"One morning I joined 3 other travellers to take a local taxi to these hot springs about 19 miles away. We set off at 5am and arrived just as the sun was rising and the geysers were in full force, a most impressive sight. The area, 15,500' up in the mountains was beautiful, even if it was freezing cold at first, but it soon warmed up enough for me to be able to sit and paint the picture above. Whilst I was still painting some llamas came right up close to me, and I was able to take some good photos of them. Painting over, and I joined the others to have a bathe in a nearby hot pool, which was an exhilarating experience. When we came to leave, I took a look back at the geysers, but apart from the odd whiff of steam there was little to be seen, having all burst out. I realised then why our driver had wanted to start so early in the morning. This excursion, which lasted about 6 hours cost us £10 each, quite expensive I had thought at first, but felt, after, it had been well worth it.
 
While having a meal at the residential restaurant, where I had a room for £4 a night, I turned my back for a moment to talk with a fellow guest, and the owner's dog jumped up and stole my steak. After I complained the owner cooked me another. There were a number of small hotels like mine all catering for travellers like myself. One of the pleasures for me in San Pedro was being able to meet and share experiences with some of them." - MH