So this past weekend I had two mini excursions both in my community, well they both happened to be to the same place… Aguas Thermales or hot springs. On Friday I had a training sessions with Regional Health Volunteers at my Health Center, because of the expected turn out we did not see patients that day. But, because it is Honduras less than half of the Volunteers showed up, and since we were a little light on attendance we were able to wiz through my talk and left with hours to kill.
Surprisingly the Doctor suggested that we walk to the Aguas Thermales with all of the nurses. It took me about 2.5 seconds to say yes and get ready to leave… so we set off an hour later. (Punctuality is a learned skill here.) The hike/walk took us an hour and a half, because physical activity is not very common or popular with my co-workers. The hike was beautiful and gave me great views of the valley that I live in. It also let me hike past some of the aldeas that our Center serves. When we got to the end of the path there were 2 main pools (one hot and the other cold with a waterfall) that were totally empty and picturesque. Because of our rapid decision to set off on this hike we were totally unprepared- I was in a polo, khaki’s and Chucks- we brought 3 bags of chips and no swimsuits. The latter fact stopped all of us, minus one, from getting into the water. Reina, the assistant in the health center, did not seem too concerned that she was wearing clothes and shoes, and went right on in the hot water. We sat soaking in the sun and the great weather for an hour or two before we started our slow decent back to the Center. I was so excited to go on a hike in our valley and to get some perspective on where I am living, but I was bummed that I didn’t get a chance to swim.
On Saturday I knew that a friend, Bryan, was coming into town to watch the soccer game, and I started thinking that he and my sitemates might want to go back. Kyle- one of my sitemates- had originally told me about the Aguas because he has been out there 5 or 6 times, so I know he would be easy to convince. So, on Saturday after watching America being embarrassed on the international stage by Ghana (for the second time in just as many World Cups) we started talking entertainment options. A walk to the Aguas was thrown onto the table and immediately agreed upon. This time we all packed swim appropriate clothing, water, and snacks (though my snacks left something to be desired- American cheese slices, nacho chips, and random cookies)- we were extremely prepared, or so we thought.
Once we had met back up storm clouds had rolled in and it started to sprinkle; a small hick-up that almost derailed our hike considering the only waterproof item we had was Kyle’s mini umbrella. I will admit it, I was a nay sayer, in my tee shirt and shorts I felt a little exposed to the elements. Thanks to Kyle’s unwavering persistence on walking up there and Bryan’s fence sitting, we avoided a costly trip to a near by water park, and started the hike to the Aguas. This time, because I was hiking with faster walkers (only slightly) we made it up to the pools in just around an hour. Throughout the rain stayed pretty consistent sprinkle and had not affected the conditions too much.
I was so excited to relax and warm-up in the hot spring, as I rounded the last corner I spotted the pool FULL of men. Oh great- just me, my friends, and a bunch of Honduran dudes hanging out in some hot springs. (Men in Honduras are not covert when staring at women nor do they have much shame in saying exactly what they are thinking). After setting down our soaking backpacks it became clear that these men did not have much interest in me, but would more likely be staring at my two guy friends. It was a very unexpected turn of events. They were not too pleased with our presence at this remote relaxation spot, but it did not really deter them from continuing on with their... activities.
After talking for a little with the men in the pool we decided (they convinced us) that starting off in the cold pool and switching back to the hot was the way to go. By the time we were ready for the hot water the men seemed even less interested in having 3 party crashers join them in the small pool, and suggested another hot pool farther down the path. We decided that this was the best option for everyone.
The lower pool was much larger and hotter than the other pool, which left us very content in our decision to hike back down a bit. The hot water felt great, minus the sulfer smell and (for me) the occasional bite (ok it could have been a stick poking me, or a leaf, but it felt like a bite) we sat blissfully chatting for an hour or so. As the sun was setting and the rain letting up, we decided to hike back.
Despite my two trips in two days I had very different experiences each time and plan on heading back there soon.
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