After 2 great days in Puerto Angel we decided to move on towards Huatulco, which would put us in a better place to catch a bus back to Oaxaca. So we spend the morning at the beach outside our hotel, having breakfast and some renfresco planning to get to Pochutla after lunch, the closest bus terminal. While we are there we were repeatedly asked where we were going next; well first it sounded like out of curiosity, but after many times hearing “my friend has a taxi, he’ll bring you there”, we figured they were looking to earn some “commission”. One guy even said there are NO buses to Huatulco, so we must take (his friend’s) taxi. We declined again but the taxi driver arrived after a few minutes anyway, and we had to say no to him too. So we got pissed off and decided to not feed this corruption and instead pick a taxi to the bus terminal on our own. That meant only one thing: take our bags in the middle of the day, in 40 degrees, cross the beach to the rocks and climb the hill from Playa de Pantheon to town. So we did.

Just the idea of it made me sweat…and indeed after 3 meters in the sun we were already soaked. When we reached town we even get hovered by taxis saying “Pochutla?”. Nooooo, so we did all of this for nothing!?!? We don’t get the chance to get a taxi ourselves?? We try to walk some more to get outside town but the taxis are coming around like birds on a bowl of seeds. As we realized we can’t fight corruption so easily we get on and forget about it. For the duration of the ride to the bus terminal, the taxi driver tries to persuade us to have him drive us all the way to Huatulco: “The bus will cost more” (yeah right. He wanted 250, the bus was 26).

We reach Huatulco in less then 1 hour and get to a hotel. The downtown La Crucecita is a vibrant place where plenty of people are always in the streets having some chats, selling some food, walking around the little Zocalo. Our hotel is 20 min walking to Playa Chaue, a little bay which features great waves. So the first day we spend the afternoon there. The second day we are planning to explore a beach further away, but when we realized it cost 60 pesos to get there and we just decided to walk to Santa Cruz which is a few Km from the hotel. When we arrived there it was hot as hell, and plenty of people trying to sell us even their mothers…so we decided to move on to this unknown beach called La entrega. Well on the map it didn’t look so far, (like when the put Island on top of Britain to make the map of Europe smaller), but IT WAS (in particular when I had just cut my sandal and got a blister under the cut). So we find ourselves walking on the road to La entrega again in a horrible heat, thinking it’s just around the corner..ok not this corner…has to be the next. We did so for about 1 hour when the next turn was actually the beginning of a uphill road. We meet nobody during the whole walk because nobody is so silly! Finally we made it to the beach dehydrated as milk powder, but we get to stay the hole day under the shade of a huge tree with many Mexican families on a Sunday trip. That was actually great!

Last, as we don’t really want to repeat the experience of the minivan driving up and down the mountain we decided to take the first class bust to Salina Cruz and the to Oaxaca on a better road which will take us only 1 hour more that the crazy drive on road 175. We check at the ADO terminal the departure time which is 9.30 on Sunday. Great we go for it! So on Sunday morning we walk to the terminal, in plenty of time and at 9 we are there in line to buy tickets, as I notice a paper on the glass saying “remember the new time: on Sunday night put the clock one hour ahead. Have a nice trip! ADO”. I freeze for a moment throw myself on a guy asking what time it was..and YES it was 10am not 9am. WHY?? Why is Mexico changing now??!? So the bus is gone, we have a flight to take at 8am from Oaxaca and we realize the only alternative is the mountain road…in the minivan. So we go for it. After few hours driving the engine dies, just like that…so the minivan slowly stops. The driver tries some tricks but nothing happens. So we all get off and walk to a little restaurant nearby. The view was great from there, and we got the chance to eat a quesadilla,which could have been our last one, for life I mean! But after a while the driver solves the problem, or at least the minivan is working again. So we can get back in and try to reach Oaxaca in time for some supa de tortillas.

Finally we make it to the city and walk to the lovely hostel near the periferico which is in the direction of the airport. The owner said he will call us a taxi tomorrow morning at 6 when we are ready. So we agree and at 6 we go down, Arturo, the owner is in a pajamas, with a leather jacket on top and gets outside walking up and down the streets to get us a taxi 😀 so that’s what he meat for “I’ll call you a taxi”?!?

This is our last day in Mexico. A great country, of great people and a great past to share. It’s rough in some places, but the dignity of the real Mexicans wins overall. Wish you the best of luck Mexico!