Day 79: La Punta

Feet together. Hands by the chest. Nose in the middle. No knees. Ready?! Yes! Stand up! One: kick left leg. Two: Push up and pull in right (back) leg. Three: Turn and stand on left leg (front) - and squat.

So I got my first surfing lesson today. Unfortunately, since it was only me and the teacher (and more people in the water) I don't have pictures of me surfing. Trying to surf is a better expression. But I did stood up; three times were good. And the last wave today was perfect!

 My board was about the size these guys in the back have.
And I took the class at La Punta, which is this rocky place at the end of the Zicatella beach.

The beach is so wide that it seems that everything is very close, but it's actually not. So "I can just walk here" doesn't really work.

Day 78: Secret Spot

I flew to Puerto Escondido today. Puerto Escondido used to be called Punto Escondido, which is literally Secret Spot, and I really understand why. Honestly, Puerto Escondido is the third largest beach in the world (or so I was told) and it's very popular with surfers. That makes it not very "secret", but it's not the point.

Point is, Secret Spots are usually kept secret because of how great they are, and trust me, this is fantastic!

I haven’t done much today, actually. But I did swim in the Pacific Ocean today for the first time. So I can proudly say I have swum in 3 out of 4 oceans in the world. And do not have a dream of swimming in the Arctic. I was very surprised by the warmth of the ocean here. It was about 28C, I think. Basically, it’s as warm as the air. And since the air is very VERY humid, there isn’t a great difference between being in the water or on the shore…

Also, I have forgotten how salty the oceans can be, so jumpig in the Pacific was kind ofa surprising reminder. Just so you get me completely, the water is Extremely salty. You could marinate meat or make pickles in that water without adding anything else.

So far I was  dazzeled by the spirit of the town. I already met a few nice people, whom I might not meet ever again (maybe on the beach this weekeend?), but it doesn‘t matter , because so far it‘s about the surfer-holiday mood I‘m in.

And tomorrow I‘m getting my surfing lessons.  OK, I don’t assume I will be as good as these guys immediately, but since I am in a surfing town I should definitely learn how to stand on a board. So wish me luck!

Day 72: So I'm walking on the street...

In the middle of a very good and decent neighbourhood  there is a big poster on the pole (if I think of it, a pole is a very good choice for such an ad):

"Room for rent in exchange for sex". No preference for a gender though...

Day 71: X'mas is in da hous

OK, that was cheesy. But it was a WOW moment when I entered the house tonight. Christmas decorations 
are not in their places yet, but it's probably even more impressive seeing all the surfaces covered with soon-to-be-hanged decorations. Decorations of all kinds of styles and ages...

Day 71: Respect

It also has something to do with the cars. This is a very common sigh on the garage door:

"Respect my entrance and I will respect your car". Brilliant, witty and truthful sign. You can imagine the consequences of not following it...

Day 71: Cars

Probably the most common car here is a VW Beetle or VW Bus. I've found a few original (non-VW) vintage cars as well. So here is my collection. Have in mind that I did not need to look hard for the Beetles. They are EVERYWHERE!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Both white. The "only" differences are the size and the age.

 

How many?

 

  

Old and new

 

Can you spot it?

Day 70: Lucky

OK, a few of my future posts will actually be one day, and not three. But sometimes day passes without anything happening and then there is a day when so much happens, that it is simply too much to fit in one day. And, of course, too much and too different of information to show you. So here is another detail of my Wednesday walk in Condesa. (Wait for the other ones later this week)

 

This is sort of how I feel now... After going to the swimming pool every day after work, I kinda feel broken. But happy. Oh, LUCKY  that is.

Day 70: Condesa

Today my boss gave me a new project to work on and it included getting inspirations from our neighbourhood - Hipodromo Condesa. So I've spent the whole day walking in the streets and taking pictures of the lost and sometimes preserved previous glory of Art Deco and Art Nouveau.