Happy New Years 2008-2009

My fun time is almost over here in Zipolite. A few more days and it's finally back to work which is really just more fun time in a new locale because the beaches of Huatulco are very pretty and my job is going to be a blast.

I have never seen the beach of Zipolite so crowded. I don't envy anyone in search of a room in this town. All of my favorite restaurants have been too crowded. Some were already booked for reservations two days in advance. Tonight should be especially problematic. It could be a night for tacos.

I don't go to Nice Place on the Beach every night, less so after the night I ended up closing the place and drinking mezcal on the beach until 5 AM. I didn't suffer horribly but felt dried out and indifferent all next day. These things happen drink by drink. I won't do that for at least another year.

Generally it's a surefire place to find instant camaraderie. The regulars are all very regular. Here are some of the usual suspects with the legendary Crazy Horse Invincible tending bar. Not a very threatening crowd at all. You can meet some fine people there.

The red eyes are all actual red eyes and not the fault of the camera flash.

That last one is of me (the guy with the goofy grin) and Jonathan from Quebec. I think that was taken early in the game of my all-nighter

The most interesting person I've met this spell in Zipolite has to be Graham from England. Graham is the kind of guy who highlights what a slacker I am by contrast. Having earned himself enough funds to last a while by working in Saudi Arabia, this guy is bicycling all the way through Central America to Panama. If anyone doubts he'll make it, understand that he began this trip in Alaska. Here he is, all packed to hit the road again. These pictures were taken over a week ago. God only knows how far he's travelled since then. Good luck Graham, wherever you are. Wishing you only adventures of the fun variety.


Okay. The sun has gone down on another beautiful day. Some fireworks have already begun. Time to find a vacant table for dinner somewhere. Soon it will be time for the annual pagan bonfire brooha down at the cove by Shambhala.

Happy New Year's to everybody.

Mission: Huatulco

Hey, look. That's me in front of the Immigration office in Santa Cruz, proudly holding a brand new FM3 work visa.
I had to break my lazy beach routine of getting up no sooner than feels right this morning. So many things to do. Eventually I had to re-evaluate the importance of everything on my list and strip it down to essentials. The main thing was getting the visa because after today they close until the 6th of January and I couldn't afford to wait that long.

I forced myself out of bed at 5:30 and was on the road before any place was serving coffee. I call that a very rough way to start the day but I can be tough with myself when I have to. Being cheerful, patient and considerate of others under the circumstances is another game.

First stop was Caryl's home to pick up a pile of documents. She invited me in and gave me coffee. Yay. Someone mentioned the imminent arrival of a big cruise ship today and that got me on the road again. No good getting at the back of that line.

That taken care of, I did a little shopping. Some one is getting a surprise. I doubt she ever reads this blog so, if you're reading this, it's almost guaranteed not to be you. Not that you're not perfectly nice and deserving.

This little restaurant in the zocalo, Cafe Huatulco, may have the best brewed coffee in the world. I would never make a trip all the way to Santa Cruz without stopping there.


Now I'm waiting for the courier service to re-open. I should be able to get back to Zipolite before dark. Back to the beach

Green Flags

Every day has been a green flag day here this week at Zipolite. Those who know this beach will appreciate what a big deal that is. The beach has never been better. Low tide is a wide shiny expanse of sand. People can walk way out there and still be only up to their waists. The waves are tranquil with only the occasional heavy boomer to send the boogie board zooming off to shore in a hurry. It's like Santa himself arranged perfect conditions for the Christmas rush.




There are still a few hazards. Our keen eyed lifeguard stopped to bury an ugly dead fish with no eyes so no one would step on a spiked fin. A neighbor from San Francisco stepped on a stingray. It couldn't have been the same type that finished off that Australian guy because her bandage was off the very next day.

Lots of pictures and less talk.

Phew!

2008 is winding down pleasantly and 2009 is shaping up well but it couldn't possibly be better than today. I'm at Zipolite again until work starts in early January, with only a short interruption of beach bliss to run back to Huatulco and pick up my spanking new visa.

Time slips away like sand between my toes. I barely managed to get up off my beach towel and head back to Huatulco for December 1 to start all the complicated paperwork. Christmas decorations were already up on the streets of Isla Mujeres. A big artificial tree stood empty when I arrived in the Cancun bus station and the lights were flashing before my trip was underway.

No matter how close they look on the map, these two places aren't exactly around the corner from each other. Including station time, I had a 36 hour trip. Brrr. I ended up using my horse-shaped neck pillow for ear muffs.


Finding an apartment was the trickiest detail for the visa application. No apartment, no visa. No one wanted to rent for the month of December because they're all anticipating renting these places by the night for a lot more money. I doubt that will happen. I walked through sub-divisions with obvious vacancies and administrative people just lied to my face. "Todo occupado." It all worked out in the end thanks to Barry, the guy I'll be replacing. I'm simply going to take over his place and use all of his domestic conveniences until he returns in February. It's nice not to have to buy all of those little necessary things like cookware and a coffee machine right away. A little more than a week in Huatulco and everything was prepared that could be for my new beach job for 2009.

It's been frustrating living without a camera. I saw and keep seeing so many beautiful things every day: wildlife; exotic flowers; architectural quirks. Before landing in Zipolite, I took a detour to Oaxaca just to do some camera shopping. I went everywhere in that town and finally settled for another Canon, not the model I would have preferred but the best I could do.

Oaxaca looked absolutely great, much more prosperous than 2006/2007. The streets are repaired. It's always been a great city to buy a good balloon but now more than ever.

There is a bustle. The zocalos are tastefully decorated for Christmas with chrysanthemums on the curbs of all the walkways and garden plots.








Check out these before and after pictures of the same street near Hotel Aurora from different angles.




Miahuetecos has moved to a new improved station. Luckily for me, a young guy was waiting by the old locale to walk arrivals to the new.

Just a quick peek at Miahuatlan from the Miahuatecos station at the pee break. The construction has finally been completed that stayed dormant for about a year. Looks good.

So does the cathedral across the street. I remember it looking a bit rough last time but there isn't a speck of graffiti to be found. As far as I can tell, every window is intact.


I'm seing improvements everywhere around here but the absolute best has to be the traffic lights on the highway crossroad to Pochutla. For years, the old system semed to work. The adjacent military checkpoint must have helped remind people to exercise restraint. Nevertheless, I like the new lights. Red and green. Very Christmassy.

Even this blog is bound to improve now that I have my new camera.