Caves, Caves, Caves part 1: the swifts @ Thamlod, Thailand
From Ban Rak Thai we rode about 3 hours east to Cave Lodge. The lodge came highly recommended by one of Adam’s friends (thanks Justin) who did a similar Southeast Asia trip several years ago and said this was a must do. The drive to Cave Lodge continued the trend of stunning Thai mountain beauty and curvy roads that we had come to expect on the Mae Hon Song loop.
We pulled up to Cave Lodge and walked in to the main common area. It was open air, made entirely of wood, nestled on a hill amongst the jungly trees. A cool mountain breeze carried the sound of a nearby stream. There was a fire pit in the middle, hammocks on the edge, and a ping pong table near the front.
We checked in and were handed a key to our own private cabin. We washed up and returned to the common area for dinner. As we looked around, we began to notice that the walls were covered with handwritten posters describing activities we could do in the area; some paid, others self-guided. One poster advertised an adventure kayaking tour and we both agreed it sounded like fun. So when we went up to order food, we also scheduled a tour for the next morning.
We sat down at a nearby table and noticed an old book, Wild Times by John Spies. The book was nearly falling apart at the spine, but we were curious. So we flipped through and realized it was a memoir written by the founder of Cave Lodge. We read about John, an Australian expat who fell in love with the Pang Mapha area when he was a teenager traveling through Thailand in the 80s. He built Cave Lodge and has been there ever since. He developed an obsession with caving and dedicated a large portion of his life to mapping northern Thailand’s plentiful limestone caves. We developed a bit of a fascination with the memoir and Adam impulse-bought a copy from the lodge so we could read it in our room.
The next morning, after a hot breakfast, we geared up for our kayaking tour. We donned life jackets, were handed paddles, and followed our guides to the kayaks. We each had our own guide in the kayak with us, which was good because neither of us have experience kayaking in river rapids. We started at the Tham Nam Lod cave. As we paddled up we gazed in awe at a massive gaping hole in the mountain with a river carving through its center.
After a photo opp we climbed into the kayaks and our guides steered them straight into the mountain. We wore headlamps; which were essential for lighting our way through the pitch back cave and one of our guides carried a powerful handheld light. Closer to a studio light than a flashlight, it illuminated the cave like a mini sun.
We spent the next couple hours kayaking and exploring these mysterious subterranean dwellings.
After an adventurous morning, we were driven back to Cave Lodge around 2pm. We rested a bit, but Helen was unsatisfied, she wanted more! We read a poster for the “bird show” and decided to check it out. The bird show is a famous event involving the largest colony of swifts in the world— once featured on BBC Asia. Every evening 300,000 swifts flock to Tham Nam Lod to roost while bats swoop out to go about their nocturnal business. The cave was an easy walk from the Lodge and as we were leaving we bumped into the local celebrity, John Spies. We tried not to seem too star struck as he gave us a few tips for watching the birds. “Just look for a bamboo ladder and climb up it—that’s the best spot, trust me.” he said.
We walked excitedly to the cave, eager to see the show. As we approached the cave mouth a strong, quite unique smell hit our nostrils. It was earthy, like manure, but with a hint of spice, like fresh grass. It wasn’t entirely unpleasant but was very strong. We looked down at our feet to see a carpet of bird droppings and guano (bat droppings), several inches thick. It was gross, but hey those droppings were the primary energy source for most of the life in this cave, so who were we to judge?
We peered into the gloom and spotted a small overhang with a rickety bamboo ladder leaning against it. That had to be the ladder. So, we clambered up, attempting to avoid touching the guano with our hands by only grabbing the underside. As our heads peeked over the edge we were grated to a thick, spongey mass of guano. We gingerly stepped into it and began to wait. Seconds later Helen was hit in the hat with poop. This broke Adam. “I’m out!” he exclaimed. Then he climbed down, content with a subpar view if it meant he did need to stand in feces.
Helen, after some hesitation (this was probably where the BBC camera crew filmed!) reluctantly followed, content with a subpar view if it meant she could stand next to Adam.
From inside the cave we could see the swifts beginning to flock. They circled the cave mouth like a dystopian tornado. The area inside the cave exit chamber is massive, we guessed it to be 200 meters in diameter. The wide diameter and high ceiling granted plenty of room for the swifts to maneuver. For the next hour we watched the tornado of swifts migrate inside and were in awe of the sheer magnitude of the production. The swift’s echo-location screeches were omnipresent. As night fell the shrieking noise rose in pitch which we could only guess was from the bats joining the chorus. It was a truly unique experience.
We ate dinner at Cave Lodge and enjoyed recounting the events over a couple of cold Changs, our favorite cheap Thai beer. It was a good day. So good that we went up to the hosts and asked to extend our stay one more night and to book a full day caving tour. The tour went to four caves in the area and involved lots of hiking. We were pumped.
Helen was so pumped that she had trouble falling asleep. Restless, she pulled out our new copy of Wild Times and began reading. She read about John Spies’ childhood, his near death caving experiences, and even his multiple marriages, until her eye lids felt heavy and she was able to doze off— knowing maybe a few too many details about the intimate life of our guesthouse host.
