I Went Back

Playa de Ventanilla, Mexico

I'm settling into my fifth night back in Zipolite. It is hard to believe I have already been back with the sea for five nights. But that is how this place goes. Being here is a long embrace. The kind that suspends time and space and demands complete surrender. I am staying at Lo Cosmico again. I am watching sunsets and eating tacos. I am doing yoga with my favorite teacher. Still, it is different than the first time. The waves are more ferocious. The tide is higher. My cabana has a porch. There are less nudists on the beach. Jen and Steve from Australia are not here, but Jen and Bruce from Portland are. George (and) Michael are no longer playing chess, but Tomas is here from Norway and Elena and Daniel have come from Spain. The taco vendors are now old friends; we greet each other with kisses and end the night saying, "hasta manana." Antonio and I get on like family.

This time in Zipolite has included new adventures, like my trip to Ventanilla, an ecotourism project that protects the turtle population and rehabilitates animals. There, I climbed in trees, saw crocs, and released baby turtles into the sea. It was incredible to watch the baby turtles in the first day on earth so valiantly march toward the waves. The same waves that earlier made a very clear statement to me that they did not want any visitors. The guide said that only 2-3 out of 100 turtles survive their first days. We each got to choose one and cheer it on. Below is mine.

The Survivor, Ventanilla, Mexico

Five more days in Zipolite was perfect. Now, I am moving on tomorrow to meet up with my friend Nikki and find the Lagunas de Chacahua for three more nights on the beach in what is said to be paradise. Only a pick up truck, small bus, big bus, collective taxi, and boat ride away. Just a normal trip "to the end of the world" as my family loves to embark on. Then it is back to Oaxaca City for my two final days in Chicago. The trip is winding down, but my love affair with Mexico has certainly just begun.