going from west to east, the first of these lakes is called tiwu ata mbupu (lake of the ancestors’ souls, lake of old people). this first and most westerly lake is located 1.5 km west of the other two lakes. the second lake is named tiwu nuwa muri koo fai (lake of young people's souls, lake of young men and maidens)and the third lake is called tiwu ata polo (lake of evil spirits, bewitched or enchanted lake). the second and third lake are separated by a steep, narrow stone wall of crater measuring 50 to 150 meters.the three lakes vary in color from each other and each one changes colors irregularly, almost whimsically, lending the whole area a wonderfully surreal atmosphere that have led to many locals myths and speculations about the origin of kelimutu.currently, one of the lakes is black-brown, another is green, and the last one is in the process of changing from green to red. when dutch geologists discovered the craters in 1914, the colors were reported to be red, blue and white. a few years ago, the lakes were white, turquoise and red. in november 2009, they were black, turquoise, and a coca-cola brown. and again in july 2010, the lakes were resplendent in various shades of green. as you can see, they change colors almost as often as a mood ring on a teenage girl and the changes happen suddenly.
