August 11, 2015

I had originally planned to spend a few days in Zipolite, a surfer beach on the Pacific coast south of Oaxaca. After speaking with Jason and Lisa at Overlander Oasis, I decided that I could probably do with just “checking the square” as my buddy Tom would say. Having come from South America, Jason convinced me that the beaches of Costa Rica would be much nicer, and the heat this time of year would be pretty miserable.

Just the same, I had read that Highway 175 from Oaxaca to Puerto Angel is a “must do”. Since I’ve been camping more than half of my trip so far, I’ve been able to stay below my daily budget overall, so I decided to splurge and book an air-conditioned room in Puerto Angel.

The ride out of Oaxaca on Hwy 175 is nothing to write home about for the first 50 miles or so. However, once you start up the mountain, things improve dramatically. Although Oaxaca is at about 5,000 feet elevation, the road climbs to just over 8,000 feet before snaking its way down to the coast.

Near the top of the mountain is San Jose del Pacifico, a small town famous for its’ psilocybin mushrooms, which apparently provide a mildly hallucinogenic effect. I can’t imagine trying to get home from the top of that mountain while anything but completely sober. The road is nothing but twists and turns and 20 to 25mph average speeds.

 

On the way into San Jose del Pacifico, I passed Gringo Burger. Another indication of the Surfer Trail that leads this way.

I happened to reach the summit at just after noon, and for the first time this trip, felt the desire to try out my heated grips.

And I have to report that they work great. They have an adjustable thermostat, and I never went above 75% of full heat, but then again it wasn’t really that cold. The 50% setting worked fine.

Descending out of the mountains rapidly via the constantly snaking tarmac, I eventually leveled out and caught my first real downpour. The poor guy in front of me on the 125cc delivery bike with the large cooler strapped to the back (and no taillight, no license plate, and bald rear tire) had no helmet or protective gear on, but just kept riding into the huge raindrops. I have no idea how he was able to see anything.

The road ends at Puerto Angel. Not much of a reward for the long, tiring (but scenic) ride. The town is really a fishing village, kind of rough, with a number of hotels, and a small bay with a couple of beaches. During the tourist season, they offer whale watching, snorkeling with sea turtles, and offshore fishing from here.

A few miles up the coast is Zipolite. Totally different vibe. This place has a very clean, laid back, surfer town feel to it (town is kind of a big word for Zipolite. It’s not that big…a few blocks maybe.) Nice beach, nice waves, lots of nicer looking cabanas and hammocks for rent on the beach.

I had a smoothie at a place on the main street (on the beach, basically), and asked the girl working there if there were a lot of gringos here.

“Si”

“All year or just in the winter?”

“Todo de año.” (All year).

I saw a few. Definitely the surf lifestyle types. The real deal. Not posers. I could see spending a good deal of time here if I were a surfer.

It’s definitely warm here this time of year. The high at Zipolite will be around 90F today. If you’re on the beach, with the ocean breeze, it’s not bad. If you’re a block off the beach, with the humidity and lack of breeze, it feels more like 100.

Time to head back to the mountains.

Having gone over-budget on lodging here, I decided to go cheap on lunch for a day or two: I stopped at a fruteria and bought 2 bananas, an avocado, 2 tunas (yep, I like them now that I know they aren’t fish), a carrot, a can of tuna, a jar of olives, and a large bottle of water, for $2. Stuffed them all in my tiny little backpack and headed back to the air conditioning for the afternoon, watching the surf and waiting for the temps to recede a bit before wandering out for dinner.

Living on a motorcycle has a way of adjusting your diet for you.