Volcano Mud Baths

Taylor's new best friend is caladryle - our tour guide arranged for the bus to stop at a pharmacie so we could find some anti-itch relief for her multiple bites (she has rearranged her estimate of bug-bites-acquired to over 1,000 by the end of the trip, and we have started calling her a "mosquito magnet"!) She now sports pink polka-dotted skin as she tries to combat her itching!) This morning we all experienced what is known as "Costa RIcan Car Massage" as we traveled on dirt roads to the base of the volcano known as "Rincon de la Viella" where we divided into three groups - for tubing, waterfall swimming, or mud baths. Taylor decided tubing was too rigorous, waterfall swimming too cold - and a mud spa treatment sounded perfect (although they cautioned that it takes ten years off you, so children should be cautious lest they disappear!)... Then the more agile mounted horses to ride to the mud baths, and we indulged in a morning of sauna, mud baths, and hot springs! Time even to ride an ox on our way back to the hotel (Taylor is here pictured with another new friend, Morgan).