These colors are real.

Every bubbly and steamy pool throughout the geothermal areas has a unique and Martian coloring, whether it is bubbling up mud or whatever kind of hell-juice spews out of the earth. Every steam vent bellows a strange and gruesome scent.

It was very tempting to dip my hand in there to feel the water… or even take off my clothes into my Euro-tight-undies to slip into a dense mineral bath… but I decided that it was probably a bad idea. I imagined my mom was there, advising against such an action.