A Mezcal Tasting with a Side of Awe

So far, the Hostel Central has been everything a hostel is meant to be and more. Laidback vibes, delicious breakfasts, cool and interesting people, and hammocks. They offer a cheap daily tour to Hierve El Agua, so I figured, sure!

It’s common for group tours to entice you with some sort of natural wonder, only to first take you to a bunch of things that aren’t that. This tour was very much like that, with the Hierve El Agua – a beautiful set of pools and rock formations – saved for the very end of the day.

Our first stop was El Tule: this approximately 2000 year old tree.

I made fast friends with Sophie, a fellow traveler at the hostel. After we spent some time admiring and taking photos of the absolutely gargantuan tree, we came upon a second tree that looked to be about half the size. We joked about being unimpressed with this “merely” 1000 year old tree. We laughed our asses off when we discovered that it is, indeed, 1000 years old.

After El Tule, we headed to a village to learn how wool rugs are made. We learned about all the natural plants and even insects that are used to dye the wool its various colors. It was really cool to witness this entirely natural, handmade process from start to finish. I even tried my hand at spinning the wool, which I was exceedingly bad at.

Next, we were brought for a Mezcal tasting tour. At this point, Sophie and I were kind of over it: it was ~3pm and not only had we not yet seen the Hierve el Agua, but we had also not had lunch. I looked longingly at a taco stand as we were ushered into a tacoless bar. Then, to avoid having the alcohol go right to my head, I awkwardly tried to sip each mezcal while leaving most of it unconsumed. Luckily, lunch directly followed this lowlight and all was once again right with the world.

At around 6pm, we finally reached the Hierve el Agua!

It truly was gorgeous. The sun had mostly set behind the mountains, and the remaining light gave the water a magical glow. And, the walk to and from the lookout point gave me my first glimpses of Oaxaca’s stunning natural landscapes.

This weekend, I’ll be off the grid as I embark on a 3-day Camino Real hike through the Sierra Norte. Hiking photos forthcoming!