Jungle Baths

“Where’s the shower Dad?” We had arrived on our farm in Costa Rica late the night before and I had gone straight to bed without having time to explore the place. Now I had just eaten breakfast after being given a tour of the farm. I had seen everything, from the outhouses to the ponds to all the animals; everything except a shower. Though it was still early, the sun was burning intensely and I sat down in the shade, unsuccessfully trying to cool off.

“I already showed it to you,” my dad said, pointing towards the bathroom. I checked through the door again and saw what my dad had meant by a shower, a drooping hose sticking out through the wall. I turned the tap and water trickled out slowly.

“I can’t wash my hair in that!” I told my dad.

“Well Pedro and Gustavo usually wash themselves in the river,” my dad said and told me to walk up the road and down into the valley where the river lay. I set off on the dusty path with my sisters and an armful of colorful shampoos and soaps. After trekking up a steep hill and sliding down a muddy slope we arrived at the river, overheated and exhausted. The river ran down from the mountain and had formed a clear pool of water where the path had taken us. It was a peaceful place, closed in by a leafy emerald canopy. I stripped down to my bikini and dipped my toe in the water. I pulled it out immediately with a shriek, struck by the icy cold. I hardened my resolve and walked in up to my ankles, waiting for several minutes to adjust to the cold temperature. As I started to take my next step, I slipped and fell on a slimy rock, submerging my whole body in the pool. After a few seconds of shock my body adjusted to the freezing temperature. From that moment on, I learned that diving right in without any hesitation was the easiest and least painful way to get in the water.

My sisters and I would go wash our hair in the river every morning, sometimes joined by Pedro and Gustavo. We would lather up, then dive down and swim along the rocky bottom, allowing the flow of water to wash the suds from our hair. These were the most fun, relaxing “baths” I have ever taken and those mornings at the river are one of the things I miss most about our time in Costa Rica.