Would you like to listen for 4 minutes to Eric Clapton's Change The World
Almost two months after I was brutally abused by the radiology technician who performed my mammogram exam, I still could not sleep well. An excruciating pain in my ribs and left shoulder prevented me from lying down for more than a couple of hours. I felt as if my soul had been separated from my body. I made travel arrangements for seven nights at the Rio Caliente hot springs spa and retreat.
The direct flight to Guadalajara, Mexico was pleasant. I arrived at noon and took a yellow taxi from the airport. As the taxi turned off the main highway that is half an hour from the airport, it passed through the streets of the small village of Primavera, where flowers bloomed in an exquisite rainbow of vivid colors, ranging from brilliant crimson to flashy orange to regal purple. Then for several miles, the dusty gray road wound through a Primavera Forest of montezuma pines and net leaf oaks.
Quite suddenly, an oasis appeared at the head of a long, narrow valley. The taxi crossed a steaming river. Red tiled roofs, adobe and brick cottages, flowering bougainvillea, azure pools of hot water, tall eucalyptus trees, free-ranging horses, and an enormous vegetable garden appeared. A good looking young man opened the door, helped me out of the taxi, gave me a nice hug and said: "Welcome to Rio Caliente. Our driver will help you with the luggage. Your hacienda is down by the pool ."
My cottage was on the lower level. My patio door was facing a volcanic river which supplies water for four pools, the guest bathrooms and the steam room. In my room were two beds, a desk with two chairs and a lamp. By the fireplace, two leather armchairs were separated by a small round coffee table. The oversize bathtub with shower was tiled with aqua tiles that were hand painted with red leaves. I flushed the toilet while I was sitting on it, and the warmth of the volcanic water jolted energy through my body. I unpacked my suitcase, put on my swimsuit and ran to the pool.
As I passed people resting in the lawn chairs by two large pools, a young man got up, introduced himself as my loud guitar playing neighbor. He asked if he could get me something to eat or drink since he was about to take a hike to the dining room. I said: "I would like some juice and fruit. Why don�t you play your guitar across the river. Maybe it will inspire you the way the river Vltava inspired Bedrich Smetana when he composed the cycle of six symphonic poems."
The pools in Rio Caliente get drained, cleaned and refilled with hot volcanic water weekly. I was warned to be careful because it takes a day or two for the water to cool off. I could see steam rising from one pool. As I was stepping into the pool, the warm volcanic water with an eucalyptus oil relieved my pain instantly. I swam slowly for one hour. I gazed at the mountains, flowers, cactuses and people around the pool. I felt the radiation from the mammogram and rib x-ray leaving my body like the steam from the pool.
One side of the pools had colorful adobe buildings with a red roof over the patio. I walked through the archway to a miniature town square. There was an antique water fountain in the middle. It was surrounded by rooms for massages, beauty services, preventive health and an anti-aging mini-clinic. One open doorway led down to the ancient steam room. The facade of each room was painted in a different pastel color. Flower boxes hung on all the windows. I walked out through a narrow passage diagonally from the archway. There was a large brick building with windows on three sides and mirrors on the fourth wall. The building was used for Yoga, Chi Qong, Tai Chi and meditation.
I walked to the patio by my cottage to dry up. My skin was soft and resplendent. I watched divine birds: Vermilion Fly Catchers with a pink-washed tummy chirped "P-PRIT-ZEE," a bright-greenish Golden Vireo with a broad bright yellow eyebrow and underparts chirped "CHU- CHU" and other colored birds joined. There were horses eating grass.
I stood tall, spread my fingers on my thighs, breathing deeply, feeling the heat pouring out of my fingers, down my thighs, and into the ground. With a deep breath in, I opened my arms to embrace my guardian angel and gently carried my hands into a prayer position in front of my chest. With another deep breath, I opened my arms wide, lifted them up, letting my guardian angel fly and thanking him for guiding me to this wonderful place. I scooped the warmth I felt into my arms and crossed my hands into the middle of my chest. A white horse was standing in front of me, looking at me, and it felt as if we had a love connection.
I went to Yoga and pool classes. After all that activity, I ate for two hours. The food in Rio Caliente is vegetarian, mostly organically grown on the ranch. Some guests do not like chickens running around, therefore fresh eggs are from the Primavera village.
Right after dinner, a clairvoyant and psychic healer gave a one hour presentation about angels. She asked everyone to describe his or her angel. One guy was trying to start a fire in the fire place and said: "I do not have a guardian angel because I am on my knees praying for fire to start. I used up all the matches and it is not burning." I walked out. Right by the door was a stack of chopped wood and a box of kindling. I picked a handful of tiny pieces of wood and put them in the fireplace between the logs. I lit up one piece and used it to light the other small pieces that I put in the fireplace. It blazed like magic and the whole room radiated light and heat.
After the presentation, I went back to the pool. The sky was clear and the stars were bright. The guests sitting in the other pool were talking about what they were thankful for in the past year. As I was swimming in these awesome surroundings, gazing at stars, I felt that I was a child of God again instead of a Human Mouse Only (HMO) for medical abuse. When I lay down in bed and closed my eyes, the wind in the fireplace was whispering "You are safe and nothing can hurt you."
Birds woke me up every day at 6 a.m. I exercised every day for eight hours. That included hiking from my cottage to the dining room. Rio Caliente Ranch is on 24 acres, and from the pool area to the upper part is a very steep hike on zigzag stone stairs. After my daybreak swim, I walked along the river banks to the sources of the river. After breakfast I climbed to the top of the mountain ridges where I could see Mount Tequila and still smell bread being baked on the ranch.
In between swimming, hiking and Yoga, I had mud wraps, massages, a manicure and a pedicure. On Sunday I put a cultural group together and we went to Guadalajara to see a folk ballet. We had dinner in Hotel Frances after the performance. The taxi ride through the pitch dark forest back to the ranch felt spooky.
Since everyday someone departed and new guests arrived, I met a lot of people from all around the USA, Canada, Germany and the Virgin Islands. Among the guests, there was a young rock musician recovering from alcoholism, and a gorgeous movie star who had found out first from the TV news that her husband was going to divorce her. There were sisters who like to meet there every year, another lady who likes to escape during the hurricane season. There were lovers who had gotten separated by a job transfer. There were ladies recovering from breast and cervical cancer surgeries. One obese guy after heart surgery had to wear a heart beat monitor .
Rio Caliente gave me the space to reclaim my feeling of wholeness that I had lost after being brutally abused by medical professionals. The contact with nature, fresh whole food, vitalizing mineral waters, resting and simplicity recharged my spirit and imagination, my body and soul. I was ready to deal with more HMO selected specialized health care providers.
Rio Caliente the affordable spa pictures.
