25.11. A bath in hot springs

After a cooler night than expected, we rented a scooter again on Sunday and drove out of Pai in a little over an hour, enjoying the amazing views of the wooded mountains that surround Pai. Just for this ride, the excursion was worth it because the panoramas offered by the winding road up and down the mountains were spectacular.

We went to a cave system that extends around a so-called Lod Cave. It was nice that these caves were not illuminated and only a traditional lantern from an obligatory guide provided light. Through these patches of light, we could admire huge stalactites, which sometimes even formed massive columns and seemed to support the cave ceiling. The darkness intensified the feeling of being in a cave, although it slightly affected the quality of the photos, which is not really a problem since we were not there for the photos, but for the cave experience. We also took a short ride on a bamboo raft through the dark cave, with swarms of really big fish constantly swimming around us, sticking their mouths out of the water in hopes of food.

The entrance hall

Stalactites over stalactites

Something that was really special about the caves were the remains of old coffins. These shattered coffins, thankfully without human remains, were lying on the walls of the cave passages and were originally washed ashore from China, according to researchers.

On the way back, it got quite cool due to the wind, which is why a stop at a "wayside" hot spring was just right for us. Fortunately, we had our swimwear with us, so we could change and slide into the spring. It was warmer than expected and had several natural pools at different levels. Since the upper pool had no visible inflow, but water continuously flowed into a deeper level, the water must originate underground and also bring the heat to the surface.