Papallacta, Ecuador –
It was a cold, wet day. The rain falling non-stop.
We had planned on doing a little hiking around, to see what might be there to be seen, but the weather had other plans.
Well, seeing the sights wasn’t why we had come to Papallacta, so I guess it was only fitting that we wouldn’t get to see them, whatever they might be.
Even if it hadn’t been raining, it’s not like we would have been able to see much of anything. The fog took care of that.
That’s the thing about the weather, it doesn’t care what you have planned, it’s going to do what it wants.
And today, it seems to want us to spend our day being wet.
And cold.
And miserable.
But we had other plans…
See, while we had come to Papallacta to spend time outside, and wet, wearing very little, we weren’t going to be cold.
Unless we wanted to be.
We had come here to spend our day soaking in the thermal baths.
And the weather would just encourage us to hurry from one pool to the next.
And to avoid the cold pool.
Although I did try, for one brief moment, to enter the cold pool.
Let’s just say that I didn’t waste any time getting back into the thermal pools.
The Spa at Papallacta is very much a high-end spa, with a full menu of massage treatments available. All at a very reasonable price. And we were presented with the option of choosing one the moment we walked in the lobby.
But the primary attraction is the pools, all with mineral water thermally heated by the volcanoes between which the spa is located.
We had hired a guide and driver, and had come as a day trip out of Quito. It had taken a couple of hours to make the drive, so it was easily doable as a day trip.
However, like any other resort-spa, there was what looked like a very attractive hotel just across the road from the spa at which we could have arranged for lodging at what I’m sure were very reasonable rates for a high-end destination spa anywhere in the world had we wanted to stay a bit longer.
After we had changed into our swimsuits, we ventured out into the cold and wet, to quickly slip into the nearest pool.
From there, we spent the next couple of hours positioning ourselves by water jets, or under the fountains on the sides of the various pools to let the hot water pour over our bodies.
In some of the pools, there was a line of person-sized alcoves along the side, each with it’s own fountain of water pouring down on anyone who wanted to be there.
It was encouraging us to position ourselves under the cascade for as long as we desired.
And if you got to the point where you felt the need to cool down, there was always the cold pool, centrally located among the collection of thermal pools.
At one point, there was a group of young (twentyish) guys, all egging each other on to run and jump into the cold pool. It was the typical display of competitive machismo that you often see among a group of close-knit, young guys.
When I tried, I don’t think I got further than my feet in the icy-cold water.
I guess I didn’t feel the need to prove the size of my you-know-what.
Of course, jumping in the cold pool would greatly reduce the size of my you-know-what’s to practically nothing, causing them to quickly retreat as far into my body as they could get.
Instead, the weather provided us with more than enough cool-down whenever we felt the need.
Funny how a cold rain will do that.
Of course, the cold rain also combined with the heated waters to create a lot of fog around the pools, providing us with a natural sense of relative privacy.
But since everyone was wearing swimsuits, it’s not like we needed the privacy.
Unless we didn’t want anyone to witness our blatant displays of relaxation and bliss.
Oh my, how disgustingly peaceful we can get…
“I’d consider confronting you about hogging the fountain I’ve had my eye on, but I’d have to go spend time in the cold pool to get up the energy to do so.”
Not worth it…
Instead, I’ll just retreat to another pool, with another fountain.
There were almost enough for each of us to have one to ourselves.
Almost.
There were a few other visitors to compete with.
One in particular that we spent some time talking with was from Columbia.
For some reason, I was under the impression that another group was from Russia, but I don’t know what that impression was based on.
I don’t remember meeting anyone from Ecuador there, other than our guide and driver.
That’s not to say that there weren’t any other visitors from within the country, just that we didn’t meet them.
And then there was the receptionist when we first arrived; she was from Scandinavia, tall, blonde, and young.
So, in this remote location, high in the Andes Mountains, we spent a day at a very international spa, soaking in the thermal baths, while a cold rain fell on our heads.
All in all, it was a very relaxing way to spend the day.
Excluding, of course, the moment of foolish machismo where I decided to try the cold pool.
That part wasn’t relaxing.
Bracing maybe, but not relaxing…
For more photos of Papallacta, click here.
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