Guest blogger and award-winning Australian travel writer Louise Southerden experiences a surprising adventure in search of a legendary swimming pool in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai.

If you're like me, you probably thought Manhattan was the center of the universe. But we're both wrong. On the outskirts of Chiang Mai, there's a hotel with the unambiguous and intriguing name "The True Center of the Universe." You'd think it would be signposted, especially in this tourist hotspot of northern Thailand. But as they say, the journey there is half the battle, right?

It's my last afternoon in this charming, tranquil town, and after buying my souvenirs, I'm looking forward to a refreshing dip in the pool. When I realize the hotel pool is rather small, I quickly search online and find exactly what I've been missing during my two-month trip to Thailand: a 25-meter saltwater pool with separate lanes for lap swimmers, just a 15-minute drive north of the city center. I've arrived. Well, almost.

The first indication that this place might be difficult to find comes when visiting the resort's website. There, alongside directions and maps, you'll find GPS coordinates, a slideshow of sights along the route, and even two phone numbers for taxi drivers in case they get lost. Just to be on the safe side, I ask the hotel concierge to write down the directions in Thai for me. What could possibly go wrong?

My first challenge: finding a tuk-tuk. It's 4 p.m., well before rush hour, but on my street, one of the four main streets that form a square around the old town, there isn't a single free tuk-tuk in sight. I cross the street, walk up and down it, and wave to every passing tuk-tuk. Finally, one stops.

Or rather, it rumbles to a stop beside me. It looks as old as its driver, Som, who's wearing a worn safari suit and knitted golf gloves. I can hardly refuse him. He's perhaps the Thai version of a London taxi driver who could find his way around Chiang Mai at night blindfolded.

I hand Som the slip of paper. He takes it with both hands, squints, and pulls his phone out of a cloth bag around his neck. After calling the resort, he seems satisfied. We set off. At first, it's wonderful, this panoramic tour through Chiang Mai without an audio guide – past temples and wats, the road shared with people (and their dogs) on scooters and motorbikes.

Then we merge onto the highway and boldly take the middle lane between fast, expensive cars and trucks that threaten to pull us into their slipstream. When Som looks at me in the rearview mirror, I shrug, as if to say, "Sorry, man, I've never been here before either."

As we chug along at a leisurely pace, I dream of arriving at the resort: I'll pretend to ignore the large billboard outside that proclaims "THE TRUE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE," which, of course, features an illustration of planets orbiting tiny Chiang Mai. Then I'll ask the security guard, "Excuse me, is this the true center of the universe?" Oh, how he'll laugh before smiling kindly and waving me inside.

Back in reality, far from the center of the universe, we stop. Som goes to a man who is just getting on his parked motorcycle. The man takes the precious piece of paper (please, don't let it blow under a passing car!) and reads the directions aloud, as if they were encrypted. Then he points up the road. We drive on.

But Som seems increasingly uncertain. So we stop again. I witness an impromptu scene: A driver asks a question, hands over a piece of paper, a passerby offers to help. This one pulls out his cell phone and calls the number on the paper. He nods while speaking to someone, and then points – back in the direction we came from.

Next, we approach a security guard watching over the imposing entrance of an apartment complex. I consider asking my question, but he clearly doesn't speak English. A little further down the road, we stop at a strawberry stand, and while Som asks again, I – somewhat sheepishly – buy a punnet.

We rattle up and down the highway for a while longer before turning off, seemingly for no reason, onto a bumpy dirt track. A dead end. It's already getting dark. Should I be nervous? Som seems trustworthy, but traveling alone can make you cautious, even in Thailand. I look at my watch. This 15-minute drive has already taken over an hour, and we're not even there yet.

It's time to abort the mission. I ask Som to take me back to my hotel, the one with the smallest pool in the entire universe (a slight exaggeration, an expression of my disappointment). He seems relieved, then lights a cigarette, coughs, and spits on the street.

On the way back to the city, we feel like horses returning to their stables. Suddenly, everything is so easy. The traffic flows smoothly, the tuk-tuk purrs. No more polluting trucks blowing diesel fumes in our faces. And before I know it, I'm back in front of my hotel, giving Som 200 baht for a simple ride to nowhere, plus a small tip for his trouble.

As I walk back to my room, I feel a strange sense of relief. It seems fitting that an hour and a half of noisy driving in chaotic traffic didn't lead me to the true center of the universe, and it reminds me of something I love about Thailand: its sense of unlimited possibilities and the willingness of its people to try anything.

Furthermore, discovering the true center of the universe would probably have been quite a disappointment. But as it is, it's still out there, bright as a candle lantern rising into the sky, waiting for me to find it on my next visit to Chiang Mai.

Getting there: Chiang Mai is just a short flight (1 hour 15 minutes) north of Bangkok. The Centre of the Universe Chiang Mai Swimming Pool & Resort is reportedly 6.5 kilometers from Chiang Mai's city center. The 25-meter saltwater pool is open daily from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, also for non-hotel guests. Entry costs 80 baht for lap swimming (7:00–9:00 AM or 5:00–6:45 PM) or 200 baht (9:00 AM–5:00 PM). Check the website before you travel! See www.therealcentreoftheuniverse.com