The road from Oaxaca city to Puerto Escondido by way of Puerto Angel is paved but mountainous. This route takes much more time than it would seem on a map, with slow-moving traffic and endless curves. The coastal resort towns can also be reached by highway from Acapulco. Puerto Escondido is an ideal place to relax, unless you've come to test its fame as Mexico's surfing capital. Although the four-block pedestrian walkway -El Adoqu n (adoqu n is Spanish for paving stone) crowded with open-air seafood restaurants, shops, and cafe-bars is lively, the "real" town above the strip, with its busy market and stores, provides a look at local life and a dazzling view of the coast.