Tengchong Diaries: Heat, Humidity, and Hidden Hot Springs

okay, so i just landed in tengchong, and let me tell you-this place is a furnace. i checked the weather, and it's sitting at 30.84°c right now, feels like 28.87°c with humidity at a crisp 18%. yeah, dry heat, but still-my skin's already begging for moisturizer. i heard from a local vendor at the night market that the real secret here isn't the heat, it's the hot springs hidden in the hills. someone told me that the best ones are the ones you have to hike to, and that the locals guard the directions like treasure maps. i'm definitely gonna try to find one before i leave.

i'm staying near the old town, and the vibe here is a weird mix of ancient cobblestone streets and modern tea shops blasting c-pop. i stopped by a tiny noodle joint called 小店面包店 (check it out on yelp if you're ever here) and the owner, a woman who looked like she'd been kneading dough since the ming dynasty, handed me a bowl of crossing-the-bridge noodles and said, 'eat slow, or you'll miss the flavor.' i didn't even know what that meant, but i nodded like i did.

if you get bored, baoshan and liuku are just a short drive away, but honestly, tengchong's got enough going on to keep you busy. i overheard a group of backpackers at the hostel saying the heshun ancient town is worth the trip, but also that it's crawling with tourists at sunrise. 'go at sunset,' one of them said, 'and bring a flask.'

i also grabbed a coffee at this hipster spot called 上海咖啡 (tripadvisor link here) and the barista, who had more tattoos than i do, told me the best view of the volcanoes is from the back of a scooter. 'just don't tell anyone i said that,' he whispered, like he was revealing state secrets.

anyway, i'm off to hunt down those hot springs. if you're planning a trip, bring sunscreen, a sense of adventure, and maybe a translator app-because english is about as common here as snow in july.