Hierve el agua

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Breakfast was almost as good as yesterday’s with toast, fruit, scrambled eggs and good coffee. I left early to the bus stop to catch a bus to a place called Mitla, a town near a petrified waterfall outside of Oaxaca. While waiting for a bus, a taxi driver offered to take me with others in the taxi for the same price. I accepted, although given the driver’s confidence driving at speed and the fact there were two of us squeezed in the front, I was beginning to think it wasn’t such a great idea. I did arrive at Mitla quicker than the bus would have, so it wasn’t all bad. I shared a ride in a pickup truck with others to get to the waterfall. We sat in the back of the pickup truck on a 50 minute journey uphill on a dirt track.
The sun was blazing, so I was glad there was a cover to keep us in the shade. It was hot. There was a short 5-10 minute walk to the attraction. It was called “hierve el agua” and I could see why, as there were mineral rich pools and the water was bubbling at points. Oddly, despite the name, the water was very cold. Many people were bathing in the water so I also took a dip. It was cool and refreshing to get out of the hot sun. There were vultures flying overhead, and while I was by the pool one of them swooped down over me within touching distance and then landed to drink from the water. There were many people taking pictures as the vulture was very close. There was a great view of the petrified waterfall, with the rocks forming what looked like icicles made of rock. It was very tranquil and relaxing out there, out of the city and with great views of the valley below. I hiked for a short while to the petrified waterfall for a closer look before heading back.
At the pickup point, I ate fresh mango with chili flakes, and shared a pickup truck back with some other travelers staying in Oaxaca. We agreed to meet up for dinner later that evening. Around 12 of us met at a bar for mezcal cocktails and later to the same restaurant I had eaten in the previous night at the zocalo. There were mariachis playing songs, so I decided to request that they play a Mexican song that I liked. It was great to hear a mariachi band playing it live for the table. After dinner, we went to a rooftop bar before I left to sleep for my final day in Oaxaca.

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Photos

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Hierve el agua

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Petrified falls

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Mariachis in the evening

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Hierve el agua