Anning

I am about 30 minutes west of Kunming in a little town called Anning. It is the site of the worlds first hot spring. I am sitting next to this spring. This region around Kunming has many hot springs and rich mineral water from the thermal activity here.  This area is very popular with tourists because of the  hot springs and the special healing properties  of this  mineral  water.
I walked around the little roads in the area and discovered this hot springs facility nestled in the pine forest. It is called the Jinfang Forest Pools. This place has about 15 spring pools built amongst the pine trees and each is filled with the hot spring water. The water temp is naturally around 118F. Then each pool is combined with various chinese medicinal herbs which colors the water and each has a different healing quality. They also have these pools at different temperatures to create the proper medical effects to your body.  Then there is also a big central swimming pool with plain hot springs water. There is a restaurant , tea house, hotel and sauna facility as well.
I decided to spend New Years night here, so I got a room which has it’s own private hot springs pool in the garden outside my room. This was $85 for the room, breakfast, and entry into the main facility with all the pools. The day is clear, sunny, 70F and at night it dropped to about 50F. I chilled my Champagne in the toilet, and enjoyed New Years Eve soaking in my private hot tub under the clear night skies after dinner in the restaurant. What a perfect way to bring in the New Year! The next day I spent all afternoon soaking in the herbal hot springs going to each pool, some filled with flowers and others with oranges and fruit oils.  I visited a Buddist Temple near the hotel and watched a lady cutting and drying tobacco which they grow here. Be sure to see the pics in the Anning folder!
So anyway, Happy New Year!