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| By Ianpassion |
When you finally arrived in Manang (Satun Province), you might think that there are no more exciting things you can do, yet the underground river of Tam Jet Khot ( seven curves cave) is waiting for you to be explored.
During our last visit here with my friends (2015), we were amazed by the spectacular beauty of the untouched tropical nature of this place. It was utterly fantastic, paddling our kayak to the mouth of the cave as entrance heading through inside the underground river - Tam Jet Khot.
As we were standing on the big rock situated in front of the cave, we lifted our eyes on this towering rocky mountain filled with green vegetation and centuries aged trees. Various types of insects, birds, bats, and the smooth sound of the river stream from inside were like an orchestra of nature.
Maybe for the first comer, it is a fear overcoming experience especially if you have never been to an underground river before. But for us, it was a perfect adventure, to explore not knowing what lies ahead when we started moving our kayak inside.
We sat on our every kayak, paddled and slowly navigated ourselves to the heart of this underground river. The water was calm and deep. In a few minutes, we were already in complete darkness except our headlights.
What I was thinking was the impossibility of getting through and coming out alive from this spacious cave without any illumination.
As we continued paddling, from far away, I saw a little flame of a torch. When we were close enough to recognize, I found that we were not alone in the cave.
On the dry elevated sand, there were five monks in complete silence while meditating on a traditional sitting position.
Our local friend told us:
What I was thinking was the impossibility of getting through and coming out alive from this spacious cave without any illumination.
As we continued paddling, from far away, I saw a little flame of a torch. When we were close enough to recognize, I found that we were not alone in the cave.
On the dry elevated sand, there were five monks in complete silence while meditating on a traditional sitting position.
Our local friend told us:
"This cave is used by a temple nearby as a place for meditation of their monks."
Talking to my mind:
"It's stunning on how these monks could stay longer for some days in this very dark cave with only a little torch."
I thought some funny....scary "if", what if there is a snake? What if there is a crocodile? What if anaconda is here? What if there is a flood?
I said to myself:
"These monks could meditate peacefully in this place because they were not afraid. How about me?"
Good, there was a sandbar where we could dock our kayak. We got off. My first step on the sand was awesome. I did not expect that it was so cold and the sand was very smooth. What I was thinking, this place is an ideal location for camping.
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| Inside the Cave |
With the use of our headlights, we spotted each dimension of the cave from its wall to its very high ceiling. Some parts were formed in soluble cavities attached to solid rocks such as granites, limestones, and sediments. It was indescribable awe to stare at each.
Depending on your imagination each rock formation could symbolize something: like a lion, a tiger, a curtain, a cathedral, a crown, a map of Thailand, and even something weird.
As we made headway, we found that not all the portion of its waters were deep when the stern of our kayak scratched on the floor. In this situation, we had no choice but to dip our feet into the cold water and pushed our kayak.
When started seeing the vertical rays of the sun stretching down in a distance, I knew that we were almost at the exit route. After going through the narrow way out of a gigantic rock, we were finally on the other side of the cave as a base. The water pool and the plain shore outside serve as a place for picnic and resting.
It was like a feeling of resurrection after we passed through the darkness. Now we are in the light, a more relaxed zone.
After a few minutes of swimming, we continued paddling following the route of the river stream stretching down along the jungle of Manang.
Out of excitement, we did not notice that we already spent more than three hours on this adventure. Yet It was a great time and worth exploring the underground river - Tam Jet Khot.
