The hot springs

Hot Springs

We have been out to La Desembocada and Las Palmas several times. People mentioned hot springs in the area but we hadn’t gone looking for them. Last time we saw a sign just outside of Las Palmas. Today we decided to go see where it was.
There is a little metal sign alongside the highway. It looks old and rusty and beat up. By the looks of the sign you can’t tell whether the place is still there or if the sign is just old and abandoned. We drove out a dirt road about 2 miles following the arrows and signs along the way. We weren’t sure what exactly we were looking for. But lo and behold, there it was! The fee for admission to the hot springs is 30 pesos per person. Because I forgot to bring my swimsuit, we asked if we could just come in and look. The attendant said that was fine.
Don’t expect anything fancy here. The pools flow from hotter to cooler and there are about 6 or 7 pools. They are concrete pools which we were told are emptied and cleaned twice a week. The water flows up through a small spring in the hottest pool and it is very hot and somewhat sulfur smelling. There are barbecue grills for people to use, seating areas and a small snack bar. We didn’t check to see what they sold.
While looking around, we started talking to a Mexican family that was enjoying their afternoon at the hot springs. We met Salvador, Trini and Sylvestre who are brothers. Salvador and Trini both live in PV and work at the Canto del Sol hotel. Sylvestre lives in Ixtapa and works building palapas. Trini’s wife Margarita was also there and a handful of primos (cousins). All three of the men spoke English and invited us to sit with them and visit. We had a good time talking to them about their jobs, about the hot springs and also about PV in general.
I learned that Mexicans judge a restaurant by the three B’s – bueno, bonito, and barato. Translated it means – good, pretty and cheap. Sounds like a good rule of thumb.
We also learned that although all-inclusive resorts say that tips are included, the amount that is considered tips is very small and is divided among many staff people (waiters, bartenders, maids, bellmen, etc.) Unlike some resorts, Canto del Sol does not have a policy prohibiting staff from taking tips. So, if you are going to an all-inclusive and think the staff works hard, tip the ones who help you.
After enjoying a cold drink with the group, and turning down their offer of sharing their carne asada we headed back toward the Rio Mascota. We drove a little bit uprover from Guero Palancas and followed a trail along the river and across the river. We saw families out enjoying the afternoon, swimming and doing their laundry. We also saw some people on a horse riding expedition from a nearby tequila tour operation called Dona Engracia. We gave up before finding the hot springs, but were assured they are up the river a little farther. The river is very shallow and easily crossed by foot. It actually looked like it could be crossed by car in several places and we did see a truck drive across. Another day!
We followed a road that looked promising. It was paved and seemed to be in good condition. After a bit, the road had very nice high curbs but a dirt surface. We drove along and saw streetlights on dirt roads and some that seemed to be on no road at all. It still remains a mystery to us what the development was or was planned to be.
It was a very fun day exploring some of the surrounding areas. The Las Palmas area looks very different than the coast.