14 DATE WITH THE GODS
could hang my clothes. The place smelled like a sulphur
mine. The water content was high in minerals-sulphur,
iron, zinc and vanadium.
It was very cold, but I quickly took off my clothes and
jumped into the wa ter. It was like bathing in champagne;
millions of tiny bubbles started building up all over me.
Th en the tremendous carbonation caused goose pimples
to appear over every inch of my body. What a magni
ficent feeling! It was the first relaxing moment I'd had in
a long time. Far from the maddening crowd, this was
indeed an ideal place for peace and quiet. I immediately
decided to stay in this part of the world for my entire
weekend.
The water was naturally warm; getting out of it in the
below zero temperature took a lot of courage. Not even
at reveille in the army had I seen anyone get clothes on
their body as quickly as I did that night. I raced up the hill
to the hotel to have some hot soup to help warm me.
Despite my fatigue, when I finally got into bed I lay
awake, thinking of all the events that had led me to this
most beautiful place in the mountains. I was still feeling
sorry for myself and angry about having to sleep alone. I
wondered why Nancy had decided to cancel our date at
the last minute.
I played back the whole Lima-Huancayo trip, including
my reaction to the altitude, meeting Richard after five
years and getting the motorcycle that brought me to this
lovely place. The strangest thing of all kept surfacing in
my mind: the UFO contact sign.
Knowing that tomorrow was another day, I grumbled,
"Que sera sera, whatever will be will be," and fell into a
deep, peaceful sleep.