December 10, 2007 - Puerto Escondido

Yesterday morning I awoke around 6am to get ready to catch the 9:45 bus to Puerto Escondido. My roommate, Vina (a student from Texas who, like me, is a woman traveling alone), was sitting on the patio with two other hostellers, Evan and Jamie, from Australia (who had the misfortune of getting one of the windowless iceboxes at the hostel). When I mentioned that I would be traveling to Puerto Escondido and would be looking for a hostel when I arrived, Evan told me about Hostel Quinta Lili, which he said had gotten good reviews on the internet. He and Jamie would be going to Puerto Escondido the following day and had checked for hostels on the net. After K3, I was willing to take reviews, both good and bad, seriously (but, of course, not too seriously).

And so, with the name of a reputable hostel in mind, I began the seven-hour journey on a Costa bus (nowhere near the luxury of the Estrella de Oro buses I rode on from Mexico City to Taxco, and from Taxco to Acapulco) over a highway with speed bumps every mile or two, past tiny pueblos, military checkpoints and, frequently, piles of burning garbage. I arrived in Puerto Escondido as the sun was getting low in the sky.

From the Puerto Escondido bus station, I took a taxi. The taxi driver did not know of Hostel Quinta Lili; nor did his dispatcher. As we rode around looking for it, I noticed a funky, colourful, fun-looking hostel, Hostal Shalom, at the intersection of a paved road and a dirt road. By then, I had given up on Quinta Lili and figured I would give the taxi driver a break; and so in my still-inadequate Spanish I said, Aqui, es 'okay' para mi. I am so glad I made that decision.

Of all the hostels I've stayed in, from Seattle to New York to Mexico City, this is the best. The Mexican staff is super-friendly. The hostel is a ramshackle series of dormitorios painted in the brilliant yellows, pinks, blues, greens and magentas expressive of the fiesta spirit that seems to be everywhere I've been so far in Mexico. Everything is connected by small courtyards and open spaces. There is a pool and a camping area (which, I've been told, will soon be filled with Mexicanos on vacation). The reception area is filled with couches and hammocks. The music is hip-hop (sometimes with familiar tunes sampled and overlaid with vocals in Spanish – complete magic). This is the closest I've come so far to the Mexico of my imagination.

A pleasant young woman showed me to Habitación 5, a dormitorio with five beds. One bed was already occupied by a sleeping blonde person who, I soon discovered, is a male. No problema. All that matters to me is that a sleeping space is relatively clean (although I was far from certain that the bedsheets had been changed after the last occupant) and safe. My roommate, Anders, is a surfer from Denmark and a very pleasant person.

I have only paid for one night, just in case I find something better – although I doubt I will (or could). I looked up Hostal Quinta Lili on the internet this evening (at the Mini-Super down the street, where the cost for all-day internet access using my laptop is only five pesos), and not only is it booked until Wednesday, but it also costs 150 pesos a night. Hostal Shalom is only 50 pesos. It's unreal. There's something wonderful about this place – a spirit that I haven't found anywhere else.

I'll have more to say about Puerto Escondido soon. Right now, I'm off to check out the nearby beach, Playa Carrizalillo.

feral@renegaderesearch.org