I think I fixed the problem with anonymous comments, so try if you like.....

On Dec 11, Russ and I set out on a couple of rented scooters for a 42km trek through the mountains to Tham Lot (Lot Cave). It was good to have him along, first because it was good to have some company, second because he was a fairly experienced motorcyclist, and third, because he was well enough to do anything, having barely recovered from a bout of food poisoning.

During a meal the previous day, the five of us (joined by their friend Steph that they'd met in Bangkok) had discussed motorcycle accidents we'd seen on one particular day in Chiang Mai. We'd all been in different spots, and had each seen one. Luckily for me I had a helmet (not many folk ride with one around here) boldly emblazoned with "Inter Lady" across the back. Make what comments you will. Sure enough, as we set out from Pai, there was a minivan with a huge dent in the bumper, the mangled carcass of a bike off to the side, and a crowd standing around what appeared to be someone lying prone on the pavement. I gripped the handlebars a little tighter, checked my mirror more, and pressed on.

The highway was in generally good condition, though it was difficult to read the Thai script of the roadsigns. Little things like "Construction Ahead" or "Bridge Out" would have definitely helped. I did however recognize the yellow diamond signs with a wiggly line denoting windy road, and considering I was already experiencing my share of twists and turns, I geared down, wondering how the cornering could be more severe. It could. We wound our way up the side of the mountain, stopping briefly at the summit to catch a view and pry my hand from the handgrip, then began our descent down the other side. The views were breathtakingly vast at the top, and quaintly rice-paddied and banana-treed towards the bottom, but I didn't want to get too distracted, remembering the crushed bumper of the van.

After a couple of hours, we reached the cave. Guides out front offered their services and lanterns, but we chose to go with two little boys with flashlights. We all hopped in a bamboo raft, which was pulled by a dude who sloshed along the creek which flowed into the mouth of the cave. Soon we were inside, and being led by the kids through a network of three large caverns, some of which had ceilings 60 feet high. We saw lots of stalactites and stalagmites, some of which had merged to form huge columns. Other drippings over millenia produced weird formations which our guides indicated resembled frogs, monkeys, crocodiles, and dolls. Also present was a faded rock painting estimated at 2000 years old, easier to see as a picture than when actually present.

Eventually we were caved out, so our gondolier friend sloshed us back out against the current. We paid the kids, hopped back on the bikes, and headed back to Pai. With a bit of daylight left, we checked out a local waterfall. On the way, we passed through a little village of corrugated metal and cement block, where the tattered residents ran out and begged for cigarettes from every passerby. I'm really REALLY over waterfalls, having seen a lifetime's worth in the last few months, but in the end, it was worth it just to see a yoga fanatic motionlessly channelling some sort of energy at the cliff's edge. Whoa.

Once we returned safe and sound, it was one last round of drinks at the Yellow Sun with this crew (and more bad pool), as I was off on a trek the next day, and by the time I returned, they would be entropically scattered about the country.