Agua Tibia
By Paul Lyons
There is nothing like a swimming pool. Lakes can be beautiful, especially in the morning if the air is still and the break of day is clear and bright. The morning light off a glassy lake is something worth getting out of bed for, even if one does not catch a single fish. But its murky depths and often-muddy bottom can be discomforting, and the unknown perimeter of a lake can give one a sense of incompleteness. A river, with its mesmerizing stir, is fine to watch and float down, but they are so often bitterly cold, and their unpredictable journeys can often be a bit unsettling. Now there is nothing like the oceans. The grandness of their briny expense is mind-boggling. Their depths are so great; to this day we are finding new large creatures swimming in their dark caverns. The sound of an ocean swell and the feel of the tide are all sublime, but next to an ocean we feel quite insignificant; at any moment we can be pulled under and turned into food for crabs and nothing, save us, would be worse for wear.
Unlike lakes, rivers and oceans, my relationship with swimming pools began at an early age. When I was three years old my father was appointed a Fulbright teaching scholarship. My parents packed up my two older brothers and me and jumped on a plane to Baghdad, Iraq. It was 1964.
Whenever my family traveled anywhere, the quality of the trip was often first assessed according to how good the swimming pools were. Our first days in Baghdad were probably no different. I do not remember if it was the hotel pool or a pool at the American embassy, but we spent some time there every day the first week as we got settled. It was surely a way for my parents to ensure that their three young boys were regularly bathed, and the physical activity probably helped with the jet lag and anxiety of being in a new land. I do remember seeing photographs of the adults in bathing suits sitting around round tables, smoking and drinking out of tumblers, while we often had glass bottles of orange Fanta sodas to our faces.
At some time during this first week, so the legend has it, at the ripe age of three, I started to jump off the 3-meter diving board; it seems crazy, but the facts can be confirmed by my mother and perhaps my older brothers. Evidently someone on the premises said, "HEY LOOK OUT, SOMEONE GET THAT LITTLE KID OFF THE HIGH DIVE!" To which my parents said – "So?" And thus started my infatuation with swimming pools – outdoor swimming pools with diving boards that is.
A mile south of San Marcos, Guatemala, along a littered windy road, next to a truly disgustingly polluted stream, is one of my favorite swimming pools of all time. Agua Tibia is a spring feed, outdoor swimming pool, with two 3-meter diving platforms and one 5-meter platform. Actually, it is probably about 5 pools, if you count the little kids pools with their slides, fantastical sculptures and playground type equipment, and the smaller pools meant for non-swimmers and washing off. Unlike the polluted stream, just 50 yards down a ravine, Agua Tibia is feed by a spring that comes out of the nearby mountain. The nice guy, who works the place, cleans the main pool and changes the water every Monday. There is no chlorine or other chemicals in the water and the therapeutic quality of swimming in this water cannot be adequately described. The water is cool but not cold and perfect for swimming laps or flinging yourself off one of the platforms. One of the pleasant aspects of Agua Tibia is the absence of regulations and rules. There are concrete bases, that I assume were meant for lifeguard stands, but I have never seen a lifeguard. The only signs one sees are one next to the main pool that says in scribbled paint – Cuidado, Piscina Profunda - "Danger, Deep Pool," and one at the entrance that informs you that you have to wear a bathing suit and that it is recommended that you wash off before entering the pool - nothing about running on the deck, floatation devices, personal food. As the spring comes out of the mountain, Agua Tibia begins with natural pools that have large fish in them and many geese that seem to patrol around. These natural pools are not meant for swimming, but often people seem to go to Agua Tibia just to gaze into these pools. By the main swimming pools, one often will find a dog sleeping, but like most all dogs in Guatemala, they are not overly excited about their surroundings. Never have I seen one of these dogs jump in one of the pools.
One night, while at dinner with one of our Guatemalan friends, I lamented the fact that in the United States they have taken down most of the diving boards. Someone slips climbing up a ladder and sues. Instead of chancing it, the city or pool directors just take down the diving boards. I mentioned that in San Marcos, I see plenty of signs for lawyers and that perhaps one day Guatemala would suffer the same fate and lose their diving boards due to the fear of litigation. My friend assured me that not one lawyer would take a diving board case as the judge would simply roll over laughing – "So you climbed up the ladder under your own freewill, slipped and cracked open your head because it was wet (it is a swimming pool) and now you want what?" "Next case!"
For a video of Aqua Tibia, see:
Agua Tibia - The Movie
Aqua Tibia Hours:
Open Every Day of the Year
6 AM – 4 PM
Mondays is cleaning day.
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