We have been planning this holiday for a while now and sometimes it can feel so magical when it turns out just the way you had envisioned it. The mix of big city life in Mexico City, surfing in Puerto Escondido and smaller city life in Oaxaca was just perfect.

Mexico City

The flight into Mexico City is incredibly beautiful. The snow-capped volcanoes rise from the plains, everything glows a soft pink in the gentle light of the setting sun, and then Mexico City appears before us. The city stretches to the horizon. It is unbelievable.. houses everywhere…

Jetlag has us firmly in its grip for the first two days in the city. The small hummingbirds greeting us in the morning for breakfast, however, already make us excited for the days ahead. It is Sunday and the Parque de Chapultepec is bustling with people. We wander through the park and then on to Roma. The neighborhood is incredibly green. Trees line every street, and many buildings are in the Art Deco style. There are so many cafes, restaurants, and shops. We let ourselves drift and whenever we pass a park, we sit on a bench for a while and recharge. Seven hours of time difference is quite a lot, but what a lovely start to our holiday.

In the afternoon, we take the metro to Coyacan. Here is the Frida Kahlo Museum. She was born in the Casa Azul, lived there for most of her life, and died there in 1954. The museum tells the story of her life and that of her family. There are hardly any of her paintings on display, but many of the objects she collected and her furniture. I especially like the studio with its large windows and a lovely view of the garden. The garden itself is also very beautiful. She is such a popular figure even today and it is fascinating to see where she lived.

During the day, the temperatures climb to 25° Celsius. At 2200 meters altitude, we really feel the sun. At night, however, it cools down considerably. We spend most of our time here walking around, exploring and eating lots of delicious food.

Puerto Escondido

A week of surfing… the reason for our trip to Mexico was an internet search about the best place to surf in November.

We are staying at a surf hostel one block from the beach. Today, our arrival day, we head to the beach in the afternoon for a swim. The waves are impressive and after a while we are exhausted from jumping and diving. It feels wonderfully peaceful and relaxing.

The sunset is incredibly beautiful. Every evening we sit on the beach and watch the sun go down, the people and dogs out and about, the surfers in the water… There is always something to see.

The next day our surfing begins. We usually surf early in the morning. It takes a little while to get back into it, but it is incredibly fun. Sometimes swimming out after surfing is more exhausting than the surfing itself. At times, there are no waves for a while, but bobbing on the water with the other surfers is part of the experience and so wonderfully relaxing.

After surfing, we are always incredibly hungry. At 9am, we have breakfast, and then we can already feel our tired bones and rest on the bed or in the hammock. A siesta usually follows. We are having the most wonderful time here. It is so much fun that we end up extending our stay and add two additional days to this incredible surfing experience.

In the mornings, a few pelicans often fly by while we are surfing. It is so beautiful to see them gliding over the water. We have also seen some monarch butterflies. They occasionally fly over the beach. Their orange and black pattern glows in the sunshine.

So, we are leaving Puerto Escondido after all… We were thinking about just staying here until the end of the year and continuing to surf What a wonderful time! We enjoyed it so much.

Oaxaca

The bus ride through the mountains is lush and full of breathtaking views. In a few places, we have to drive slowly over the remnants of landslides. And Oaxaca greets us with its agave fields, used for mezcal production.

We walk for half an hour through the center to our accommodation, and we immediately fall in love with the colorful houses. Oaxaca feels like a mix of tropical Cartagena, Colombia, and highland Antigua, Guatemala.

There are so many charming shops, cafés, and restaurants. Oaxaca is known for its handicrafts, especially textiles and pottery. We stroll along the streets, following the colors, the murals… Bougainvillea and vine climb over walls. So many skulls adorn the graffiti. Oaxaca is famous for its Day of the Dead parades and that can be seen everywhere.

The city is also known for its food. The bakeries are full of almond croissants, pain au chocolat, and other treats. And in the evenings, there are delicious tacos with shrimp and pineapple, stuffed zucchini blossoms, and braised beef. We drink mezcal with passion fruit to accompany our meals.

We thoroughly enjoyed our holiday. It was wonderful, especially the surfing in Puerto Escondido was incredible. Ahhh…. We miss the ocean, the waves, the tacos…