Blogs from Soppong, North-West Thailand, Thailand, Asia

When the winter starts it gets cold...it's getting really cold...I have to wear socks in the morning! I got a bit addicted to getting up at 5am to drive up the ridge to see the sunrise, so here is a small selection.... read more

I spent the day making Kratong. These are little floating offerings, made out of banana leaf and a thick chunk of banana stalk for the floaty bit. Then you stick on flowers and banana leaves twisted into shapes to make it look as beautiful as possible. In Ban Tham Lod, we released ours at the entrance of the cave and they floated through (or sank, depending on luck mostly). There was music and dancing too. Moo dressed me up in one of her Shan outfits.... read more

It's the end of Buddhist 'lent'. During the last 3 months, the elders of Ban Tham spend 3 nights each month in the temple, at different points of the lunar cycle. As Monks don't eat after midday, I guess the people in the temple don't eat either. And so the following morning the get breakfast served by the community. Today was Cave Lodge's turn.... read more

Despite being about 5500 miles away from all my family and (nearly) all my friends, and living in a culture that doesn't really do birthdays, it was a very festive day :-) Hollie had stuck posters around the house and made a big banner for the kitchen. John and Nang, being the very generous people they are, roasted a small barnyard, cracked open the red wine and chocolate, and invited staff and friends to come and eat with us. Hollie surprised me with a very delicious cake that we managed to cut into 20 slices, and Sue made some super rich chocolate cake truffles soaked in Thai whiskey. I even got self relighting candles on my cake! Very awesome of everyone, and even tho I got up at 5am to watch the sunset, I didn't want ... read more

It was a 2 hour bus trip from Mae Hong Son to Soppong passing wonderful landscapes, green hills and 2 (or 3?) steep mountain passes. Soppong is a small village along one street with only few guesthouses, a couple of shops and NO!Seven-Eleven - this does not happen very often in Thailand. I went to the River-Inn Guesthouse and was greeted like an old friend. I had tried to make a reservation beforehand, but did not get an answer. Anyway, they had a free bungalow and after the first night I could change to an even cheaper bungalow. No problem, it was nice, clean and not too expensive. What did I want more? I went to the wonderful terrasse overlooking the river, listened to the birds singing and just enjoyed this little paradies. The perfect place ... read more