¿Puede poner un precio en relejando? Si, quince Bolivianos.

When you think about what life is like in the Peace Corps, at least what I thought, is usually something like dirt floors, latrines, bucket showers, etc. Well, yesterday, I cheated. My host father decided I needed a little relaxation, he took me and my brother to a place called El Paraiso, The Paradise. It´s a little complex at the end of a dirt road, and is totally awesome. It is sort of a public shower where everyone keeps their bathing suits on. First, we each took a shower (remember, showers are not common in Bolivia); then, we sat in a steam room for something like an hour; the Cochabamba valley has very dry air, so the steamroom felt awesome. There is a cold shower inside the steamroom that feels great after 15 minutes or so of warm humid air. They put bunches of mint leaves over every steam vent, so the room is staunch with minty air. After an hour, we took a break from the steam room; I was floating. It felt awesome. Next, we sat in the sauna for a spell before showering again and changing clothes. The coolest part about the place, because everyone keeps their clothes on, it´s unisex. A lot of the volunteers, especially the girls, have been complaining because they are taking cold and/or bucket showers. I am glad to have found a place to relax on the weekends. After not taking a shower for a week cuz it´s just too cold, I took like 5 in one day. When I asked my host father that morning ¿Puede poner un precio on relejando? (Can you put a price on relaxing), he answered quickly and very seriously, Si, quince Bolivianos. (Yes, 15 Bolivianos ($1.88 USD)).