Zipolite, Oaxaca

Zipolite is a well known beach community of hippies, nudest, and freedom seekers alike. Situated about an hour south of Puerto Escondido, I guess Zipolite has been a well known spot for ¨amor y paz¨ for quite some time. We got there later on in the evening and we´re kind of stumped on where to find a cheap place to stay. We walked down the beach a little ways until we met a young guy setting up his beach front reggae bar for the oncoming party. He invited us to stay in his hammocks he had about 30 meters of the beach. The stars were not as impressive as Chacagua, but the fire dancers on the beach equally invigorated the night. With flaming balls called Poi attached to chains, this woman spent the better part of two hours dancing and twirling these balls around, over, under, between, behind, and every which way around her body. This was the first time I had seen this although supposedly its rather popular. Pretty damn cool though. You can check out an example of this through this youtube link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IjdnMvBW_A

The next day we decided to pack up and move camp as a result of Tama getting bitten about 200 times by mosquitos. That and the fact that our bathroom was a scene even the devil himself would refuse. So we moved ourselves down the beach a little beat to a cheaper and more accomodating place, an 8 x 8 beachfront hut with a hammock out front. We spent the day reading, exploring the beach, and playing in the waves. Every once in a while we get a kick out of nude spectating. Though most of the nudes were old and rather unpleasant to look at, it was quite an experience since I had never really been to a nude beach myself. And no, I did not go nude, I gather that it takes years of being a Zipolite beach bum to reveal the jewels. Something I could not get use to. The experience was good though, and the food was cheap too, we never ate for more than 30 or 40 pesos. We left that night as Kyle, my friend who had been visiting, needed to catch a bus back to Mexico City where is outbound flight was to leave. The bad thing is, we lost track of our days, easy to do while on a hippie beach, and sent him back a day early.

Though more well known, easier to access, and more built up than Chicagua, Zipolite still has the draw and charm it has always possessed. Just be warned, you will see a lot of pot, old wrinkly nudes, and smelly life loving hippies.