Mazunte and San Augustinillo: Two very charming Oaxacan towns!

A mural on one of the side streets here--amazing artistry! 

I am including both of these small towns in this post because one is adjacent to the other; the only way I knew I had even passed from Mazunte into S.A. was because I noted a more markedly upscale ambiance to the latter. 

They are both charming, country towns that have a vibrant mix of locals and tourists--the “touristas” primarily consisting of scantily clad young hippies! Yes, life in these towns is a little like traveling back in time about half a century. The only difference is that now the youngsters are covered in tattoos...something you rarely saw back in MY hippie days, anyhow! 

What I love is that the locals have successfully fought off corporate endeavors to bring in franchises; all the businesses are clearly run by the locals, and have the charm you would expect. There are a great many restaurants--Mexican, vegetarian, funky cafes, etc. Even one Chinese place! They run the gamut from quite simple, low-end “rustico” hippie-ish holes-in-the-wall,  to upscale and expensive establishments.

My street meets the main street--my Airbnb is just up the hill, a seriously steep climb! 

A typical view looking down Mazunte's main street

Of course every town in Mexico must have its pretty little church! 

Many buildings with the lovely thatch...have to get a massage soon! (no one seems much concerned about Covid here, where cases are basically non-existent. Occasionally folks wear masks.... usually the street vendors.)

Walking down main street into San Augustinillo, with a wonderful view of the ocean.

Hotel on a hilltop? Not really sure, but looks impressive!

One of many colorful little stores here

Little seaside hotel...loved its mural!

One of the indications I had crossed over into the next town!

Hotel on the beach in San Augustinillo.... quite picturesque, si?!

Another hotel? Not sure...but I just LOVE those thatched roofs! 

Modern "ruins", given over to the jungle!

Nothing like a street in a little country town... though not always this peaceful and empty, this is not untypical toward the edge of the town.

Accommodations, as with the restaurants, are fairly diverse: from a lot of very basic “cabanas”, or huts like my airbnb (with outdoor kitchens and the like), to rather nice hotels (out of my range, of course). The latter are thankfully not impersonal monstrosities, as you might find in the larger, touristic cities in Mexico, but rather small affairs with a modest amount of rooms. 

You might be wondering, “what draws people to Mazunte?” Good question, indeed!

Unbeknownst to me before I got here, this area has multiple wildlife/oceanic preserves, and is famously home to the “tortuga”--the beaches along this stretch of the Pacific are important nesting grounds where the sea turtles come up to lay their eggs. Once endangered, they have been protected long enough to make an assured come back. Boats leave Mazunte and travel to the more remote shores so that tourists can hopefully witness this process. Apparently, it will happen next month, and I cannot wait to be one of those tourists!

As Mazunte is apparently famous for the breeding tortugas, the museum here is a major attraction.  Sadly, however, it is presently closed because of Covid. 

How you know you are entering Mazunte! AND that it is home to the tortugas!
 

I personally heard about this town from my good friend Steve, a yoga teacher and practitioner of Hridaya Yoga. There is a major Yoga Center here in town; Steve has faithfully come every winter for years now, and has touted the loveliness of the town as well as the joy of doing yoga courses and silent retreats at the Center. He will be arriving next month; I look forward to him becoming my informal tour guide, as I am sure there are many more wonders in this region waiting to be discovered. 

The Center was closed when I walked by...hope to get inside another day to check it out.

Besides turtles and dining out, the other main attraction is--por supuesta!--the lovely ocean. The beaches have nice, white sand, and the ocean water is clean and clear--as far as I can tell, anyhow! In the six days I have now been here, I have gone swimming daily. I go out past the breakers and navigate the gentle swells as I swim from one end of the “Rinconito” beach to the other, marked by large, protruding rocks on either side. (My Airbnb host, Carlos, tells me that it is about ½ a kilometer round trip. He is 69 y.o., yet does this swim daily--most impressive!!) It is slightly too warm to be totally refreshing, not being much cooler than the air temperature here. 

The days presently average 33 degrees Celsius, or about 92 degrees fahrenheit, with a very high humidity factor, being the tropics. The water--judging from my knowledge of pool temps--is probably about 83 degrees. As you can discern, too close to the air temperature! Eh well, you can’t have everything! At least there are no sharks (Or so they say! Let’s hope “they” are telling the truth!!!)

The other “big” entertainment thus far? A “techno” violin concert last night, featuring a very talented young Mexican by the name of Sam. This free event took place under a magnificent geodesic dome, constructed from local palm fronds and wood. Gorgeous and fascinating! Carlos and I were the only “old fogies” there, being filled with the usual assortment of young hippy types. At least they were all very friendly, and I was thrilled to see these youngsters enjoying a form of music that, while semi-electronic, at least was not RAP!!!

Hard to see "Sam" because of the dim light in the dome, but he was a spectacularly talented violinist, putting on the eerily beautiful "techno" concierto for free.

Being that this town is so small, I don’t want to give it ALL away in one post! I will give more details in the future, so stay tuned! You will hear all about my very interesting digs, along with my host (quite the character, Carlos is!), the local flora and fauna, the night noises, and much more! 

My first sunset here... what a glorious welcome!

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