Perhaps some of you may know the volcano El Nevado del Ruiz. Well, this volcano exploded back in 1985 killing thousands of people in a monstrous mudslide. Manizales sits at the foot of this volcano and because if it, thermal springs chalk full of minerals can be found in these parts. After the cable car ride we went to one such spring. The drive up the mountain is beautiful: pine trees, deep hues of green, overcast and cloudy, cows everywhere and crisp cool mountain air (how's that for all of you Houstonians??!)...
From the pictures one cannot appreciate just how HOT these waters are. First of all, we were warned to remove all of our jewelry because it apparently turns black with all of the minerals. I took their word for it and removed everything. The pool where Antonio stands was so hot that it hurt to move--poor kids, we pretty much cooked ourselves alive! The water is full of sulphur, highly acidic and stings like crazy if you get it in your eyes. Curiously, along side the pools they had cold showers and recommended alternating between cold showers and scorching baths. Somehow that didn't seem to make sense but no one died from experimenting this...
After an afternoon in the springs we were relaxed and sleepy, but a visit to Fede's grandparents and the drive home still awaited us. So, a cup of coffee and a brief family visit later, we were on our way back to Pereira. We finished off the day by watching the Fifa World Cup Under-20 match between Colombia and Mexico. Mexico won, to my in-laws dismay and I have to admit that since Colombia is the host country, I was hoping they'd win seeing the team spirit that's around us everywhere. Still, now we'll root for Mexico to win it all!!
Missing all of you guys and hoping that everyone is doing great.
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