Wherever life takes us

Part 3 - Lagoons and mangroves

Early morning at Mermejita Beach

Dawn colours appearing over the hills

Deserted beach

The frothy white breakers

Pattern on the sand

A well-camouflaged crab, blending in with the colours of the sand

The next village down the road was Ventanilla, an interesting local indigenous community involved in ecological and conservation projects. A kind of low-key ecotourism run by the locals and very commendable.

Sign indicating where to turn off to the village

Houses near the beach

Boat rides on the lagoon to see the mangroves and visit the Island of Um

Hand-painted information board

Making our way down Ventanilla Beach for 10 minutes till we arrived at the lagoon.

A lonely lifeguard's tower which has seen better days!

Our guide Juan paddling the boat

The first crocodile we saw. This endangered species is one of the largest in Mexico. This community is breeding them and introducing them into the mangroves.

One of the many birds we saw

The beautiful still waters of the lagoon

Passing by the trees with their aerial roots in the so-called white mangroves... these are fairly new since the hurricanes in 1997 destroyed this area.

Rows of shady palms on the island

A crocodile basking in the sun

"Don't approach the crocodiles"...

There was also an animal rescue centre on the island... a spider monkey looks out at us from his cage.

Nice fresh fruit

This lady is using a molcajete (mortar and pestle) to prepare the ingredients for the salsa

Like most molcajetes, this one is made of volcanic rock and has been shaped like a turtle

Smoking chillies, an essential ingredient in Mexican dishes

A peckish guinea fowl hoping to get a few tasty morsels

A nice cool spot to have a refreshing coconut drink and some watermelon

An iguana running for the safety of a tree

Heading back to the boat

Passing a local family on their way to the island

The beach goes on like this for 40 km up to Puerto Escondido!

Trekking back along the beach in the hot sun to reach the village

Bright Mexican colours

Cristina off to do a 3-hour horseback ride along the beach and to another lagoon

Accompanied by a 16-year-old guide from the village who knows all the shortcuts

Marc and I head back to Mazunte beach and watched some boys battling to get their small boat out past the waves

The waves are really pounding the beach today

Marc deciding whether to go in

This is our last time on this beach... we're heading off to Huatulco tonight

Back to the beach at Ventanilla to wait for Cristina to arrive. A microlight about to land on the beach.

Cantering down the beach...

... and back to the village

Mexican-style saddle

Part 2 - The Pacific Ocean and its creatures

One of the highlights of our holiday was getting up close to some of the wildlife that inhabits this area...

We got up early on Easter Sunday morning, just as the sun was rising and drove to Mazunte to take a boat trip to see dolphins, turtles and other creatures. Thank goodness the sea was calm, not like yesterday!

An empty beach with the boats waiting for us.

Just enough time to get a quick breakfast at the only place open... hot chocolate croissants and juice.

Time to don our life-jackets and help launch the boat. This meant us all physically pushing it through the sand down to the water line, waiting for the right moment in between the waves, launching it into the sea and then clambering into it as best we could. My small camera had to be confined to a waterproof case until we were out of danger of being doused by the waves.

There were seven of us in our boat, plus the "captain" and his helper. Two of the tourists came down very early from Puerto Escondido to join the excursion.

The weather conditions were perfect!

The other boat which set off with us at the same time.

As we passed by Mazunte, the guide told us that in the 1970s, these very beaches were the largest centre for catching sea turtles in Mexico and where the slaughterhouses were located.

At the slaughterhouse in San Agustin, which opened in 1968 and closed in 1990, more than 30,000 turtles were killed each year, leading to a serious depletion in their numbers. Some of the early European "tourists" took photos and the turtles' plight became known around the world. Pressure was put on the Mexican Government to put a stop to this practice and in 1990, a ban on turtle meant and eggs was established. (Well done, photographers!!)

Our captain and guide told us that because of the ban, many local families were deprived of their main source of income. In a bid to provide jobs and help the locals change their ideas, they started promoting the conservation and protection of turtles here, setting up the Centro Mexicano de la Tortuga, and also the production of natural cosmetics.

One of the many frigates flying overhead.

One of our first "stops" was to see the "white rock" where thousands of birds come to nest.

The rock has turned white from all the bird droppings.

A brown pelican flies past us.

As we chugged away from the coast, we saw the first sea turtles which from time to time come to the surface.

A close encounter with a school of dolphins

Dolphins swimming around the boats for a while.

At certain times of the year, you can also see whales.

Cristina filming the dolphins.

A turtle close to our boat... the boy jumped into the water to show us what it was like.

Much bigger than I had imagined!

Cristina and Marc swam with the turtle for a few minutes... an incredible experience, they said.

Another of the spectacular sights - the flying manta rays. These incredible creatures can jump 3 metres out of the water, flapping their fins like wings for a few seconds before landing back in the water.

After our 3-hour boat trip, it was time to beach the boat. Had to put cameras away, then we sped at full throttle towards the beach, hitting the sand and sliding up as far as possible on some wooden bars!

Back to El Copal for a rest and something to eat.

Delicious beef kebabs for lunch

A happy bunch of ladies in the kitchen!

In the afternoon, we visited the Centro Mexicano de la Tortuga, which has seven of the eight species of sea turtles in the world as well as some freshwater and land ones.

The centre has tanks and pools and aquariums where they breed some of the species which are endangered.

A rare baby albino turtle

A manta ray

Young turtle swimming in a tank

Poster showing the seven species of turtles found in Mexican waters

Some of the turtles swimming in the aquarium tanks

Are they playing tag?

This one has a sharp beak-like mouth

They look like they're flying underwater!

An unusual palm tree

View over the coast with the white rock in the distance

Some buildings in Mazunte

Buying some cold drinks at the local shop

Man with his donkey

A show with acrobatics and jugglers being held in the square

Doing acrobatics

A lot of locals turned up to watch...

... as did the tourists and resident hippies!

Turtle-shaped soap - produced locally by the natural cosmetics community project.

An amazing day out seeing some of the incredible creatures which co-exist peacefully with our species along this coast. Thanks to all who did their bit to put an end to the massive slaughter of turtles in Oaxaca!

Our trip to the coast of Oaxaca was the perfect antidote to our normal everyday life in Mexico City. It felt like we'd travelled to another planet, far from the stress of our Massive Urban Colony, also known as DF, an ideal place to disconnect for a while, charge our batteries and live the simple life close to nature.

Part 1 - In search of Mazunte

As we drove down the coast, we passed lots of palm trees. Elsewhere it was very dry, this area being famous for its dry rainforest. During the months when no rain falls, the trees lose their leaves.

The roads were blissfully "empty" after the traffic jams of DF, and mainly populated by this type of public transport, small trucks where people sit inside or cling to the back.

This part of the country is quite poor and undeveloped.

Along the way, we passed lots of small wayside stalls selling lots of fresh fruit...

.. or coconuts

A colourful fruit stall in Puerto Angel

Our first stop was at San Agustinillo for a bite to eat in lovely cool "restaurant" overlooking the beach.

The pace of life is much slower here but we didn't mind, with a view like this to entertain us!

The family which served us some egg dishes and Coke

Beautiful uncrowded beaches

San Agustinillo is a small fishing village, just starting to become known by the alternative tourist industry.

Looking down the main street.

Don't know how safe it is to ride in these pick-ups... the words on the front windscreen say "No-one knows when I'll return"!

We drove up the coast till we came to Mazunte...

Our ecological bungalows, El Copal, right on Mermejita Beach

There are only four bungalows. This was ours, up on the side of the hill.

Looking towards our bungalow from the outdoor sink and shower area.

Guess who got to sleep here... by myself?!

Looking out towards the small balcony with hammock

Cristina and Marc slept upstairs under the palm roof

The amazing view from the restaurant and communal area

Marc soon found the hammock!

Down to Mermejita Beach

Looks like we're the only ones here!

The impressive surf... well, I guess this is the Pacific Ocean!

Back to our open-air shower...

... and sink

We decided to check out Mazunte...

This is the main road where many of the eating places and a few shops are

Like most Mexican towns and villages, Mazunte has a freshly-painted church.

Small lanes lined by shady palm trees

A sign down by the "hippies" beach

The beachfront...

This beach has a few more people!

A boat on the beach, waiting to take tourists for an excursion

Children playing on the beach

A vendor walks up the beach selling his wares. People were selling anything from food, bags, homemade clothes, drinks, trinkets...

At least her wares keep her cool!

Cristina and Marc facing the enormous Pacific breakers

Taking the full force

A pelican on the look-out for his supper

Now I wonder what they're looking for?

Boats like this one take people to see the dolphins and turtles, or to go fishing.

As there are no jetties or piers, when a boat returns from a trip, a man on the beach clears the area, and then the boat heads for the beach full speed and ploughs into the sand as high as possible!

A rather novel way to beach the boat!

Some of the restaurants in Mazunte near the beach

We went back to Mermejita Beach to enjoy the spectacular sunset.

Last weekend, Cristina, Marc and I got back from a trip to the coast of Oaxaca (pronounced "waháka") in the south of Mexico. I'm still reeling from the abundance of natural beauty, amazing wildlife, uncrowded beaches, laid-back atmosphere and indigenous flavour that we saw and experienced. It was definitely my kind of holiday. Simple accommodation, outdoor activities, heaps of exploring, and plenty of photographic opportunities.

These are some of the things we discovered:

Local beaches

Rereshing spots

Fishing villages

Ecological bungalows

Big waves

Pelicans in action

Stunning sunsets

Empty beaches

Palm-fringed coasts

Dolphin spotting

Simple living

Friendly locals

Dreamy beaches

Pacific breakers

Interesting flora

Swimming with large sea turtles

Mexican villages

Mangrove tours

Peaceful lagoons

Sleeping crocodiles

Mexican colour

Incredible views

Endless white sands

Boys with boats

Local refreshment

Beach rides

Churches in squares

Small ports

Surfers

Adrenalin-packed activities

Rainbow colours

Jungly forests

Amazing waterfalls

Tasty food

Close encounters with iguanas

Oaxacan crafts

... and many more Oaxacan delights!

Over the last few days, the nearby volcano, Popocatépetl, has been making sure everyone remembers he's not dead, or asleep, or in a coma. He's been fuming and spitting out ash and glowing at night. Yesterday ash started falling on some of the towns in the area and today some of the schools remained closed. The authorities have increased the Alert Level to Yellow Phase 3, which among other things, means that people have to be ready to evacuate if necessary.

Here are some photos of the volcano (taken from newspapers):

Now, I wonder whether Popocatépetl's stirrings have had anything to do with the earthquakes we've been having in the last month or whether it's the tremors which are waking him up? Maybe neither.