Today Christie and I went to the Termas del Dayman, also known as the hot springs or thermal spa. We caught a bus from the city center to the the termas which are only a few miles outside of the city of Salto. The area around the hot springs is basically a little resort town because the naturally occuring pools of hot water attract tourists from all over.
For 50 pesos (about $2.50), you can gain entrance into the area with all the hot springs. The area is beautiful. Bright greens and blues. You can sample the different pools, each with a different temperatures up to 42 degrees Celsius (111.2 degrees Fahrenheit). Some pools are so hot, you feel like your internal organs are cooking. Others however, are just perfect for relaxing your muscles. They also have several places where you can turn on as many faucets as you want and get a heated hydromassage on any part of your body. Two old ladies from Argentina joined me on the massage bench and insisted that I go to Argentina to find chicos guapos (cute boys). Hahaha. They were sweet.
I was teaching FDR's first inaugural address (you know "there is nothing to fear, but fear itself") in my discourse analysis class and I asked the students if they knew anything about Franklin D. Roosevelt and they said yes, because he apparently visited Uruguay and went to the hot springs where he was healed from his polio. I thought that was very interesting. I'm having trouble tracking down whether that really happened, but it is likely that FDR visited Uruguay in 1936, and it is likely he may have stopped by the termas to relax. Regardless whether that story is true or not, many people do believe in the healing powers of the thermal water.
If nothing else, I know my skin feels silky smooth now. What a great way to spend a Saturday! I might just have to visit the termas more often.
