Tuesday, May 9th held one of my most anticipated ventures of the trip: the hot springs. Rick and Skip didn’t tell us much because they wanted it to be a surprise, and it definitely was not at all what I was expecting. I assumed it would be similar to other famous hot springs such as Yosemite or the Blue Lagoon in Iceland, but it was actually a very nice spa resort. The hot water from the streams flowed into pipes that emptied into tiled pools, where people were able to relax in deep or shallow water. There were numerous different pools, all different sizes, temperatures and depths, so you were able to find one that suited you best. We all hung out together and explored the resort, took pictures and had fun with a pair of sunglasses that had a camera built in, and fortunately were waterproof.
The views from the springs were incredible. Surrounded by the Andes Mountains in the clouds, with mountain goats and beautiful greenery and flowers everywhere you looked. It looked like a scene out of Jumanji or Godzilla. It was a fantastic experience that I will never forget.
Our next stop after the springs was a nearby hummingbird reserve at 1pm, an experience that I definitely underestimated before going. The lodge welcomed us with snacks and coffee in the lodge, then we went out to see the birds. The reserve was filled with lush greenery, and the light rain made it a perfect condition for the hummingbirds to be out. I could not believe how many we saw. You could sit in front of a feeder and just watch them come in and out, often a bunch of them at once. They seemed to not care, as we were taking pictures extremely up close, and they flew right past our heads before we could even blink. I hung out with Skip for lots of it, and he told me all about the different species and pointed each one out. He also told me some cool facts about how competitive they can be, and will claim a sector of flowers and guard them by bumping other hummingbirds with their chests.
In addition to hummingbirds, we saw some other pretty cool things at the reserve as well. Skip spotted an Andean Guan in the distance, a massive bird in the Turkey family perched in a tree about 100ft away. He let me use his binoculars to see it closer. Then, later into our visit John and I ventured down to the nearby river, taking a muddy path through a very dense forest. The river rapids were very strong, so sitting on a rock on the edge to take a picture was pretty nerve-racking but definitely worth it.
