the baths

What a fun day! I decided to take a trip to the baths...aguas calientes. I got on the local bus for 30 cents and road about three quarters of an hour to the nearby town of Tabay. I think Tabay is about another 2000 feet up from Merida. The road reminded me very much of Guatemala, and the bus ride as well. The driver turns on a local radio station at maximum volume and through the miracle of modern chemistry and about a dozen speakers, you can´t hear yourself think over the noise. The road winds up and down very high mountains and deep barrancas. I don´t think the actual as the crow flies distance between the two towns is more than a few miles. However, it was about a 15 mile ride winding up and down narrow mountain roads.

The town of Tabay is kind of unremarkable. I wandered around the town. there´s a nice plaza and church. I then got into a Jeep Wagoneer (I think that´s what it was). The back had 2 benches facing each other. They squeezed 10 people in there and 2 in the passenger seat. For another 50 cents, they drove us up this VERY steep road for a few miles. The Jeep never got out of first gear. The road is cut out of the jungle and reminded me again of Guatemala or Costa Rica. We went past houses perched on the hillsides which I guess are small farms. Incredibly, only half of us passengers got out at the hot springs. The others in the jeep apparently live even farther up the mountain on this precarious road.

I then walked about a half mile to the baths. The baths are in a ravine on the side of the mountain. Tubs made out of concrete had been made on the mountain side, catching the hot water as it pours downhill. There is one large pool, about 15 feet by 50 feet. The posted temp. is 30 degrees cent (86 fahrenheit). Maybe. They also boast a ¨sauna¨which is a small hut holding 4 over the stream of the natural hot water. The posted temp in the hut was 37 degrees C. (99 F.), which was the case until some one opens the door. Because the outside temp. is aready so warm, I didn´t feel the desire to have a hotter tub.

I got there about 10:30 a.m. on a Sunday. It was pretty nice. By about 11:30, lots of people started arriving, most of them families with kids, and the atmosphere of the place changed considerably, but still fun.

On the way back down, I decided to take the mountain trail back to the town of Tabay. Thank God I didn´t try to take the trail uphill. It was STEEP! The ¨trail¨was mostly steps made out of existing stone in the mountain side. Each step out was also a step down. Based on my lightheadedness, I suspect we were well above 8000 feet. There were some beautiful views going down, looking out over the valley with the Andes rising up very high in front of me. I could look down onto the town of Tabay....the square and the church and all the buildings looking very small way down below. Unfortunately, wouldn´t you know it, this was the day I forgot my camera! Hopefully, next time I won´t forget.

Hasta luego!