Zipolite and Oaxaca for Christmas 7-27 December

After 24 hours of pain (12 hours Antigua-San Cristobal; 12-hour night bus on tortuous roads to Pochutla), I knew I'd made the right decision. I met a guy called Christoph off the bus in the early morning and he'd lived in Zipolite 3 years earlier and knew exactly where to go. Great! No need to think and another really nice person to chat to. Got some great mandarins for breakfast, arrived in Zipolite, loved it immediately. Went up the beach to find my two friends Luke and Drew sunning themselves as God intended. Hadn't realised it was a nude beach! After a brief chat with them, I decided to take the price offered at the first location with a second floor view of the beach with hammock. Lovely jubbly.

Many days of real, proper relaxation followed. It's a south-facing beach so the sun rises on the left and sets on the right and is there all day. The surf was actually a bit dangerous, hence its local name, 'playa de los muertos' but it was extremely exhilarating. For those who enjoy wearing your birthday suit as I do, it was a sublime pleasure. Sunbathe, swim, sunbathe, swim. Read, listen to music, ... just what the doctor ordered. And the company of lovely people. Wonderful. Went for a walk with Ruth and Christoph and a random guy we met at breakfast. Up to Mazunte via San Augustinillo.

After a lovely 'torta' (=bun/sandwhich) which was my culinary discovery of the week, we carried on to a  lookout point just past Mazunte. I'd also been to a really excellent open mic music night on the Thursday and done the only poetry slot. Went really well and felt good to be back on stage.

After this lovely day out, it was goodbye to Christoph and a final few days relaxation before the week had turned round to the next of the weekly open mic nights. My last night in Zipolite and unbelievably, it rained. It wasn't as rocking a night as the first one, but the bar, 'El chocolate invincible' and its ownwers, Crazy Horse (from Redcar) and Kevin (USA) plus charming Mexican girlfriend, Hilda, had hosted us for several enjoyable nights out.

What a beautiful place this was! Perfect preparation for 10 days with my parents in Oaxaca. Yes I missed out Tikal and Semuc Champey in Guatemala, but the minimal 6-hour bus ride to Oaxaca seemed worth it. In fact, I got dumped out of the executive minibus I had been very comfortable in, as the other two companies were blockading the third one, ours. In the middle of nowhere the driver seemed to be being chased as he went round dirt roads to avoid the road block, dropping us off in Ejutla, from whence I took a rammed 2nd class bus for two hours of jolting discomfort, standing most of the way. I was most dischuffed.

However, the luxurious lifestyle of Oaxaca soon soothed my briefly ruffled feathers. With a zero-stress approach, we limited ourselves to some frank, healthy and very productive family discussions, walks, meals out and in of a very high standard like this one at La Biznaga (above). A return visit after being there in October. Lovely food, and a lovely ambiance with the semi-covered roof and pleasant jazz music.

Oaxaca's clear blue skies and beautiful streets are a lovely backdrop for Christmas. Also nice for a few runs, as both Oaxaca's swimming pools are out of action, and running is the only available source of exercise.

I just love the colours and the light. Walked around some of the other streets I hadn't seen. Lots of yoga and meditation in the mornings and no booze. All of which started to pay off as the yoga feels better and better and general mood improved, as always.

Nice bit of random art work on the wall just up the way from the previous photo. Also went to a poetry night at La nueva Babel, a very bohemian bar. Other than the arts, political tension is very significant in Oaxaca. Lots of tags like 'gobierno asesino' referring to extra-judicial executions by the state's top brass. No one has been brought to justice. Only two years ago, political protests involved deaths and there is a lot of tension here. I didn't mention it before but our trip to 'Hierve el agua' a month or two back was held up by a road blockade expressing a political protest. The town centre is consistently heavily policed by federal cops.

Benito Juarez (statue above) and his life have been a real revelation. Having heard lots about Emiliano Zapata, here was another figure for Mexico to be very proud of. Not only one of the country's great presidents, but also a full-blooded indigenous Zapotec. The culture that produced some of the finest art work I have seen in Mexico and which occupied the superb site of Monte Alban for hundreds of years, found a representative whose legal training, courage and leadership gave Mexico the strength to survive serious challenges to its new independence and 10 years of war, 3 against the conservatives, rejecting reform and 7 against the French army. A true hero, and a man who fought to make Mexico better for all Mexicans. Which when you look at the history, is truly the best (political) humanity has to offer.

Here is the apartment complex we are staying in. A nice little two-bedroom flat with a beautiful little sun trap in the courtyard. Chilly enough to see my breath doing yoga at 7.30am but by the time the sun came round for breakfast, it was beautifully warm.

Christmas Day and a meal at los Danzantes. Very nice indeed. Good quality food, good service, a very nice day out. And then the superb pleasure of Australia being dismissed for under a 100 at the MCG in front of 90,000 Aussies, their lowest total in Melbourne since the first ever test in 1877. Joy of joys. Leaving for the capital on Monday, then Bogotá, Colombia on Tuesday. So the next time I speak to you, I´ll be in South America!!!

Lots of love,
Steve