Zipolite and Mazunte: Nudies, yoga, and sun

Zipolite and Mazunte in a Nutshell

Zipolite and Mazunte are two beach towns in Mexico’s state of Oaxaca and are located about 10 minutes apart, by car. Zipolite is known for being one of Mexico’s only clothing optional (i.e. nude) beaches. Meanwhile, Mazunte is home to the National Mexican Turtle Centre, and apparently turtles like its beaches as a nesting ground (however, ít wasn’t the season when I went in February).

Sunrise at Playa Zipolite

Getting There

While I was freezing my ass off in San Cristobal de las Casas, my friend Toya suggested that I meet her in Zipolite. The idea of a nude beach frightened me slightly (will I have to go COMPLETELY naked? will I be grossed out by the sight of naked people – thin, fat, and everything in between?), but the word “beach” alone was enough to lure me. An overnight bus from Tuxtla Gutierrez got me to Pochutla, Oaxaca for about $320 MXC. From Pochutla, I took my first ride on the back of a camionetta (modified pick-up truck) for $10 MXC to get to Zipolite.

By the way, I thought I was being smart by trying to take combi’s – collective vans – all the way from San Cristobal de Las Casas to Pochutla. My logic being that I made it from Palenque to San Cris in combi’s for a bargain. Nope! Made it as far as Tuxtla Gutierrez, where I was disappointed to find out that the only way to go on was by bus… and that I would have to wait hours and hours in a city where there’s not much to do or see (actually, there’s a really great zoo, which of course happened to be closed on the day I went). Moral of the story: ask around before you try to get somewhere far in a combi!

Accomodations

On my arrival to Zipolite, a German couple pointed me towards Shambhala as a chill place to stay. Shambhala is a spiritual centre with dorms, rooms, and cabanas, as well as a meditation centre on top of a hill. With dorms at $120 MXC, it was a bit pricier than other locations in town, but the moment I saw the view of the beach from the dorm room, I had to stay.

The story behind Shambhala is that the lady who owns it (Gloria) was one of the first Americans to take advantage of the area’s beauty. Back in the hippy days, the police would give shit to the nudies, and she would sound a horn when she saw the police coming in order to warn people that they should clothe themselves, pronto. In a way, she is responsible for making Zipolite what it is today. However, a few years ago a hurricane did some serious damage to her property. Thanks to a volunteer named Dan, I signed up to help bring life to Shambhala by selling some beers on the beach and making signs, in exchange for a free place to stay.

View from Shamblaha dorms

Shamblaha

Making some signs to bring life to Shambhala

The Scene

I dropped off my bags in the dorm rooms of Shabhala at 8:30 am. By 10 am, I had given my first attempt at surfing and seen way more more old-man penis than I was hoping for. The days consisted of early-morning swims, followed by a bit of work, cooking dinner, and a party on occasion. Zipolite doesn’t have too much of a night life, but one night we attended a trance party on the beach (not my type of music, btw).

Getting ready to fiesta at Zipolite

In the evenings, the main street of Zipolite was lined with artists selling their goods. My favourite was a dude who made necklace charms by cutting the negative space out of coins from all over the world.

Artist who makes charms out of coins at Zipolite

Artist who makes charms out of coins at Zipolite

One more thing about Zipolite: the main beach is knows as La Playa de los Muertos (The Beach of the Dead). If that wasn’t creepy enough, two days before my arrival somebody drowned just meters away from where I was staying. To add to the scare factor, during my week-long stay, I saw a dead parrot, two dead fish (one blowfish and one small tuna), and a dead meter-long turtle on the beach. Right. Playa de los Muertos.

Mazunte is a short ride away by camionetta (at $6 MXC), and has some beautiful beaches as well.

Rocky shore near Mazunte

Beach near Mazunte

Art at Mazunte

When we passed by Mazunte, a circus festival was happening. Workshops were being offered in juggling and other circus skills

Mazunte circus workshop

I had a chance to see the work of an artist named Jean-Charles Vignal, who has a travel blog at Petit JC en Amerique (in French).

Jean-Charles Vignal and his art

Art by Jean-Charles Vignal

In Mazunte, a lady was selling fresh fish at three for $10 MXC.

Fresh fish for sale at Mazunte

Comida y Bebida (Food and Drink)

My days at Zipolite usually involved orange juice, coconuts in one form or another, and coconut ice cream (the best).

Coconut on the beach at Zipolite

Zipolite lacked economic food options. As a result, we took advantage of the fire grill outside our (temporary) home. My friend Toya made a great chef on the grill (check out her blog – Breakfast in Montreal)!

Toya cooking  meat and veggies at Shambhala

Breakfast crepes with veggies on the grill at Shambhala

Still, one of my Zipolite food highlights was sharing a shrimp omlette and strawberry smoothie at a hotel called Nude.

Shrimp omlette and strawberry smoothie at Nude (Zipolite)

One affordable food option at Zipolite was sopes (a form of tortillas with beans and cheese) for $5 MXC each.

Sopes at Zipolite

At Oralel Cafe, owned by a Quebecois dude, I had some amazing Aztec soup (broth with avocado, cheese, and tortilla chips, $45 MXC) with the best coffee in town ($20 MXC, Americano with milk).

Oralel Cafe

Aztec soup at Cafe Oralel, Zipolite

At Pochutla, I had the best meal that $10 MXC will buy – a doblada with pollo con salsa roja (chicken in red sauce) and rajas con crema (chile peppers with cream). They also had a bunch of other fillings to choose from!

Doblada stand at Pochutla