Thanks to Daphne for the translation
It is pitch dark. Darkness surrounds me, I can absolutely see nothing. A water drop hits my head; the air around me is warm and humid. “Giom, can you switch on the light please?” A few meters from me a bright spot appears and a thin light ray slides over the rock faces. We are located in a cave near the temple we slept at last night.
After we waded the illuminated part of the cave in knee deep water for a few hundred meters, we decided to continue going. We did not pay attention to the warning sign and the advice of the woman who rents torches at the entrance and also offers her service as a guide. As a cyclist you obviously have a good sense of orientation which should also work in a cave system.
We work our way through slowly. The only light comes from Giom’s head torch; we hear water dripping and bats squeaking. It’s not just one cave; it’s more a cave system which winds itself through the mountain for some kilometers. Huge stalactites hang from the ceiling and running and dripping water formed fascinating sculptures and shapes over the centuries, which just shortly flash up in the shine of the torch.
caption id=”attachment_2152″ align=”aligncenter” width=”920″] Ein goldener Mönch wacht in der Höhle[/caption]
In the darkness it’s difficult to keep orientation as you can only see small parts of the cave with the torch light. But we find our way back to the sunlight and after this small adventure we continue to pedal.
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The north of Thailand has to offer quite a bit. We marvel not just only dark caves but swooshing waterfalls and artful temples und ride through idyllic rice fields and hilly landscapes. Cycling is easy in Thailand but building contact to people not that much. It might be because I am not travelling alone and because of that I’m not that sociable but also because of the Thai people themselves: Only a few speak English or they are too shy to try their English and therefore most contacts are limited to ordering food or shopping. I have the feeling that I can’t write a lot about Thai’s and their culture. I could only talk to a few more detailed and find that rather sad. They are kind a friendly people, not without reason Thailand is called the country of smiles. But the Thai also smile when they are angry. Conflicts are often avoided and remain often unsolved as people want to “keep their face.”
The last days in Thailand we cycle through the so called golden triangle, the border area between Myanmar, Thailand and Laos. We follow the Mekong, here the border between Thailand and Laos, and cross it finally to enter Laos.
