Ruminations of an Expatriate

I will have my pictures of my Puerto Escondido trip developed tomorrow and will begin posting them soon.

I think I’d mentioned that I ended up staying at the Mayflower, just a couple blocks from the bus station, around which there are many hotels, cabanas, and such. The Mayflower is a combination hotel/hostel, thus there are lots of young folks staying in the dormitories, including lots of crazy young fellows. I opted for the hotel side of the operation and paid $230 pesos per night for a private room, two double beds, and a small terrace from which I had a nice view of the sea and where I could work on a tan (today’s exchange rate $10.69 pesos to $1 USA).

Though I did no serious research, the lowest room price I saw written on a wall, or otherwise advertised, was $150 pesos, including hot water and TV. The TV at the Mayflower picked up four stations, but WiFi is available throughout the place.

I think I mentioned the fellow from B. C. and the fellow from Seattle, who once owned land within 10 miles of where I spent my last thirty plus of my pre-expatriate years, who were staying there. There was another very interesting fellow also staying there.

Lee has spent his thirty eight years in the Kentucky/Ohio area. He speaks with a light drawl; and has worked as an automatic transmission mechanic and builder, apparently of some renown, beginning as a child helping in his father’s shop. His skills afforded him and his family a comfortable life. He claims to have been paid in “six figures” to do what ever he did with automatic transmissions, which included building customs transmissions for high performance cars. The shop in which he has worked provided minor sponsorships to NASCAR teams.

A year or so ago Lee’s wife and only two children were killed in an auto accident, three months later his mother died. Soon he was drinking to excess, gaining weight; and became increasingly despondent, even considering suicide, he reports.

About five weeks ago Lee walked into work; announced that he was leaving for a while; flew to Puerto Escondido; and took a room at the Mayflower, where he has become quite a fixture, even dating one of the housekeepers. I never did ask him why he chose Puerto Escondido. The day before I left, Lee reported that he had rented a home in town and that he is considering relocating permanently.

Lee told me, while eating toasted squash seeds, that at 38 his life has been turned upside down, he is happy in Puerto Escondido, and that he’s going to make the most of the opportunities. He indicated he is considering relocating there.

Meanwhile, yesterday I took the bus from Puerto Escondido to Pocutla, about a hour and a half East, and a taxi from there to Puerto Ángel to take a look at the place. Later, I return to Pchutla for the bus to Oaxaca.

Both the Puerto Ángel bay and town are much smaller than Puerto Escondido. The bay is surrounded by rocky hills, against which the waves crash, except for two fairly small, sandy beaches. There is a very small Mexican Naval Base there, and a pier at at the foot of the bay that seems very much over sized for the small harbor. The pier provides a favorable fishing spot where I watched a young fellow, with a treble hook set up on a hand line, snag and land three fish in three casts.

The beach front restaurants carry even more of that flavorful, funk factor than do those in Puerto Escondido, many simply palapa extensions from the proprietor’s home. It is really is quite a charming little fishing village; but no match for Puerto Escondido, flanked almost entirely by wide beaches and with lush vegetation backing the beaches.