We assembled a crew for the ride. Me, Sergio, Karina, and Rosie. Or me, a guy I met in a hostel in Bangkok, and two girls we met in bars in Chiang Mai and Pai, respectively.
Our destination was Tham Lod, one of the largest caves in Thailand (1600 meters long). Located approximately 50km northwest of Pai, the ride there was full of ups and downs - along the same steep route containing 762 curves in the opposite direction to Chiang Mai. Four of us with varying levels of motorbike experience scootering along a road with dozens of hairpin turns was quite the experience. We made it in one piece. And yes, we wore our helmets.
Karina had arranged for us to stay at Cave Lodge, a simple guesthouse in an incredible natural setting above the Nam Lang river. Opened in 1986, Cave Lodge is run by an Australian named John who just so happens to be the local cave expert. We didn't have a chance to meet John during our stay, but his book and photos provided lots of insight into the area.
After a dip in the river with our cute dog-friend, Foxy, it was cave time. We walked to the entrance and hired a guide with gas lantern, a bamboo raft, and some fish food for 800 baht total. Quite possibly the best 200 baht I've ever spent.
Photo flash and other artificial light sources are not allowed inside Tham Lod. Visitors are required to hire a guide and cannot enter the cave alone. Why the rules? It's a fragile ecosystem, home to fish, bats, and swifts. The cave is also potentially dangerous. Safety first!
We had only the light of a flame to follow, our trusty guide leading the way. Piling onto our bamboo raft, we rode along the 600m stream that runs through Tham Lod. Hungry fish swam up to the side of the raft, waiting for us to toss handfuls of food into the water. After a short ride we disembarked to explore the cave by foot.
Our group tromped up steep staircases and through narrow passageways into the belly of the cave. At times our guide would stop, shine the lantern on a rock formation, and describe it with a single word: crocodile, snake, elephant, milk. Her conversational English was limited so we relied on these shared words to communicate. "Milk" was the most surprising - she uttered it while pointing at a breast-shaped rock, giving us all a good laugh.
After nearly two hours of caving, we boarded the bamboo raft again and were paddled to the exit. There was a great flurry overhead as we approached. Hundreds of swifts flying in circles - a feathery vortex. At dusk thousands of swifts pour into the cave to claim their stalagmite perches for the night. We considered waiting but had a couple hours to kill, so we wandered back toward the entrance of the park. Only we didn't make it that far. Something distracted us, taking us off course into an unforgettable experience - one of the most memorable I had in Thailand. Stay tuned!
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