Rio Caliente

Before heading off to BSG and loading my camera up with lots of photos of sheep and shepherds, I want to share some photos from my recent respite in Mexico. My mom, sister and I flew into Guadalajara on June 3 and spent the night there (at a Hilton, courtesy of my sister's generous sharing of points she had saved up!). The next morning we were driven out to Rio Caliente Spa, a lovely retreat hidden in an ancient caldera within the Bosque de la Primavera, a national forest about 20 kilometers from the big city. After checking in at the office (and signing up for our mud wraps, massages and other treatments!), we found our little cabin near the pools filled with water from the hot mineral springs that feed the river that runs through the resort.

As promised by the reviews we read, the staff were all wonderful, the food excellent, the lodgings clean and comfortable, and the surroundings as peaceful as anything on earth could be. (We were there during their slow season, and for most of the week there were only eight guests in a place that can accommodate 60-80.) Birds sang all day long, and frogs croaked at night. One of the resort's three horses was often on the grounds grazing on the irrigated lawn. The first four days I did little but bask in rest and relaxation and do some light reading, with some water aerobics and a hike thrown in to keep the food digesting and the blood circulating. The last three days I got up early each morning and went on a hike before planned outings; one to the largest market in the area, one to an area of nice shops and art galleries, and one to the partially restored ruins of a pre-Spanish civilization's center of worship.

I will be forever grateful to my mother, who treated us to this magical trip, and my husband and mother-in-law, who made it possible for me to get away. It was an adventure of a lifetime that I would never have been able to swing on my own, and I will treasure the memory of it always! I hope you enjoy the photos....