Hierve el Agua

Mexico, land of the sun...perhaps if you are along the coast or in Northern Mexico. The past few days here in Oaxaca have been cloudy and, today, very rainy. The rain today was deafening at times on the roof and we couldn't speak to each other in the office. However, Saturday was simply overcast with a little sprinkle and it was on that day that I got a chance to explore a tourist attraction of Oaxaca I had not visited before. Along with mis nuevos amigos (Rosa, Jenny and Claudi) I went to Hierve el Agua. Literally it is boiling or bubbling water, but in actuality it is more of a draw due to the petrified waterfalls and the beautiful hiking and views.

We began the day by catching a bus to Mitla and from there we rode in the back of a pick-up, converted into a taxi (wooden seats and a tarp covering). Along with us on our trip were two students from Mexico City who were on a weekend trip to Oaxaca. We had fun getting to know them and ended up spending most of the day together as we also spent some time in Mitla. All together we rode on the bumpy wooden seats, up the hillside, around many corners and finally to the top of the world. There we hiked a short distance to the pools created at the top of the waterfall and ventured towards the edge to get a better view.




It was beautiful and hiking around gave us a chance to see many different views of the waterfall, as well as various views of the world stretched out below us. What a great first day back to Oaxaca. I got to expereince all of my favorite things; the market, transportation that is a little sketchy, quesadillas from a vendor, striking up conversation with random people (who, by the way, are all impressed when you know more than two words of Spanish) and knowing where I am going, yet still sticking out like a sore thumb. I love it here and feel blessed to have the opportunity to return. I can't wait for more adventures to come my way...