Thermal Park

	The name is not a joke!

As we drove out of town in search of the campground where we were to spend the night, we passed a typical city park which untypically was wreathed in steam. In the morning we parked nearby and explored - and as our first experience of this sort of thing it was magical.

Unlike the usual tourist attractions, the park was empty apart from the occasional parent and child toddling around or kicking a ball, and we were free to wander around and take our time. We were vastly impressed by our first pool of boiling mud, which looks far more sinister than boiling water! Then there was the lake whose bed looked like a sponge, for it was riddled with holes from which streamed hot water and the occasional bubble.

Perhaps the most impressive sight was the line of scorched grass that marked where the earth's crust was just starting to crack open. We approached with care and stood in awe as cars sped past on the road, ignoring the wisps of steam that curled up from the gutter on either side.

We even met the park geologist, whose duty it is to take that park's temperature every day to be sure that the townsfolk aren't stealing too much of the earth's heat. Apparently if too much hot water is pumped out of the ground and into jacuzzis and heating systems, the famous geysers die down and tourists go away disappointed. We wished him well.