I started and ended my 3 weeks of Mexican holiday in Mexico City (Ciudad de México or DF). This capital of Mexico is located in the Valley of Mexico, a large valley at the center of Mexico at an altitude of 2,240 meters. The Greater Mexico City population is about 25 million people, making it the largest metropolitan area of the western hemisphere.

On the first day I walked from Zona Rosa (where I was staying) along the Paseo de la Reforma (the elegant and immense main avenue with the icon of the golden Angel of Independence) to the Historic Center. Along the way I went to the 44th floor observation deck of the LatinoAmericana tower to have an overview on the endless city.

Next day I took a metro and a bus to the ancient city of Teotihuacan, 50 kilometers north from Mexico City. On the third day I wandered the neighborhoods of Condesa and Colonia Roma before I visited the Museo Nacional de Historia in the Castle of Chapultepec. This castle is on a hill in the beautiful Chapultepec Park. In the evening I went to Arena Mexico where I witnessed some Lucha Libre. This Mexican style of wresting show is a popular sport throughout the country and to me it was very entertaining.

When I returned from the Oaxacan Coast I had one more day to spend in Mexico City. I decided to go back to the Historic Center to see some of the murals in the Palacio de Bellas Artes. I was surprised to see an ice-skating rink in front of the Cathedral on the main square (Zócalo). Together with the Christmas tree it got me into the Christmas vibe before returning home. 

To avoid a seven-hours bus ride over the hairpin turns of the Sierra del Sur mountain range I took a 13-seat Cessna from Oaxaca de Juárez to Puerto Escondido. This “Hidden Port” is a small port and beachtown on the Oaxacan coast. It is not as well known as other beach resorts like Cancun or Acapulco because there are only domestic flights going to it. It caters mostly to surfers, backpackers and Mexican families.

The main attractions of Puerto Escondido are its beaches. For 3 days I walked the several bays and beaches enjoying the beachlife (and fish tacos!). Most famous beach is 3-km-long Zicatela Beach. It hosts major surfing competitions and the large waves make the sea here not suitable for swimming.

I stayed in a hostel in the west side of town near the beaches Playa Carrizalillo, Puerto Angelito and Playa Bacocho. The first one was my favorite because it’s on a small bay (perfect for swimming) and there are no vehicular roads leading to the beach (so less crowded and few vendors). On Playa Bacoche I enjoyed watching the baby seaturtles finding their way to the sea.

From Puerto Escondido it was about 1,5 hours to the remote beach of Zipolite. There I stayed for a week before coming back to Puerto Escondido and taking a flight back to Mexico City.

After spending some days in Puerto Escondido I wanted to get to an even more remote area of the Oaxaca coast. 70 km further to the east I ended up in Playa Zipolite. This beach community is located in San Pedro Pochutla municipality and is known as being one of Mexico’s very few clothing optional beaches and for retaining much of the hippie culture that made it notable in the 1960s and 1970s.

For a week I enjoyed the nearly pristine beach that stretches almost 2 km with medium grain gold colored sand. This was one of the beaches featured in the Mexican blockbuster movie “Y tu mamá ambién.” It stretches from a small isolate cove called Playa del Amor on the east side to the new age Shambala retreat on the west end which is partially sheltered by rocks.

I really spoiled myself by booking a room in a beautiful resort with an infinity-pool overlooking the Roca Blanca, a large rock just off the shore which is white due to bird guano. This place was definitely a highlight of my holiday!

It took me 7 hours by bus from Mexico City to Oaxaca de Juárez. The bus ride was scenic with views on the Mexican landscape, including the Popocatepetl volcano. The city of Oaxaca is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of the same name. It is located on the foothills of the Sierra Madre.

In Oaxaca I met my friend Simone, who I know since we were on the same journey in Southern Africa in 2008. Since she was teaching English in Oaxaca she showed me the city that she was living in for over a month now. Most of the days we just strolled the colonial downtown to soak up the atmosphere. Around the beautiful church Ex-Convento de Santo Domingo we saw some traditional parades and we enjoyed the local bars and restaurants.

We also visited Monte Alban, a pre-Hispanic city that was an ancient capital of the Zapotecs. The Zapotec people built this site atop some of the highest mountains in the area. It gave a beautiful view on the current city of Oaxaca.

The city of Oaxaca has long been considered Mexico's culinary capital. The most notable aspect of Oaxacan cuisine is its variety of moles, a type of complex sauce. Also chocolate and Mezcal (spirit made from agave) are typical Oaxacan. On my last day in Oaxaca, I took Simone for dinner to one of the best restaurants in the city.

It was great to spend four days in Oaxaca. Thou after being a week in Mexico it was about time to hit the beaches. So I got on a small plane to Puerto Escondido to enjoy the rest of my holiday on the Oaxacan Pacific coast.