Agua Amarilla - Hot Springs in Mexico

In February 2019, the New Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador declared an end to his country's war on drugs, while bloody insurrections continue.

I visited a hot spring in Michoacán, the second drug-producing state in Mexico.

Monarch butterfly

At Angangeo in the mountains of Michoacán, you can see hundreds of millions of Monarch Butterfly from January through March.

Krynowek Eine - Belleza Emotiva (2008)
CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

The butterfly’s home towns are in Canada; they fly around 2,500 miles only for overwintering.

Why do they have to do so?

In fact, Monarch Butterflies eat alkaloids (in short, natural drugs) in order to protect themselves from enemies.

They are said to be addicted to the drugs and to continue to intake them even in winter.

Drugs are integrated into the working of nature.

Campsite in the countryside

Mexican Drug War is considered to split drug cartels by force of arms, which stimulated battles of territories that threaten civilian life.

Some people have a skeptical view on the workability of the New President’s non-violent approach.

You should not feel safe even around the tourist village, Angangeo.

It is an hour’s drive from Angangeo to Juangapeo.

In this village there are some hot springs.

Agua Blanca Hot Springs in Juangapeo is barely known, but there is very little information about the nearby Agua Amarilla, even in Spanish, let alone in English.

Hotel Agua Blanca is relatively known, but it is difficult to find information on another spa facility, Agua Amarilla nearby.

The premises look like a house of a wealthy farmer.

There are 4 pools behind the kiosk.

Some people made a camp in the poolside.

Overnight guests can enjoy the water whenever it is.

Let’s put on a swimsuit in the changing room.

The first pool is the largest.

Seemingly the cleaning was not enough.

Alpaca

Something is floating.

Lack of cleanliness.

Capybara

The second pool is middle one.

I like it the best.

The water is not so hot around 90 degrees F at the source, but has the characteristic metallic smell.

The third pool is small one.

I relaxed in soaking due to the shallow depth.

The fourth pool is the smallest.

Due to the lack of water input, it did not look fresh.

To me it was a new discovery to know that there was peaceful life camping around hot springs in the "dangerous" area in Mexico.

I realized we all die without experiencing almost all things in the world, just because of our ignorance, fearfulness, and incomprehension.

Summary