You guys all know me... I'm emotional. I love the sensation of being swept away by how I feel in the moment. I've been told before that this is a bad quality but I usually tend to disagree. My feelings have recently led me to some of the coolest places I have ever been. The most current of which was Grutas Tolantongo- caves, hot springs, and waterfalls in the mountains a few hours north of Mexico City.
After spending a week with the boys, Abe suggested that I change my plan of staying on the beaches of the province of Oaxaca and return to the city to take in some more tourist attractions. I was slightly torn because all I really wanted from my time in Mexico was to relax in a hippie town for the majority of my vacation. In the end, his handsomeness and Peruvian charm won me over. I wasn't sure what he had in mind for the upcoming week but I was sure that his adventurous soul would lead us somewhere wonderful. We got a few suggestions from his family and decided to start the trek to Tolantongo to spend a few days among the locals at a popular retreat in the mountains. Thanks to his Spanish, we easily got a 3 hour bus ride to Iximilpan and wandered through the quaint city markets to find our colectivo towards our final destination.
We hopped on the smaller version of a city bus and I giggled nervous giggles as our driver took us through the tight turns on the mountain road. Finally, a sweaty six hours later, passing about 100 stores selling swim suits, zapatos aquaticos, and pool floaties, we made it to the 'resort'. The resort is made up of three hotel complexes and heated pools near the bottom of a steep box canyon that has walls as much as 500 meters high. Its main attraction are two grottos at the canyon’s closed end, out of which flows a small volcanically-heated river which follows the canyon floor. (*Thanks again Wikipedia 👍)
Much to our dismay, we weren't the only ones trying to stay here on a Saturday night in May, so our only option for accommodation was to set up a tent among 200 others on the edge of the water.
It's cool. We were used to our sweaty selves at this point after the few days spent in the sweltering heat of Chacahua. We arrived early evening so there was just enough time to take a dip in the cascading waters before retreating to our humble abode with sweating Coronas and a Bluetooth speaker to keep ourselves entertained for the remainder of the evening.
It wasn't until the next morning that I was truly able to take in just how beautiful our surroundings were.
Tucked in on all sides by grand mountains covered in cacti, sleeping open air on the edge of fresh aqua blue pools. It was nice and warm, and colored by the mineral salts it picked up as it passed through the mountains. It is safe to say I was one happy girl. It was a huge bonus that I was able to share it with someone who was as happy to be there as I was. After rising from our luxurious tent slumber (😒), we went for a swim to cool off before packing up our tent in hopes of snagging a room in the hotel. Tarzan himself was pleased to see that there was a 5m diving board at the pool, and I was equally as pleased to watch him jump off time and time again while gaining praise from other cowardlings in the pool, like myself, for his impressive dives.
He'd satisfied his adrenaline craving for the time being (*and also his pain tolerance after a couple rough landings) so we lugged our backpacks to a nearby restaurant to put away the remainder of the warm beers we had purchased the night before while waiting for the hotel check-in time. At 2 pm, I think we may have been the happiest guests there as we were granted a room with a fan and a shower for 600 pesos (39$ CAD) a night. We tucked our bags safely away in our new room and headed towards the second side of the resort.
On the second side, there were small pools of warm water climbing all the way up the mountain side. People of all ages were smiling, floating, and taking pictures of themselves through waterproof cases. We were among them.
* please note the hilarious girl in the background of this photo. Hah. Makes me laugh every time.
The view was pretty beautiful. I stayed here looking out at the mountains for quite some time.
This is one of the most amazing natural places I have ever been in my life, even if it has become developed and touristic for locals. I told Abe that I could have easily stayed here for a week or more just relaxing and walking around the pools.
He, on the other hand, likes to explore beyond boundaries. So, with a fresh sud in hand we went for a walk past all the people to the top of the river where we found this "off limits" falls and pool. I wasn't too keen on getting in (*I'm timid when it comes to water, okay?), but was happy to dip my feet in as he went climbing and jumping around the rocks.
We worked our way back on the path we came on, and decided to grab some food and change into real clothes (aka not swim wear). We spent the evening once the sun went down sitting close to the water feeling extra special. It was a Sunday and there were far fewer people than the night before. We went to a pool on the fathest end of the river so we could listen to our music and enjoy the rest of the night in complete peace. I don't know if I've ever felt more blissful or fortunate than I did that night!
If you ever go to Mexico, skip Cancun. Put this fresh water oasis in the mountains on your list of places to visit. Honestly. I'm hoping to find some more beauty spots like this now that I've decided to extend my trip in Mexico by another few weeks 😄. If/ when I do, I'll show them to you!
-안녕!
Sasha