I love the intense Spanish lessons I have every day here at PLQE.В But like I mentioned,В the non-stop learning is tiring. So I was really excited when a group of us took a field trip toВ Las Fuentes Georginas–hot springs in the mountains outside Xela–yesterday afternoon.

To get there, we piled into the back of a pick-up truck for the 45 minute ride. It was bumpy and a little nauseating, but also lots of fun. We drove through small towns and wound through farmland filled with vegetable crops. I took the two photos below from the back of the truck.

The hot springs were clearly built for tourism and named after former dictator Jorge Ubico’s wife. Despite that, I was thrilled to be out of the city and soaking in the warm waters. Since it was an overcast weekday afternoon, only a few other people were there.

The pool on the top level was closest to the source and therefore the hottest. I was shocked at how high the temperature was. None of us could go all the way in. I only managed to get in waist-high for a few minutes! We saw just one crazy guy splashing around in that one–and he told us he took an ice shower beforehand to numb himself against the heat. Um, smart?

Then, we hiked down a trail to two smaller, isolated pools near a waterfall and spent the rest of our time soaking in the waters and enjoying the view…

…until we reluctantly had to get out, dry off, hike back up and board another pick-up back to Xela.