Yesterday I visited the most amazing geological formation - Hierve de Agua. It is formed by springs that bubble up water saturated with minerals and gas. You can see and hear the gas escaping from the spring. The water is so saturated with minerals that deposits rapidly from, adding to the formation, and producing the most amazing pattens of freshly deposited limestone. At some time in the recent past, a wall was built to form a pool for the enjoyment of visitors. This wall is totally encased in limestone deposits, and the water that has flowed to the side of the pool has also left amazing patterns. The pool if full of bits of leaves and sticks, all covered in limestone. Fossils in the making! I picked one up and put it back. I wonder if I might have left a fossilized finger-print? It might seem like a travesty that a pool has been built on this natural site. Also, channels have been cut into the rock to redirect the water to the pool etc. But there is a long tradition of human interference, hence my use of "geological art" in the subject of this email. This art piece is a work-in-progress, that has been in the making for thousands of years (probably). Apparently, the original native population built channels to redirect the water, forming both an intricate network of mini-aqueducts down the hillside, and also changing the shape of the formation (at least I assume this activity would change the formation). You can see the remains of the ancient channels near the pool. The formation is set in the most stunningly beautiful surroundings, high up in the mountains above the already well-elevated valley where the city of Oaxaca is situated. Apparently, the site is owned by one of the local villages - they normally charge 10ps (about a dollar) admission for each visitor. Another nearby village is jealous of the income this village is receiving, also, they get a lot of bus traffic through their tiny village, so they too have been charging a toll of 10ps for tourists to pass. Somehow this has caused a major conflict between the villages. Result: tour companies no longer go there. This has been going on for two years! Think of the lost income to both villages! There is a small hotel where visitors can (could) stay, and food stalls etc., but this is all shut down. We went anyhow, in a minivan holding 7 people. There were a number of cars there, but basically we had the place to ourselves. We paid the cops at the gate 10ps each - I suspect that was a sort of a bribe to the cops, I doubt the villagers will see any of it. This was good for us, in a selfish sort of way, since we almost had the place to ourselves!