![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2020/HotSprings/P1630835lo_zpsj2yli4o4.jpg)
So when my trip to a Tijuana mineral springs with the tour group Turista Libre got canceled last year, I didn't choose to go on my own instead.
![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2020/HotSprings/P1630832cropLO_zpsa2fh4xin.jpg)
I chose to wait—a whole year—until it was offered again.
![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2020/HotSprings/P1630840lo_zpsjf27pcvo.jpg)
Before Tijuana became a liquor-soaked destination of legal boozing (and gambling) during Prohibition, its main draw was actually its natural hot springs (agua caliente), formed ages ago by volcanic eruptions and seismic activity.
![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2020/HotSprings/P1630841lo_zpspxexg2wk.jpg)
One such thermal spring (aguas termales) can be found next to the Tijuana River at Valparaiso in the Buenavista neighborhood of Tijuana, where health-seekers and border-crossing tourists have flocked since the late 1940s (according to Newsweek Mexico, 1949).
![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2020/HotSprings/P1630844cropLO_zpsfquofko8.jpg)
Valparaiso—which translates to mean "Paradise Valley"—offers day access to its jacuzzi, outdoor hot springs, sauna, and cool pool, as well as spa therapies like massages.
![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2020/HotSprings/P1630856lo_zpshtyegmza.jpg)
I went outside of my comfort zone and signed up for a massage without knowing how much it would cost or how to communicate any preferences to my therapist.
![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2020/HotSprings/P1630875lo_zpsrl7divng.jpg)
Somehow it all worked out...
![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2020/HotSprings/P1630849lo_zps80thu0nz.jpg)
...and once I was thoroughly worked-over, I was ready to spend some free time exploring the rest of the property.
![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2020/HotSprings/P1630850cropLO_zpsxoly75pk.jpg)
It's both rustic and tropical, with thatched sun umbrellas...
![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2020/HotSprings/P1630851lo_zps5gfjchxm.jpg)
...and rock-hewn arches, retaining walls, walkways, niches, and more.
![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2020/HotSprings/P1630852cropLO_zpsfs6bsybw.jpg)
The characteristic red dome—part of Valparaiso's logo—is where you'll find the thermal jacuzzi.
![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2020/HotSprings/P1630853lo_zpsbouavuj4.jpg)
It's not a "hot tub" per se—it's much bigger than that, and there are no bubbles or jets to enjoy—and the smell of sulfur in there can be overwhelming.
![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2020/HotSprings/P1630877lo_zps3tfmvrro.jpg)
Silence is required for meditative purposes—but the locals completely disregard that rule and whoop it up in there.
![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2020/HotSprings/P1630876lo_zpsta4ft6an.jpg)
The acoustics are incredible, so the absence of sound would be a shameful waste of the architecture.
![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2020/HotSprings/P1630858lo_zpsmx7pgvtu.jpg)
The secret about Valparaiso that I found out soon after my massage was over was that there are also hot springs to enjoy al fresco...
![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2020/HotSprings/P1630873lo_zpsy5wp7lw9.jpg)
...simply by climbing those rock stairways up to the top of the hill.
![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2020/HotSprings/P1630868lo_zpsos4f99rw.jpg)
Up above a kind of mezzanine (or mirador), you reach a flat stone pathway marked by a list of regulations—to wear swimwear and shower first, and to not run or bring glass bottles.
![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2020/HotSprings/P1630863lo_zpse1qntlxj.jpg)
We'd made a beer run at the convenience store near the border, so we were already well-armed with cans. Hopefully boozing it up with cervezas and tequila wouldn't negate the healthful effects of a good mineral soak, in 100-degree waters touted to contain sulfur, calcium, magnesium, and more.
![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2020/HotSprings/P1630866cropLO_zpsqmqcor2t.jpg)
After all, I needed a little boost to my circulation and immune system, for my cells to get oxygenated, and to expel some toxins. My vital organs needed some TLC, my metabolism to get a bit of a kickstart.
![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2020/HotSprings/P1630865lo_zpsozr5kv1k.jpg)
Who doesn't need an increased sense of physical and psychological wellness every now and then?
Even if I were to just get a placebo effect out of it, I'd take it.
Technically, I've now got a one-year pass to return to Valparaiso anytime I want—and with it less than three miles from the border crossing at San Ysidro, California, I could, I suppose.
Am I comfortable enough now to go back on my own, sometime within the next 12 months?
Quizás?
Related Posts:
Lessons of a Lone Traveler: Hot Springs Edition
Casting My Fears Aside
No comments:
Post a Comment