The Guadalajara Reporter

Hissing, sputtering & fuming: the source of city’s ‘hot river’

Without a doubt, the best-known feature of the Primavera Forest, situated on the fringes of Guadalajara, is its celebrated hot river.  In fact, Río Caliente has become the symbol of the entire Bosque, even though the caldera in which it lies has plenty of other geologically interesting phenomena.

Although thousands of people bathe in the river every year, hardly anyone has ever been to its source. This is because the hot river is born, hissing and sputtering, deep inside a high-walled slot canyon very difficult to reach from anywhere except the famed Río Caliente Spa.

Alas, that delightful spa was forced to shut down a year and a half ago because the U.S. government’s travel advisory had – much to the surprise of those who live here – placed Mexico in a list of the most dangerous countries in the world, along with Iraq, Syria and Somalia. This decision amazed the spa’s owner, Caroline Durston, who could not recall a single act of violence ever having disturbed her guests, whether at the airport, in Guadalajara or while enjoying the spa’s healthy waters and wholesome atmosphere. Many of her clients, however, paid heed to the warning and canceled their reservations.

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