It was pitch black when I saw the sign for the hotsprings and I found the gate shut. I assumed no one was there so I hopped the fence and walked with my flash light for about 20 minutes .

I peaked into one of the old building only to find them looking lived in . The spooky feeling hit me all of a sudden and I said 'Hello?' in a shaky voice. I heard a noise behind me and found two people swimming in the hot springs.

They were the caretakers. They apparently lived in the old buildings that I had been poking into. I don't know who felt more vulnerable... being without clothes they were at a distinct disadvantage.

They had seen my flashlight bobbing along the path and knew I was coming. They were quite friendly -- except I couldn't see them very well. I made my intentions of taking a dip known and hopped in.

Now at this point I lost my advantage. I am a white boy and they have camouflaged skin. I was sort of glowing in the dark compared to them.

They could only speak spanish so I talked and soaked for about 30 minutes. Good spanish practice but still a bit disconcerting since I could never tell where they were located until they spoke. I could see their teeth. One of them pushed the light button on his watch and it seemed like he turned on a spotlight.

I kept wondering if they would swipe my clothes while I couldn't see them--not realizing that my mind was playing tricks on me because I was in such a vulnerable position.

Deciding to call it quits while I was ahead of the game I hopped out. I was still a little nervous when one of them offered me his towel. OH WELL.