The morning sky is clear allowing us to see the peaks of the snow capped Andes mountains in the distance.  Soon the clouds roll in hiding the the tops of the mountains.  It’s quite a sight to watch the clouds roll off the mountains and down into the valley around us.

After breakfast Jacqueline and I took a walk along the roadway to the small town below. It’s not really a town, just a few houses, restaurants, stores selling bathing suits and water toys.  There are only few people in sight and a couple of stray dogs scrounging in the garbage.  One of the dog finds a treasure and trots down the road with it.  We had a good laugh at this, it looked like he was delivering a parcel somewhere. Its’ quite overcast today and the mountain air is much cooler.

On this cool day the best place to be is in the hot springs. The springs are surrounded by spectacular scenery and landscaped gardens. The pools vary in temperature, some have cascading waterfalls and jets to sooth various parts of the body. We spent hours lounging in the thermal waters before enjoying more relaxing treatments at the spa.  Today I had an Andes mud wrap. The experience was absolutely delightful and it left my skin feeling as soft as silk. It’s going to be very difficult to leave this mountain paradise.

This evening the waiter had the chef prepare a special menu for us and he included a glass of wine with our meal.  The staff have enjoyed speaking with the women from Canada and hope we come back one day.  We’ve had a fabulous 3 days of relaxation and pampering at the Termas  Papallacta Retreat in Ecuador.