Chiang Dao’s Hot Springs

Thailand – November 2022

My third stay in Chiang Mai is short and I say goodbye to the northern metropolis with passport photos for visas and anticipation of Laos and Vietnam. I walk the short distance from my hostel to the Phueak bus station. I get there early and ask my way to the departure platform for the local bus to Chiang Dao. Arriving at the right counter, I pay the few dozen Baths and then sit down on one of the benches in front of the designated departure platform with the blue ticket in my hand and my 2 rucksacks. The station is small and only has 2 round roofs to provide a little shade.

Fortunately, it is no longer the height of summer and the temperature is relatively pleasant. So I watch the yellow songthaews coming and going, roaring loudly, until my bus arrives. At some point I am distracted by two small boys. The taller one asks me in English where I’m from. We talk briefly, then they have to leave and jump into one of the yellow trucks with their mother. Shortly afterwards, my bus arrives and I take my seat by the window. Luckily I can open it, because the fan in the aisle doesn’t work. With the wind in my hair, we slowly head north.

The route from Chiang Mai to Chiang Dao can be covered by car in just 1.25 hours. But the bus is old and stops every now and then to let passengers get on from the side of the road. After what feels like an eternity, we arrive in Chiang Dao and I ask at the bus station for the timetable for the onward journey to Chiang Rai. Then the search for accommodation begins: I find several options on Booking.com. My first port of call is the Brown House Chiang Dao. I immediately like the wooden bungalow and after a phone call with the owner I can move straight into the dormitory.

Using Google Translate, I ask the gardener present whether it is possible to hire bicycles. A few minutes later, a man with a motorcycle and trailer arrives to deliver the bike I’ve ordered. I pay the equivalent of 5 euros for 24 hours and head straight west. After all, the main reason for my stay here are the Hot Springs, which are a good 6 km from my accommodation. Full of energy and in anticipation of a relaxing dip, I pedal off and quickly leave the traffic on the main road behind me. Then it’s a short uphill ride past temples and banana plantations.

After crossing the second main road in the village, I reach the agricultural zone and as I round the last bend, a few water buffaloes suddenly appear in front of me. However, the cows and their calves are not bothered by me – after all, they are looking for fresh grass. I slowly pass the animals and finally park my bike at the entrance to the wildlife research station. I seem to have arrived at rush hour, as all the concrete pools are occupied. So I sit down on a rock above the river. One of the stray dogs in the area lies down next to me and we relax and watch the hustle and bustle together.

A wooden sign written in Japanese suggests that travelers from the Land of the Rising Sun became aware of the hot springs in Chiang Dao National Park and imported the local bathing culture to Thailand. However, there are no changing rooms in these public onsen and the pools are not gender-segregated, so bathers bathe in their clothes. The hot water is fed through pipes from the source into a series of concrete cylinders and the temperature decreases slightly with each pool you enter. So I grab a pool near the river to get used to it.

After a few minutes, I am deeply relaxed and wish I never had to get out of the water again. Eventually, however, I do as the Thais do and lie down in the refreshing, clear water of the stream for a quick dip. It is very cold and I quickly sit back down in one of the pools further up. Here I chat for a while with the elderly man from the USA who has settled in Chiang Dao for his pension. As the sun slowly begins to disappear behind the trees, I finally make my way back to the hostel. The sunset with the banana trees swaying in the wind and the jungle mountains in the background is magical.

After a quick shower, I get straight back on my bike and, armed with my headlamp, make my way up to the Micro Cosmos Craft Beer & Burger Bar , which I discovered on the way home from the onsen. The food is delicious! However, a quick chat with the owner tells me that few tourists make their way here. Most of them move on from Chiang Mai to Pai. I, on the other hand, regret not having more time to explore the area. Because the next day I have to move on. But I don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy the warm spring water again with a morning swim. This time I’m joined by a little black pug who often comes here with his owner.

After a quick lunch at a roadside stall near the bus station, I set off on my journey north. Apparently you can take a boat from Thaton down the Kok to Chiang Rai. The bus ride on the same blue behemoth that took me from Chiang Mai to Chiang Dao is again a blessing. When I arrive in Thaton, however, most of the other passengers have already disembarked and I have a premonition that there is not much going on here. Armed with Google Maps, I set off again in search of accommodation. Today, however, I have less luck.

Various of the accommodations listed on Booking.com can no longer be found or the doors are locked. In the end, however, I find the Thaton Beach Resort. I pay for one night in a large hut and breakfast by the river the next morning. Then I set off on the family bike in search of the river cruise operator. Disillusionment soon follows: the office at the jetty is closed. Instead, construction work for a temporary stand and a raft is underway on the riverbank nearby. Children and dogs play in the brown water near the shore. I watch the goings-on from Thaton bridge for a while. As the sun is almost setting, several long boats suddenly appear in the bend of the river.

About 6 men are rowing hard at a time, trying to maneuver their boat up the river to the improvised grandstand in front of their opponents. Now I know why there are currently no boat trips to Chiang Rai. So I give up the search and decide to get a simple dinner at 7-11 before looking into alternative transportation options. This evening, for the first time in a long time, I am hit by an upset stomach for dietary reasons. By midnight, the persistent nausea leaves me unable to sleep. But just lying in bed doesn’t help in the long run either. So I cycle back to the bridge, from where loud bangs can be heard.

It seems that the Loy Krathong festivities have already begun here. Numerous people come and go with crates of beer on the panniers of bicycles or mopeds. Others have spread out entire camping equipment for barbeques on their pick-up trucks. Once again, I watch the hustle and bustle and the small fireworks displays until my stomach rebels too much. A long night follows during which I wander back and forth between the bathroom and my bed. “At least I have the whole hut to myself,” I think, before falling into a restless sleep.

Fortunately, the next morning brings relief for my upset stomach and a little hope for the onward journey. I could take a songthaew eastbound at the bus station at 7-11. I would have to change once in Mae Chan. So after a hearty breakfast with a view of the river, I make my way to the main road. 2 songthaews simply drive past me before a third one graciously stops. He wasn’t going to Mae Chan, but could drop me off at the bus station. When it turns out that the bus station is within walking distance of the bridge, I begin to resign myself to the pitfalls of getting around by public transport in the countryside.

I am now at the mercy of the goodwill (and prices) of the songthaew drivers if I want to get to Chiang Rai during the festival period. They know this too, and I’m initially brushed off with the curt information that I’ll have to wait. When an old lady climbs into the back seat of a yellow truck, I ask the driver again. He tells me that there are no regular trips planned to Mae Chan today and that I will have to hire a whole bus to make the one-hour journey. I agree, he calls a friend and 20 minutes later I’m stretched out on the back of a songthaew. To my surprise, the comfortable ride is over after just 25 minutes.

The driver tells me to get out and says that another guy will pick me up shortly. Sure enough, 5 minutes later, a blue truck comes roaring up from the opposite direction and, after a brief conversation with the first driver, asks me to get in. Hoping that this is the last change until Mae Chan, I get on and we speed off. I send up another prayer to the heavens that the car will survive the journey in one piece. We actually arrive in the small town north of Chiang Rai at record speed. I suspect that this has something to do with the amount I have paid. The driver kindly takes me to the bus station, where a short time later I take the minivan to my final destination.

The next adventure is already waiting for me here….