Take Me To… is an ongoing series of travel recommendations provided by the experts – Peace Corps Thailand volunteers who have been there! If you’ve traveled to or live somewhere interesting in Thailand, submit your recommendations to us at pctm.stickyrice@gmail.com.
Michael Swerdlow, 135 YinD
Where’s your happy place?
Mine is a mix of anywhere I can be in nature and enjoying the company of others. I grew up in Rhode Island and truly felt at peace when experiencing the beautiful sceneries mother nature has to offer in the Northeast. With Rhode Island aptly nicknamed, The Ocean State, Massachusetts, The Bay State, and Vermont, The Green Mountain State you can see where my affinity for nature began. I grew up going to a family beach house that truly felt like a happy place. Every year we would take a family vacation there to spend quality time together. Additionally, I ran cross country and track in high school and would sometimes run up to 10 miles simply exploring, adding to my love of the natural world. Some of my fondest memories in high school involved running with around five of my best friends discussing anything and everything while soaking in the trails around us. To me, there is nothing more fun and relaxing than experiencing nature and the wilderness with people I am close to.
Naturally, my site being located in the north of Thailand with waterfalls, mountains, and caves surrounding me – the match is one made in heaven. My current Thai tutor (A-jaan) recently asked me if I wanted to go to Chiang Dao which is notably famous for their caves. I hadn’t seen my A-jaan since Pre-Service Training (PST), so I was delighted to reunite with him. He brought one of his friends, so it was nice to meet another person too. As I’m sure all volunteers did when we discovered our site placements, I researched popular travel destinations near my site. Chiang Dao popped up immediately and I have had my sights on it ever since I arrived at site. Chiang Dao translates to ‘city of stars’ because it is said Chiang Dao’s natural wonders are as beautiful as the stars in the night sky.
Our first destination in Chiang Dao was Wat Tham Chiang Dao which is located in the heart of the Chiang Dao Wildlife Sanctuary. Wat Tham Chiang Dao translates to ‘temple cave of Chiang Dao’. This is one of the first destinations that popped up when researching Chiang Dao so I was ecstatic to finally travel there. The cave is located inside the breathtakingly beautiful mountain of Doi Chiang Dao. Doi Chiang Dao also has temples in the mountainside and the most famous is Wat Tham Pha Phlong.
Before the entrance to the cave is a bridge over a pond with coy fish. Coy fish are one of those animals that can instantly put a smile on my face. They are ubiquitous in Thailand and their coloring and symbolism are beautiful. As you enter the cave you ascend a staircase that transports you into an enchanted world. Surrounding you are rich limestone stalactites hanging from the ceiling while artificial lights illuminate the pathway to your first stop: a shrine perched on a platform. Here lies hundreds of ancient Buddha statues. This was my first time ever going to a wat with my A-jaan who is very religious and knowledgeable about Buddhism. He educated me on some history and customs about Buddhism in Thailand.
After the shrine, the path then leads you deeper into the cave. There is an optional trek deeper into another section of the cave. However, this optional path requires an experienced tour guide and a little extra money. Tour guides are volunteers so the fee supports the local community. Our tour guide had 20 years of experience. With my current A-jaan accompanying me, he seized on the opportunity for me to practice my Thai skills with our tour guide. There are no artificial lights in this part of the cave and gas lanterns are carried to illuminate your path and our guide pointed out the bats that reside here. She also identified the stalagmites and other formations that are said to resemble important Thai cultural symbols, such as elephants. There are also some areas that require you to climb and semi-crawl through to get to the other side. Quite the adventure!
After trekking through Wat Tham Chiang Dao, we had lunch at Ashi Café which is walkable distance from the cave and overlooks the mountains. Doi Chiang Dao is now a UNESCO-recognized biosphere reserve and is on its way to becoming a wildlife sanctuary. Afterwards, we decided to explore more of Chiang Dao. We took a quick stop at Chiang Dao’s famous hot springs and they really do get quite hot. While the adults enjoyed the hot springs, the kids loved playing in the river. We did not go into the water but stayed observing and conversing. In America, we have the saying, ‘It’s not about the destination, but the journey.’ I certainly have been guilty of the hustle and bustle of always wondering what’s next rather than focusing on the present. From my experience, Thais value the journey heavily and it was extremely fulfilling enjoying the unplanned journey my A-jaan was taking us on.
After the hot springs, we found a café on a stream of water. The stream was peaceful and was surrounded by rich green vegetation. The scenery makes it easy to see why UNESCO chose to protect this beautiful environment. As tea lovers, we all ordered a delicious variation of tea. We all also ordered a slice of cake and shared what we ordered between the three of us. Here, we simply enjoyed each other’s company, the scenery, and the food together. We were playing ‘get to know you’ games and before we knew it, a couple hours went by and it was time to go home.
This one day excursion felt like only a taste of what Chiang Dao has to offer. I would love to go hiking through the Doi Chiang Dao mountains, climb the steps to Wat Tham Pha Phlong, and visit some more waterfalls. I was so happy my A-jaan got to ‘Take Me To: Chiang Dao.’ Exploring Chiang Dao with great company certainly felt like I was in my happy place.
Sticky Rice 