A unique natural phenomenon is located in Indonesia. Three huge craters at the very top of the Kelimutu volcano turned into lakes. Numerous tourists are most attracted by the color of the water. The fact is that the craters are located very close to each other, but each lake has an individual color.
Mystical legend
The lakes of tears, as the locals call them, have a beautiful legend. It is believed that it is there that the dead souls find their last rest. Righteous people of advanced age, after death, fall into the Lake of the Old Men of a rich emerald color. It is located more than a kilometer away from the first two, as if symbolizing that wisdom and experience come with age, and not all at once.
Souls who passed away very young and did not commit sins live in the turquoise water of the central lake of Boys and Girls. Through a small wall of hardened lava is a lake of Tears and Evil Spirits brown with a reddishshade, where sinners with unkind deeds find eternal refuge. Such a small distance, according to the local population, is identified with the line between good and evil, which is very easy to cross.
Color change versions: Aboriginal opinion
The most amazing thing is that lakes of unnatural shades change color randomly. This phenomenon, which the natives attribute to a mystical raid, is very proud of Indonesia. Lakes of tears are becoming an object of pilgrimage for tourists from all over the world.
Inhabitants of the island are convinced that by changing color, the spirits living in the water show their disposition or, conversely, are angry with their descendants. There is another version that says that in this way the souls of the deceased ancestors warn of various disasters in the country.
Magical view
It is impossible to predict when the lakes will acquire a new shade. Green turns to blue and black, sometimes the water becomes completely white or crimson. In the early morning, you can watch how a light haze of steam rises from the surface of the water. And then the lakes of tears look truly mysterious, it seems as if the souls of long-lived people, deprived of their corporeal shell, hover in a misty veil over the mirror surface. By the way, the name of the volcano means "smoking water".
Tourists climb to the top of the mountain for the best view - from there, from the observation deck, early in the morning and at sunset is a magical sight. Charming atmosphere and picturesque view will remain in memory for a long timevisiting a unique place.
Color change versions: scientists' opinion
Of course, scientists do not believe in mystical signs and prefer to explain the changes in the color range from a scientific point of view. Sulfuric gases and hydrogen move up through the cracks at the very bottom of the lakes. When dissolved in water, a color change occurs under the influence of chemical reactions that occur with the accumulated minerals inside the crater. The result of a combination of two acids (sulfuric and hydrochloric) gives a green color, saturated red appears in the process of reactions of iron with hydrogen sulfide. By the way, the burgundy color darkens over time, and the water becomes almost black. It's amazing: 2 Lakes of tears are separated by only a thin barrier, and the shades are so different!
The lakes of tears are protected by the Indonesian authorities and included in the attractions of the national park. The indigenous people are extremely fond of this place, and even put the image of national pride on the local bill.
Russian fairy tale
While admiring Indonesian beauties, don't forget the famous Colored Lakes in Ergaki Park, located in the Western Sayan Mountains. And hundreds of tourists every year come to admire the Lake of Maiden's Tears, the depth of which plays with iridescent color on a bright sunny day. By right, it has earned fame as a picturesque reservoir of the world. Those who come here note the incredible purity of the water, through the thickness of which seeming multi-colored stones at the very bottom are visible. Surprise is not only its transparency, but also a pleasant taste. He althy water can be drunk directly from the lake.
For those who are going to visit a unique place, there is an important recommendation - do not come here on a cloudy day, because, unlike the lake in Indonesia, the water here is absolutely transparent, and color games depend on depth, sunlight and layering reflections on the surface of the reservoir.
