galmc2Report

Are either of us into “caving”? Nope! Why go to a Caving Lodge one might wonder? Well, like many places we are exploring so far on this trip, we came here because we heard somewhere that it was a cool place to stay. In this case, I was reading a forum about exploring Northern Thailand and a place called Cave Lodge near Tham Nam Lod (Lod Cave) was recommended. I checked out their website, ran it past Paul, emailed to check on availability and we were booked!

Paul and I have quite specific roles when we are travelling. I scout out and book accommodation and he figures out how we get there.

So, now that Cave Lodge was on the itinerary, Paul had to figure out how to get us there. It proved a little more challenging since we were not prepared to rent a scooter, nor had we arranged for International Driver’s Licences before leaving Canada, (clearly and oversight on our part). After exploring a number of quite expensive options, our host in Pai found a tour that would take us to Lod Cave for cheap. Sign us up!

Indeed, the drive up was NOT good but, after walking a few hundred meters back on the road we drove in on, we were checked in and Paul could start his recovery, which always begins with a heavy sleep.

Although Paul couldn’t appreciate it quite yet, I was thrilled!! We were in the middle of the jungle, with a river view and our own private bungalow.

I then went to the Lodge and looked through “the book” that explained all of the possible kayaking and caving adventures. I was leaning towards one that described a very moderate walk through a cave and some kayaking but I would have to wait for dinner when everyone staying that night talks about what they’d like to do and then people start trying to convince others to pick their choice. Most tours need a minimum of 5 people to run, so you have to come to a consensus to form a group.

After Paul woke up, we took a short walk to the cave to watch the swallow show. At sunset they circle high in the sky, slowly descending so they are closer to the cave entrance and then suddenly zip in through the cave mouth and seem to disappear into the darkness. It’s an amazing sight!

Back to the Lodge and the chatter about what to do the next day began. A couple from Belgium really wanted to do Tham Nam Hoo cave hike so 3 more of us agreed and we were set to go. Paul saw that the adventure began and ended with a drive so opted out – a low-key, no vehicle day was in his future.

I can’t say that I will look for future caving opportunities BUT, I m glad I went and I feel very proud of my accomplishment.

Paul was feeling much better after a day of no vehicles so we arranged to go on a kayaking trip that would also take us through 3 caves. We started right in front of the lodge the next morning.

We felt all the feels during this stop on our trip – nervousness, anticipation, excitement, pride, awe, relaxation, inspiration and a little melancholy when it was time to depart (oh, and also fear that the ride back to Chiang Mai would make us nauseous – but it was actually not too bad as we had taken a lot of gravol and slept most of the way).