Caves and Culture

Thailand is a country that has embraced its popularity, and made tourism its number one industry. I think. Or it at least seems that way. Maybe it is just because I have been staying in some of the more touristy towns, but it is pretty clear in the way that everyone speaks at least a little English, there are guesthouses (hostels) in even the most remote of towns, and because in each town, there are scores of "travel agencies" on each block, ready to book your adventure.

One of the more popular activities is trekking. You know, like backpacking. Here it is toted as a 1-3 day adventure with a guide, all-inclusive, that will take you hiking through the "non-touristy" villages, "exciting" whitewater, and riding with an "environmentally-safe" elephant farm. Right. When I was on my way to the put in to go kayaking, I saw these trekkers, not so much in a remote, wild area, but just hiking down the road with their day packs on, and a car shuttling their other stuff. When I passed a girl looking miserably sweaty, programming her ipod right in the middle of culturally-significant Thailand, I decided that maybe the trekking outfit was an industry I could avoid investing in.

But I had to get my culture fix somehow. Quite a few people recommended me to the Cave Lodge up in Soppong, on the way to Mae Hong Son. This is a small town that still caters to tourists, but not quite the spring break '09 crowd. Cave Lodge is about 10km away from Soppong, just steps from their famous limestone caves. Apparently the Australian owner has discovered many of the caves in the area, and opened up the lodge to share what he'd learned with those on holiday. Unfortunately, he was on holiday himself back in Australia, so the benefit of having him (or any other English speaker for that matter) working was removed.

To get there I had to get on a public bus for about 3 hours, then hop on a taxi to the place. This is where I experienced my first cultural faux pas. My giant backpack was just placed in front of the back row, where a very old lady was staring at it quite crankily. Maybe it messed up her foot space? Or she could smell my dirty laundry? The monk in the corner didn't seem to mind, but either way, I was a bit nervous leaving my stuff unattended, and decided when someone got of the back row, I'd move to supervise the luggage. I pulled out my iPod for the first time in Thailand, ready to listen to some new music I got before leaving. Someone got off the back row. Sweet! So I moved back, a woman smiling at me, and was ready to sit down right next to the monk before everyone around me started to freak out, most notably the monk whom I'd just sat beside. I ripped my headphones off, noticed every single little Thai head in that bus just gaping at me, and remembered the buddhist commandment, "Thou shalt keep thy girly butt away from male monks" Right. Members of the opposite sex aren't allowed to sit beside monks, touch monks, or pass anything directly to a monk. Redfaced and over-apologetic, I moved back to the front. Oh the monk was angry; I'm pretty sure he's going to have to sacrifice some extra incense sticks as a result of my western ignorance.

Finally arrived in Soppong, a riverside town with not much to look at, settled in at a cafe and ordered "Fried Glass Noodle", fried being a term the thai use to describe anything that is stir-fried. Soon I was feasting on the best meal I've had in Thailand, Chiang Mai sausage with lemongrass and basil and fried glass noodle. Sausage and pork are huge in Thailand, especially in the north. And the sausage is tangy, like it has been pickled, and mixed with lemongrass. Yum!

Off to get a taxi. Well, the only taxi in Soppong is a motorbike, so the guy plopped my huge rucksack right in between his legs and drove off in the nearing rain. 15 minutes later I was at the famous cave lodge, happy as a clam. When I arrived, people staying there were getting on their tennies to go hiking to the cave, so I joined the crowd after putting my stuff down in the 90 baht/night dorm room (sharing with one other girl, Michelle). That's less than $3 ladies and gentlemen!

At the exit of the cave, exit differing from the entrance in the fact that it is down river, thousands of birds reenter after a long day of doing bird things at sunset. Truly an amazing sight, they just cyclone in to the cave in a strange little pattern, hundreds every second.

That night I made buddies with my South African dormmate and two Aussies who were leaving the next morning. Also in the mix was an American couple, who were nearing the end of their 20 month around-the-world adventure. Talk about inspiring... they married five years earlier and spent the next four years bartending to save up $40,000 for their trip. That night we explained to our foreign friends the mess of American healthcare. It's appalling, really, when you're comparing with other countries how corrupt our system is. I won't get into it, but we're rootin' for you Obama!

The four of us decided to forego a guided trek and just rent a pickup truck. It was nice to have an American good-ol-boy to drive that thing. I can't imagine using a stick shift with my left hand! The goal of the day was to simulate our own trekking adventure, just cover a lot of ground by avoiding walking. We made it to a couple of villages: Lhasa, Karen, Black Karen, and...?

Since we weren't on a guided tour, we just kinda stumbled in and walked around. Eventually a couple of women dressed in tribal gear would come to us with their folded black tarps surrounding the native crafts they made. One of the villages is known for their weaving: I got a really cool scarf I'm excited to rock back in Jackson. Another village boasted neat folded fabric designs, I grabbed myself a jewelry case.

I can't really describe the villages, except that only a few older women really wear the traditional garb, as well as those that wear them for tourist benefit. The majority wear normal clothing and live in little bamboo shacks. What is most facinating to me is that I'm here with my little pack, finding myself and being as hedonistic as possible, anxious to learn as much as a 23 year old possibly can, thinking that I'm just not doing enough with my life wishing I could be like the couple going around the world in 20 months. The people I met that day spend every day just... living. Surviving. Eating, drinking, sleeping, raising children. Some will never go further than 10 km from their home, hoping to sell a scarf to a flashpacker. Many of the women will take the great honor of going to Bangkok to become prostitutes to provide for their families. That is honestly considered noble in these poor secluded villages. Insert existential wisdom here.

All in all, a great day, complete with a 15 baht lunch of noodles with pork balls. The next day I was to leave, but not before getting in some caving.

The giant famous cave is the largest in Thailand, possibly Asia. This was the only one I had time to explore, and we hired a guide with a lantern and a boat, each costing us less than five dollars. The boat is actually a bamboo raft that goes to all the caves. You get out at each of the three, walk around, the guide shows you a stalagtite that looks like a boob or alligator or whatever. It was awesome, and a bit creepy. Bat poop smells like nothing I've ever smelled before and I refuse to smell it again. I seriously thought I was in an Indiana Jones ride at Disney World, though the repulsive smell brought me back to the real world. Got to take some cool pictures, too, which shall certainly be shared on the fbook. Good morning of caving, then it was back on the public bus en route to Bangkok, where I was to meet up with my pal Sarah. Oh Bangkok.