Activities and Adventure

We are a strange trio; one international blogging star, Richard Barrow in his Amazing Thailand corporate wear, one 195cms ex British policeman (my publisher) and one Little Wandering Wren whose been plucked from her Thailand holiday nest in Krabi.

Although to be fair between us we probably hit most of the expat demographics except perhaps the gorgeous instaQueens. They all left town when Covid-19 closed the world, and so it is just little old me!

Thailand Village Academy:

We have gathered in Surat Thani to participate in a community based travel experience. This is a final opportunity to showcase and tweak the Thailand Village Academy Season 2 programme before it is launched onto the market. 

We are part of tour full of media, travel agents, Department of Culture representatives, bloggers, influencers, magazine publishers and You Tubers all chosen to assist with promotion.

My publisher arrives dressed in off white from top to toe with a jaunty white Panama hat and a walking stick!

‘Did he get the memo?’ Richard asks me as we head off to start the day. 

A fly on the wall with Richard Barrow (with lots of smoke)

I love, love, love, media trips with Richard. It’s always a pinch me ‘is my life for real?’ moment to watch the master at work as we explore Thailand. 

We tried to engage Richard in approving this copy, but he knows whatever is published about him personally will cause controversy and he has reluctantly agreed to ‘this unauthorised account.’ He knows that he hasn’t got a choice – my publisher has decided to publish it.

This initially sends me into an apoplectic frenzy about trying to do the great Richard Barrow justice, but on reflection I take it as a ‘sod it’ rather liberating decision! This man is a legend to amateur bloggers like me.

My publisher says, ‘don’t blow too much smoke up his ass… he doesn’t like or appreciate it’ knowing my natural tendency to be somewhat over enthusiastic and in awe of the master.  

I have called Richard a ‘national treasure.’ Like many of us, I could not have got through our Thai Covid-19 lockdown without Richard’s daily updates and so I am going to ignore my publisher’s pleas. 

Introducing Richard Barrow

Somewhere along the line Richard’s name is incorrectly recorded by our hosts and so we were told we will be joined by a Richard Burrow. Of course, we wouldn’t be the bunch of fun loving expats, if this does not provide much entertainment for us all (especially my publisher) and he delights in merciless teasing. Mr. Barrow is nothing but a true gent throughout and takes it all in his calm, focused stride.

On arrival at the Led Lee community we were asked to introduce ourselves. Richard offers a typically understated and unassuming introduction. Something like: 

‘My name is Richard and I’m a blogger.’ 

Those around nod, knowingly.  Enough said… although this might explain why Thai people don’t know his surname! 

Nick introduces himself “as an old man” and I keep it simple and say, “Hi I am Jenny and I am an expat blogger”. We make an odd trio. 

All in a day’s work

It is impressive the way Richard can experience the trip, distill it into four pictures and a few lines on Twitter to his 167,000 plus loyal followers, whilst constantly on the move. He never stops, every momentary interlude, minibus ride or brief pause before, or after meals, is an opportunity to edit and publish on his far reaching social media channels – Twitter, Facebook, IG.

I am the opposite I never stop to think about what I am about to write and live in and for the moment. I throw myself into every possible “do you want to try it” experience. I have to feel it, to write it, and that always requires some period of reflection and about 60 million edits! 

Oh, to be like Richard… all done and dusted by the time he’s finished the trip.

My publisher produces this beautiful publication and the humour. At one stage I am ankle deep in mud, crouched down in a froglike position in front of a boat load of people to plant the next generation of mangrove trees, Richard is taking photos and I hear ‘Jenny, your pants have split!’

Nick, and our national treasure Richard, I was going to call him Dick, but I thought that might be a step too far in our friendship, make a right pair. They get along well, like two brothers, with Nick being the slightly annoying older brother. There that has probably just lost me two friends and a publisher! 

Oh, we did laugh, and it seemed like at every interlude. Well except for the moment Nick had to return ill to our hotel urgently in our minibus complete with Richard’s photographic equipment. That was the nearest I saw Richard to having a sense of humour failure. Mr. Barrow is stuffed without his night lens on a firefly tour of Thailand’s amazon. 

The point is as you can see from the photos, how much we enjoyed this weekend. I am personally excited for the Thailand Village Academy to move into my age group the 50 years plus (grey or silver) market. Thailand has finally realized that when the kids have grown up and you have discharged your responsibilities you have money to spend and are not afraid to spend it. Even as an expat, living long term in Thailand, it is seriously hard to have authentic rural experiences.

Richard in action

Richard starts his day before 6am with a tweet:

‘Good morning from Don Mueang airport. Today, I am flying down to Surat Thani in Southern Thailand to visit the Lee Led community. This area is apparently called the “Amazon of Thailand” due to the mangrove forests…’

Before the plane has taken off, he has posted two more tweets, one including a map of the area affected by the anti-government protests in Bangkok and another about the lack of social distancing on the airport bus. I am following his tweets avidly as here I can be a reader and also watch what he is seeing, experiencing and commenting.

After landing in Surat Thani Richard informs his readership of the purpose of the trip. 

“…I have been invited to help promote a campaign for ‘Silver age tourists to visit small rural villages.’ There are a total of 16 cultural tourism communities that have been chosen around Thailand…”

In our convoy of three mini vans, ours with a large sign ‘Mass Media Silver 5.0’ Richard positions himself so he can jump out first at any location. With over twenty people trying to obtain the same photo, timing is everything, it can get rather crowded. My publisher who was in Richard’s way at the first stop and held Richard up has now assumed his position in the front passenger seat and is instructing the driver, us, indeed anyone that will listen. Even if they won’t!

Getting a photo without someone else’s phone or camera in the way is a skill which as you can see this little Wren has yet to perfect!

As bloggers we are trying to get the best photos, we also have a film crew and photographers trying to get great photos of us at every stop enjoying ourselves.

Happier behind the camera than in front

This trip is chocked full of activities – local crafts, cooking and tree planting. The Lee Led community is based on a river so most of what we do involves long tail boats and water.

The information throughout is given in Thai and translated into English for us. Richard politely corrects the English translator telling us the shrimp and sea salt paste is fermented for up to one month, not one week as we are told! He knows his readership is an intelligent, knowledgeable crowd; he will get a lot of stick if he makes any errors.

Whilst some of us make Khanom Chak desserts, shrimp paste or basket weaving, Richard and Nick do not participate in any of the hands-on activities. Richard does not put down his precious camera nor want to be photographed in action and does not deviate from live blogging throughout. Nick either sits it out in his command position in the minivan or is up to no good somewhere. Or is eating, drinking and laughing at it all!

Moi, I am doing it all enthusiastically, trying every experience firsthand. 

Food photography:

Back at the Led Lee community, lunch is one of many feasts served up during the trip. Before any food is eaten it needs to be photographed. Out comes Richard’s light which he holds over the food with one hand whilst taking the picture with the other. 

He normally has plenty of polite opportunity to take whatever photos he wants, there is an unwritten rule on tour that no-one eats before all the bloggers have finished. Honestly, sometimes on media trips it feels like we take more time photographing the food than actually enjoying it! 

However no one briefed our publisher and Richard misses the shot as Nick’s hungry paw frequently appears at the critical moment ruining the shot.

 Richard whilst disappointed puts up with Nick’s enthusiasm and hunger. 

Photographic equipment

Richard offers a high standard of images to support his posts. He uses a Canon 6D Mark II camera however he finds like most of us that his smartphone is the best for working on the road. 99% of Richard’s photos are taken with his iPhone 11 Pro Max.

He tours with all the best toys, on the boat trip out comes the Insta360 X which is a 360° camera on the end of an invisible 3 metre long selfie stick. It produces some uniquely stunning aerial photos without flying his Mavic Air 2 drone. 

Nick meanwhile relaxes totally knowing that we are travelling with two professional photographers, a You tube star and a film crew. Not to mention that we all know that generous Richard can be tapped up for sharing his photos along with the precise GPS location the correct spelling of the name, location and any detail required to complete the story.

His wish is their command

Whilst out on a longboat in the Gulf of Thailand we spot a fisherman’s hut way out in Ban Don Bay; it is picturesque but we are going in the opposite direction. Richard asks to go closer and not for the first time plans are altered to enable his photo shoot. 

Bed but no breakfast!

Richard’s up early and at work, posting his daily Bangkok Post headlines, along with a tweet of our 3 star hotel. ‘Luxury’ he declares, as often his press trips involve a shared room. 

Who says that being a top blogger means he gets 5 star treatment everywhere? Not him! Having just completed my 50th Thailand hotel staycation since February, I am keeping quiet. I may not be an ‘instaqueen’ but I am not having them call me a posh princess either!

Richard does not join the team for breakfast, we learn the only way he survives not overeating on the media trips, is to avoid ‘brekkie.’ Nick having been down for his breakfast before the restaurant was actually open having persuaded the staff to cater for him privately – Bircher muesli, café lattes and poached eggs, is by now in the front seat of the minivan sending us both messages asking “where are you”? Richard and I both panic thinking we are keeping everyone waiting… only to find Nick sat on his own in our minibus in the front seat and in the air con raring to go!

Planning ahead: 

Our days are busy packed full of a diverse range of cultural activities. Richard questions the organisers about the upcoming schedule of the day and decides which cameras are required. 

I have got used to going with the flow, whilst our publisher seems hell bent in boosting the local economy. He returns from every stop and attraction with either antiques – a beautiful 30/40 year old …., never used costing 3,000B, twelve artisan handbags, various pashminas, snacks, ice creams or some freshly cooked chicken for a scruffy malnourished soi dog with a pretty face that he felt sorry for!

Pra Cha Rat traditional floating market – Bang Bai Mai 

The highlight of the morning is the 90 minute long (Richard logged the time) tail boat ride through the natural tunnel. Richard checks the options for his readers seeing some other people on paddleboats. 

In Thai, with local operators, he verifies the market opening hours and shares the information so we can all post correct information for our readers.

Wat Phra Borommathat Chaiya Worawihan

Our final stop offers Richard the time for a quick drone flight. He finds a field and some shade under the canopy of a local vendor for a quick post flight photographic check. 

Whilst the rest of us are exhausted and snoozing, Richard surrounded by Nick with his shopping, antiques, OTOP and handbags, tweets the Wat aerial photos on the way to the airport.

It’s a wrap Surat Thani!

Before takeoff Richard is busy with his final jobs of the weekend. It takes seconds to design his cover image of the trip. He stops work for a brief chat and photo with followers who approach him, saying they have been keeping up his trip on social media and chatting excitedly about their weekend in Surat Thani. He was constantly approached throughout the weekend by adoring readers who all wanted a selfie with him. Somewhat awkwardly he agrees each time with a smile and stands smiling but you can tell that he is not really enjoying the spotlight. He is a quiet and humble man that does what he does with passion and as a calling not for personal notoriety. 

Richard posts a final: ‘That’s a wrap on my two day trip to Surat Thani in Southern Thailand. I hope you enjoyed my photos and that I have inspired you to visit’

I hope this inspires you too to visit Surat Thani and the Lee Led community. You too can enjoy a wonderful weekend in the ‘Amazon Forest of Thailand’. 

Thank you to the Lee Led community in Surat Thani for sharing your lives and rich culture. It was such a privilege to be invited and in such illustrious company. 

The boat ride under the dense canopy of a tropical rainforest with the green glow of fireflies at night, the birds in the trees all are magical experiences of an authentic way of life that I would not easily find on my own. 

Thank you, Thailand Village Academy Silver 5.0… these are unforgettable memories, which I will always cherish. 

More can be found at www.richardbarrow.com

www.thailandvillageacademy.com (Need to add in the right link at the moment it is:

https://www.xn--12cr3baig9d1f8azp.com/leeled-eco-tourism-community/

Little Wandering Wren – Jenny is the content creator and chief explorer at Little Wandering Wren. She is both a Brit, and an Aussie, with her current nest in Bangkok. She is constantly travelling and brings us her lighthearted, birdseye view of the world. Little Wandering Wren was a winner of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s International Blogger competition 2019.

About two hours away from Bangkok there is the small town of Kaeng Khoi, off of Highway 2. Just on the edge of the town is one of those small roads that weaves through the countryside full of dogs and of old men puttering along on scooters that should have ended up in a junk heap ages ago. Twenty minutes later you have to strain your eyes to spot the hidden road on your left, tucked behind tall bushes that obscure a small, painted wooden sign. As you bump along the pothole filled road until it turns to dirt, up a rocky incline, down again, and to the end of the forested dirt road, you realise that the fact that this place is so hidden is what makes it so magical. Welcome to Nam Pha Pa Yai; my paradise.

As you step out of the car, the camp’s dogs come up, barking and wagging their tails. You take a deep breath, notice the sun shining through the trees, and suddenly hear the wind. All your senses start to wake up and your vision widens, noticing all the different forms of life around you. Under a beautiful, airy, earthen structure covered with a palm leaf roof Joy, the camp owner, sits. As you set down your bags and take a seat, all the worries you left behind in Bangkok are carried away with the soft breeze and the sounds of nature. Your signal starved phone is turned off and stashed in a bag for the weekend and is replaced in your hand by a coffee or a bag of homemade cookies, and you are at peace. 

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Hopefully, you’ve come with a plan, and soon your friends are waiting at the edge of the restaurant with all their climbing gear on, looking more like they’re ready to leave on an expedition than take the easy, 5 minute stroll to the riverside. Until recently the two riverbanks were connected by a zip line and you would grab a pulley, strap yourself on, and fly to the other side with hardly a moment to take in the beauty of the cliff in front of you or the river below. Equipment must be maintained though, so these days you walk down to the sandy beach at the riverbank where a silent, smiling boat man waits to paddle you across to the other side. I’m still not sure which I enjoy more, so I’m glad we’ve had the chance to see the cliff from below lately, where it looks much more impressive. 

The 40 metre high vertical cliff face is marbled with beautiful orange and white limestone and capped with grey karst. The entire cliff face is bolted with climbs ranging from 4 (beginner) to 8b (elite). As you stare from the river or the ground beneath the climbs you can see several prominent limestone tufa’s that have formed over tens of thousands of years, which is exciting enough, but not long after you are standing on top of them, heart pounding and chest heaving, having just danced up 20 metres of vertical cliff face on small edges and pockets. Victory is not yours yet, though, as the ultimate goal in climbing, the ‘send’, means you still can’t fall or rest on the rope as you scale another 15 metres. Of course, the hardest move on the route waits here for you and while telling yourself to be calm and breathe, you must reach high for two pockets only large enough to fit a single finger in each and somehow coax the rest of your body into following. Balance is key here. You move your feet precisely and deliberately and despite all the falls and failed attempts before, you have complete control over your body, and it suddenly feels easy. The elation you feel as you pull past the final move and clip your rope into the chains is unparalleled. You look around at the valley carved by the river, the mountains in the distance, and the vibrant orange of the rock and think that though you know you don’t belong here, that no human does, you can’t help but feel that cliff was made to be climbed. Soak it up. Send days are rare, as they should be. 

Climbing is incredibly addictive. You always have something to challenge yourself with, but you feel constant progression. Even when you can’t finish a route, you find yourself getting higher and higher, sometimes metres, sometimes by just centimetres, but the progress is very real. You see yourself quite literally reaching a new level. Like many sports, it’s more mental than physical, which makes it all the more rewarding when you gain control over your mind, push through the (very rational) fear of falling and find the flow in the movement of your body. 

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Climbing has an addictive community, too. You don’t compete with your fellow climbers, but encourage them from the ground to breathe slowly, push hard, and get to the next rest. Your climber is literally putting their life in your hands when you belay, and for the 20 minutes that are connected by that rope when you climb, you can feel their calmness or their anxiety travel through the rope to you. They have the power to calm and relax you, to psych you up, or to make you nervous all by how they handle the rope and without saying a single word. When you send, you celebrate with your belayer, you say “You kept me calm. I couldn’t have done it without you.” Your friends’ achievements are yours and at the end of the day, after exhausting yourselves, getting back in touch with nature, and admiring the beauty of the world, you all share a beer and a laugh together. 

I have so much passion for climbing but it all grew in this place. I love it so much that I’m worried although the climbs that the camp was built for are incredible, maybe you aren’t a climber and feel you aren’t welcome. You are, and you should still come. Perhaps I should convince you by telling you about the hiking, which leads to a stunning view of the river worn valley and, if you time it right, reveals the mountain landscape bathed in the light of dusk or dawn? Maybe you would prefer a more relaxing adventure, and you should kayak down the river and wave to the local fishermen along its banks, take a swim, or just bask in the sun. It’s not unlikely that you already spend enough time running around for work or getting your kids to school and their activities and you just need to glance around the camp on your own long enough to find the hammocks and the yoga mats, and to listen to the creaking bamboo and the breeze rustling the leaves. You can always wander over to the vegetable garden where our friend Natalie is starting to grow Thai cocao for her young and blossoming artisanal chocolate brand, Xoconat. The truth is that you don’t need my help once you arrive. Just get yourself there, and I promise you will fall in love with this little escape.

No matter what your motivations are in going, you should absolutely try your hand at climbing. Climbers are a friendly crowd and are happy to share their knowledge. The camp offers harnesses, climbing shoes, and other gear for rental, as well as guides available for hire. There are routes for all levels of difficulty and please trust me when I say that you do not need to be a skinny athlete to try this amazing sport out. I was a complete beginner when I first came to Nam Pha and I have fallen on every route there. Climbing rock, just like climbing a ladder, is not about strength, but balance, body positioning, and how you use your feet. Try it out and you just might fall in love with it!

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Contact information

Bookings at the camp can be made with Joy Sirilak, she is reachable on the Nam Pha Pa Yai Climber’s Camp facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/nppycamp). She speaks English well enough to assist you with any enquiry. Camp information is located on the page as well, such as the location, and she can also provide information and contact for anyone who wishes to visit the camp without their own transportation, such as by train, bus, or taxi. Xoconat by Natalie is also best contacted through Facebook and I strongly recommend her artisanal chocolate: https://www.facebook.com/xoconat/

If you have any other questions about the climbing camp or anything in this article, you are welcome to contact me directly at the email address listed below.

**Since the writing of this article, the river wall has been temporarily closed. Nam Pha is an amazing place with many other wonderful things to experience and I strongly urge all of you to go, but please respect the temporary closure of this part of the camp.

Nick Bernhardt is an American who has been living in Thailand for 9 years. He owns a consultancy firm that performs market research and due diligence work and enjoys climbing, motorcycles, and exploring Thailand’s paths less travelled. He can be reached at [email protected]. 

It took me three trips to Mae Hong Son to get to the bottom of the sinkhole. The first trip was just reconnaissance. I bought 120m of brand new rope on the second trip, but after throwing it in, very quickly realised that we needed more rope to reach the bottom. You don’t plan an open air rappel into a 200m deep sinkhole in an afternoon. You need to do some prep work, and you need a good partner. 

I met Kelsey while climbing at Nam Pha Pa Yai, one of Thailand’s hidden gems. He has bolted hundreds of his own routes all over the world. I thought this seems like the right kind of guy. I asked him, “Hey Kelsey, do you want to rappel 200m down, all hanging in the open air, into a sinkhole that has no other access, camp at the bottom, and try to climb out of it the next day?” Of course, he was. This guy was born for adventure. That’s what I love about Thailand; it attracts the right type of people. He even had the rope!

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At one point while packing for the trip, Kelsey said offhandedly, “We should probably bring a knife, just in case…” So we loaded up Kelsey’s haul bag with 400m of rope (and one knife) and set off towards Mae Hong Son. When we arrived at Ban Luk Khao Lam we sought out the village head immediately. In nine years in Thailand I have never actually needed my Thai. I needed it that day. 

We were shuffled around a few times before finally finding the village head and learned that we actually needed to talk to the forestry service, who had an office back in Bang Ma Pha, a town about 40 minutes away. Amazingly, we managed to get the permits inside an hour. We snapped photos, joked around, and we were good to visit, and good to descend, and good to climb out. We even had time to set up ropes on the hotel’s rafters and practice passing a knot on rappel, which we had have to do the next day. Thank God for that.

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We woke up early and convinced one of the villagers to let us rent two of their motorbikes to get up the steep hill, and I do mean steep. This thing was a struggle on the way up, but it was pure terror on the way down, especially with 40kg of gear on your back. Somehow, we made it to the top of the mountain and pulled out the machete to find the descent point. It took a lot of bushwhacking, but we found the right spot and, we think, the same four trees that I used to anchor the ropes on the first attempt. It took 60m of rope and about 3 hours just to make the anchor, but we felt confident about it when it was all said and done. We had to be after all, lives depending on them and all that.

I went first and Kelsey went around to take photos. The initial part of the descent went smoothly, though my heart was beating out of my chest when I first went over the edge. The giant tufa’s had not changed since my first visit, and they had not become any less impressive. The sinkhole formed when a cave collapsed onto its largest chamber, which would have been around 200m high at that point. At one point the cave had access through the mountain and prehistoric civilisations used it. The first descentionists found artefacts in the 100m cavern beyond the arch that formed after the collapse. Our descent point was at the highest part of the arch, straight down in front of the large cavern. As I dangled in space I couldn’t see the end of my two ropes, but I could admire the huge limestone formations which looked both close enough to touch and yet as far away as the opposite wall of the sinkhole, some 150m across. The sinkhole itself was nearly completely round, though the depth varied from about 150m at our point to 100m on the opposite wall. Every wall was a sheer drop, except for the roof of the cave I was hanging in front of.

The formations beneath had formed underground for tens of thousands of years from the rainwater seeping through the cracks in the mountain, forming shapes that boggled the mind, and were larger than any individual rock formations I had seen before. Inside nested sparrows which flew in huge flocks near dusk, swooping and turning above trees that reached 50m high and shot straight up as arrows, but were still dizzyingly far below.

I inched down the rope and the ground did not seem to grow larger for quite a while. The two ropes I was on were actually made of three, with one that was 200m and reached from the top straight to the bottom uninterrupted, and the second made up of a 100m and 60m rope tied together. When I reached the knot, I was only just above the trees and finally realised just how massive they were. 

This is when it got interesting. The condensed process of how to pass a knot on one of your ropes involves securing your harness above the rappel device with a small cord called a prusik, taking then your weight off the rappel device, move the device below the knot, re weight the device, and take the prusik cord off from above. The carabiner connecting my prusik cord to the rope above the knot jammed during this process, meaning I could not move up or down. It was in this moment that Kelsey called me on the radio:

“Hey uh… Nick… there are some guys up here, and they seem pretty upset. Uhhh (nervous laugh) they have guns, haha.”

“What?? I’m stuck. My carabiner’s jammed.”

“Oh, that’s not good. But yeah… I think they’re asking about the permits… “

“Shit. We don’t have the actual permits, they just sent us photos… they’re on my phone.”

“Well uh… maybe you should talk to them?”

“Ok, ok, put them on.”

Luckily, though I didn’t realise it at the time, I had left my phone in a bag at the top of another vantage point. Apparently these were soldiers and I’m still not exactly sure why they were patrolling the area, but dangling on that rope above the treetops that didn’t really matter. I explained that we had the permits, saying everything was fine. Then they explained to me that everything was not fine, that I needed to show them the permits, and that I needed to get out of the sinkhole right that second. They weren’t very sympathetic to the fact that I had gotten myself stuck, either. It was a stressful time, but once Kelsey tracked down my phone and found the photos, the patrol became a lot nicer and even hung out for a few minutes to watch as I continued to struggle with my knot in vain. 

Luckily, after Kelsey’s offhand comment, I had my knife on my harness. I cut the prusik cord that secured me above the knot and continued my descent with that damn carabiner still stuck to my leg loop. I couldn’t get it off until I got back to Bangkok and sat down with two pairs of pliers to unscrew the locking sleeve. Finally, after about an hour since starting, I reached the bottom and radioed to Kelsey. His descent went smoothly, and I explored the huge space beneath while waiting for him to make his way down.

The plant life down there was incredible. Truly Jurassic. There were ferns the size of living rooms and vine systems covering areas the size of football fields. A huge chunk of the roof had collapsed and formed a small canyon with walls 20m high on each side. A 20m tall stalagmite under the main arch looked like something out of Alice and Wonderland with its otherworldly platforms, mushrooms and pedestals. The dirt was loose and the ground steep, but in the centre was a more or less flat area where we ended up setting up the tent for the night and trying to start a fire. Never have two men tried so hard and accomplished so little as the two of us tried to start a fire by hand.

The next day we hiked to our ropes hanging down, rigged ourselves up, and began the long, hard task of climbing out. When we reached the top, we were exhausted, and after the harrowing trip down we finally made our way back to Pai and enjoyed the greatest bowl of Khao Soi I have ever had in my life, checked the news, and found that during our night in the cave with thousands of bats, the last three days saw an explosion of virus cases and the Covid pandemic began.

Contact information

If you would like to attempt the rappel into the sinkhole, please hire a professional guide. It is an extremely dangerous activity and should not be undertaken by anyone without extensive climbing or caving experience.  When speaking with the villagers I was told that only one or two trips are organised per year, and they did not know the name of the company. 

If you would only like to visit the viewpoint at the sinkhole, please still remember to stop by the forest service office in Pai. I do not have the location as we went to a different office in Bang Ma Pha, but were told that they were only making an exception for our case. 

If you have any other questions about the sinkhole, you are welcome to contact me directly at the email address listed below.

Nick Bernhardt is an American who has been living in Thailand for 9 years. He owns a consultancy firm that performs market research and due diligence work and enjoys climbing, motorcycles, and exploring Thailand’s paths less travelled. He can be reached at [email protected].

The year 2020 which ushered in the horrific Covid-19 pandemic has been a traumatic one for all of us. Having been cooped up in Bangkok for the last eight months, I was getting itchy feet and ready to travel. The invitation from the Thailand Incentive and Convention Association (TICA) to visit Chiang Mai in November for three days was a timely and welcomed offer. 

It has been years since I visited this popular Northern city Chiang Mai. When I saw that the first item in TICA’s programme was a visit to the indigo dyeing community of Lhong Him Khao, I signed up for the trip without hesitation. I remember fondly the happy times I had making tie-dyed T-shirts at the backyard of my friend’s house as a teenager. I thoroughly enjoyed the art of tie-dyeing. The only drawback was that my family and friends, to their chagrin, had to tolerate seeing me in my vibrant creations for many years to come.

Those of us living in Thailand have been more fortunate than those living overseas in many ways. We are very grateful that we can move around quite freely to do our day-to-day activities and travel to other parts of the country, as long as we are careful of course – wear masks when we are outside, maintain social distance, avoid crowded places and wash our hands often.

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On the day of the familiarisation trip, I packed my masks and alcohol and boarded the Bangkok Airways’ one hour flight to Chiang Mai. There were about 30 of us in the group. After we landed and collected our luggage, we travelled by coach to Lhong Him Khao village for our indigo dyeing adventure. Our party was warmly welcomed by a Thai musical band and we were soon ready to get to work. Unlike my previous experience where we used strings to tie-dye our T-shirts, the equipment for this procedure was quite surprising. They had on the table for us, chop sticks, clothes pegs, paper clips, round and square boards and rubber bands. Each of us used whatever we fancied to tie the cloth however we desired. The finished pieces were then taken for dyeing and after that process, VOILA! I was quite pleased yet intrigued with the design that I created. Unfortunately, I will never be able to repeat that pattern again.

Soon, it was time to head for the Ratilanna Riverside Spa Resort for a short rest and to get ready for a networking dinner at Kiti Panit, a fine dining restaurant housed in a 132-year-old teak tree mansion which once operated as a General Store run by Chinese immigrants. We were served Lanna and Tai Yai dishes, many of which were tasty yet quaint. It was a marvelous gastronomic adventure, nonetheless.

Early the next morning, we early risers had the pleasure to offering alms to the monks at the hotel’s beautiful riverside pier. Conveniently, the hotel staff has already prepared the alms for us. All we had to do was offer them to the monks. One of the TICA members gave a short explanation of the Buddhist ritual of alms giving to the non Buddhists in our entourage.  Although I am a Buddhist myself, I even learned a thing or two from the narrative.

A lovely breakfast by the river followed. The weather was pleasantly cool, perfect for breakfast outdoors, but not cold enough for me to show off the several jackets that I had dug up from storage to wear them should it get cold in Chiang Mai.

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After breakfast, we headed off to the Araksa Tea Garden located in the foothills of Mae Tang District. It took 90 minutes of driving on winding roads to get up there. The organic tea garden spanned over 100 rai of land. It was my first visit to a tea plantation and was pleasantly surprised that the tea trees, over 20,000 in number, were planted on fairly flat land and not on a plateau. That made it easier for us to carry out our assignment for the morning — picking tea leaves.  

We were given a briefing on proper tea picking by the friendly staff. Thereafter, we each got our own basket and attempted to pick as many tea leaves as possible. We were going to make green tea, which meant we had to choose one bud with 2 leaves. For white tea, we would only pick the bud and for black tea, we would pick the bud and 3 leaves. Time passed quickly as we were having fun playing farmer and before we knew it, it was time for us to turn in our tea collections for the next step. Mae Jan, our tea expert, began kneading the tea leaves and thereafter began roasting the leaves. After some time, the big pile of tea leaves shrunk to perhaps one tenth of the original size. My earlier inspiration to become a professional tea picker also shrank in size in proportion to the roasted tea leaves. I then got the understanding of how many tea leaves must be collected to produce a small package of tea. It’s a good thing I didn’t give up my day job before I left for this trip.

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After all this hard work, we were invited to taste the 15 types of white, green and black tea at the plantation. Now, that was more my kind of thing and all of us happily obliged. It was very refreshing to sample the different tastes of tea, some more subtle than others. The aromatic “Kularb” or rose flavour was my favourite. I was pleased to hear that it won an award last year.  

In a little while it was time for lunch. The Araksa lunch menu included Thai rice salad with condiments or “Khao Yum” in Thai. The colourful ingredients, once mixed together, had the sweet, sour and salty taste (and hot if you add chillies). This dish has become very popular among health conscious diners since it has lots of fresh vegetables like purple cabbage, bean sprouts, coconut shaves plus flowers. I personally find that that this dish takes a bit of getting used to, since I still consider eating fresh flowers a bit bizarre. The fried crispy tea leaves with pork spicy dipping was quite delicious. It was addictive like eating French fries. Once you start, you cannot stop. Serving organic rice crackers made with watermelon juice (Khao Tan Nam Tangmo) accompanied by — you guessed it — hot or cold tea of your choice was a perfect way to end the meal.

Visiting Wat Umong, a 700 year old Buddhist temple was next on the itinerary. Located at the foot of Doi Pui Mountain, the temple was home of old ruins with meditation tunnels. After climbing up a multitude of uneven brick steps, we came to a large brick pagoda, made famous by a Thai popular soap opera. But honestly speaking, I would give this spot a miss.

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We did a quick check in at the Shangri-La Hotel and got ready to go to dinner at Food for You by Chef Tutu. Chiang Mai is well known for its numerous restaurants and variety of international cuisine, and this homey restaurant did not disappoint. Soon after we arrived, the Chef, whose full name was Prapatsorn Na Chiangmai, started energetically cooking his signature dishes for us. Crab salad, fried duck, grilled shrimp, crab soup and steak… most dishes cooked to perfection. And a good selection of fine white and red wine served with the dishes made the dinner even more palatable. The only comment I would like to add was that the chef was too trigger happy with his chilies for someone like me who doesn’t take hot food.

After whisking off his last dish for our group, Chef Tutu came out to greet his guests. We found out he has been cooking since he was nine and has been serving special dishes to his clients for the past 30 years. He enjoys going to the local market daily to get the freshest ingredients for his dishes. He is very adventurous and is happy to concoct special dishes not in the menu for his customers. Just let him know.

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The trip to Chiang Mai ended all too soon on the third day of our trip. After a leisurely breakfast at the Shangri-La Hotel, we headed for the airport amidst heavy traffic. We were amazed to find that the airport was very crowded. People are travelling again. The flight was also fully booked. After a one hour flight, we were happy to land in Bangkok and go home for a nice rest from our fun and informative excursion. 

Where in Thailand shall we go next? It took a lockdown for us to realise that we have so many interesting and beautiful places to visit right here in Thailand instead of going overseas for our vacation. Life’s paradigm has changed drastically and going abroad for a holiday is a privilege that is not accessible to us for the time being. So why not rediscover the amazing wonders of Thailand instead?

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However, always keep in mind that wherever we go, we must keep our guards up against the possible infection of the Covid-19 virus. Always social distance and keep our masks on and of course wash our hands often. The pandemic is not over yet. We must remain vigilant when we are in public areas, especially in crowded places.  

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About the author.

Netra Ruthaiyanont is currently the Marketing Director of GT Auto Co., Ltd., authorised Volvo Car retailer. The former member of the print media enjoys writing stories about travel, education and the challenging lives of women.

There are plenty of hidden gems in Thailand and if you are an expat like me who has been doing a lot of domestic travel this year, chances are you’ve found a few of these gems yourself. I found my gem on a trip down to Koh Tao to get my SCUBA certification back in September, his name is Anthony Griffiths and he has been a dive instructor in Thailand for 25 years. Right in our backyard, we have the instructor who has PADI certified more people to scuba dive than anyone else in the world. I have been back down to dive a few more times since getting certified and asked Anthony to sit down with me and tell me his story and why everyone should give diving a try, especially now.

What did you do before you were a dive instructor?

I was a dancer with the Royal Ballet. I trained for 16 years and I danced with them for about 4 years; I toured the world. I was in Madonna’s show when she came to England, I performed on Top of the Pops, danced in countless contemporary companies – Twyla Tharp, Pina Bausch, Sadler’s Wells – I am going back 30 years though.  

When did you first come to Thailand?

1991. I came with a girlfriend on holiday because I wasn’t doing anything, I was just hanging around in London. My dance career had kind of wound down and I was about 28 years old. I had been travelling a lot before with my career but not really holidaying, and it just seemed like a good idea. So, she was coming to Thailand and I just came with her. And it was an absolutely brilliant decision.

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When did you decide to make the move and why?

I didn’t have a set day where you could say like “I moved to Thailand on…”. It was a gradual transition. I was holidaying here for just 2 weeks and we changed our round the world tickets to make it 6 months. I did my PADI Open Water (Diving) Course, Advanced Course, Rescue Diving, Divemaster and fell completely in love with it. One thing led to another and the rest is history. Since 1991 I have pretty much been diving every day, besides my trips back home to the UK of course.

I have always used Koh Tao as a base though. I would go to Australia and Fiji, but I always want to come back to Koh Tao. It is a very special island with very special people. The local people are beautiful, and they have a lovely school and community. It has just been a great place for me to bring up a family.

What was it about diving that was such a magnet for you?

It is interesting, for me, diving was like a connection to dancing. I spent years trying to defy gravity and the weightlessness in diving was like a direct link for me. That’s why today I am still totally in love with moving in three dimensional space. It is a magical unbelievable experience where you connect technology with nature, and it meshes so many things together. And then, I did not know I was a teacher, but I have a naturally outgoing personality and I have always been able to connect with people. Combined with what I had done on stage, performing etc., moving into teaching was just really natural; teaching diving connected all the dots. When I look at my life now, it’s just a blessing how it all came together.

How long have you been an instructor? And how many people have you certified?

25 years. I don’t want to toot my own horn, but since you asked, I hold the most certifications of any PADI instructor in the world. It is roughly 18,000 people by now. The dive shop I work at, Ban’s Dive Shop, is the biggest dive shop in the world by the number of people we have certified – over a quarter of a million. We were going to have a big celebration this year for our 300,000th certification but because of Covid, we had to stop the plan. I have grown my career at Ban’s and even though I have been diving all over the world, this is the place I want to come back to.

Why should someone get certified to dive?

Diving is a way for people to reconnect back to the natural world that we all belong to. I believe people have become so disconnected because of technology (of course technology is a wonderful thing too) but when it gets to the point where it disconnects people from that natural way of being, it is concerning. How do you even put into words when a 6 metre fish with a mouth like a car front swims over your head, looks down and questions you. When you have that visceral feeling inside your stomach and your soul for one moment, everything disappears, and you have a brief moment of a connection back to nature. I am just happy that I can help people make a reconnection to the natural world.

What is going on with diving in Koh Tao right now? What is the good and the bad?

Well, the good is there are a lot of great instructors here that have held on. There’s a lot of beautiful positive energy surrounding those who have stayed, and we are supporting each other during these difficult times. There is a local market that’s booming, and the government has done some good stuff to help. So, it is great that more Thai people are exploring the underwater beauty of their homeland. The conditions are fantastic. The water is clearer, and we are seeing more abundant wildlife.

The bad, economically, it is a catastrophe, not only for diving. Needless to say, so many people have lost their jobs in tourism and it has been hard for everyone. In terms of foreigners, a lot of people who came from abroad to realise their dream cannot do it now.

But as one door closes in diving, another one opens. People have had to leave and go back to their countries so in the dive shops, things have changed, people are taking on new roles and getting promotions. We are learning new ways of thinking about diving, how to promote diving, how to keep diving going. I myself have had time and gotten back into the books, back into the study. I have just had a wonderful move within our own company where I am teaching dive masters and professionals right the way through from open water to the instructor development programs. Diving will never die, but it’s definitely on a low ebb.

Why is now a great time to come get certified or dive in general?

Because we have got groups of people now who are even more focused and devoted to giving excellence and quality, they know how precious every customer is. When there was a mass of customers, you could argue that we weren’t lax, but we would take it for granted that we had the next batch of people coming through the door. So, what tends to happen now, not saying that there was bad teaching before, but now clients just get an extra bit. People who are coming down from Bangkok, who are willing to come down here to give it a try are getting more bang for their buck. There are some great bargains and great deals to find now.

I’d say to everyone reading this article, please consider coming down to Koh Tao, get in touch with me directly, you can look me up at Ban’s Diving and we will have an absolutely amazing time. Now is a great time to clean out some stuff in your mind. Get away from the city a little bit, get away from the job, the day-to-day blues of Covid and come get in the water and express yourself. Feel weightless, learn something new and fresh, learn new ways to move and think. I have just had a student do a course with me and he was good on the course but there were a few little things that were not quite right. And he’s gone away and watched loads of YouTube videos and came back and now’s he is diving like I couldn’t believe. Fantastic! Diving obviously had a positive effect on him. He learned something, went away and learned more, came back and now wants to get really good at it. Diving can be a great way to lift yourself out of a bad spot.

What do newbies need to know?

Get on a bus, get on a train, get on a plane, come down to Koh Tao and we will take care of you. You do not need any equipment or any training. There is only one credential, you need to be able to swim a little bit, but even that, we can teach you.  

What are you up to these days to stay busy during this temporary lull?

I have become a barman! Like I said, this situation is giving us all a chance to try something new and different. My son and I have built and opened up a little bar here called DNA Bar. Now, I am on YouTube learning too, I’m just learning how to make killer cocktails. But I really just want to emphasise that diving is still open and as incredible as it ever was, so please come down and visit us and maybe come have a cocktail with me after your class!

When did you decide to make the move and why?

I didn’t have a set day where you could say like “I moved to Thailand on…”. It was a gradual transition. I was holidaying here for just 2 weeks and we changed our round the world tickets to make it 6 months. I did my PADI Open Water (Diving) Course, Advanced Course, Rescue Diving, Divemaster and fell completely in love with it. One thing led to another and the rest is history. Since 1991 I have pretty much been diving every day, besides my trips back home to the UK of course.

I have always used Koh Tao as a base though. I would go to Australia and Fiji, but I always want to come back to Koh Tao. It is a very special island with very special people. The local people are beautiful, and they have a lovely school and community. It has just been a great place for me to bring up a family.

What was it about diving that was such a magnet for you?

It is interesting, for me, diving was like a connection to dancing. I spent years trying to defy gravity and the weightlessness in diving was like a direct link for me. That’s why today I am still totally in love with moving in three dimensional space. It is a magical unbelievable experience where you connect technology with nature, and it meshes so many things together. And then, I did not know I was a teacher, but I have a naturally outgoing personality and I have always been able to connect with people. Combined with what I had done on stage, performing etc., moving into teaching was just really natural; teaching diving connected all the dots. When I look at my life now, it’s just a blessing how it all came together.

How long have you been an instructor? And how many people have you certified?

25 years. I don’t want to toot my own horn, but since you asked, I hold the most certifications of any PADI instructor in the world. It is roughly 18,000 people by now. The dive shop I work at, Ban’s Dive Shop, is the biggest dive shop in the world by the number of people we have certified – over a quarter of a million. We were going to have a big celebration this year for our 300,000th certification but because of Covid, we had to stop the plan. I have grown my career at Ban’s and even though I have been diving all over the world, this is the place I want to come back to.

Why should someone get certified to dive?

Diving is a way for people to reconnect back to the natural world that we all belong to. I believe people have become so disconnected because of technology (of course technology is a wonderful thing too) but when it gets to the point where it disconnects people from that natural way of being, it is concerning. How do you even put into words when a 6 metre fish with a mouth like a car front swims over your head, looks down and questions you. When you have that visceral feeling inside your stomach and your soul for one moment, everything disappears, and you have a brief moment of a connection back to nature. I am just happy that I can help people make a reconnection to the natural world.

What is going on with diving in Koh Tao right now? What is the good and the bad?

Well, the good is there are a lot of great instructors here that have held on. There’s a lot of beautiful positive energy surrounding those who have stayed, and we are supporting each other during these difficult times. There is a local market that’s booming, and the government has done some good stuff to help. So, it is great that more Thai people are exploring the underwater beauty of their homeland. The conditions are fantastic. The water is clearer, and we are seeing more abundant wildlife.

The bad, economically, it is a catastrophe, not only for diving. Needless to say, so many people have lost their jobs in tourism and it has been hard for everyone. In terms of foreigners, a lot of people who came from abroad to realise their dream cannot do it now.

But as one door closes in diving, another one opens. People have had to leave and go back to their countries so in the dive shops, things have changed, people are taking on new roles and getting promotions. We are learning new ways of thinking about diving, how to promote diving, how to keep diving going. I myself have had time and gotten back into the books, back into the study. I have just had a wonderful move within our own company where I am teaching dive masters and professionals right the way through from open water to the instructor development programs. Diving will never die, but it’s definitely on a low ebb.

Why is now a great time to come get certified or dive in general?

Because we have got groups of people now who are even more focused and devoted to giving excellence and quality, they know how precious every customer is. When there was a mass of customers, you could argue that we weren’t lax, but we would take it for granted that we had the next batch of people coming through the door. So, what tends to happen now, not saying that there was bad teaching before, but now clients just get an extra bit. People who are coming down from Bangkok, who are willing to come down here to give it a try are getting more bang for their buck. There are some great bargains and great deals to find now.

I’d say to everyone reading this article, please consider coming down to Koh Tao, get in touch with me directly, you can look me up at Ban’s Diving and we will have an absolutely amazing time. Now is a great time to clean out some stuff in your mind. Get away from the city a little bit, get away from the job, the day-to-day blues of Covid and come get in the water and express yourself. Feel weightless, learn something new and fresh, learn new ways to move and think. I have just had a student do a course with me and he was good on the course but there were a few little things that were not quite right. And he’s gone away and watched loads of YouTube videos and came back and now’s he is diving like I couldn’t believe. Fantastic! Diving obviously had a positive effect on him. He learned something, went away and learned more, came back and now wants to get really good at it. Diving can be a great way to lift yourself out of a bad spot.

What do newbies need to know?

Get on a bus, get on a train, get on a plane, come down to Koh Tao and we will take care of you. You do not need any equipment or any training. There is only one credential, you need to be able to swim a little bit, but even that, we can teach you.  

What are you up to these days to stay busy during this temporary lull?

I have become a barman! Like I said, this situation is giving us all a chance to try something new and different. My son and I have built and opened up a little bar here called DNA Bar. Now, I am on YouTube learning too, I’m just learning how to make killer cocktails. But I really just want to emphasise that diving is still open and as incredible as it ever was, so please come down and visit us and maybe come have a cocktail with me after your class!