Finally I get to post into this community dedicated to the outdoors. Thank you 
It may be surprising to hear me admit that in these past years, whenever I was in Mazunte, my walks all happened to take place between the theater property where we’ve been building on one end, and the town center with its beach on the other end. Well, this slowly ingrained habit was brought to an abrupt stop when the Covid restrictions were imposed. No more beach, no more beer, and no more people! In fact, walking around was frowned upon, at least in places where there were people who could put on a frown. All the more reason to change this habit, and walk where I was safe from both people and frowns: up the hills!
Right where the property is located, the road forks in two. The one on the right seems to be short and recently cut to give access to the recently sold plots behind our theater. However, there was supposedly a footpath leading up to another area, with dirt roads leading into the next town, and back to Mazunte. The other road on the left has posted signs to a fabled place called In La Kech, a meditation center allegedly waaaaay up out there somewhere, according to the folks who have been there. Enough options to give us something to explore for a long time!
So we set out every evening, around five to six o’ clock when the heat was settling down, and took a walk to see what was there to see up yonder and beyond. Needless to say, each of those roads brought us to a couple of good out-looks, at least one place to see a stunning sunset each evening, and enough distance to cover to return at dusk. On the way we witnessed the wonderful diversity in plants and birds. They were the kinds you’d find in Mazunte anyway, since the town is not much developed (fortunately), but there were more of them out here.
For example, there is this tree that sounds like a watermelon when you knock your fingers against its trunk. The neat part about it is its fruit, which is full of a cotton-like substance. I even tried to spin it into a yarn, with moderate success. Anther tree, the guanacastle, has this circular shaped rattle as fruit, which we did actually use as a percussion instrument once.
As for birds, they were mostly familiar ones: the black-and-yellow soundmaster of the craziest tweets and gurgles, the large blue-jay-like one with the funny feathers on its head, green parrots always involved in vibrant chatter, the loud cackling faisan-like chachalaca, and huge woodpeckers with bright red crests.
The “roads” we walked on were all carved out of someone’s land to provide access to lots the owner is thinking about selling. They usually follow river washes, which can’t be sold, besides they are the most convenient to convert into roads, during the dry season at least. However, they generally don’t lead anywhere. At some point they all come to an end, where a foot trail may follow, which eventually becomes a path trampled out by an animal… and finally vanishes into the thicket of the woods. Yes, we’ve been there: followed up trail or a river wash until we found ourselves longing for a machete.
But even if we’d had one at hand, cutting down bush just like that is not something outsiders should do. Nor would we want to! There are enough people scaling the common woods (as well as people’s fenced-in properties) to cut themselves some firewood. In fact, since the lockdown it seems to be more common than ever. Of course not where the owner has planted coconuts, papayas, or bamboos, but unfortunately the “wild” trees are considered good for the taking, wherever they may be. Having said that, fences really don’t make much of a difference. But that also means, no-one is going to stop hikers from walking through their bamboo patch… unless they mean to cut down something! So we’ll be good.
