More Mud

We overheard some other guests trying to arrange a ride to some mud baths close by. I decided that was just what Bode and I needed, so we asked if we could tag along. It didn’t take much convincing to get Jason to join us.

We rode out in Anna’s truck. Her brother owns the hostal, but is out of the country, so she’s running it for now. She and Edgar took us out to the mud baths which were quite literally in the middle of nowhere, despite a sign on them that declared them Zona Turistica.

There really aren’t too many things as fun as a mud bath. We joked that this would cost $100 in Sonoma, but i think it was about $1 per person. Edgar and Anna brought along the 2 kid’s of a coworker. They were quite shy at first, and in fact are from the jungle and don’t speak Spanish. We weren’t sure how the kids would get along, but mud can transform anyone.

Within minutes the kids (and adults) are swimming around in it. After lots of time in the mud, we try the hole with slightly cleaner water to rinse. Jason and Bode sunk their feet into another bath that was good for warts. They didn’t have any before, but their torn up feet sure looked better after a soak.

Edgar’s mom had sat in these very mud baths for 3 hours one time, and never needed her wheelchair again. Hmmm….

At the end of a visit to a Peruvian non-touristy mud bath, some guys fill up semi clean water in a bucket and you try to rinse off. It was fun, but little help in getting us clean.

Anna said she had a surprise for us and we piled back into the truck. After a long ride on bumpy dirt roads, we got to some land her family owned. It was absolutely beautiful, with a horse and pony, wild goats and a stream. There was a little swimming hole in the middle of all this, and we lazed around and tried to wash off.  Well, we lazed around and the kids played nonstop.

We returned to our campsite and showered up. After 4 rinses to my swimsuit, it was still muddy. Oh well. The sun was setting and we enjoyed the rest of our perfect day.