Updates for February 2009

Avid followers of this blog will have realized some minor changes. One of them is including a number of great links to mostly link sites of hot springs elsewhere. These include NZhotpools, onsensoaker (and her blog) and the soakerforum (of mostly North America).

In the news section not much to mention. Bangkok Post have been to Pai and visited / granted free publicity to the new Pai Hot Spring Spa Resort. This is the same resort which bloggers where not too happy with as reported in the January 2009 update. As stressed hot water seems to be in short supply!
Reviews on sawadee.com:

'hot water shower ran out within 5 minutes'

agoda.com:

'they provide hot spring pools to serve customer but most of them not hot and dirty'.

asiarooms.com:

'Even facilities like the spa pool was slimy and slippery'.

Then again others were satisfied ...

More from bloggosphere:
Malaysia

• Another previously unmentioned hot spring to add to the list: Kampung Panchor, Sarawak. More info here.

• Kerling hot springs put on photo by extremesh.

• More Sungai Klah. A great photographic overview by leemyjessy.

Philippines

• Maquinit is visited by Anna Mae. Besides some nice photo's, she adds:

  'Maquinit Salt Water Hot Spring is the only known saltwater hot spring in the Philippines, if not in the world. The water is a comfortable 40°C and I felt immediately relaxed when I climbed into the water. The hot salt water made my skin tingle, or maybe it was stinging all of the cuts and bruises I had received from diving. Whatever it was, it felt good'.

Cambodia

• Onsensoaker provided me with this link to a Japanese NGO site which details a visit to Tei Touk Pous. She translates:

  'It says " a Chinese company has a right to manage there for 99 years", " No guest at the cottages", "Best location and worst access".'

Thailand

• Another blogger, Andy Daniels, has picked up on hot springs in Thailand.

  'I am beginning to realize how strange my obsession with hot spings are... '.

  Among the hot springs Andy has visited are the hot springs of Hin Dad, Khanchanaburi:

  'The springs were really nice, big pools that fit a lot of people and were deep. You could see the bubbles from the hot water in the middle of the biggest pool. There were 3 temperatures, two big hot ones at about 106, another shallower pool at about 101, and a pool with monks in it at about 103 (that one had a sign that said "no women"). Then there was the cold river right there, great for the hot/cold therapy.'

  And an unknown hot spring near Mae Sariang, Mae Hong Son province:

  'The springs were across a little river with a bamboo bridge and were the first sulfur springs I have seen. I went up to the sources first which were very hot, had the sulfur smell, and the white algee typical of a sulfer spring. The soaking tub was down near the government bungalows that the people who took care of the springs lived in. It was a very big tub in a bungalow that the guy who had pretty much been following me and pointing to where I should go had to turn the water on to start it filling up (he had good vibes but couldn't speak English, I think he followed so I felt like I was finding them myself).'

  Phra Ruang, Kampaeng Phet:
  

  'The hot springs were pretty developed like the other ones but it was maintained on a donation basis. There was a center area (in full sun) with lots of different temp deep smaller pools, and then shallower pools around them. It didn't look like they were ever cleaned though, so at first I thought I might not be able to soak. Then I found another pool near a small man made lake that kids were riding little swan paddleboats on. That was the maintained soaking pool! It was about 103-104 and had umbrellas around for shade, and wooden planks to sit on. The source was next to it in a little raised pool that older Thai women were filling up drinking water from'.

  Mae Kasa, Tak:

  'The hot spings where a bunch of wells with artesian (flowing water) hot water coming out. Mineral deposits had formed around the wells, there were maybe 4 total and some places where the water was just coming out of the ground. The water was too hot to soak and there were not many good pools. The only good pool was in direct sunlight and it was the middle of the day so I didn't soak. There was a park area around one of the well things that had grass and some food venders. It looked like they were working to build the hot spings up more, there was also a large sized pool that was not filled with water, and some privat rooms with little tile tubs that did not look maintained.'

  Pha Charoen, Tak:

  'It was large holes with really hot water, and completely natural.'

  and Mae Klong (Umphang), Tak province:

  'Then the hot springs were wonderful. Completely natural with maybe 102 degree water and under bamboo shade'.

  All included in this blog post.
  
  Later on he reports from hot springs near Mae Hong Son:

  'First place I went was the Mud Spa [Phu Klon?] , which really was a hot spring but they collected the mud out of the source and made a spa out of it. There were a lot of people there and I knew I just wanted to soak in the pool so I walked around and found the pool.'

  
  Bangkok Post (26 Feb. '09):

  'Don't be shocked if you bump into someone looking like this in Mae Hong Son, that popular destination in the North. And, no, it's not some bizarre, hill-tribe custom! In a rice-growing area on the outskirts of the provincial town there are natural hot springs. And some time ago a spa was set up here, in the middle of nowhere, when it was discovered that the local black mud is rich in beneficial minerals. Now people flock here from as far away as Bangkok to bathe in the hot springs and indulge in mud wraps and other beauty treatments'.

  On Pha Bong:

  'I didn't think I would like it because I passed it on the bus and it looked like large swimming pools, but the pools were really very large sources. No soaking but it was cool to see the massive amounts of hot water coming out of the ground in this place.'

• Vonzwecktrek posts on a visit to Jaeson, Lampang province:

  'But the main attraction of the park is it’s natural hot springs. The scalding hot pools are a vibrant aquamarine and smell of sulphur'.

• Onsensoaker once more helps locate a yet unknown (?) hot spring in Chiang Dao, north of Chiang Mai. She adds:

  'As for the hot spring in Chiang Dao, a Japanese man living there asked local officials to permit installing a bath on river side 4-5 years ago. I heard another bath was installed after my visit. If you go there, look for left side of the Wildlife Research Station. It's easy to find'.

  Possibly it's the same as this hot springs blogged by Under-the-shade. Place has the same name and the photo looks similar.
  

• More on Pai. A visit by Kyle and Christin to the natural part of the springs brought the following comments:

  'Don't tell anybody, but we unwittingly managed to get in without paying the outrageous farang [=foreigner] price of 200 bhat per person. I glad we didn't, because the bathing area was basically a dirty little knee-deep stream. The water was nice and hot though. Higher up the hill, where the water bubbles up out of the ground, the water is 80 degrees Celsius, too hot for bathing. It is just hot enough, however, to boil some eggs'.

Indonesia

• Another hot spring to add to the links list. Sapan Maluluang. Blogged here on this site the article is originally from the Jakarta Post.

  'Legend has it Sapan Maluluang and its small pond about five by 10 meters square formed after a volcanic eruption. Billowing steam and the pungent smell of sulphur welcomed us as we approached. Too hot for a dip, the waters are said to be 100* Celsius'.

• More unlisted hot springs from Sumatra: Sinkang Jati in south Sumatra as well as Telega Biru.