Hot springs

This morning we had a great breakfast buffet: fruit, cereal, pancakes, omelets made to order. After we mounted horses with little instruction of equinstry. Some freaked out a bit. The trail was wide but rocky and each horse had its own personality. We saw some Tucans along the way. We rode along the base of the volcano. We stopped around 40 minutes in and dismounted.  We hike down some stone steps to a canyon with a strong rushing stream. We changed into bathing suits and went into a rocky steam room heated naturally from a volcanic vent. Behind it were two four foot tall mirror andpistils

Filled with volcanic ash still warm. It was the color of cafe con  leche. After it dried we showered and entered swimming pool sized hot springs. There were six or seven pools with beautiful stone work with water of varying degrees. The hottest about 103•. After an hour it began to pour. We piled onto a John Deere pulled covered wagon. It dropped us off at the infamous 1200 foot water slide. A concrete trough with three foot high sides and rushing mountain water. We donNed helmets and inner tubes and walked up along the slide. A man at the top controls a dam tha diverts the water. Long enough to sit down put your hands inside the tube. He releases the water from behind you and you are literally whooshed down the mountain with little to no control of your speed. Some curves you are certain you will be flung over the edge and against one of the many trees of the rainforest. Luckily you can't see a damn thing. At the fastest point you notice a flash. A photo I suspect and then the speed decreases. You then are ultimately dumped into a pool at the bottom. Quite the thrill.