TERMALES SANTA ROSA

 


It is perhaps futile to question commercializing nature as it seems the natural next step in our evolution as a species ever since our primitive ancestors mended the wilderness for survival. And yet, decades after learning that the fabled Old Man of the Mountain had long been held together by wiring before its collapse among other artistic licenses taken with nature, I still could not help but feel a bit dismayed with the Termales Santa Rosa de Cabal, hot water pools produced by the volcanos of Los Nevados rich in telluric and alkaline.It is perhaps futile to question commercializing nature as it seems the natural next step in our evolution as a species ever since our primitive ancestors mended the wilderness for survival. And yet, decades after learning that the fabled Old Man of the Mountain had long been held together by wiring before its collapse among other artistic licenses taken with nature, I still could not help but feel a bit dismayed with the Termales Santa Rosa de Cabal, hot water pools produced by the volcanos of Los Nevados rich in telluric and alkaline.



Hot pools occur wherever volcanos are found and in and of themselves are wonders of nature but the way the pools of Santa Rosa de Cabal were treated made me wonder why the gifts of the land are never sufficient in themselves. To be sure evidence of natural grandeur spills through the park but it is marred by overcrowded concrete swimming pools, noisy food and beverage take-out windows and spa resorts.

I made the most of what nature was left alone here, following paths through the hills and around the cascades but I had little reason to stay long.





Many of the tourists that flock to Santa Rosa de Cabal, I am sure, do so to connect with the therapeutic effects of these waters but the push, once in the resort, is so aggressively toward the constructed swimming pools and massage areas, which make so little use of the mineral-rich waters, that it begs the question how different would their experience have been simply staying in their hotel?



That night we made our way to the city of Circasia for a stroll through the lively open markets and city squares. The city came alive that night with vendors peddling an assortment of curiosities in the stands they built throughout the narrow streets. Ironically, the city felt more natural than the resort, acting on its own nature.  







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