It was a 2 ½ hour ride [southeast of Oaxaca City] but the last hour was on a single lane dirt road that wound up and down the mountains. It is very isolated but worth the trip. We stopped in a tiny village where the men were making mezcal and everyone was incredibly friendly.
The wind circled dust around us as we gazed at the empty stretch of land before us. Our driver, who only speaks Spanish, pointed us in the right direction. Down the set of stone steps, past the fields of cacti, we saw a multicolored pool, nestled between the mountains.
We scurried down the steps and dipped our toes in the freezing water. We changed into our swimsuits and slowly stepped into the water. What appeared to be sand swirled around our feet as we inched deeper into the water, but we found out from a guide book, were minerals, and we asked, how did this water get here? We discovered the source: water bubbles from a hole in the ground a few feet from the pool, but where that water comes from, no one seems to know.
On the picture, you can see me beneath the tree growing from the water of the natural pool.
