To Mazunte.
Today, I set off for Mazunte to visit Anna and Lance. Mazunte is a small seaside village on the Pacific shoreline, almost directly south for about 115 miles through the Sierra Madre mountains on the newly constructed routh 175, and then heading east on route 200 along the coastline for the remaining 36 miles.
I left Oaxaca early, and it was a little chilly as I walked to the bus station, around 7:30, so at Rachel’s heeding, I put on a sweatshirt. I’m glad I did, even though Anna told me not to bring anything warm. She was right. By the time I got to Muzante, it was pretty, pretty hot. Not as hot as it had been I was traveling around the southwest and west just a few months ago, but humidity really does make a difference, and this heat was much less comfortable. I really don’t mind the hot weather, and can take it much hotter than this, temperature-wise, but not with this humidity.
At any rate, I got to the bus station in plenty of time, and sat there, wondering which bus he was going to be mine. Eventually, I went to the ticket counter, and learned which bus to take. I am completely lacking in confidence in my ability to communicate in Spanish, but I imagine things will improve a little over the next few days (which they did, it turns out).
These buses seem to show up about five minutes before they leave, and that’s exactly what happened. I got the seat right at the front into the right, as it would have good views of the mountains we would passing through. The only problem was, there were two large backed passenger seats next to the driver, so I couldn’t see out of the front window, which is a shame, as I think that’s where the best views really would be found.
Just as they said, it was a four hour journey, and actually took more like 4½ hours. As we cleared the city, there was plenty of scrub land and farmland as we headed south to Mazunte.
This road is new. It’s still under construction, in fact, and there was plenty of construction in taking place along the way as we got through the mountains, which they have been blasting through for the last couple of years. Prior to this, the journey was 7 to 9 hours, and a very roundabout way across very bumpy and poorly maintained roads, which meant a day at the beach was a day in uncomfortable travel just getting there, let alone getting back.
It’s still about 4½ hours (due in part to construction slowdowns, or it would otherwise be about 3½ hours), but the drive was pretty smooth most of the way, with stops along the way, either to pick people up or, later, on the mountain roads that were still under construction. It was a pretty straightforward journey, with some beautiful views from my window of the mountains we were passing through. It didn’t take me long to realize, though, that, although this seat might’ve given me some great views, it was probably the most dangerous seat on the bus. There are no seatbelts, and if the door flew fly open, in an accident for instance, which I was sitting directly next to, out I’d go. Still, believe it or not, that never happened.
Anna told me to ask the driver to let me out at Rinconcito in Mazunte, where she would meet me, but once we got going I realized there was just no way I was going be able to tell this to the driver, so just hoped for the best, including that this bus would actually stop in Mazunte without my asking. Of course, it did, and as we came into the town I saw Lance by the side of the road, so I knew I was in the right place. It took maybe five minutes, and along came Maisie, Anna’s youngest daughter. It was really lovely to see Maisie, who’s always very bright and smiling and warm.
Initially, I’d imagined Mazunte was large enough on bus station, but upon learning it’s too small for a bus station I then assumed it was much smaller than it actually turns out to be. Don’t get me wrong, it is small, just not quite as small as I thought. There is a main road passing through town, and then a primary side road that winds up on Rinconcito beach. The roads are either cobblestone or sand, with little to no blacktop.
The streets are loaded with cars and motorcycles or scooters, and lined with coffee shops, small eateries, and various small stores, including clothing stores, tourist shops, pharmacies, and small food stores.
Right away, it was obvious they have a place that is held its beach bum, hippie identity since the 60s. It’s a hold out. It immediately reminded me of places like this life I visited in around age 19 and into my early 20s, in Spain in particular. This town is filled with ex-pats from all over the place who gather and spend months here, many of whom, like Anna and Lance, come back year after the year, as well as tourists like me who come and go, but pick this place because of it’s laid-back and unbothered attitude, and, of course, the locals who are friendly and welcoming.
It’s clearly a very (and that’s an understatement) laid-back place, with not too much going on, which is true for, at least, its ex-pat population. We hung out in town for a bit, and I met a couple of Anna and Lance’s friends, and after an hour or so we headed directly to the beautiful Rinconcito Beach.
I saw Alain here in this same spot pretty much every day.
Playa Rinconcito is a classic soft, yellow tropical beach, stretching a slow lazy arch around the cove of the pacific. I guess the beach was relatively crowded, but that’s hardly the word I’d use. On the contrary, although I guess there were more people on it than usual, perhaps this was because it was a Saturday, it was far from crowded. It had really just the right amount of people on it.
Anna and Lance, and Maisie who learned to speak pretty fluent Spanish here over many years in her childhood and adolescence coming here each winter, seem to know a lot of people on the beach, many of whom came over to say hello. The same was true in town, of course, when we were sitting and hanging out there. But, in addition, because everybody seems so open and accepting, Anna and Maisie had no problem talking to people on the beach who were strangers and engaging in pleasant exchanges, including with a couple of young local children who were collecting shells and stones on the beach.
Just a lovely atmosphere. It was laid-back, and after a while, we headed up the many stairs to my hotel, the Altamira Mazunte , which overlooks the beach and the sea on this side of the Peninsula. In fact, there’s a lot of stairs here in Mazunte, and there’s a lot of going up and down them, depending on where you’re going, and which way you choose to go. There are ways around the stairs though, taking longer uphill and downhill paths that take you to your destination, but the stairs are the quickest way to get from the beach up to this part of the country, where the hotel is.
My room is probably about a half way up, between the beach and the reception area, and the small restaurant up there. The rooms reach small, self-contained legs along the steps going up, each of which look out on the ocean below. I’m in the tuna room.
It’s lovely, but pretty spartan. There is an overhead fan, but no air conditioning, few electrical outlets, and a very basic bathroom, in which the sink has very limited running water (and only one faucet works, and the other has a very limited flow). The shower is good, though. Still, I like it. It’s perfecto. Well, not so much on the lack of air conditioning, which I later, unsurprisingly, found out I could really use while sleeping.
But the walk up here and the spartan conditions are clearly not for everybody. Unless somebody knows what they’re getting into here, they may be quite disappointed if they’re expecting luxury, or can’t handle the stairs for the uphill walks, or the lack of air conditioning during the day and night.
Nevertheless, it was fine for me, and I dropped my small backpack off, as I had just packed a couple of things for this short trip to Mazunte. Then we headed back up the stairs and onto the road leading to Anna and Lance’s place, which they’ve rented for the past three years or so. It seemed quite a way on the map, but was probably a 10 minute walk or less from here. They rent their place from the owner of the Mermejita circus, and I was excited to hear that there’s a circus show tonight, which we plan to attend. The circus is named for Playa Mermejita, the beach, just five or six minutes from Anna’s place.
Mermejita Beach and Playa Rinconcito, are on opposite sides of the peninsula here, separated by Punta Cometa. From the point, Punta Cometa, you see an horizon that stretches from east to west, and is known as the only place in Mexico where you can see both the sunrise and sunset over the same horizon line across the Pacific Ocean. It rises off Rinconcito, where I am, and sets in Mermejita, views separated by Punta Comta, but both sunrise and sunset can be seen from the point, which is the southernmost point in Oaxaca state.
The streets and roads here are either cobblestone, which can be tricky to walk on, or just plain dirt and sand, and just what you to expect in a small and sleepy, under developed place like Mazunte. It’s beautiful here, and has really retained its laid-back, 60s character, clear from the ex-pats, visitors, and locals who visit and live here. I can see the attraction, but not sure that I could stay for too long. Plus, the heat. Well, not the heat – the humidity.
Anna’s place is pretty sparse, but they’ve also rented the floor above, where Maisie is staying while she’s visiting, and also a bunch of other family visitors will be here in the next few days and week, including Li Ming, Anna’s oldest daughter, and her two kids, and other family members and friends who will be visiting. The upstairs was also pretty spartan, but less so, but more roomy with space for several people to stay. It had a wonderful outside balcony. Again, it’s lovely, but a real hippie Haven, for want of a better term.
After hanging out for while with Anna, Lance, and Maisie, the early evening took a turn, and became quite frightening for Anna, Maisie, and Lance, because I had, what later became clear, a vasovagal reaction, and passed out. Happily, Maisie is a nurse, and had a really good sense of what to do, but it was terrifying for a short while as they didn’t know what was happening to me.
The same thing happened to me a number of years ago after I had a small motorcycle accident, which left me with internal bleeding in my thigh. That later sent a shock reaction through my vagal nerve, known as a vasovagal syncope (fainting, but it is more complex than that). Back then, I passed out, and Bev called 911 as she was unable to revive me, and I looked like I might have been dead as I was grey and pale, and completely unresponsive. I actually passed out twice that time, even after the medics arrived and checked me out for 45 minutes while I was laying prone on the floor. As soon as I stood up, I passed out again. That resulted in a trip to the hospital, although by then the syncope had completely resolved.
Today’s event seemed to be a combination of things, including dehydration, I hadn’t eaten that day and hadn’t eaten very much in the past couple of days, the heat, and the nagging pain in my shoulder from the rotator cuff tear. I’d also smoked a little pot, which perhaps further contributed. But, it was when Maisie was rubbing my shoulder that I started to see spots (and I guess massage, and especially of the neck area, can be a trigger for a vasovagal response). At any rate, things started to feel and look very weird, I felt that I couldn’t stand up, and eventually I did, in fact, pass out completely, just like the previous time, and looked really awful. I passed out while trying to stand, and slumped into Maisie’s arms. She could not find a pulse, and I could not be revived, either by slapping my face or splashing water onto my face. I don’t think that lasted for more than a few minutes, if that long, but of course I have absolutely no memory of that as I was unconscious. But it was terrifying for Anna and Maisie.
As I came to, although I had no idea I’d been unconscious, I clearly remember seeing both Anna and Maisie over me, looking concerned, although I was still seated, rather than being on the ground. After passing out in Maisie’s arms, she sat me back down, and called for Lance, who was downstairs, to come up and help get me to a bed. At that moment, I knew who Anna was, but didn’t recognize Maisie, and just saw a young and concerned person looking at me. It was only after she asked me if I knew who I was, and I laughed and said of course I knew who I was, that she asked if I knew who she was, and I realized I had no idea. But, as soon as she told me she was Maisie, I immediately knew who she was and what was going on (although still didn’t realize I’d fainted/passed out). I laid in a hammock, for perhaps 30-45 45 minutes, feeling really strange, dissociated, a little nauseous, and feeling unable to risk standing up. But, other than the period during which I was completely unconscious, I clearly remember everything, although physically I was still not in a good place. It was only around this time that I realized this was the same thing that happened after the motorcycle accident, and this had been a vasovagal event.
It sounds like I was unconscious for anywhere from 90 seconds to perhaps 3 minutes, and it was pretty terrifying for Anna, Maisie, and Lance. I remember that Bev had the same experience of feeling terrified when she could not get any response from me back when. But, I was cognitively fine, and physically more or less fully revived within maybe an hour. Although I spent the night there, rather than going back to my hotel, by then, I was really fine, and so much so that we did go to the Mermejita Circus at 8 pm, just next door, which was pretty fabulous.
The circus n this case was really just four performers, performing gymnastic and rope acts, which were really great. I’ve seen acts like this before, but these were really among the best. It was really a wonderful way to spend my first evening here, despite the vasovagal syncope. I did feel wiped out, though, presumably the result of a long day, the heat, and, of course, the episode.
We came back home, just two minutes away, and after talking for a while, headed for bed, under the mosquito netting. I guess mosquito-borne Dengue Fever here is a very real thing, although I’ve seen very few bugs. For the most part, people use fans overnight to keep the bugs away, and this was actually the first and only night I slept under nettin