Just Stick Out Our Thumbs?

At the bus station waiting to get to Um Phang from Mae Sot, I met what seemed to be the only other foreigner for a hundred miles. A Frenchmen named Corto (pronounced Cock-2), was headed in the same direction as I was, so we buddied up and got a room when we arrived in Um Phang. This town was in the absolute middle of no where, as remote as can be, and it was obvious it was going to be a challenge getting around... but that's all part of the experience.

There is no public transport to the waterfall. The only way to get there is via a trekking tour. But the trekking in Um Phang is sub par compared to the northern parts of Thailand, so we didn't want to pay for all that. The only other option was to hire a private driver for the day, but way expensive, no way. So, we sat down and weighed our options. Hitch hiking is actually a very safe and common practice in Thailand, so we figured, let's do it. It's two hours to the falls from Um Phang, so we woke up bright and early because we had no idea how long this hitching process was going to take. Luckily, we got a sawngtheaw to get us about a third of the way. From there, 22 mile walk to the falls. We started walking, walking, walking, and walking. After a two hour walk that seemed more like two days, we flagged down a car. It was a park ranger who was on his way up to the falls... clutch.

The falls were out of this world. With four falls, the highest one being 600 feet from the base, the sight of it was unreal. There was a trail leading all the way up to the pool of the highest one, and it was really cool to swim where all the water was falling, smashing into the pool from hundreds of feet high. After a couple of hours swimming, jumping, and basking in the natural beauty, it was time to figure out a way back.

We approached two Westerners who were walking to what looked like to be their own car. We asked them for a lift, and it was as simple as that. Richard and Alexandra, a step father and step daughter from Quebec, drove us all the way back to our place in Um Phang, where they got a room, too. Alexandra lives in Mae Sot and runs an organization for Burmese refugees. I'll write about her story in the next post, it's a fascinating one.

Below is a picture of the falls and me jumping off one.