Home » Thailand » The bridge on the river Kwai, caving in Northern Thailand.

We spent the first few days in Bangkok gathering information about potential next destinations, including trying to find out how to get visas for all the neighboring countries and how best to get there.

The bridge on the river Kwai, caving in Northern Thailand.

Odv
2006-04-13 20:08:24

Displayed times (last time: )

a pleasant place that we stayed 6 days. The Cave Lodge is run by Australian born John Spies who has turned it into one of the most relaxed places to stay, he provides lots of information on all the activities that are possible around the lodge.

Tham Lod (Lod Cave) is actually a river flowing through a mountain. It is possible to enter from one side and exit from the other, or even raft through it. There are a few coffins in the cave said to be 2000 years old as well as a prehistoric drawing which is no longer discernable. It has been wiped out by a village kid during a graffiti cleanup action. Unfortunately this was Thailand's most beautiful prehistoric drawing!

Close to the exit of the cave (that is the side where the river flows out), about 300,000 swifts and a few bats nest. At sunset the swifts return en masse, while the bats are desperately trying to fly out against the traffic! If you venture too far into the cave at this time you will be showered by a rain of bird droppings.

As it was full Moon on Christmas day, the Cave Lodge owner John, organized a special "full Moon kayaking". With just the moonlight and a torchlight, being unexperienced at kayaking we went down the river, hit a big tree trunk, capsized before we got near the cave. Maris lost her shoes.

We continued none the less, entering the quiet waters of the cave, drifting slowly through the cave, the torchlights of the kayaks in front and behind us lit up the cave ceiling. At the cave exit John greeted us with "are these your shoes?". The current had washed them all through the cave, where he found them.

Besides Tham Lod, there are some 200 caves in the area. On Christmas day we visited the easily accessible chambers of Christmas cave together with many of the Cave Lodge's guests. Later, one of the guests, Ken, an experienced caver invited me to join him in exploring Christmas cave further. I accepted. This was my first independent ...