After we arrived to PE on Saturday and learned about the hurricane, we looked it up to figure out what we were up against and it looked like it could be pretty hectic (actually, the rendering of the storm made it look like a giant avocado IMHO). They were forecasting it could become a category 2 or 3 by the time it reached landfall, with winds up to 115 mph and 10-20 inches of rain, resulting in potential flash flooding. Also, the projections showed it coming right for us. We didn’t really have anywhere to go though, as mentioned in my previous post, this is not an easy place to get to and riding in the van with wings or a bus on a cliff face in hurricane force winds seemed more dangerous than sticking it out. So, we prepared to batten down the hatches and ride out Hurricane Agatha.
Our airbnb is very close to the ocean, with giant windows overlooking the beach. While it makes for a great view, it is not at all ideal for a hurricane. Luckily, our good friend Pete recently moved here and he has a place that is a bit more inland and provided better shelter from the storm and he offered that we could ride it out at his place. Plus, it would be way more fun that way and provide us an opportunity to catch up after not seeing each other in a few years. On Sunday, we went to the grocery store and stocked up on non-perishable foods and supplies, charged all our devices and power banks, downloaded all the best 90’s thrillers for entertainment purposes and readied ourselves for the storm.
First off, I have to say that I’ve always wanted to experience riding out a hurricane. In my head, it would be this adrenaline filled experience, battling the elements and pushing myself to the limit in order to survive. In reality, it was just really boring and sweaty. We woke up Monday and things were pretty chill, the storm wasn’t forecast to hit until later that afternoon. Around 1 pm we started a game of Risk, that we thought would pass enough time to get us to the storm and sure enough, towards the end of the game the power started flickering and went out. At this point the wind had started to pick up pretty significantly and we decided that this was our last opportunity to witness the hurricane outside. So we made a quick trek down to the beach to see what this cat 2 avocado was all about. It was probably 50-60 mph winds at this point, flinging sand at us, which was painful and we headed back home after a few minutes. From there, we pretty much just sat around waiting for something to happen, drank some beers and debated whether the hurricane had missed us or if the worst was yet to come. After a few more hours, the power came back on and we were able to confirm that the storm had in fact changed course, hitting farther to the east and sparing us from the brunt of it.
The worst part of the storm ended up being the fact that it pretty much knocked out wifi and cell service across the city for a majority of the week. Luckily, you don’t really need those things when you’re hanging out on a beautiful beach, which is what Puerto Escondido is all about.
- Oaxaca Rundown
- Hurricane Avocado
- The van with wings
- Oaxaca: Monte Alban
