A guide on how to get dirty in Thailand

Two words. GO CAVING!

The last two days our group ventured from the comforts of our Mandala House hotel in Chiang Mai into the bed of another pickup truck to be transported into the forested hills. Our destination was Crazy Horse, a pristine rock climbing location. Our first day was spent getting introductory courses into climbing and rappelling. This included a dizzy rappel down 200 meters into a cave and climbing the limestone rocks. Our guides were amazing! Some were headed to some Thailand championship cilmbing competetion the next week. Our main guide was cool too, he was spending a year in Thailand after graduating from Princeton University, guiding groups such as us. It almost felt like being at camp! Except everyone spoke Thai and instead of roasting marshmallows we roasted balls of sticky rice soaked in coconut milk.

The second day, we split into two groups, adopted new names, packed up a spare change of clothes which filled me a feeling of dread...when someone tells you that you will be able to hose off later you get a bad feeling...and set off! So the Smoov Dog Chillz as we called ourselves elected to go caving first and packed a few bottles in a dry bag, put on knee pads and helmets, turned on our head lamps, took one last picture, and crawled into the darkness. Although we didn't crawl for long, it turned more into a snake slither. This is not the place to be clausterphobic! There were openings I didn't even think I could fit through yet somehow managed to speeze through inch by inch. However we were lucky (or unfortunate depending on whether you find mud fun) that we were not there a few months earlier when the caves were still wet from the rainy season. Then instead of mostly dried mud you have to almost swim your way through parts of the cave. Needless to say we got dirty. However I stayed the cleanest, I think from spending so much time at the barn I have learned to repel mud. I was clean enough that people started throwing mud at me in retaliation.


Thankfully we all made it out of the cave successfully! Were not eaten by cave spiders, swallowed by bottomless mud puddles, or mauled by bats, although we did get some bats flying in our faces at the most inopportune moments. Then we got to end the day on a fun note! Zip lining across the top of a cave and free fall rappelling down the side into the rocks below. One of the most exhilerating moments of my life!

Off to the northern Thailand border tomorrow and then Laos! Miss everyone!