop and taste their version of the drink. We tried 15 different types of mezcal. Mezcal is not my favorite, I don’t love the smoky flavor. I prefer tequila more. But when in Oaxaca, do as the Oaxacans do! After a quick car ride nap, we made our last stop to see the widest tree in Mexico, El Arbol de Tule. It has the largest trunk diameter measuring almost 145 feet in circumference and stands at over 130 feet tall. It was an action-packed day.
In a small barrio called Xochimilco there are a handful of streets with incredible street art. I met a fellow American and we spent the afternoon getting lost in the streets taking photos of the impressive work. It was authentic and beautiful to see. The next day in a barrio called Jalatlaco, the fellow yogi I met in Guatemala and I walked around enjoying even more street art and well-decorated streets for the upcoming holiday. We also visited the Oaxaca Botanical Gardens and took a tour in Spanish, which we didn’t get too much information because neither of us know all the terminology for plant life in a different language. But the gardens were beautiful nonetheless.
Little town, big energy.
My next stop was a small town called Puebla, about an hour and a half southeast of Mexico City. I took an early bus with my new German friend, Vanessa. We got to the hostel around 2pm and dropped our stuff off before walking around the village to find some dinner. We found a very local spot called Antojitos Tomy Matriz and tried cemitas for the first time. It is a huge torta, or sandwich, with so much cheese and avocado and goodness. It was incredible, we knew we would be back again before we left. The town was lit up with Day of the Dead decorations and we walked around until the rain came.
Next day we took a tour to Cholula, a neighboring town with a huge pyramid/castle like thing on a hill. Our lovely tour guide Ernie showed us around the market, the town and gave us all the history we needed to know. After the tour we had lunch in the market and shopped around for fresh fruit and veggies for dinner that evening. After visiting a brewery that was serving PUMPKIN BEER (my absolute favorite) we went to the main square plaza, Zocalo de Puebla, as they were doing a huge light show on the side of the building. The show was fascinating and explained the history and why Mexican’s celebrate Day of the Dead.
The next day we took a walking tour of Puebla where Ernie showed us around. We went back to the same place for lunch for more cemitas and prepared for a Margarita making class. We learned how to make three different margaritas…passionfruit, mixed berries, and traditional. They were all delightful. After we finished our margs, we headed to a food stall to try enmoladas and then a pulqueria. Pulque is the local fermented liquor made from sap of the maguey plant. It is not my favorite. The texture is thick and slimy and tastes like kombucha. It was, however, a great way to wrap up my time in Puebla.
Dia de los muertos.
Halloween is my all-time favorite holiday. Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a Mexican holiday that is celebrated right around Halloween (first week of November) in order to remember and celebrate those we have lost. People decorate graves and create offerings for the dead with flowers, pictures of the deceased, loads of food, handmade crafts, candles, etc. to honor their life. If you have not seen the movie Coco, watch it. It is an adorable Disney movie that explains the holiday way better than I will ever be able to.
Not only was I going to experience both Halloween and Day of the Dead in Mexico City, one of my besties was meeting me there! Talitha, someone I met at Amazon in Seattle, was meeting me there for a week. My bus dropped me off at the airport and we reunited quickly only to get on at least two more buses to the hotel. We dropped our things off and went straight to Chili’s. Yes, it was so close to our hotel and what better way for Talitha to acclimate to Mexico then with a tex mex chain. I mean how perfect right? 😉 Day two, we spontaneously got Mexico themed tattoos…sorry mom. I got a chili. Because I am a bit spicy.
Because it was the week of the most celebrated holiday in Mexico, there were events and activities almost every night of the week. We started with a Day of the Dead night bike ride. The organizers blocked off the main street off for thousands of bike riders to enjoy the ride without fighting the city’s horrific traffic. People were dressed up, bikes were decorated and spectators watched the festivities throughout the city. We used the bikes from the hotel and just enjoyed the ride (even though one of the handlebars were jacked up).
A highlight of the trip was the hot air balloon over the Teotihuacán ruins. We had an early morning wake up call to make it to the meeting point at 3:30am. It was a sunrise balloon ride followed by a buffet breakfast and 1.5 hours to spend exploring the ruins. This is my second balloon ride (first one was over Serengeti National Park in Tanzania last summer – EPIC) and this was equally amazing. There were hundreds of balloons all around us, the sun rising behind us and ancient ruins below us. Pictures (see here) just don’t do it justice. We braced the heat afterwards and walked through the ruins to learn a bit more about the indigenous culture.
Turns out Halloween is celebrated a bit different in Mexico City. People don’t really dress up on October 31st, but November 1st instead. And it is only children that carry around little pumpkin baskets collecting candy from anyone on the streets (I went trick-or-treating until college…). They don’t go door to door like in the US but hope passerby’s have candy to give them. Or money, they also accept money. Talitha and I dressed up as sugar skulls, a traditional practice for Day of the Dead festivities. We found flower headbands and a place to get our face painted, took pics, and made the most of the evening by attending another lucha libre fight. Pure entertainment. I had two other friends, Jess and Bish, that I met in Cambodia back in May meet me in Mexico City. They joined us for the evening and we had a blast.
Mexico City inhabits about nine million people, larger than NYC and feels that big. Trains, plazas, museums, parks, etc. are always packed with people. At any hour of the day you will find delicious tacos to eat, people roaming the parks and something to do. Even in a week we could not do everything we wanted to. We explored the Anthropology Museum and the Botanical Gardens, both worth a visit and easy to spend multiple hours there. Everywhere around the city there were ofrendas (offerings) for the dead that were beautifully displaying traditions. The streets were lined with artwork including uniquely painted skulls and spirit animal figures. The entire city was ready for the holiday.
On the actual Day of the Dead, November 2nd, we bought tickets to a show called La Llorona, or the crying woman. The show was in the suburb of Xochimilco and took about an hour and a half to get there via bus/taxi. On the way to the show, we stopped in Coyoacán for food only to stumble upon a huge street festival with food, games, and dancing in the streets. The show started at 6pm. When we got there the line was hundreds of people deep. It was chaotic and disorganized. We got in line with a beer in hand to board the boats to the floating stage. It was extremely peaceful on the way there and the show was extremely entertaining. The legend of La Llorona is a Mexican vengeful ghost who is said to roam near bodies of water mourning her children who she drowned in a jealous rage after discovering her husband was cheating on her. However, there are many different versions of the story. No one really knows which is the correct one. The way back was not as peaceful. There were 200 boats trying to make it back through a narrow river causing many bottlenecks and traffic jams. When we made it back, I headed straight to bed for a 6am flight to Cancun to reunite with my girls for Ashley’s wedding!
Boda.
Ashley is a good friend from Michigan. We were neighbors in Chicago and NYC, we have celebrated our birthdays in Mexico and traveled to South America and Europe together. So, when she called me up to tell me she was engaged and getting married in Mexico in November, I knew I had to be there. We met her soon to be husband in Miami seven years ago on a girl’s trip. So, it was only right to go back to Mexico to where it all began. The good news is I was already planned to be in Mexico, so all I needed was to book a flight and shuttle to Riviera Maya. Her wedding festivities were multiple days long and jammed packed with a jungle pool party, formal wedding evening, and time to relax on the beach.
Her and Brian had about 55 people from all over the US come to celebrate their nuptials. There were our group of volleyball girls from Michigan (they were my sister’s friends from way back when, but have since adopted me!) that I was so excited to see. Some I hadn’t seen in about a year. I did yoga on the terrace, took many baths in the five star resort, caught up with friends. The day of the wedding it rained all day, but we made the most of it. We danced in the rain and drank champagne until wee hours of the night. Congrats Ashley and Brian – I am honored to be a part of your day and can’t wait for what your future holds for the pair of you!
The jen essentials for mexico.
- Tacos (Mexico just knows how to make a delicious taco – unprecedented)
- Spice tolerance (I LOVE spicy food, the spicier the better. Maybe that is why I got the chili tattooed on my arm in Mexico City…to declare my love for spicy food?)
- Spanish skills (it shows respect to learn some of the local language)
- Bus tickets (ADO is the main company shuttling people from city to city and is a must when traveling around Mexico)
- Knowledgeable tour guides (I took so many walking tours in the cities and had some amazing guides!)
- Cemitas Poblanas (a close second to the tacos found in Mexico)
- Bug spray (mosquitos are in full force)
- Candy for the kids (I will be prepared next time because seeing the joy candy brings to a child is worth it)
- Yoga (what is a list without this??)
- Amazing visitors (Time with Talitha, Jess and Bish make everything better)
Wrap it up jen.
Mexico is not a new country for me. It is my most visited country and one of my favorites in the world. Not only was I reunited with places I have been before (Riviera Maya) I got to experience new and amazing places (Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Puebla and Mexico City). It was a reUNION with new friends and old friends and one I will never forget. I also got to witness and UNION of two people in love. It was special for so many reasons. Maybe that is why this blog post is so long…sorry about that.
This trip to Mexico felt familiar and new at the same time. I ate more tacos than I would like to admit, got to check Dia de los Muertos off my bucket list, and made more memories than my brain can store. I know it will not be my last time in Mexico and cannot wait to see more. Thank you, Mexico, nos vemos.
Up next: The islands of Honduras, Utila and Roatan.
Signing off for now,
Jennifer