When the year-end holidays roll around and the mercury dips below 20 C (68 F), the cardigans and beanies come out as city folk head for Chiang Mai to enjoy the "winter."
Visitors tend to follow suit, putting away the tank tops and cutoffs and bundling up for the weather as they head for higher ground up in the dois.
It really does get chilly.
Hot springs suddenly make sense, especially if you stay the night to experience the misty mornings and maximum nighttime chills in the hills.
Best day-trip spots for a steamy soak are the Fang Hot Springs at Doi Pha Hom Pok National Park and, closer to Chiang Mai, Pong Duead at Huay Nam Dang National Park.
Both have hiking trails and impressive viewpoints.