Travels with Hayley

Up and out at 7.30 today for our tour to ‘The Big Tree’ (I know it has a proper name, I cannot currently remember the proper name ok..) and the petrified cascades. Only 6 of us plus JJ were going so it was a nice small number to keep together and everyone observed the unwritten rule of no chatting in the bus pre 8am!

On arrival to the tree, which has the widest trunk in the world, we tried and failed to get decent pictures which both fitted it totally in the frame and gave an accurate representation of scale. You’ll just have to imagine – huge tree, massive trunk. You’re officially up to speed.

My favourite part of this stop though was just outside ‘Big Tree’ alongside a church, food stalls etc was an outside dance/exercise class taking place, with a snake hipped instructor and his faithful disciples of ‘the third age’ as they call it here, or the pensioner crew as we would say! Obviously the moment I clocked this I ran to join in and busted out their routine to YMCA (again!!), Bette Davis Eyes and a storming finale of Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive! It was brilliant, I couldn’t stop smiling. All the staff were laughing and smiling too at my obvious joy, it was really funny.

Back in the the bus for another hour, we passed by desolate landscapes broken up with giant cacti as far as the eye could see, food stalls (barbacoa is apparently the newest food stall trend, it’s a whole lamb cooked underground, shredded and put in bread. I’m yet to try it, will report back asap when possible!), car parts one assumes for sale, stacked in haphazard, towering piles and half built deserted buildings, all to the backdrop of the majestic mountains in the distance.

We passed by a prehistoric painting which is apparently 10,000 years old that JJ was very excited about – I think he was a smidge disappointed that no one wanted to get out of the bus for a closer look in person – but see the picture below (the circle is my addition, in case of any confusion/smart arse comments…). I don’t think seeing it any closer would have impressed me much more than the view from the window…

We passed vista after vista of giant cacti that look just like normal trees until you get that much closer to them, and enormous plants that look like aloe vera but are actually megueyes – the plant that mezcal is produced from.

On arrival we hired a local guide – Aurelio – to show us around and give us the history of the natural wonders to come. If you looked up ‘old Mexican man’ in the dictionary you would find a picture of him I swear. Craggy, weather beaten skin tanned to the colour of leather, checked shirt, boots and wide brimmed hat. He didn’t speak English so JJ translated but you could just tell how passionate he was about the area and its history. In fact, so passionate that every time JJ tried to get in with his translation it transpires Aurelio was just taking a breath and would charge on in rapid fire Spanish, leaving us all in fits of giggles. I’m certain we only got about a quarter of what he said because JJ couldn’t have possibly remembered everything to translate by the time he eventually came to a conclusion!

The walk was easy enough at first as it was all downhill – but that means there’s only one way back! But that was a problem for later on so I just enjoyed the beautiful scenery while I could. Up close the megueyes are so weird, this wide bushy plant and then an enormously tall, spindly stalk reaching high into the sky with the brightest yellow flowers at the top. Apparently once they flower, they then die – it’s like a final, vividly coloured hurrah.

We also saw a whole load of them that had people’s names scratched into them – there’s a popular Latin song with a line about carving your lovers name into megueyes and people are taking it somewhat literally. I know it’s graffiti but some of it looks quite cool to be honest! Other highlights included the tree that if you touch it will make you itchy and sore for days whose nickname is ‘bad woman tree’. Charming!

Vultures circled overhead and cicadas called out to each other as we made our way past vast, vertical rock faces down to the petrified cascades – these are like a waterfall but with no water, like a waterfall that has been frozen in time. The official explanation is below (nicked from Wikipedia in the interests of expediency!)

Petrified cascades are created by fresh water springs, whose water is over-saturated with cal and other minerals. As the water trickles over the cliffs, the excess minerals are deposited, much in the same manner that stalactites are formed in caves.

So there you go! They are genuinely breath taking, I wish I had better words or pictures to illustrate the magnitude of them but they were just incredible. Apparently there are only two sets in the world, here and in Turkey so I feel so lucky to have been able to see them. When I was in Costa Rica, a little boy in one of the national parks, upon seeing something amazing had cried out ‘And I saw it with my own eyes!’ I feel that way about this – I can’t believe I actually got to see it with my own eyes.

Less incredible was the walk back up the mountain which was jelly legs making! I felt ridiculously wussy though when we found out 68 year old Aurelio often does this 4 times a day in peak season.

But at the end of the mountainous climb was the most amazing reward – natural mineral water ponds, developed over millions of years and making the most perfect infinity pools looking out across mountains stretching out to the horizon.

Stripping to bikinis we got straight into the cool water and let it carry away all the aches and pains of our endeavours. If all hikes ended like this I’d definitely do more of them!

The poor Instagram content creators that were so busy with their suitcases of different outfits (actual suitcases!) and keeping their hair perfectly curled that they didn’t get to do anything bar take photos at the edge – what an absolute waste to come all that way and not do the hike or have a swim. Much more fun was the bride and groom that turned up to take their wedding pictures there!

A funny moment while we were laying by the side of the pools drying off – Judith, who is very blonde and pale looked over at me sunning myself in my bikini and said ‘oh, I wish I had your colour skin’. I told her, love, you can have exactly this colour skin, it’s £20 a bottle at Boots! I’d put a coat of it on in the bathroom the night before!

It’s funny, this was probably the most amazing thing I’ve done since I’ve been here but it probably has the worst pictures I’ve taken – the spectacle was in the scale of everything and I found it just imposible to capture on camera. Never mind, I’ve got the pictures in my head and heart instead. And you lot will just have to imagine it or google better photos than mine!

Back to the bus via a stop for restorative cups of sliced mango with lime and chilli (the mango is so so good here, I will really miss it when I get back!), and for a look at cemetery which was so crowded and higgeldy piggeldy with statues and tombs and flowers that you didn’t know where to start looking.

Back into town to a beautiful, very hip lunch joint that had been recommended (thanks J!) for vegan banh mi – yes I know they are Viatnemese not Mexican but variety is the spice of life!

After all the excitement and food we headed back to the hotel with ‘plans’ to go out again later but ended up enjoying an evening of relaxing and chatting over tea and cake in the courtyard as, being very feeble in comparison to the magnificent Auralio, we were all too exhausted for anything else!

Architecture tour and more Oaxaca adventures tomorrow, stay tuned 😉

Lots of love always xxx