At the Mediterranean coast, in the Southeast of Spain, once flourised the Busot's Waters.

Sited in the steps of the Aitana Range, it used the springs fooded by the intense rains that every Autumn falls in the, by other side, extremely dry and warm landscape. These rains filtered easily in the fractured limestone of the mountains and flowed underground until it left trough a crack of the ground, forming a series of beautiful waterfalls.

Founded in the last years of the 19th century, the Busot Bath toke advantage of a oustanding view over the green valley to the sea, and the visitants coul enjoy of the fresh water of the waterfall to walk, and used the iron enriched water as medicinal treatment. A hotel was erected to host the people, and it bring wealth to the entire contry.

But, in the first quarter of the 20th century, the almond crop increased dramaticaly in the country, due the popularization of a old muslim candy named "turrón", made of honey, eggs and toasted almonds. To reach the huge amounts of almonds needed, more and more surface of mediterranean woods was chopped and replaced by almond trees. To irrigate all these crops, thousand of wells were excavated. The baths felt the effects of the decay of water levels, but yet, the contry was green and was beautiful in winter when the almond trees blossomed in a explosion of color.

Then, the second half of the 20th century showed the growning of the coastal tourism, with swimming pools, golf fields and heavy water needs. Every summer the population of the near "Withe Coast" was multiplied by ten, bringing huge amounts of money but draining the wells to the death. And finally, the explosive development of the greenhouses with semi-tropical products with inmense needs of water, settled the fate of the baths.

Now, the undeground water is completely desapaired, the springs are empty, the waterfalls gone, the almonds trees die by drough everywhere, the heavy rains causes ruinous floods desolating the unprotected hills steps, and it is needed to extract water from the sea, sweeting it at very high cost.

The Busot Hotel ruins remains now as a sad monument to a vanished beauty...