Los Banos Del Incas (Cajamarca, Peru)

We rolled into Cajamarca (Northern Peru) off a 16 hour overnight bus ride from Lima. First class bus rides allow for a few hours of shut-eye, but it's the kind of sleep that leaves you feeling hung-over the next day, so we generally try to take it easy, first day off a bus. We decided to hit the Banos Del Incas, a natural hot springs 6km outside of town.

We found the baths easy enough, but navigating the site was a bit confusing. There are two sites. The first is for kids and families. It has a water slide and kiddie pools. The other is for adults and families. It has bungalows, private jacuzzis, massages, a sauna, and a pool with diving boards. The grounds have fountains and hot pools (at a scalding 71C, 160F, they're not for swimming). We bought tickets for the pool and a private shower, but couldn't tell where the pool was or where to shower afterwards. After asking around, I eventually figured out that what we really wanted was the private baths (hot tubs), so I went back out to pay for additional tickets. All said and done, it cost us 16 soles ($5 USD), but I would have happily paid much more than that.

A friendly, helpful gentleman noticed that I was clueless and offered to help. "Would you like an orientation?" "Actually, I want the private pools." He pretty much held my hand through the ticket line and then back through the site where Mark was waiting. Sometimes there are perks to being a female in a chauvinistic culture. Thank you, Kind Sir. We arrived at a long hall with many closed wooden doors. Each door had a dry-erase board that listed a time on it. We later realized that was the time they started the bath. Each bath lasts 30 minutes. The staff cleans every tiled hot tub after every bath (thank goodness, I could relax without worrying about catching some rare skin malady). They start the water with the perfect temperature and let you know how to adjust for hot and cold. The bath has 4 steps down and fills surprisingly quickly. We snapped a couple of pics, washed our hair, and settled in to let the steam work its magic. By 15 minutes, I was completely overheated and had to step out onto the steps. Mark lasted another 5 minutes past me. It felt so great to finally get heated up because although it's been summer in the States, we've been experiencing winter here in South America. In fact, it was so pleasant, we're talking about going back again tomorrow.

Hot pools, not for lounging (a scalding 71C, 160F)

Private bath

Photo op, while the pool was filling

Inca shrub

Inca king, Autahualpa

Placard explaining how Pizaro captured the Incan King at the hot pools

After the banos, we wandered outside and found snacks. The fresh orange and pineapple juice was tastey. Mark tried rubbery cow intestines on a stick (topped off with a potato)- to be honest, most of it got fed to the dogs. My personal favorite was pacay, this long green bean pod/fruit that grows in trees. They slice the edge off to peel it open. You eat the white, fleshy part and leave the beans inside. It's lightly sweet, like cactus, and very refreshing.

What grows on trees and is my new favorite snack? Pacay!

Eat the white part around the seed (don't eat the seeds). It's lightly sweet, with the texture of a light banana, and tastes like a cactus- delicious!

For more on pacay (including how to eat it), check out this guy's blog:
http://archive.peruthisweek.com/blogs/features/2260

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