Updates for January 2010

Despite my intention to stem the flow of self typed updates, there were quite a few worthwhile articles on internet to warrant yet again another monthly update.

The Soaking Blogs
During the past months I have been updating the links list. Some links have gone dead, mostly those of government sites and/or geocities sites which have ceased to exist. I've tried to replace some links, though others remain (dead) as the alternatives were non-English sites or links to PDF files which I feel reluctant to link to. Other links have altogether disappeared, but I'll maintain these in the listing, I've seen that with the growth in internet they can reappear again.

In all there are / were 376 links, one third of which come from Indonesia. Others with many links are Thailand (94) and the Philippines (69).

First hand visits now account for 28 of these links, over half of which are from Thailand. Maps have been added to give a (rough) idea of where they are located as Google Maps coverage of Southeast Asia is not yet up to standard whereby one can directly pinpoint the correct location.

On the Himalaya site more (descriptive) links have been added on soaks in Nepal, India and Tibet.

Southeastasian Soaking News
Vietnam's Binh Chau hot spring, already one of the country's better developed hot springs, is set to be turned into a massive development site:

'The Kim To Trading and Service Co., Ltd late last week started work on its Binh Chau Hot Spring Villa project in southern Ba Ria –Vung Tau Province with a total investment capital of VND470 billion (US$254.5 million)'.

That last amount has the decimal in the wrong place, it's only US$ 25.5 million! Included are shopping facilities ...

Phuket, Thailand is adding attractions which it's visitors are supposed to love. Despite Phuket already being Southeast Asia's premier tourist destination, nothing is complete without a water park. So Phuket see's two water parks opening up for bizniz in the coming months (source). Surprisingly Splash Jungle includes a hot spring pool (natural or not?) which serves as an 'escape for parents'. And a wave pool, located just a few hundred meters from the beach!

In Malaysia, Sabah is all set to add another tourist trap in the form of a hot spring park in Tawau. Already possessing one of Southeast Asia's most sought out soaks (Poring; beware though, most visitors are quite disappointed), government and bizniz seem to think that more of the same is required. Apparently because not so many folk visited the natural springs development more development was needed so as to make the general public aware of the benefits of hot spring soaking. Tough luck for those nature lovers ....
The 16+ ha park-like setting contrasts with the previous natural setting. Luckily the developers will also concentrate on ensuring that visitors enjoy fresh air.

Soaking Gone Crazy
Yes, so it seems. From travelpod.com a (slightly delayed) report from 10,000 students gone soaking in Xianning, Hubei, China:

'A total of 10,012 students bathed simultaneously in the city's seven hot springs, setting a new Guinness World Record'.

Last month I highlighted the weird ways of soaking in Japan, unaware that all all this can be experienced in just one onsen in Hakone, Yunessun. Coffee and wine for instance. And:

'From there it got even crazier: Green Tea bath, Sake bath, Black Tea bath, and then a Japanese Traditional Bath. That one was super cool because it had literally 50 floating half-grapefruits in it, along with a ton of other fruit and lemons and citrus... just floating in it?! This is apparently a very traditional bath style and it rocked'.

Asian Soaking Etiquette
Onsensoaker has a revealing post on wani's (Japanese crocodiles) who are making bathing uncomfortable for female soakers in Japan's (hot spring) baths. Trouble is that the more uncomfortable one is, the less females participate. This in turn means that the wani's have less to focus on, leaving the remaining victims who do soak, even more uncomfortable.
Time for societies to change? At least the government should start opening the 'hunting season' for the wani's without giving too much coverage to the subject. As soon as the media pick up on this they have to picture it in black / white terms because they believe their public will otherwise not understand the issue at hand. To be continued.

Malaysian soaker in Korea experiences some awkwardness despite the absence of wani's:

'I kept looking at the floor so that I didn't have to see any...er...interesting things'.

In Hin Dat, Thailand a blogger believes it's all Russia's fault for the poor pool spring water quality:

'bus hordes of Russians were unloaded and headed straight for the pools. But … not a single specimen of the pallid northerners headed for the toilets.
Well, a few minutes after dozens of Russians took over the pools a strange subtle odor seemed to emerge from beneath. Not the kind of sulphur smell. But an acrid, distinct urine-like smell.
In an instant we were out of the water heading straight for the showers. Must have missed a similar busload the other day … Russians arrive there every day by the busloads, we were afterwards told'.

Cross cultural mis-communication of sorts?

Kaekie:

'Enjoying hot spring Thai style'.

Probably in Chiang Dao.
Funny though, their 'enjoying' is simply making takes of tubby Thai tubbers.
Not taking a soak themselves.

Bob up

Reposted from Soaking in Siam, a visit I made the other month, to Phang Nga province in southern Thailand.

Off the trail
Despite it's presence to the nearby tourist center of Phuket (and Khao Lak), Kapong hot spring seems to be well off the tourist trail. That said the lazy environs of Kapong are altogether located in what one would suspect another world, one without tourists.

The main hot spring area. Sandbagged and ready for a soak.
The spring itself is located at the start of the pond.

Kapong
Kapong (or Ka-pong) hot spring is otherwise known (probably locally) as Plai Phu. Located in the district of Kapong in Phang Nga province, in the south of the country it's just a 2 hour drive from the hub of Phuket's hot tourist spot (Patong) or just 1 hour from Khao Lak. The town itself seems very laid back and for a district head quarter not much seems to be going on. Economic activity revolve around rubber planting with evidence of recent palm oil plantations slowly attributing to local economic significance. Furthermore, mostly small villages located between quite heavily forested mountains.

The parking area with a market stall. Some other housing (unused) behind.

The Site
There is quite a bit of parking space on gravel belong side the Le stream. Behind between the trees there are a number of bungalows and other structures which seem unused. Downstream one sees (a now cut off from the main stream) side channel with some huts and a number of port-a-loos besides. The side channel has been blocked with a dozen or so sand bags creating a half meter deep pool which is warmish. Go to the far end of the channel and the water is definitely hot. Nearby in the main stream, are a number of springs in the river bed which are hot and the main stream itself heats up.

Merge between the hot stream (left) and the main cold stream (right).

Desert?
A great place to soak up the heat especially now while the weather is cooler. But alas the main area is totally devoid of trees so during the day having a soak without getting a heat stroke is not possible so it seems. Possibly that's why the place is so deserted. What I like is that though enhanced one can see that the site has remained mostly natural. I can also imagine that come sun down this is a great place to hang out and around.

Out There
From the internet one does not become more knowledge, so it seems.

• This site mentions water temperatures of 65 degrees Celsius.

• A foreigner (presumably English: the_wibblywobblies notes a word of caution:

  'On departure we stopped off at a Hot Spring near Kapong. Our 5 year old inadvertently stepped into the small pool of extremely hot natural mineral water and suffered 2nd degree burns to her feet. We are planning to have a warning sign erected there but in the meantime please be careful'.

  There's no danger sign and there were some certainly very hot pools. If this were somewhere else in the western world there would be big fences around it and no bathing facilities at all.

• Wikitravel's otherwise excellent Thailand entries fails to note the existence of the hot springs in Kapong (as laid down on the Phang Nga provincial page) though does mention the surrounding waterfalls.

• Finally PhangNgacity.org though is more explanatory:

  'Some of the hot springs spring up in a very cold stream that flows from the mountain. It is marked by arranged-cobble stones. On the level besides the stream there are concrete wells 2 meters high, with steps up and down 3-4 wells connecting altogether, in the area of 200 square meters to contain hot spring water that bobbed up. Nowadays (2007) these hot spring have lower bob ups, which may be caused by changes underground'.

  The site also has some (better?) photo's. That includes a picture of stone structures which just might have been some soaking facilities in the past.

Did I mention forested hills?
Well opposite the soak site they are doing their best to correct this impression.

Getting there: The hot springs are just 8 km out of town. Once past the district offices heading north one needs to take the first right towards Nai Le village. The good roads continues for roughly 4 km, when this time a well signposted turn heads to another right and up the valley the road continues onward until a sudden halt as one drives into a teak forest. The unpaved track continues for another 500m and one has arrived at Kapong hot spring.

Soaking experience: Natural and alternate use of cold water are a plus. Pity the water levels are not deeper, but a superior experience. Come morning early or during sun down.

Overall impression: The place is well worth a soak if a mid day visit can be avoided. Though evidence of use widespread it'sd by no means trashed. A place to get to know.

Lots of smaller springs around the river bed.

The main spring.

The main pond with the port-a-loo's and market stalls.