Updates for January

Just a few, mostly from the bloggosphere.

Thailand

• Emerald pools, one of Thailands most scenic, visited by nadim and christina.
• Ranong in the south, gives a glimsp of why Thailand is so popular. Muddyrats:

  'Around 25km from Ranong we decided to stop at the nearby Hat Yai Hot Springs and camp for the night. After a lovely bath at the hot springs frequented by locals we were invited by the ranger to sleep in the quarters instead stringing up our hammocks, an offer we couldn't decline. It was quite amusing to locals arriving on mopeds with only their towels on for their evening bath. We spent a lovely evening with some beers while trying to communicate in scraps of random English and Thai words'.

• Pai, the magnet of the north which besides a mellow and cool atmosphere has a couple of hot springs not to far off. Newtampo on travbuddy.com has a report in the making and some photo's.
  There's also a hotsprings spa resort, though one visitor was not impressed by the hot tubs:

  'I only had one complaint. The small sitting pool outside on the terrace took at least 100 gallons (?) to fill with water. However, the hot water tank outside the room was about a thirty gallon tank. Now the problem,…………when you fill the pool with Warm water (actually hot water and it takes about one and half hours to fill), the hot water will run out and the rest of the time it is being filled with cold water. So you get into a sitting pool that is uncomfortably cool. We both stepped in the sitting pool and decided it would not be a good idea, since the weather outside was cool'.

  This complaint and more background and photo's of Pai's hot springs from S. Landreth.
  Then here's another experience from one of Pai's hot spring hotels:

  'Spa Exotic which was the best advice we have received in Asia. Not only did it cost less then half the price of the regular hot springs most tourists are sent to but we had the place entirely to ourself and unlike the normal hot springs that are just twelve inches deep here we could swim! It was so so so nice and relaxing and was just what our tired traveling bodies needed!'

• Elsewhere Thai trekin seems to be missing something in Thailand.

  'Seem like every hot spring in Thailand had been “commercialized”. I had for four years now tried to seek out a natural spot like I would imagine Yellowstone National Park. Only in disappointment I had the result. Of the so many hot springs claimed in Thailand, none are left in their natural state. All of them seemed to have been piped up. And sometimes one wonders, maybe the pipes tanks and valves are part of a huge boiler system. I mean with fake Louis Vuitton and such a plenty here, one can not help but wonder if the Thais could also fake nature as a tourist attraction'
  

Laos

• An unknown spring? Possibly..., I've never heard of it, but Jamie in Asia has overnited here (Bor Nam On):

  'After such a long day, I was thankful for the hot spring right outside my bungalow door!'

Malaysia
Again the Malaysians are doing a good job of talking up attractions such as this:

• Poring hot springs as blogged by jadeite ketsugi:

  'The hot springs were a bundle of disappointment. They’d been bricked up to make about 50 small rectangular pits set into the ground and there were about a million people just stewing in them. Haaaack. It was…not…sanitary. What with the Malaysian men leering at us girls [oh come on, they're from Singapore after all], a stench of sulphur in the air and the general mayhem of half-naked people, cue our horrified shocked faces and an instant unanimous group decision to boycott the springs. Shudder. And look, we found a cooked frog in one of the springs!'

  Complete with picture of the offended frog! Look up more photo's on her flickr site, and that's arguably one of the most popular hot springs sites in Southeast Asia!

• Then there's ... Sungai Klah, which seems to be one of the most if not the most blogged hot spring in Southeast Asia. Zentadony is just one of this month's contributors and another happy customer. Ayu Suriani is another:

  'yay.my mum did it'.

  Boil eggs that is !

Then for something different ....
One Asian nation's value's are not the same as others, nor are these value's stable in time. In my previous posting on Banjar hot springs I commented on the attention sign which implied that non-natural bathing was the way to go.

One would find this logical in a predominantly Muslim country, But Bali, being overwhelmingly Hindu, has (or better said had) a different look on things and the fact that many of their women went top-free actually was part of the nascent pre-WW II tourist PR campaign.

This purely male obsessed way of selling the island is documented by Australian scholar Adrian Vickers who published an extensive volume entitled "Bali, a paradise created".

Another great piece of insight comes from this site, Baliwww.com. In 'Bali unveiled', an article by Rucina Ballinger, it pay's attention to this issue as well. Especially the odd fact that as (non-western) societies crave modernity, they seek to cover up on their bodies as a sign of prosperity while contradictorily the western society dresses (nearly completely) down as a sign of wealth :

'to a Westerner, the more of the body that shows, the more the wearer is at leisure (and thus the wearer is in a more powerful position as s/he can afford to be at leisure)'.

This however does not explain why speedo's are out and boardies are in! Always mystifies that myself, but the essence is that the Balinese seem more at ease than most Asians with their body 'shame', though less so than before.

Anyway erdging myself to the point, one of Japan's most noted 'pleasures' are the many hot springs (onsen) and public baths which are taken naturally, even co-ed. Though not everyone's cup of tea, most bloggers seem to like the experience and repeat this more often. For instance Japan rider:

'I love the Japanese onsen'.

Or an american elephant:

'This morning I went to my first onsen! It was amazing. Just a bit, steaming room of hot pools, and an outside set as well!'.

What about this recent article:

'Communing without swimwear in mixed hot baths is enjoying a renaissance among young women. ...
Essayist Mayumi Yamazaki authored "Dakara Konyoku wa Yamerarenai" (That's Why I Can't Stop Mixed Bathing), a book that explains the allure of mixed bathing. Published in late October, the book prompted a flood of e-mails and other correspondence from women. ...
In fact, I found I really enjoyed talking with the other bathers--maybe I too could get hooked on mixed bathing'.

However over the Sea of Japan, nudity (let alone mixed and naked!) is frowned on, so when this hot springs resort near Chongquing decided to attract more visitors, it was by putting naked models in the soaks, which arguably resulted in a great many of photo opts. Though I doubt whether this case of short lived 'free' PR, would help much in the long run, unless you hope to attract perverts / voyeurs, who misunderstood that bathing such is de-rigeur....

One reason that hot springs in Japan are popular is due to tradition and the estatic way these onsen have been built, blending in traditional styles of architecture with regard for the local environment. Then there's the social element (see above citations): one goes to a onsen to relax, not for Southeast Asia's brand of 'having fun'.

Shunning the idea of rebuilding the soaking area into a fun park which seems to be the (bland?) answer for most hot springs development in Southeast Asia, might be the way forward.

Though absolutely sexist (and deadly cheap!), the idea brought into practice in Chongqing might warrant more research. Are there any hot springs in Southeast Asia where bathing au-naturel and co-ed is practiced? No? Well, who know's there might be business opportunity here ....

Soaking in the sity

The best 'view' of the springs

When one thinks of Singapore, one conjures up images of a frenetic city, always seeking new ways to renew itself and make money in the same time. With more than 4,5 million inhabitants living tightly on the small and limited main island, it's surprising to find out that there are corners of the island which are still relatively village-like and tranquil such as Changi village where I stayed a few nights.

Tekong Hot Springs
Even more surprising is to know that there are two hot springs within the tiny nations borders. One lies on the isle of Tekong, off the eastern coast of Singapore's main island. It's off limits to most (a so-called restricted area), as it is army exercise area, however there are a couple accounts from enlisted poor souls, like this one from Tag Yuxiang:

'we went to this hot spring where there are stories tt its haunted.. it was rather interesting..and the spring was really deep.. but not as hot as those in Thailand where u can cook eggs haha..'

Photo's are available from John Larkin who probably visited the island before it went off limits. More info on the island on Wikipedia.

Finally a last tip from zeroniner on virtualtourist.com for those, who are about to set off for Tekong:

'Unfortunately this island is off-limits to the casual visitor, as the entire island is a military training facility'.

If only I would have known this before ..., but as always I'm better in researching once I've been there. Or not as in this case.

Sembawang Hot Springs
The other Singaporean hot spring is named Sembawang. And it's not all too difficult to reach and seems quite special, if you believe other accounts.

Such as from Backpacker Mama who has two accounts of visits to Sembawang: Account no. 1:

'But I just went there last weekend ... and boy! Was I shocked!'

Probably, especially if you look at the accompanying photo's. The second account brings more pieces of info and ends with:

'Try it before its Gone.... (u know how rapid Singapore can change)'.

These accounts (with many photo's) are highly informative, such that visiting the hot spring and reporting on it is nearly superfluous, but still I'm curious and it could from the reports be something totally different.

Nearly there, burning money on the Gambas / Sembawang cross roads, where else?

Getting there
It seems to be an unknown quantity these hot springs. Luckily the directions, off Gambas Avenue where it crosses Sembawang Road give some distinct direction. Coming from the east of the island, this included a number of buses to get here, unfortunately for the foreign tourist there is hardly any bus info available. So I whiled away a couple of hours too-ing and fro-ing through extensive built-up area's. Probably a taxi would have done the job much, much quicker, but Singapore's public transport is soooooo cheap, though not informative!

However at the cross roads I felt that I was nowhere near the springs, so I decided to take the Gambas Avenue and hope I'd get there pronto. The first cyclist I asked was completely in the dark and decided it was a fair way to go and I should take the bus. Hmmm, I prefer to walk.

Hundred meters past this meeting I stumble on a cryptic signboard next to a gate which was an entrance to somewhere. However the shrub lined walkway is bordered by two high fences and all I can see is a sharp corner 200 m further on. At that moment a couple of people are exiting and feeling I had not been successful on first query, I ask them. I'd struck the jackpot! This walkway leads there, much to my astonishment. To their's as well, as this is obviously not a tourist attraction officially rubberstamped by Singapores Tourism Board ("Uniquely Singapore").

Where else but in Singapore can you wash your motorcycle with piping hot spring water? OMG, it's not allowed!

Unique?
Clearly if whole administrations in the Southeast Asia region are enticed in promoting hot springs to tourists, why not in Singapore? Nothing to boast about? An eyesore? Unknown?

Well, it is certainly something different: high perimeter fences line the walkway to the site (surrounded by a military site) and after taking the sharp bend it's another 200 m before I come to an entirely open space, fully cemented and fenced in. No eco-tourism claims here. The cemented plain counts one brick building. Standing at the gates it's obvious to see that this must be the source. However whoever built this building was pretty sure nobody would even be able to enter let alone get a good glimpse of the source.

Otherwise there were a couple of taps scattered around the pleasantly un-Singaporean quiet area. This being a Sunday, there were a number of people gathering round and using buckets to clean themselves, filling up bigger drums or just washing their motorcycles. If that's not unique?

The water from these taps is red hot and the air smells of sulphur but not too much so. The people bathing seem an agreeable lot and are mostly just passing the day, twittering old style. Bathing takes a form of clothed styles from the normal day clothing to swimmers, but nothing risque, this is Singapore after all. Showing bits of body the sun (hardly ever) sees can only lead to vice, it's believed. Well there's a thought.

From the aforementioned Backpacker Mama's site I understand there's a guy camping out here and who sort of oversees in a unofficial way the proceedings. He also sells cooled down hot springs water because the water is simply too hot to bathe in.

As long as the sun's not shining, this is a great way to end the day. Gathering round the hot water taps, just like in the old days.

BackgroundAt this point, I would like to draw your attention to the amount of historical accounts of this site. Simplified: the springs were discovered in 1909, why not before is unclear. In 1922 a local bottler acquired the site and used it's waters. During WW II the Japanese of course spruced up the facilities for their own good. Nothing wrong there. Despite some plans for development not much has happened since, in a large scale sense. In 2002 the military built the current facilities though only after locals demanded local access and preservation.

What it used to look like. Source: Richard Hales

Health properties are something different. The very hot waters are acclaimed to remedy a number of diseases even a bout of bad luck. But nothing official.

Other internet sources not previously mentioned:

• virtualtourist sha stallion:

'The sizzling hot water has been touted with healing properties, to rid aches and pains. It is so hot that some plastic bottles would deform if used to contain the water. Past attempts for a viable production of bottled mineral water by private companies have all but failed'.

• Singapore's National Library Board:

'The temperature ranges between 100 and 150 deg C. Consequently, the high pressure causes the water to seep upwards through cracks, thereby forcing itself out of ground into a 6 m spring. At this point, the temperature of the water drops to 70 deg C.
Tested by PSB Corporation and SGS Testing & Control Services, the spring water was found to contain 420 mg of chloride per litre, an amount which is evidently higher than the 35 mg to 100 mg in the water from Choa Chu Kang and Bedok waterworks. The samples of the spring water also prove that the sulphide content is three times more than tap water. It is the presence of these minerals that has enticed thousands to the hot spring, in a search for cures for ailments like rheumatism and arthritis, as well as skin conditions like acne and psoriasis. However, medical authorities remain sceptical about the healing powers of the spring water'.

• Wikipedia:

'During that same year, a rash of scalding cases, including an incident in which a 57-year old diabetic man lost six toes to gangrene after bathing in the hot spring, prompted the Singapore General Hospital to warn that people with nerve disorders or diseases affecting blood circulation should stay away. Soon after, rumours that the well was haunted by the ghost of a Malay boy who had met his death by falling into the boiling spring water began to circulate; a Chinese curse, written in graffiti on the wall that now encloses the well, promised a similar fate to anyone who vandalised the premises'.

• Krisalis (2004):

'biked around the Sembawang area in the pouring rain went to Sembawang hot springs. I didn’t even know Sembawang had hot springs until this weekend! The springs aren’t very glamourous - nothing like their Japanese counterparts, for example. There weren’t many people at the springs, so it was quite relaxing, if somewhat bizarre, to sit around on soaking our tootsies in big plastic buckets of piping hot spring water, which smelled vaguely of rotting eggs'.

• Holidays in Singapore:

'Bring small towels, swim suit, comfortable clothes, and sandals when you go there. We suggest you to dip the towel in the hot water squeeze it and put it on your face or body to get a natural hot massage! '

• Rennie Loh gives a Japanese point of view:

'Singapore's best kept secret might be a remote hot spring spot in Sembawang, north of the island.'

See this signboard? That means you're at the hot springs. But let's keep it a secret, eh?

Getting there: The entrance is located just to the east of the Gambas aAenue intersection with Sembawang Road, on the south side of Gambas. All just in north Singapore.

Soaking Experience: very good, but hardly any opportunity other than for foot bathing. Nice and hot.

Overall Impression: Different and unique. Very relaxing. They just need a couple of big tub's (drums) ... Thumb's up!

Escape to Sembawang hot springs

Update [April 2011]: another very informative website here.

There are limits ...

Location
On my visits to the various hot springs on Bali, I've seen a number of different hot springs ranging from 'gleaming', yet exclusive Toya Bungkah, to the spherical Banjar hot springs. What would turn out be my final visit to a Balinese hot springs this time round, brought me to Yeh Panes located on the road to Batukaru temple from Tabanan, sort of located near the village of Penatahan.

Prior knowledge learnt, that Yeh Panes had also seen a commercial change over and was now run by a company ESPA with the slogan "Sanctuary for the Self". The web-site seemed uninformative and had not been updated recently. Maybe business was down.


The site
Located north of the regional important town of Tabanan, the route there is quite straight forward. Following the route to the Batukaru temple, it's 8 km north of Tabanan and well sign-posted. Precisely, it's located next to the river Yeh Hoo and one enters the car park by crossing the bridge and going up a lane to your right. The car park is located about 500 m from the road.

The privatization of these springs was more than obvious: an entrance fee was required for the parking lot, which oddly enough depended on the number of passengers rather than a single sum for parking. Probably the first hurdle to keeping the riff-raff out.

After strolling to the resort itself, the reception was very glad to announce that the fee for taking to the waters was no less that $15 per person. Contrary to the practice in Toya Bungkah, this included no extras at all, just the privilege of soaking. Well, that should be something special.

With the message that I'll first see whether it was worth it, I shimmied myself past the receptionist and took a look at the bathing facilities. Past a temple, where you can see the hot water bubbling up from within the temple walls themselves, one comes to a free form pool which was the prime soak. In better times water might have been cascading from a pool higher up (see photo's) but clearly this was the only part of Bali where it was not the tourist high season.

The main pool. Above it should be overflow from the upper pool which would run over the rocks into the lower pool.

There were 1 or 2 bathers in this lower pool but certainly not many. Up beyond the higher pool are a number of 'private' spa's, though not so private as to ensure skinny dipping without giving any unsuspecting visitor an eyeful. Then again maybe the company has no qualms about other guests checking the private spa guest outs. There were about 3-4 of these enclosures, two of which were in use by guests, 1 enclosure was unoccupied and 2 enclosures looking dilapidated. Apparently there are supposed to be 9 of these.

To soak or not?
Well that didn't look like worth $15. I was surprised that on leaving I noticed many locals turning up; apparently it's just only the foreigners who pay $15, the locals can get in for $2,5.

Being in Southeast Asia for so long I'm quite used to this two-tier system of pricing, but I always fail to see why some extremely rich guy from one of the regions capitals can get in for virtually free, while other much less well-0ff foreigners are practically forced to turn away.

Being neither, doesn't help, but I still gave this site a miss. The pay was way too high for a tepid and not so appealing soak. The half dollar spent at Banjar was worth more than I would ever get here. And I'd already spent that half dollar on just the parking.

A private spa from the inside. Not worth it?

Pricing
Then again I'm confused about the announced entry prices, there was no signboard and this site announces that east of the car park are "free" sites:

'On the eastern side of the parking lot are two public hot water spouts, which anyone can use for free'.

Backed up by:

'This hot spring also has a public pool in the east side of parking lot in which you can take a bath for free'.

Now, why didn't I know this before hand?

'Special for adult guest is charged IDR 5-10 thousands [$0,5-1] and foreign tourist IDR 30 thousands [$3]'.

Lonely Planet mentions $3 for the cool pool, while a hot water pool costs $15. Here it says:

'To use this facility, local community will be charge at IDR 25,000 [$2,5] while foreign tourist USD 15'.

Actually it's a pity here, that they fail to some how attract visitors and get them to stay. I've now seen quite a lot of good feedback from all the other visited hot springs on Bali. Why this is not the case here, I don't understand. Poor management?

The inner sanctum of the springs. From within this pond, hot water bubbles up.

History
Contrary to the amount of soakers, there is quite some good quality info available on internet concerning Yeh Panes.

How did these springs come into existence?

'According to the history, there was a Kingdom named "Penulisan" with the King named Jaya Wikrama who was suffering from a serious skin disease.Upon the suggestion of the minister Satya Wacana the King
was then taken to a traditional healer named Ki Dukuh Tangkas at a village of Lampah at the northern part of Rajeg Urn forest (now known as "Jegu" village) by Ho river. On the way to Lampah Village/ the King was tempted by a monkey at pajeg Uru forest later known as beloved pet of the traditional healer, Ki Dukuh Tangkas. When Ki Dukuh Tangkas knew the purpose of the King’s visit, he then taught the King a healing teaching called : "Usadha Bhakti" through a meditation system. One day, when the King and Ki Dukuh Tangkas practised the teaching by doing meditation, by God’s Blessing a hot spring outpoured from the ground.
Ki Dukuh asked the King to take bath every "Kajeng. Kliwon" (a Balinese point of time) until the King completely recovered. To express his gratefulness, the King then built a temple on that location called : "We Brahma" or "Toya Anget" Temple. On the former place of Ki Dukuh Tangkas then built a monument later became a holy place called "Lampah" temple located on the eastern part of the hot spring.Later on the King and Ki Dukuh’s followers spread out to seek place for residence, some were back to Penulisan, some other went to the North-west later known as "Bangkiang Sidem" means "the King has been recovered" and the village next to it called "Penatahan" means "the successful journey of the King".'

As well as providing us with this interesting insight, the link above is an excellent link to background on Bali.

Anyway it probably existed quite naturally until the Japanese set up shop on Bali during the second world war:

'They [the Japanese] also enlarged the spring and created the pools'.

Though part of the temple may be ancient:

'We visited a shrine that the guide told us was 16th century'.

The link provided gives a good account of a (longer) stay at Yeh Panes.

More recent history:

'In the 60's luxury villa's were built around the spring, but the financing suddenly took an end and the buildings were deserted. Then it was said that local spirits took over the site, and the sound of weeping women could be heard at night. To prevent that the spirits would stay here permanently the ruins of the buildings were used as sheds for pig and cattle'.

Recent history:

'It was established in 1994 following two years in advance it has completed the arrangement of its bathing place, swimming pool, restaurant and others'.

It looks that the situation has changed or is it reverting to the aforementioned stage of cattle storage?


Health claims
Though once again the waters lack distinct sulfur, they still seem to have some health claims (as well some sulfur):'

'Based on research performed by Health Laboratory, Indonesian Health Department the water of this hot spring is safe for taking a bath. It contains sulfur, potassium and sodium that are effective to relieve various skin problems. Hindu community in Bali believes that this hot spring has the efficacy to cure numerous health problems'.

Elsewhere:

'The very hot water [but others mention 37 degrees: not so hot] contains sulfur and sodium and some additional minerals, supposedly good for the skin'.

And:

'The naturally hot water from the springs-probably Bali's hottest-contains sulfur, potassium, sodium, and small percentages of minerals, with no additives except an occasional dose of chlorine. The water, it is said, will relieve itching and heal skin diseases'.

Buleleng hot springs
Not so far away from Yeh Panes, are the hardly known hot spring of Buleleng or Mangesta. I didn't make it there; the aforementioned receptionist failed to inform me correctly or I misunderstood.

For those of you with time on your hands it could make an interesting visit as it's virtually unknown though nicely located.

Getting there [Yeh Panes]: follow the route north out of Tabanan towards Batukaru, it's about 8 km on your right just after crossing a major stream.

Soaking experience: not worth it. Agree?

Overall impression: It's a pity that investment / upkeep seems to have dropped as it's a beautiful location and much can be achieved. If you can afford it, it might be worth dropping by if you are on your way to / from Batukaru temple.

Banjar

All dressed up and no place to go?

Been there before?
More hot springs from Bali. This time, the more well-known hot springs of Banjar village located on the north coast of Bali. Often these springs are also referred to as Lovina hot springs, carrying the name of the local tourist stretch of coast.

When researching hot springs I am often limited by a small number of references; not so in this case, as there are well over 4,000 references to Banjar + "hot springs", while Lovina + "hot springs" refers to 64,000 results. Flickr has more than 100 and 300 finds on either search terms. Clearly a well-known / well-trodden place!

The site trifter.com rates this hot spring as one of the "Eight most scenic / breathtaking natural springs in the world", which seems to be an accolade open to discussion. Especially as the setting is not natural (though much naturalness surrounds this soaking complex) nor breathtaking.

Despite the surplus of references, when requiring more background on this place, little is forthcoming. So I will not bore you too much then.

The site
As said, Banjar's hot springs are located just outside the village; they're up a side road to your left. The road follows a stream until the valley narrows and a big car park lies in front of you. As it's heavily touristed, it's no surprise to find that beyond the car park is a street lined with tourist knick knack shops. At the end of the street is a motorcycle parking place and an entrance gate (where you pay the small entrance fee, not even half a $US) which leads over the now narrow stream to the soak site proper.

On the other side of the bridge you pass a 5 by 2 m open water tank with three water spouts dropping water from 3 m height as a sort of water massage. Besides this, there are two main water tanks, one emanating hotter water, one which overflows from the previous pool. Opposite the entry, is a restaurant perched high above the pools which also incorporates changing facilities. Below the pools is the fast flowing river, above are a few temples.

Water massage

Tasteful?
What makes these hot springs stand out are the tasteful way they have been built. A certain sense of historicness is evident as all improvements have been made by local bricks and stone work. There's little regarding the exact history of the site. But the neatly sculptured Naga (serpent) spouts could well point to quite some time ago.

Other aspects are the local popularity, not for sightseeing but for really soaking. Naturally the low entry price is part of this. And probably the long existence of such a facility has meant it's a common thing to do for locals especially as it's not too far away from a busy market village. And it has possible spiritual value. In Bali water is cleansing much more than in other societies. Quite often temples are built around springs and major temples dot the shores of Bali. For more on the significance of water in Bali read this posting on Bali-Dreamland.com.

Argh, all the time this water pumping, give me a break!

On the other hand this doesn't mean the springs are clean. I doubt whether certain health standards are met here in Banjar, especially as water from pool one, flows into pool two.

The waters are not clear but as elsewhere on Bali they are colourless and non-sulphuric.

Yes or no?
Issues I often come across when debating hygiene standards of various hot springs sites in Southeast Asia, are those of various standards of dress. In my belief (which seems logic) the more clothing worn during bathing, the more unhygienic. So au-naturel bathing should be encouraged. But not in conservative Southeast Asia; both Buddhists as well as Muslim frown on any state of undress.

Though Hindu Bali seems more relaxed on this issue, those in charge still feel compelled to signpost that bathers are being strictly forbidden to take to the waters starkers. Thus many are actually fully clad. The not-so-fully clad were mostly foreigners.

Three commandments ("Attention"):

1. It is not allowed to bathe nude
2. You may not bathe with soap/shampoo
3. Let's keep this place clean

Thank you

Showering (for hygienic reasons?) was encouraged but in full sight of all, so probably the anti-nudity clause covers this as well.

It is strange this anti-nudity emphasis; the directive was both in Indonesian as well as in English, so on the one hand one might believe that foreigners are those that possible offend the locals.However, I've seen quite a few local bathers elsewhere on Bali take to the waters with next-to-nothing.

Currently there are quite a bit of sound bytes on this, as the Indonesian parliament is pushing for a so-called anti-porn bill which would ban any depictions of nudity let alone naked bathing and seems at odds to both Bali's laissez-faire attitude to foreign tourists (and their states of (un-)dress on their beaches) as well as towards their own attitudes to nudity. Also the artist center of Ubud thrives on artist impressions of naked ladies / gents.

'The bill would kill 80% of the art in Bali'

Source, the Times.

Bathing beauties no more? American immigre Symon captures Bali's tolerance before it's too late. Let's hope not!

A great article can be found by nomad4ever, an increasingly interesting site, I believe.

For more information, see for instance:

'Balinese ceremonial wear is not a dictate of fashion but is a prescription of function and symbolism. Temple attire in Hindu Bali is strictly prescribed and followed. The belief is that there are body parts that should be exposed, harnessed, or covered up and the proper dress helps fulfill these conventional codes. Which makes me realize how meanings evolve over time as I’ve been told that up to the early 1900s, Balinese women went topless until the Dutch decreed them to go “moral” and cover up.'

Oddly enough it was then Dutch pre-war tourism efforts which depicted Bali as a paradise of near-naked ladies which might just have lead to the (mis-?)conception of what's normal and what's not.

My take is that in prior times, the whole neighbourhood bathed au-naturel in streams, but as piped water has become popular it's become more fashionable / sign of wealth to not bathe with the whole village in attendance. Naturally this process is still taking place. An interesting theory?

It's also the same in other Southeast Asian countries, Thailand and Lao for instance. Bathing in minimal dress is determined by levels of wealth, the poorer regions seem less uptight. Understandably it must be very confusing then to see wealthy westerners man the barricades to promote skinny dipping as a preferred way of life!

I for one certainly understand it's not everybodies cup of tea (bathing au-naturel) but a certain degree of tolerance is all that's needed. It's sad to see age old traditions of tolerance of body and body acceptance eroded by narrow minded politicians clamoring for the moral high ground.

Clothes and soaking in Southeast Asia, a hot debate?

Anyway, Banjar hot springs would not be a good place to get au-naturel, simply due to the crowds of gawkers. Then again why the need for all the covers? At the end of the day we all are similar and have nothing to hide. I've also noticed that soaking in private cubicles /cells as common in Malaysia and Thailand is not common on Bali, probably due to the same line of thought?

Surroundings
Located not far from the tourist stretch called Lovina, this could also be a nice cycle ride away, if it were not for the busy stretch of road one needs to pass along the way. On the coast there are activities such as dolphin watching and some good snorkeling. Otherwise there is a nice waterfall (Singsing) located between the hot springs and Lovina and there's a lone Buddhist monastery not too far away.

Lovina also contains many hotels / lodges as well as having many restaurants, it's clearly on the tourist trail.

For a real au-naturel soak try finding Blahmantung waterfalls up in the mountains beyond Lovina. They are great and refreshing and natural ....

Getting there: Straight forward, head to Banjar village some 20 km west of the local capital of Singaraja. In Banjar take a left after the market and it will be obvious.

Soaking experience: the water was only luke-warm, waits were long for the water massage, will have to come back and have to pick a more peaceful day (It was Sunday morning).

Overall impression: If it were not for the obvious tourist trail running straight through these hot springs and my doubts of the hygiene this would be what all those Southeast Asian governments should be willing to create ...

Angseri, a green paradise?

Below beyond the rice paddies next to the river are a number of huts which might be the green paradise of Angseri hot springs.

And now ... a green paradise(?)
Taking a cue from the discussion from the previous posting on Toya Bungkah hot springs, the visit to Angseri hot spring should be completely different. My source of information, nomad4ever.com describes it as follow:

'Imagine a green paradise nestled between lush rice paddies with small streams and creeks of water coming from everywhere. Need some privacy in a closed cabin to relax and enjoy the hot waters without any outside interference?
Welcome to Angseri Hot Springs!'

Well, this description is very enticing as well as what follows on their posting of their visits to this hot springs. I'd imagined it as distinctly local, non-commercial and very natural. Arguably I only used the search terms Angseri + "hot springs" which hardly gives two pages of references (that's not even 20), a couple of which were to the story above, two even to my own site!

However I must contend that there is much about Angseri and hot springs to be found, just not in English. This site gives a comprehensive review of the soakings site of Angseri, while yogamaharini has some photo's. These guys like showing off their girlfriends at the place. And for more photo's either see my own flickr site as well as the aforementioned nomad4ever.

But I was still imagining a "green paradise".

Next door
It started off well. In the regional town of Bedugul, roughly halfway between Bali's south and north coasts, I had asked directions while ordering a coffee. Our waitress who ominously knew from heart that it was just down the road (2 km) and 100m up a side road. Could that possibly be a green paradise?

The directions differed from what I had deduced from the previously mentioned web site. Still she seemed very certain of herself, so without any doubts we trundled off back from where we came, only to discover that the 2 km was in fact 10 km. The short side road, dipped straight down into a valley followed by an equally steep ascent. The by then rutted road met up with a nice two lane road coming straight from Bedugul! Where I had started off!

At this t-junction there was a clear sign with hot springs and some 10-15 minutes later we took the turn off through the village of Angseri. The road got worse as we climbed out of the village and finally in the forest, the road dropped all the way back down to a bridge around which a makeshift parking area had been created.

Who said paradise?
So far from civilization this must be a paradise ..., if not for the number of cars on the parking area. After parking in some deep mud, we paid the low entrance fee and followed an irrigation channel which headed for the nearby rice paddies. As we were staying on the same height as the irrigation ditch, the river had dropped away dramatically and after following the recently cemented staircase down, we also were next to the river.

Canteen

Left of us was a canteen, in front an oval not so deep pool (for kiddies and mothers) while to the right was a path that passed through a number of huts and ended at the rock face next to a 5 m high waterfall. If it weren't for the many people wandering around, this would be nice, but it was holiday season. No foreign tourists by the way.

The huts were a collection of toilets, changing cubicles and 4 huts for more or less private soaking. More or less, as the huts were made of bamboo and to avoid outsiders looking in, plastic wallpaper had been used on the inside. Which was a bit flimsy. All these huts were taken and a nice line stood outside the changing hut.

Taking the waters

For me, this line was no problem: I am getting good at changing under a towel, possibly more persons should perfect this technique. After changing, I set off in the direction of the waterfall where the main pool was to be found.

A great looking pool next to the thundering waterfall, it was inhabited by some bored youths of the male kind. Being bored, they were very actively pursuing other avenues of entertainment: cartwheels diving into the pool being the most popular, as well as smoking which seems at odds with hot springs promoting health issues.


There seemed little regard as to where the ashes were going and little semblance of relaxation (but maybe I'm being an old fart), so the soak itself was not so comfortable. Once two Indonesian girls joined the pool, the shouting lessened but the acts of machismo crescended.

I took an awkward shower under the waterfall, awkward because the waterfall comes straight down on slippery and naturally uneven rocks.

Developed versus paradise?
So how much better was this site? It was tastefully (and cheaply) enhanced, acknowledging that the natural surroundings are a part of the attraction of the site. The waters were a bit tepid. But arguably the waters were not very clean nor hygienic, both of which seem to be the essential requirements of a public bathing spot. The aforementioned site (nomad4ever) did mention cleaning of the main pool, so some thought has been put into keeping the site clean, but much more could be attained.

The question then arises, why this not happening. Is it ignorance? Or is it something culturally? Signs of the times ("we want more") Or unwillingness?

Would a private company be in a better position to achieve this? I doubt it. So a public entity should just as well be able to achieve a site of both naturalness with high regards to health and hygiene standards. Would this cost more? Yes, but not much more.

As said the site is not often visited, probably I was unlucky to visit during the main holiday time. So is it acceptable for standards then to drop,? Neither I, nor other outside visitors would agree, but clearly the local youth have different ideas.

I certainly believe that the site can attract many more visitors. Why not? It's not too far from many other attractions and it's natural surroundings make it a great catch. Then again, why do we always need more?

Certainly a great way to relax if you can put up with the crowd. In the foreground the main soaking pool, the waterfall is behind.

Getting there: From Bedugal market crossroads, head down the left lane, rather than the right lane heading to the 'Botanical gardens'. Continue following this ( for 5 km) until you reach a t-junction with a clear sign indicating Angseri to the right. From here it's possible 10 km before a right turn to Angseri village. This is basically a one lane road, so continue driving onwards leading to a forest. Possibly park on the hill top, before the drop. The entrance is where the road crosses the next river.

Selamat Datang (welcome) di Air Panas (hot springs) Alam Angseri

Soaking experience: With a lot lesser people I might have been a joy, however with an over-influx of soakers the joys also dissipated.

There is certainly lots of scope for a pleasant soaking experience, both due to the natural surroundings as well as the large pools / private pools and accessible waterfall. On any other day outside the Indonesian holiday calender I would be great, but better to avoid and/or arrive early otherwise.

Overall impression: With the tasteful, yet unobtrusive improvements, it certainly was very nice. Then again it's not a green paradise. But still one of the best I've visited. Who know's? Next time I'm in Bali, I'll have to verify my findings ....

A more recent blog entry mentions

'hygiene looks very good'.

Yeah if you are blind! And while you at it, why do those photo's look so familiar? At least two of them I took myself!

The upscale soak site of Toya Bungkah

Hot springs of Bali
The isle of Bali thanks, like many other similar islands in the Indonesian archipelago, it's existence on volcanic activity, with evidence often at hand; much to the detriment of local inhabitants. Bali's main volcanoes Agung and Batur have both erupted in the past century causing many victims.

With the earth's crust so thin here, one would suspect that geothermal activity on Bali would also be prominent, but the list I have put together (see links list) refers to just over half a dozen. However after recently concluding a visit to Bali, I'll have to revise the figure downwards; there aren't that many geothermal soaks to be found!

Location
My first port of call on Bali were the hot springs in the northeastern village of Toya Bungkah. Besides being referred to under the same name as the village, it's also referred to as hot springs of Kintamani (the name of the region), Tirta Sanjiwani (the previous name of the complex) and Toya Devasya (current name).

The village of Toya Bungkah is actually located within a large volcanic caldera, (roughly 1000m up/down) hopefully long extinct. Besides the village, inside the caldera there is a very active volcanic cone (Batur) and the tranquil lake aptly named Batur as well. Toya Bungkah is located between the two, the volcano and the lake. Unfortunately though, this beautiful location has hardly lead to the village being described as anything other than nondescript. The view east wards over the lake towards the volcanoes of Abang and Agung is picturesque enough, however the volcano has altered negatively all local vegetative growth and the locals have seen no need to enhance the in-essence one lane village. Not necessarily complementing all this, is the constant rumble of small trucks transporting black sand for building sites elsewhere on Bali.

View of the Batur volcano (1717m) cone from the outer rim. In the background on the right hand side, is the lake.

So why visit?
With so little appealing on offer, why would anyone visit? Well, there is still sufficient attraction apparently. Toya is the place to set off for early morning (4.00 am no less) hikes up the Batur volcano for views of Bali and Lombok. And on return the thing to do is to hit the hot springs.

Despite some references to public facilities there are only private facilities named Toya Devasya. This "Resort & Spa" as it refers itself to offers the opportunity to take the waters in two specifically built "hot" pools and a large swimming pool. Other facilities are (clean!) changing rooms, a restaurant, a camp ground, sun beds and a beautiful view. The latter is arguably free, but for the other facilities one needs to pay. The hefty entrance fee (100.000 IDR ~$10) includes besides the obvious entrance to the hot springs / swimming pool, the use of lockers / towel, a drink and meal. It's also clear considerable effort has been made in enhancing the facilities with greenery and the facilities do look clean though flies formed near plague like proportions. The company does however pride itself on positive hygienic conditions and from the many hot spring sites I have visited in Southeast Asia it certainly would rate high as 'clean', though it might still be lacking with western standards in mind.

About half of the resort (but not the hot pools) was cordoned off for (re)construction.

The soaking
As stated prior, there are two hot pools: roughly 3 by 10 by 1m, each with 3-4 spouts with water pumped coming straight from the source. The water is not extremely hot, more tepid, but still enough to ensure one's body temperature doesn't drop too much while soaking, despite the evening chill coming in when I was visiting. It does seem less than the claimed 35-37 degrees. The waters are odorless and colourless.

The olympic pool? Was it 50 by 25m?

The swimming pool (claimed to be 'olympic size') though is un(der)heated so alternating between the swimming pool and the soaking pool is a great way to spend a couple of hours.

At the time of our visit, Indonesian year-end holidays were in full swing so there were quite a few visitors, half foreign, half non-foreign. With the hefty sum keeping out the riff-raff, most locals had swim clothing on or had changed into 'clean' clothes / prudent swimwear before hitting the waters, another unique aspect of these private facilities. Elsewhere (in Southeast Asia) there's little need to change with everyone jumping in their 'street attire'. Where swimwear is required, females usually opt out, which certainly wasn't the case here, possibly because the entrance fee ensured male-check-it-outers were at a minimum

Let's discuss
I have tried to trace the origins / history of the springs site. The recent history (and more background) is described in the Rough Guide to Bali and Lombok:

'Toya Bungkah's stylish hot springs, Tirta Sanjiwani [now Toya Devasya], were rebuilt in 1997 amidst considerable controversy as they moved stratospherically upmarket.
They look extremely good with a cold-water swimming pool and smaller hot-water pools and private jacuzzi's but the prices mean they've moved beyond the reach of many of the backpackers who are the mainstay of the local economy.
Traditionally the springs here, known as Tirta Bungkah (the Holy Waters of the Mountain), form a trinity along with Tirta Empul (the Holy Waters of the Plains) at Tampaksiring and Tirta Selukat (the Holy Waters of the Sea) at Medahan in Gianyar [all places on Bali]. Pilgrims, especially women in early pregnancy and anyone who has recovered from along illness, bathe in each of the three waters in turn.'

Adding to this:

'The Hot Spring, Tirta Bungkah (Holy Waters of the Mountain), was developed in 1997 for the upmarket tourist trade. Though very beautiful, and not expensive by western standards, the pools are out of the reach of the local people who make do with a muddy outlet a few steps away. Though we had a lovely meal here, and enjoyed the peace and tranquility of a beautiful spot, we regretted later that we had pandered to commercialism, since the waters have religious significance to the Balinese.'

Certainly excluding locals by way of pricing seems non-excusable; then again the facilities certainly warrant the hefty sums required for entrance. Possibly some compromise could have been met, but once a private company has invested they'll not be willing to relinquish control over the only source to which they have obtained exclusive rights. This is comparable to situations in many other developing countries as well as previously in the western world. Ideally the hygienic / cleanliness factors required for outsiders could easily be obtained through better management including (local) users.

Fake (over) development? In hot water.

On the plus side, besides enhanced soaking facilities, there were sufficient other points to warrant the entrance fee, so I certainly did not feel short changed. In a later blog entry I'll come back to this often occurring discussion. Many Southeast Asian governments are obsessed with improving soaking facilities hoping to cash in, through increased tourist earnings. While at the same time, tourists seem to be negligent about these kinds of attractions. Or after visiting are either interested in the naturalness of the site or the ability to soak. However half baked in-between solutions tend to be the least valued by tourists, though may be fully sufficient for locals.

Interestingly I found another great source on this discussion on the Wikitravel site. Here's just part of the discussion:

'Note, incidentally, that a "developed" hot spring is not necessarily a commercial hot spring, i.e., one that has been developed for profit-making purposes. The distinction can be important in countries and regions where the political/economic system allows for both for-profit and public-interest/non-profit/governmental development; regulations for doing the developing will often differ between the two cases, as will the resulting amenities, access, etc. For example, as a general rule, springs in the United States that have been developed by government will have fewer amenities, but also lower admission fees, than for-profit developments. In Japan, many hot springs in rural locations are maintained by the local government and are open to the public for free, and even expensive spa resort towns usually have at least one public bath open to all for a token fee. '

Personally I would prefer the Japanese onsen, which not only strike a pretty good balance between soaking ability and naturalness as well as practicing high levels of hygiene and the ability to take the waters naturally.

Great surroundings, the soaks overlook Danau Batur (Lake Batur) and the Abang volcano with the Agung volcano peeking through the clouds.

Surroundings
Already emphasized are the picturesque surroundings. Along the western edge of the outer volcano rim are a number of villages with some nice temples, beyond that is a high plateau with many citrus and coffee plantations. Furthermore there are many treks possible, but many guidebooks warn about persistent guides.

Within Toya there are a number of guesthouses and a (too?) large hotel. In other villages there are also hotel facilities.

Getting there: The main eastern mountain road between the south and north coasts of Bali runs through Kintamani district. As one comes (from the south) to the caldera edge, there's a road heading steeply down. Follow this and once below stay on the left side of the lake. After 4 km's one finds one self in Toya Bungkah. The resort is located in the middle of the village, with a large parking area.

A great soak?

Soaking Experience: With ample space for both soaking as well for swimming this is an ideal place. The soaking waters could be hotter, but the swimming pool was great for doing laps and for alternating between hot and cold. With many other foreigners about I didn't fell uncomfortable in my swimmers which could be a first. The facilities were far from being over run which certainly adds to the atmosphere of relaxation

Overall Impression: Without doubt this is one of the best enhanced soaking facilities in Southeast Asia, at least what I have visited. The soaking experience is a plus as well as striving for hygienic and clean facilities. Unfortunately the free drink and food could have been better.

Soaking in the early evening, lights out by seven!