SWIMMING IN THE BOILING WATER

Well it wasn't actually in the Boiling River itself but in a "lagoon" where the underground hot mineral water river gushes to the surface and then in a series of waterfalls and cascades falls into the cold "normal" river. Approaching the site where the two rivers meet I noticed fog in the distance created by the mixing of the very hot mineral water with the cold mountain river. We arrived in the late afternoon finding very few people there and they soon left. Joe wasn't in the mood for a dip so in the end I was left completely alone. At first it is difficult to navigate through the cold river to the area where the water is pleasantly hot but once in the correct spot it was heaven. The hot mineral water falling down into the small lagoon created a sense of being in an gigantic jacuzzi bubbling around and massaging my skin. The sun was setting and as the outside temperature fell to the lower 40's F the fog built up creating a sense of other-worldliness. Sitting in the warm area all I had to do to cool off is to move a few feet towards the cold river where the water temperature suddenly changed to about 40F as well. Watching the sunset color the adjacent hills, listening to the sounds of the birds and the falling water, absorbing the unique ambiance of the magical place I felt it was to date my favorite experience of the expedition.

View photos here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.649262081762633.1073741849.392545607434283&type=1&l=a9f640ad17