After some cloudy days in Mexico City (with an average of 15 degrees day temperature) we felt in need of sun and beach. We had heard from several travelers about Puerto Escondido and decided to head there.
Keep in mind Puerto Escondido is far away from Mexico City (20 hours bus ride). Our Mexican friends convinced us to take a plane (price was 80€ p.p) instead of the bus (20€). We were at the beginning of our 11 months Latin-America trip and we didn’t think too much about our carbon footprint. As you know we changed our views throughout our trip and would now try to avoid using planes as often as possible, back in October 2018 we chose the „easy-way“.
What is there to say about Puerto Escondido? The „puerto“ = port is long gone. Instead you’ll find amazing beaches (not too crowded), strong pacific waves (great for surfing), hip hostels …in short: a Mekka for backpackers. We stayed in „La Escondida Hostel“ managed by a great guy called „Zuco“ (pretty sure it’s not spelled like that, sorry tío), a dorm-bed was priced at 7€ per night, breakfast was included (tasty) and the rooftop bar/hangout place was great. If you want to catch waves (a 2-hours surf class costs 25€), enjoy the sun, find small hidden beaches that you can have to yourself at times or simply hangout with fellow travelers than Puerto Escondido is the place to be. Food in the town was tasty and wallet-friendlier than in Mexico City (2-4€ per meal).
We also had one of the best and most unique experiences of our trip in Puerto Escondido. La Escondida Hostel offers once a week a “Temazcal” experience. “Temazcal” is an old, indigenous ritual, it is kind of a ceremonial sauna. During the ceremony all participants will enter a sweat lodge (a tiny tent), hot volcanic rocks get placed in the middle, water will be poured over these to produce steam (it get’s easily twice as hot as in an European sauna). During the ritual you are supposed to sing, play instruments, think about your life, nature and your ancestors. The ceremony is used to flush out toxins of your body and to open up your mind, releasing you from mental burdens. Did it work on us? We definitely felt very relaxed afterwards, we had one of the best and longest sleeps ever (in a dorm-room with 4 snoring neighbors) and the next day we felt full of energy. Did we simply imagine all of that ’cause our mind wanted to see and feel some effect? Could be, hard to say, but it definitely was a very special moment and experience.