Chiang Dao is nestled in a mountain range north of Chian Mai. After the seminar we had some time to explore. A group of us were planning on visiting a wat (temple) close to our accommodations. Lagging behind the rest of the group, my friend, Ellen, and I took a fortuitous wrong turn. After walking around a small village for hours, looking for the wat we were stared down my some menacing dogs. (The trick to dealing with stray dogs in Thailand is to either throw a rock at them or pretend like you're throwing a rock at them). Our rock throwing trick didn't work, and being outnumbered, we retreated. In doing so, we stumbled upon some caves.
The caves were part of a temple complex, but we decided they might be fun to check out. Upon entering the caves, we found a group of Thai tour guides with lanterns in hand. Ellen and I decided to sign up for a tour. A hundred baht later we were on a private tour of the most amazing caves I'd ever seen. We saw bats and natural stone structures that looked like animals (with buddhist scarves and robes wrapped around them). We also saw the most incredible stalactites and stalagmites I've ever seen. Some were still alive and were glistening when the lantern shed its light upon them.
The tour was about half an hour long and our guide led us from cavern to cavern. Sometimes we'd have to squeeze through some pretty small passageways. The caves were so silent and all you could hear was the faint roar or the gas lantern and drips of water. Before the caves were opened up to the public they were only visited by monks. The caves were a bit eerie, but felt mostly peaceful. At times the sanctity of the caves was palpable and I could see why it would be such an appealing place for monks wanting to meditate.
Our tour guide was so kind and really liked us because we spoke Thai. Unlike in the United States, where foreigners are expected to speak English, Thai people get so excited if foreigners can even say a word or two in Thai.
At the end of the tour we were giddy. The beauty was overwhelming and it was a great way to top off an afternoon of unexpected adventure.
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