If you happen to visit Pai or Mae Hong Son while you in Chiangmai, its a good idea to include Tham Lod in your itinerary. Reason being , Tham Lod is located in between of Pai and Mae Hong Son and since you already went through that deadly , sickly curves journey already...why not visit this interesting place.
Tham is Thai Language for Cave. Lod Cave or Tham Lod is a huge cave where you can see many interesting fragile ecosystem encased in solid stone. Apart from you be able to meet with big fat carp and bat and its stinky pooh...the most interesting of all is to witness the 500 years old log coffins.
No 'PEE'ing man here! You can see many bats pooh though! yikes!
You won't be able to explore the cave without any lantern tour guide and taking the bamboo rafting. There are many of them and most of them will not harass you to choose them. They use numbers and everybody will take their turn. Mine was a young girl who facing the low season for farming due to winter. Yes . She is a farmer and doing this is just a part time. I walk very fast but she was super fast to me. WTH!
The water is just like ankle deep but it is encourage to take bamboo rafting. Like I said before you will meet the big fat carp and cat fish at this place. How to walk with them dominating the whole area? Don't forget to buy some fish food near ticket counter. Many selling cheap like 30 - 40 sen big bag.
I was told this fish live with the supplement pellet feeds from tourist and their main diet is baby swifts that fall from the cavern ceiling. These fish was busy racing against the current following the bamboo raft.
Dare not put out my hand out. Who know I will lose my precious finger because that fishes thought my finger is their food pellets?
Yup! the whole journey , I was super froze afraid to be the food of these big fish! hehehehehe super dramatic thinking again.
Now you understand the important to have lantern guide with you? See how dark it is? Yeah! you may say you smartphone has a torchlight or whatsoever...but when you reach there you hand busy supporting yourself and also busy taking photo. Which hand you will hold that torchlight of yours?.
The cave consists of 3 rooms - Column Cave , Doll Cave and Coffins Cave.
All these cave full of lives stalactites and stalagmites, formed over thousand of years of slowly dripping water. So try not to touch this lives form!
Column cave - you can see many big tall pillars form and in another Cave call Doll cave, one can use imagination to imagine the image and structure form from natural.
I can see space ship, mushroom, man pennies, female bosom, werewolf face and many more.
The even have huge snake head and even crocodile in here.
There the female bosom and animal image from the cave wall.
The last room , Coffin cave you have to take the bamboo raft to another side of cave.
Jeng ...jeng.. the stinky bat pooh smells fill my nose. uhuk uhuk...hardly breathe here . I just wanna quickly finish this one!
I feel eerie once my one feet step on the shore of this cave.
Erkkkk....otteoke! Spirit don't follow me. Go away! I just visit you and bless your soul. Pray my heart. Chaebal!!!!
Here I need to be careful, there are many steep ladder to climb. I need to prepare to use my knee strength to climb up and down since my hand cannot bear to even touch the hand rail full of bat pooh! ewwwwww!!!!
I can't blame the bat for pooh'ing everywhere though! This their house I am vising. They can pooh anywhere they want to. Advisable to bring some wet tissue!
Inside the cave it is deadly quiet but the flow of water sounds of the outside world sealed off behind thick walls of limestone.
Just who the log coffin people is still remain mystery. Local Shan people believe that they were tall spirits wandered the caves and used the tombs as their resting places. To local these cave are known as 'Tham Pee Man' in Thailand and translate as 'Large Spirit Caves'. OMO!
Just who the log coffin people is still remain mystery. Local Shan people believe that they were tall spirits wandered the caves and used the tombs as their resting places. To local these cave are known as 'Tham Pee Man' in Thailand and translate as 'Large Spirit Caves'. OMO!
Most coffins are massive trunks of teak, split in half and hollowed out, so that each had a base and lid. Many coffins bearing carved head posts in over 50 different styles. Thank God! no bones fragments or whatsoever in there! I was told most has been moved to the museum. Thank God!
I guess... I will faint to see the bones fragments in there. phewwww!!!!
I guess... I will faint to see the bones fragments in there. phewwww!!!!
Many believe the log coffin people belonged to the upper society and were buried along with precious possessions for use in an elaborate afterlife. mmmmmmmm....this reminds me to 'Firaun' and those King and Queen who unable to 'let go'!
Can't help to imagine this cave was once lit by fiery torches and echoing with ancestral rites voices. Here goes my wild imagination again.
Its a great experience to visit such place. End of my journey visit to pre historic caves.
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