Cambodian recall

A feature article in Phnom Penh Post's September 11/12, 2010 weekend supplement, 7D, highlights Tei Teuk Pous, Cambodia's only known hot water spring.

Since my visit (two and a half years ago) nothing seems to have changed. Better background info, though the bottom line is that it still not really worth a visit ...

The article (poorly scanned) but readible. Just open in new tab.

Updates for October 2009

A few changes on the site itself. I've created a mirror site dedicated especially for Thai soaking sites, aptly named Soaking in Siam, while at the same time I've added another blog site concerning Waterfalls in Southeast Asia. Though a soak is great, sometimes a cool soak can be just as invigorating. What's more, like where I live in Cambodia, there's only the 1 soak so visiting waterfalls makes sense, sort of. I'll leave the reader to decide on that ...

There have also been a couple of smaller changes as well on the site, most notably the linkwithin widget. It has instantly became one of the better referrers. See also the Top Posts. How the ranking works I don't know, but already 6 posts are graded at 10 (out of 10). By the time the whole top 10 is such rated I'll have to ditch this widget, doesn't add much.

News / Features
Roxanne

An interesting post by Roxanne Downer which is to be published in Spafinder titled

'Spa Customs around the World'.

Spafinder mentions its global reach but has only 3 hot spring spa's in Asia (out of 5,000), one of which is in Southeast Asia (COMO Shambhala, Bali; which actually is not a hot spring spa ...).

Anyway Roxanne's article tackles the most anxiety causing issue, nudity apparently:

'Understandably, being undressed with someone you’ve just met can feel awkward. It certainly doesn’t help that customs regarding nudity at spas vary from country to country'.

If anything most people have problems being naked with people they know...
She then cites an Italian spa marketing manager who explains that it's due to Catholicism that nudity is a no-no in that country. Funny that in catholic France, Spain and Austria there are less qualms. Roxanne fails to guide us through on this the most anxious issue ....

Filipino (and Catholic?) Jhayelle Schluter takes undoubtedly a for Roxanne confusing bath in Japan.

Then feel reassured as:

'take comfort in the knowledge that, in many locales, single-sex treatment areas or hours and same-gender therapists are the norm'.

That's probably the conservative American in her speaking.

She then highlights how soaking in Japan is besides a ritual practice a social one, though again she lacks to mention that nudity is de-rigeur, even co-ed ....

Finally she tackles the American issue of utmost importance, tipping, though again no real guidance ...

Anxiety in China?
More on the aforementioned most anxiety causing subject. And in relation to China where they claim that nakedness is a western undesirability.
A good piece (from last year) in the China Daily by Raymond Zhou. He states:

'Is public nudity legal in China? I do not know. I have not heard of a law that legitimizes or forbids it, but it certainly goes against China's social mores. The puritanical constraints of Confucianism essentially put these matters off limit for rational debate. ...
Paradoxically, the Chinese society has long put up with social nudity. Someone told me of women in rural places, young and old, who in the old days did not bother to wear tops in the suffocating heat of summer. ...
In a country with more pressing issues to solve, naturism is something that concerns a tiny slice of social life. People who are into it should exercise common sense and refrain from creating a scene; they should visit secluded locations for their activities such as sun-bathing and swimming. While the public should be more open-minded, the gradual pace of social acceptance is the intangible rule that guides such things'.

The father of the nation, Mao, even was partial to a skinny dip:

'Mao took a liking to swimming naked [but not co-ed]'

(page 354, Mao, a biograhy by Ross Terrill).

Unfortunately Mr. Zhou may have said it all when stressing the lack of conformity in social mores and reality. Take Singapore a largely Confucianism based society:

'A 19-year-old student, who was one of the women participating in a topless car wash, has been expelled from her college ...
The student ... said she had only two months to her graduation'.

Source.
Though I personally view the whole idea of car washing half naked as a particular form of sexual exploitation (and childish), why a woman would get kicked off a school for doing what a male can do without any second thoughts seems obnoxious.

Promoting soaking?

'Guangdong Provincial Tourism Bureau has announced that October 25 will be Guangdong Hot Spring Tourism Day'.

From China Hospitality News.
Possibly there may be some understanding as to what a hot spring is:

'Guangdong is among the best provinces for hot spring operation, construction and services. It now has more than 300 hot springs that can be developed, 130 have already been developed, and 70 already in operation'.

That's a lot of hot springs. This list nearly contains 1200 references to hot springs and Guangdong.
Wonder what they mean with 'developed'?

Developed
A possible answer comes from the Philippines.

'Millions of pesos in government funds and taxpayers’ money were spent on an infrastructure project aimed to boost the tourism industry in Tanjay City, Negros Oriental, but it has now turned into a “white elephant”, said incumbent officials of that city. ...
The officials are referring to the Mainit Spring Development project, where an unutilized swimming pool was built sometime in 2005. ....
However, as the project was well underway, it was discovered that the elevation of the swimming pool was way above the hot water source, and for still unclear reasons, the construction of the facility was stopped'.

Blogoshere
Malaysia

• A photographic guide to Annah Rais in My Life, My Sharing.

• More Sungai Klah at Netmoirs from a Solemn Rover:

  'Here is some facts about Sungai Klah Hot Springs Park (SKHSP) or Taman Rekreasi Air Panas (TRAP) Sungai Klah. First of all, this place is a must visit especially if you are a local as this place was carefully managed by FELDA, the leading agency spearheading plantations and agro-tourism industry. This place was inaugurated in December 2003 (mentioned above) with the building cost of over RM6 million. SKHSP is reputed to be one of the best hot spring in Malaysia. The hot spring is located 200 ft. above sea level at the foothill of the biggest mountain range in malaysia, the Titiwangsa Range. You pay a tenner per person, and RM7 for senior citizen'. ...
  'We wondered around not much as most stalls and shops were closed. It was Monday and it is such a pity that this kind of place are only lively in the weekends. Good news for xenophobics, if you hate contact and being a crowded place, this place is good for you during the weekdays!'

Thailand

• Pong Duet by Betty:

  'Pong Dueat is definitely not a world class attraction, but it is a beautiful, little-visited, quiet rest stop on the way to Pai. The hot springs must be a real attraction during the cold months, when mornings are positively chilly in the mountains. Also highly recommended if you want more scenery than concrete to go with your hot spring experience. ...
  As usual, Thai visitors were taking a dip all dressed up and we did not stick out'.

Vietnam

• A write up on Binh Chau by Sarahelaine, the nation's southern most hot spring. Resort: quite expensive. Rooms: very clean. Hot springs: lovely. Massages: very nice. More on the trip there and back here.

Cambodia

• Nyo Nyum August/September 2009 Edition of Cambodian Life . Click on photo above for full picture and text of Cambodia's only hot spring.
  

• Yet again more info on Kampong Speu's hot spring this time from an updated guide to the province on Cambodia.com:

  'The country’s only hot springs are found in Kampong Speu at Phnom Te village. Known as Te Teuk Pous, it is well off the beaten track and is easy to miss. Its name is derived from the name of its founder Lady Te and Tuek Pos, which is Khmer for boiling water. There has been some development around the springs to create a pool to collect the hot water from the ground but the developer appears to have dropped plans to convert the area into a golf and spa resort [appears refers to leaving the place deserted ...]. Changing rooms, soaking tub and picnic tables have been built but otherwise, there are no other facilities, nor people in attendance The springs are sacred to the Suoy minority tribe that still uses the site for religious ceremonies. To the Suoy, healing spirits reside in the hot springs. Small archaeological finds suggest that Angkor kings would use the springs for their therapeutic properties and the area could have been part of an Angkorera burial site. The belief in the spring’s healing waters still prevail today as the Kampong Speu locals who make their way to Te Teuk Pous believe that it will cure them of afflictions'.

Co-incidence or not, two foto's highlighting the difficulties in dealing with English while visiting a hot spring in Southeast Asia:

Source

Source

Tei Teuk Pous: Cambodia's finest?

Cambodia's only hot springs site: naturally not, developed not.

Well, the title to this entry is a bit unfair, considering this is the only place in Cambodia with a hot spring. It must be the finest! Still the title is true, but possibly a bit misleading ....

Name
Before rating the site based on my visit of last week another hot issue concerning this entry concerns the name of the springs. It's been mentioned to as Phnom Te, Tai Teuk Pous, Ta Te Teuk Pus (Cambodia Life), Te Teuk Pus, and probably a couple more variations on the preceding. Matt Jacobsen's 2007 Ultimate Cambodia guide (arguably the best guide, of and off the tourist trails in Cambodia) gives his own solution: he simply refers to it as 'Ancient hot springs'!
However here at Soaking in Southeast Asia we've decided on Tei Teuk Pous which is the name on the prominent signboard announcing your impending arrival at the site. Then again it's not 100% sure that there is no typo error on that signboard, but we have to start somewhere.

The road travelled
Considering Cambodia has only just the one hot spring, you would imagine that it's not so hard to find. To a certain degree that's correct, finding it is not too difficult, getting there is entirely different story. Located in Kampong Speu province, the springs are to be found in Aural (or Oral) district of this province. Considering it's not directly on the tourist trail, it can be excused that the tiny district headquarters (otherwise known as Sangkea Satob) fails to direct you in the right direction. Then again if you know there's only 1 roundabout in the district and you need to go west, these clues should be sufficient to guide you onwards to the hot springs which are roughly 10km south of Sangkea Satob's roundabout.

Imminent arrival, one signboard (hot water) the other: Tei Teuk Pous Ecotourism

As you have been traveling on poor roads (or very poor roads) for over two hours, you must be getting exhilarated by finally arriving at the hot springs themselves, however, if it wasn't for a signboard you probably would have just driven past.

The springs themselves

In all honesty, for a hot spring, it's a bit disappointing. As you can see from the photo, the two signboards give an indication as to which direction the springs are to be found. There's a makeshift temple between the road and the springs, which are 50 m further away. Some development has taken place, I'll get to that later and some is still impending (considering the amount of heaped gravel lying close by). The springs lie on the edge of a swampy area. Development has lead to a 50 cm high wall around the springs, the top of which is level to the surrounding ground. Some of the springs within this 10m in diameter box have been cemented in, no idea why. The pond overflows at a couple of places and a stream carries this hot overflow away in the direction of the swamp. From the barrier wall, steel rods protrude upwards, indicating that there are plans to raise the wall higher so as to create a pond with a larger capacity. Where most of the water overflows steel pipes with valves lie roughly 50 cm above the water. Could it be that after the wall has been raised, these would be then used to allow water to enter the steel pipes? Possibly. And where do the steel pipes go to?

The springs themselves, the only way is up?

Before I answer that, I could additionally highlight that there used to be a separate system with wooden boxes (for bathing purposes?). There's a sitting Buddha statue, though it's significance eludes me. But what is pretty clear is that the site is neither natural anymore nor open to bathing. I do take off my shoes and let my feet dangle in the hot stream, but is that the satisfaction for this day-long trip?

Development?
Well, aside from satisfying my curiosity there is still the issue of the steel pipes. The steel pipes follow the stream for a while but where the stream makes a turn the pipes continue straight in and through a forest of sorts.
I return to the springs themselves get on my motorbike and travel 500m back where a straight and broad road (complete with gutters) heads to a building, which on closer inspection is a gate /entrance. Parked the motor again and on foot through the gate. The buildings are all of recent date though for possibly a year or so it seems to have been deserted. Beyond the gate, small wooden structures can be seen which are meant to be bathing houses. Each have been stylishly designed, with doors and a small shelter. Unsheltered to the sky, are a squarish tubs roughly 1 by 1m, 50-70 cm in depth. On the sides of the tubs not connected to the shelter there is trellis, possibly to give some privacy for bathers. All in all, these would provide a better soaking experience than many I have observed in Thailand.

Soaking huts: spread out

There are roughly about twenty of these structures, some larger than others. Beyond these are changing rooms (with lots of cow shit!), an intended restaurant with deck and separate picnic tables with shade covering. This all backs onto the swamp with the hot stream in the foreground. In the distance one can still observe the hot springs.

The place is eerie silent, if it were not for the abundant bird life. Overall the surroundings (here and back at the springs) were alive with birds: swallows, bee-eaters, a coucal, a pair of pied starlings, babblers and more. If not for the hot springs, the site is certainly interesting for bird-watching!
Though the buildings are certainly not overgrown, no recent evidence of human occupation can be seen. Already a huge tree has come crushing down and blocking a couple paths.

More on the hot springs' development
Apparently, the 'ecotourism' of the signboard site refers to these new structures. A 2006 article on the Lutheran World Foundation's (LWF) development work nearby the hot springs describes the following:

'But the community fears that the underground water [of a deep well] will be exhausted in future if the golf courses, being developed by two foreign-owned companies, become operational. The construction of golf courses and hotels near the village, in the guise of eco-tourism is ongoing. "We know that these companies will be using much more water than we do," the villagers lament. "Our deep wells might dry up."

Mr David H. Mueller, the LWF/DWS representative in Cambodia, points out that the "ecotourism" project has also claimed the Suoy people's sacred hot springs, and disallows access to other natural resources the community has customarily relied on, especially in the most meager season for food and income'.

Matt Jaconbsen (2007) adds:

'A swank hotel and health spa was recently built to cash in on the reputed benefits of the water and is located just before one arrives at the main site'.

And one of the aforementioned sites (Phnom Te):

'Hot spring is rare is Cambodia and expected to become a big spa for health rehabilitation in the future'.

Well, a swank hotel it certainly is not, neither would I refer to the intended hot springs park (?) as a health spa. And there is certainly no evidence of golf courses.
Did the companies run out of money? Possibly. However it was always going to be a long shot, the road from the main highway is a 60 km non-black topped 'road'. Half of which is in very poor condition, another of Cambodia's so-called dancing roads. I count myself lucky I decided to take just two-wheels, this way I can wind my way through the pot-holes. Nevertheless, it took me a little more than 2 hours to complete the 60 kms. If you are expecting scores of cars to travel up from Cambodia's bustling capital Phnom Penh to see the springs for themselves (and knock a golf ball around), well that might be a slight miscalculation!

The 'resort' entrance: a road less traveled?

What if?
However, with giving the companies the rights to develop the site, alternative small-scale development has (or is) probably not allowed. That's unfortunate, local interest in the springs would have remained strong. Certainly, Matt Jacobsen refers to the springs having significant medical / health properties:

'Cambodians far and near still make the journey in an effort to rid themselves of skin diseases and other illnesses'.

Additionally, he refers extensively to the spiritual significance for the local Suoy:

'The site is still used for religious ceremonies by the local minority Suoy people, so it is possible that knowledge and use of this site has been passed down through the centuries. It is believed that spirits reside at the hot springs and parents have been known to take their children, along with a buffalo, to the springs when the children became ill, sacrificing the buffalo to the spirits to rid the child of the illness'.

And if this is not significant enough he relates how archaeological finds have been made near the springs themselves; pieces were reckoned to have:

'very symbolic religious motives.

....

'Legend has it that kings came to the site to enjoy the medicinal value of the mineral water and the area may be part of an Angkor era burial mound'.

This would most probably mean that locals would continue to not only visit the site, but enhance it. Not all development is for the good. That said the structures built are certainly not swanky as mentioned but rather in keeping with the natural site itself. Unfortunately the developers have not chosen to fulfill their promise.

Finally
In the end, despite their significance for Cambodia the springs currently have little value other than for 'freaks' (I mean that positively!) such as myself: satisfying my curiosity.

More photo's of Tei Touk Pous can be found on my hot springs photo site.

[Update (March 7, 2008): An article in Asialife (March, 2008, Phnom Penh edition) on Kampong Speu province identifies the site as Teuk Phoh:

'Although not a volcanic country Cambodia boasts hot springs high in the foothills of Mount Aural. Teuk Phoh, which means emerging water in Khmer, is located on a five hectare site full of forests and red rock'.

If anything the author is misled, probably never been there. Some sentences seem to be copied from this site. The hot springs are not high up in the foothills! Nor is the site full of forests and red rock, if anything it is a swamp! The author identifies the locals as Kuoy instead of Suoy. She (Anita Surewicz) does add that:

' Washing your face with spring water is believed to bring good luck!'

End of update]

Getting There: Tei Touk Pous hot springs are located in Oral district, Kampong Speu. From Phnom Penh take highway no 4. to just beyond Kampong Speu town (nearly 50 km from the city centre). A large signboard announces the turn to Oral which is on the west side of the road. Continue along this black-topped road for two kilometers until you get to a bridge over a canal, straightaway turn toyour left and follow the canal road for about 200 m, after which it is clear that the road veers off the side of the canal. This is also the worst stretch of the road. From here it is nearly 50 km to Sangkea Satob, Oral district headquarters. The closer to Sangkea Satob the less potholes, possibly some overall kind of road reconstruction is taking place, possibly it could just as well be a dry season job, the road deteriorating after the monsoonal rains. In Sangkea Satob, go straight at the roundabout, the road narrows slightly and winds more. The landscape becomes much more forestry and you pass a couple of streams until after 10km from the roundabout the main road you've been following veers too the right and a big cement sign on your left reads 'hot water'. You have arrived!

Getting there: prepare yourself for some dusty rock 'n roll!

Soaking Experience: Well as you may have read above there's not much of a bathing culture nor facilities. Dangling your feet in the main pool would be ill-advised, too hot! Just follow the run-off of the overflow until you find a place where soaking your feet is possible and agreeable. Do not expect to soak more than your feet. Not in the near future

Overall Impression: Considering that the springs are not open for business I would not recommend anyone to specifically visit the springs, but if you need to be in the area (why?), a short stop maybe warranted.

Update. From September 2010 an article in the Phnom Penh Post (reblogged). No changes to situation described above.