Now I Know What Gollum Feels Like…

A few days ago I took a minibus to Soppong, which is basically the caving capital of the world. Ok, maybe not, but this area is home to some of the world’s most exquisite caves. This district has more than 200 caves, including 2 of Thailand’s largest (at 14 km and 8.4 km) and a good number with active streams inside.
I decided to stay at Cave Lodge which is 9 km out of town but near Tham Lod, one of the most popular caves in the area. The Lodge is owned by John Spies, an amazing photographer and cave enthusiast (investigating, discovering, and naming them for 30+ years) . He offers many different treks and adventures to explore the area so I knew I’d be in for a good time. Plus, the Lodge itself was a very accommodating place to stay.

Oh Look, There’s Burma!

One of the must-see attractions in Mae Hong Son is the temple on top of a mountain, Wat Doi Kong Mu. Well, apparently the temple isn’t so must-see, but the sunset is. So I decided to make the hike up on a not-nearly-cool-enough evening.

Hold On, I Have a Rock in My Shoe…

After I arrived in Mae Hong Son, I booked a trek through Friend Tour to run around in the Thai jungle for 4-6 hours. Crazy, right? Well, I just finished reading Survivorman Les Stroud’s book Survive!: Essential Skills and Tactics to Get You Out of Anywhere – Alive last week, so I was excited to test out some of the skills he covers. Unfortunately, Mr. Stroud would have been very disappointed in my lack of preparation. Fortunately, my trek didn’t have any accidents or emergencies, but it did have a little hiccup:

When I booked the tour, they said there would be a local guide and an English-speaking translator. Oops, when I got to the tour agency, they told me the translator had an emergency and wouldn’t be able to make it. They handed me 200 baht and said “Ok?” Sure, I guess that’s better than missing the local guide. (Honestly, it turned out not to really be an issue because the guide spoke pretty good English and I speak survival Thai.)

Soon came the only other brave soul who would accompany me, a gangly Frenchman from Ethiopia. We met our guide Patii (emphasis on TII), a member of a local Karen hilltribe. We all hopped in a van and 10 minutes later were dropped off on the side of the road. I sure hope Patii has done this before.

We walked into the woods only about 20 meters before Patii stopped to show us something. Oh joy, it’s a giant wood spider about the size of my hand. (I quickly turned back to the truck, ready to make a break for it, but it was already gone.) Turns out the jungle is literally crawling with these gigantic spiders and Patii stopped me from walking into their webs several times. Every time I thought, gee it’s been awhile since we’ve seen a giant wood spider, he would stop us and point one out. He even showed us this wonderful nest with hundreds of their babies. Fantastic, Patii! (

Mae Hong Son, Won’t Ya Come?

Mae Hong Son is in northern Thailand on the Burmese border. I have been to Pai in this province, but this time around I wanted to visit the provincial capital as it’s often overlooked by travellers. I knew it would be quiet, scenic, and friendly—an ideal combination for a relaxing getaway.

The Final-ish Goodbye

Yesterday was my last day of school. I’d finished classes the week before, making over 400 Thai-English Apples to Apples cards so the students could play this super fun game while I snapped photos of them.

Apples to Apples (Thai Style) VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL