I'm hiking in an unusual place, where a trail winds among red volcanic rocks, with many pools and puddles. At first we are just hiking past them all, up to the top. Then on the way back, we stop at one of the larger puddles. Some are clear, where you can swim, and some are full of thick red mud.

There's a bit of a game of falling into the puddles, this woman shows us. You stand and then fall flat into the mud, which is rather fun. But I invent a better game: close your eyes and fall backward. You can't tell how far you're falling, and it seems like you fall a long long way. But it kind of hurts when you hit the mud.