Boom! Boom! Boom!

It doesn’t sound like Min’s knock, but it’s morning. Tobin yells out, “It’s Tobin. Come look at this amazing view.” Abby and I run out in our pajamas. It is amazing. The sun is shining brightly on the snow caps, slowly inching its way down the mountain. It’s breathtaking. We sit on a stone wall, shivering in our thin pajamas, watching the sun continue to rise.

We walk, and walk, and walk. We pass many landslide areas today. We’re not nervous but the guides are.

We descend further and further, the terrain becoming greener and more lush and tropical. We even see bougainvillea.

We arrive to Tatopani and immediately go to the famous hot springs – ahh. There are two large square pools, each full of people, tourists and locals. I slide into the steaming water. The knots in my legs slowly dissolve, the perfect antidote for sore muscles. My mind is blissfully empty. Empty, no thoughts, no worries, no cares. I submerge myself deeper and deeper until the water is covering all of me, up to my eyes. I watch the other people, also relaxing. It’s as though the stresses of life slowly dissipate with the steam rising from the water. Darkness quickly falls. I’m torn. I want to stay in the waters, but I also don’t want to walk back up the steep hill in darkness. Do I stay or do I go? I reluctantly pull myself from the healing waters, shivering, and run up the hill back to my guest house.