Craving for caving

North western Thailand is a great place to satisfy that urge to lose youself in total darkness while getting your feet wet. One of these places is Tham Lot which is about 9km from Pangmapha but the experience was well worth the expense of hiring a driver to get to the caves. Tham Lot consists of a main chamber and three side chambers Column Cavern, Doll Cave and Coffin Cave. Part of your adventure includes a bamboo raft into the main chamber and takes around 2 hours to explore all the offerings of Tham Lot. For more information on Tham Lot and other Northern Thailand adventures go to http://www.orientingtravellers.com.au/

Hot springs in Pai

One adventure in Thailand that put me out of my comfort zone was a motorcycle trip to the hot springs south east of Pai. The part that was out of my comfort zone was not hiring and driving a motorcycle of which I had had no previous experience but having a dip in the hot springs when there is no cooling water from the mountain stream will put anyone outside their comfort zone. Some of th pools reach temperatures in excess of 80 C. That is hot enough to boil an egg. For more information on Pai and its surrounds visit http://www.orientingtravellers.com.au/ and click on CONTACT US

Visit to Karen hilltribe village

One of the many highlights of independent travel in Thailand is visiting hilltribe villages. In the Pangma Pha district in north west Thailand I visited a village which is home to the Karen hilltribe. The dwelling structures are all very basic and contain one room in which the room serves as bedroom and kitchen with a roof made from teak leaves. All the animals are kept under the house in pens. Each village has its own primary school and in this particular village the school had approximately 40 students for which I provided morning tea at a total cost of US$1. For more information on hilltribe visits go to http://www.orientingtravellers.com.au/ and click on CONTACT US

Giant Pandas and more

A must do for any traveller going to Chiang Mai is a visit to Chiang Mai Zoo but be sure to allow a full day for this outing. Situated to the north east of the city with commanding views of Chiang Mai this is one of the best zoos I have ever encountered. The range of animals form all parts of the globe and an eclectic of exotic birds is second to none but the real highlight is the 2 giant pandas, Chiang Chiang (the male) and Lin Hui (the female). They are housed in a special building that is temperature controlled and the security does not allow flash cameras. Visitors can stay for hours watching the pandas eat, sleep and play in a habitat that is close to their natural environment. Other highlights include the hippos one of which fully flexes its jaws when you raise a camera to take a picture, giraffes, zebras and flocks of flamingos. For information on Chiang Mai go to http://www.orientingtravellers.com.au/ and click on CONTACT US

Massage in Detention

One of the more unusual activities on the road less travelled was having a massage in a womens prison. In Chiang Mai you can go to the womens prison or more accurately go to the Prison Shop across the road from the actual prison and for around 200 baht receive an hour and a half of traditional Thai herbal massage. The massage is provided by an inmate with casual supervision from prison guards and they are quite skilled in their technique. It is the only massage that I have had in South East Asia where you can choose the level of intensity of the massage. The only downside of the herbal massage is that they wrap a yellow cloth around the herbal massage balls and unfortunately the dye from this cloth stains your body so you come out looking quite jaundiced. All in all though it was the best massage I have experienced and highly recommend it to all travellers going to Chiang Mai. For more details on Chiang Mai go to http://www.orientingtravellers.com.au/ and go to CONTACT US.

Life in Pai

My second adventure in Thailand was in the hippy retreat of Pai where Bob Marley and Led Zepplin still reign supreme. A picturesque town nestled in the mountains of north western Thailand and within a stones throw of the Mynamar border Pai attracts expats from everywhere and offers a laid back atmosphere. Activities in and around town include elephant riding, bamboo rafting, hot springs and casual motor scooter rides in the surrounding countryside. At night the place to meet greet locals and other travellers is Jikkos Cocktail Bar where you sit on stools in the middle of the road and have cocktails such as "Sex on the Mountain", "Malibu Beach" and "Pai Tingle". For more iinformation on Pai and other South East Asian destinations on a road less travelled go to http://www.orientingtravellers.com.au/ and go to CONTACT US

North Western Thailand

Our travels begin in Soppong which is better known as Pangmapha to all in Thailand that do not live in Soppong. The town is situated about 70km east of Mae Hong Son or about 180km north west of Chiang Mai and is a favourite of ours as it provides a great base for hilltribe visits and some caving activities. To get to Soppong you either fly to Mae Hong Son from Chiang Mia and then catch a bus west to Soppong or catch a bus from Chiang Mai but be warned that the journey takes up to 4 hours through some very windy mountain roads. The bus trip from Chiang Mai is the cheaper option but it is very taxing and many travellers find the need to consume travel sickness tablets to endure the journey. However once you have arrived you will find that the trip was well worth the trouble.Soppong is a market village frequented by Lisu, Black Lahu, Red Lahu and Karen hilltribes. The atmosphere in town is very relaxed and you can mix easily with the local people and not be overrun by other tourists. If you do include Soppong on your itinerary be sure to include a Tuesday as this is market day and is as lively as the town gets. To find out more about Soppong visit our travel broker on http://www.orientingtravellers.com.au/ and go to contact us.