Fuentas Georginas
Trip Start
Aug 08, 2006
1
10
23
Trip End
Sep 26, 2006
Xela, Guatemala
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Yesterday, some friends from school and I went out to Fuentas Georginas, the most beautiful hot springs in GT (thatīs what Lonely Planet claims-I believe them).
I was talking to my maestro the other day, telling him that we were planning to do that. He explained to me how to get there: take a chicken bus out to Zunil (which I visited on Monday-see the previous entry on San Simon), then you must hail down a pickup truck to take you the rest of the way. All in all it would cost about Q15, or about two bucks.
Or...he had a friend with a pickup truck who could take us there and back from Xela for Q20 each. I was sold on this idea immediately-the chicken buses are not the most pleasant rides in the world.
So we arranged for Nelson to meet us at school yesterday at 2:00 with his pickup (and thatīs what they call it in spanish too, except they pronounce it more like peekoop).
Unfortunately, right before 2:00 there was a small monsoon, so we were all a little late because we had to wade the rivers that use to be roads. Not exactly the best weather to ride in the back of a pickup. But the rain soon subsided and we had a mostly dry ride out to Fuentas Georginas. It was a fun ride, through beautiful countryside. As Annie pointed out, GT only has two colors, green and brown, but itīs still so beautiful.
Once we got up in the mountains, we found FG in a fog covered jungle. It was a breathtaking sight. We discovered the steaming hot pools of greenish, sulfuric water, laden with the most relaxed people ever. We quickly changed into our swimsuits and got in.
It was wonderful. I never wanted to leave. The water was about five feet deep by the stairs and got shallower the farther away you got, just the opposite of regular swimming pools. As we ventured farther, we realized that the water got hotter and hotter. Near the back wall, or cliff really, it was incredibly hot-just perfect. Hot water was dripping down the rocks.
I seriously could have stayed there all day. Itīs probably best that I didnīt though-Iīve never seen my hands that pruney before. I looked like an old man if you only looked my hands. And they were slightly green from touching the rocks on the bottom.
We werenīt so lucky with the ride back as we were on the previous ride. It was a gorgeous view from up in the mountains, though. Nelson stopped a couple times so we could take pictures.
Unfortunately, it rained pretty hard the rest of the ride back to Xela. It wasnīt too long, maybe 45 minutes or so, and it surely wasnīt bad enough to make us forget the amazing experience we just had. I guess thatīs what we get for riding in the back of a peekoop during rainy season in Guatemala.
