Putting a natural spring back in our step

Wed 29 - Thur 30 Jan 2014

Fighting fit (at least as fit as usual), we hired a bike and made our way to one of the three waterfalls around the town. Having taken a slight detour we ended up driving through a Chinese village and visiting a viewpoint first. Getting up the steep hills was a real test for the bike but we made it, and the view was pretty incredible. Mountains stretched out as far as the eye could see in every direction.

Fearing the hefty charge that we'd receive for damaging the bike I decided to walk down the steepest part of the hill and wait for Jamie at the bottom. His helmet-topped head came into view as he drove over and down the top of the hill. With brakes on full, he managed it unscathed and picked me up for the rest of the descent.

Back on the right road, we followed the signs for the waterfall. We climbed another hill, through a little village.

"Hey, hey, hey!" A woman of about 60, who looked about 80, called out. I looked and she did the international sign for smoking, "You want joint?"

Within minutes another lady came running out of her driveway to ask the same.

We politely declined and continued to the waterfall where we parked up and clambered down the rocks. Looking up at the start of the falls, I suggested we climb it.

"I think you're still a bit too ill."

This was definitely code for "You're awful at climbing at the best of times and you've eaten nowhere near enough to get up that cliff without fainting, and I do not want to carry you up there!"

Opting for the easy path to the flat rocks halfway down the fall, we found a flat spot and rested for a while. Behind us, water gushed from the peak down one big drop and into a pool on our left before plummeting again into the big pool at the bottom. A line had been strung up between two trees over the drop pool, and we watched a guy slackline across the water. This was made much more entertaining when a group of Thai kids started trying to join in and howled with laughter every time the guy lost balance. This only distracted him further - little wobbles turned into huge sways and finished with a massive splash and a soaking wet slackliner.

It wasn't long before our tummies started to rumble, so we headed into Pai for some lunch at The Witching Well. They served enormous homemade chunky chips, which we polished off no worries.

The agenda for today was all about soothing our broken bodies, so with full bellies, we decided to have a Thai massage. Jamie chose a back, neck, and shoulder massage, and feeling too delicate for a traditional Thai backbreaker, I selected a relaxing full-body oil massage.

Feeling reborn, we sauntered out into the street and nipped back to pick up some towels and warm clothes. Our next stop would be the thermal spa.

Just 10km south of Pai, over the memorial bridge and left, are the thermal spas. There is the 'official' natural spa charging £4 a pop, but this closes at 6pm. A little farther down the road there is a resort called Pleasure (I think it was called Pleasure; whatever it was, it instantly gave us 'keys in the bowl' fear).

This place stays open until 10pm and is only £1.20 and thankfully was not full of swingers or nudists (although a German family all got in the pool in their pants).

The pool itself is man-made, but the water is straight from the natural spring. It was just turning to dusk when we stepped into the pool. The heat was phenomenal. It gave our skin that hot itchy sensation and prickled like goosebumps but was lovely. Steam rose off the top into the cool evening air, which sadly had started to fill with mosquitoes.

As the water deepened, it also grew hotter. The sun had started to set, and the sky was changing into the most beautiful shades of blue and grey as nighttime approached. The evening chorus of birds sang out, and then stars started to sprinkle the ink-blue sky. Soon after sunset, we took the plunge into the ice pool. The freezing cold water was a welcome relief, and just as our body temperatures adjusted, we got back into the thermal spa. The change between hot and cold gets your blood pumping and circulating. It's really very good for you, and the mineral-heavy water leaves your skin feeling exquisite.

We toweled off, dressed into our warm gear that we were really very grateful to have collected, and headed back into Pai feeling fully relaxed, pampered, and ready to sleep like babies.

The day of R and R had worked wonders, and we'd both had a full, uninterrupted, wonderful night's sleep.

We decided we wouldn't push it today either and headed to the outdoor pool just near the river.

The entry charge was a very reasonable 60 baht, and it was beautiful. The brilliant blue pool was huge and had been decked out with wooden huts around one edge for people that sought shade from the sun. On the other length of the pool was a huge grassed area where you could stretch out and catch some rays.

We spent the whole day reading, dozing, and eating in the sunshine. We only braved the pool once as it wasn't heated and really was on the cold side, but it was refreshing.

Before we knew it, the day had disappeared, and the shade had crept onto almost all of the grassy area, and the pool was pretty much deserted. We were both now feeling fully restored and ready for big adventures.

‍