We got to the beach at about 10am and promptly rented a bungalow for 20$ a night. Puerto Escondido is a surfer´s town. The waves are 7-11 feet where we are staying. Everyone is either a surfer or a surfer´s girlfriend, althought that´s not to say there aren´t any women surfers.

Kathy slept mouth open on the bus pretty much the whole way. I didn´t do as well, but I did finish Exodus and got through most of my book about Chiapas. After we got our room, we went and had an amazing breakfast for 3$ each. The coffee was decent. We went to the beach afterwards, a 2 minute walk from our bungalow. The undertow is incredibly strong so we didn´t swim, but we did get some nice sunburns.

The rest of the day was spent quietly reading in our bungalow. Kathy had camorones and I had a tuna sandwich for dinner. We read, drank some rum and cokes, munched on pizza, and discussed teaching on the patio for about an hour. We went to El Adoquin, a pedestrian street not far from our bungalow, to check out the nightlife. It was virtually nonexistent. We found out where all the surfers were, at the top story of a bar called Wipeout. I am 22 years old, and I felt old there.

We slept in the next morning. I traded Exodus and my book about Chiapas for Augusten Burrough´s Running with Scissors. We had another great breakfast. I had french toast, eggs, bacon, and coffee for $4. Afterwards, the sun beat down on us as we walked to Playa Manzanilla, which is a little inlet where you can actually swim. Kathy and I lolled on the beach, dipping in every 20 minutes due to the brutal sun. It was quiet, warm, and relaxing. I love my new book. I was unashamedly laughing out loud as I read.

We got caught in a storm and ended up under a metal roof with an American woman and her Mexican boyfriend. The conversation was typical, but with the storm, there was nothing else to do. I ventured out for an ATM once the rain quieted. I ate a fish afterwards. I mean, it was just an entire fish cooked to perfection with lemon and garlic. After a few cervezas, Kathy and I returned to our bungalow. We read in a little coffee bar, had dinner, and went to sleep early. We´re going to try to make it to Playa Angelito today, but as of yet, we don´t know how to get there.

John