Photos: A trip to the hot springs

If you do some basic guidebook reading about the Cusco region, you'll learn that there are various hot springs that you can bathe in. Despite having lived in Peru for 31 months, I had never been to one. Last Saturday I finally got to check that box off.

A group of the staff at the Ocongate summer program went to the hot springs at Pacchanta. The group the included:

•  Rachel, the 1^st year JV teaching the English calss with me.
• Lauren, the other 1^st year JV. She doesn't work at the Ocongate program but she came up to visit for the weekend. 
• Iban, a French volunteer based in Ocongate. He is the director of the summer program.
• Karen, a teacher at the PERFAL school in the community of Cuyuni. She's teaching math at the summer program. 
• Saldívar, a 20 year old native of Ocongate who is teaching the Communications class (like ELA but with more focus on writing). 
• Me.

We went to the Pacchanta hot springs. Pacchanta is a very small community near the foot of Ausangate, the tallest peak in Southern Peru and one of the most important Apus (mountain gods) for the Incas.

Rather than write a lot about it, here's a series of photos to show you my day. Click on the image to see it larger. Enjoy.

Iban chofering the trip

Saldívar rode in the back most of the way to take pictures.

The valley where Pacchanta is located.

The springs are so hot at the source you can see the steam rising.

This is what a thermal bath looks like.

The view of Ausangate from the thermal bath.

JVs relaxing

Lauren and I left the baths for a hike up a mountain.

The reason we hiked up the mountain: Panoramic view of Ausangate.