I had heard it was tough, but I was on a mission to visit Tee Lor Su Falls, the largest waterfall in Thailand, no matter the cost.
The tough part of the trip started from Mae Sot, a Thai town on the border of Myanmar. From Mae Sot, the only way to get to Um Phang (the town closest to the waterfall) is by Songthaew, which is any old pick-up truck with two parallel rows of seats along the bed. I had been warned ahead of time that this was no simple ride; it is a four and a half hour jaunt down the “Death Highway,” a name for a road that certainly doesn’t inspire confidence in the completion of it. Along with the pleasing and comforting name, this route is a known as a blitzkrieg to the stomach with a whopping 1,219 turns, many of which are 180 degrees. As it turned out, despite the foresight to gulp down 2 motion sickness pills, the ride was intense.
In the early morning I hopped on the back of the truck in Mae Sot with 8 other locals; we were a respectable four to each side of the pickup bed plus the driver. Early in the journey, it became quickly apparent that this region is a hotbed for refugees and black market trade. The road is littered with police and border checkpoints in an attempt to curtail the black market and the influx of refugees fleeing Myanmar. Every 20 minutes the truck would stop at a checkpoint during which two or three men with large assault rifles would walk around the truck and scan the occupants. As intimidating as the scene was, I actually enjoyed the charade as a welcome respite from the hellish roller coaster ride through the unending turns which was the majority of our journey thus far. Oh, how naive I was…
Within one hour on the road, the enjoyment of the never ceasing turns was enhanced by the equally unending additions to the back of the truck. Our little pick-up truck with 8 passengers now had 16 passengers and a motorcycle. Between checkpoints, the truck would slow down and someone would appear out of the jungle and hop on. It was strange not only because the checkpoints didn’t seem to notice our influx of passengers, but also because there was nothing but jungle for miles and miles and yet people popped out of the thick undergrowth every 5 minutes to hitch a ride.
A highlight for me during this next hour was the young boy who rested his weary head on my shin as he breast fed from his mother, who also happened to be on the floor between my legs. To make the situation even better, after the child moved to the second breast, the first one swung (amongst all the precarious turns) between my legs like an incredibly awkward pendulum. All uncomfortable moments aside, it was worth it, after 2 hours on the road, to be able to see the Mae La refugee camp where over 50,000 displaced Burmese and Karen people call home. A whole mountainside riddled with basic bamboo huts, 2 hours into the jungle from the nearest town. It was an incredibly humbling sight.
Most of the passengers got off at the refugee camp, and after 2 more hours we finally reached the small town of Um Phang and I was excited to start the trek to the waterfall. Unfortunately, and unbeknownst to me, there was still so much more yet to endure.
Upon my arrival to Um Phang I was told that the trek to the waterfall would take an additional 2 days and 1 night due to the inaccessibility of the road during the rainy season. The only way in or out was on a long raft ride followed by a 9 kilometer hike. After enduring the “Death Highway” I was committed to seeing this damn waterfall and remained undeterred. I found a cheap little cabin for the night and went to sleep hoping for a nice peaceful raft ride and relaxing walk the following day.
The raft ride was certainly pleasant; some great scenery, a few monkeys, and an overall peaceful 4 hour float down the Um Phang River. What I hadn’t been told the previous day was that the 9 kilometer hike after the rafting, which I had envisioned as a enjoyable stroll through the jungle, was instead a strenuous hike quite literally up and over a mountain.
Growing up in rural upstate New York, and with a father working to preserve the Adirondacks, the largest private park in the country, I’ve gone hiking all my life, including summiting the two highest peaks in the state. With that background in mind, I can quite honestly say this was the steepest and most exhausting hike I had ever done. The icing on the cake was my 15 year old Thai guide named “Boss,” who bounded ahead of me in jeans, a large revolver belt buckle, and old, worn out flip flops that were easily 2 sizes too small. His unrelenting energy, enthusiasm and lack of recognizable perspiration was a constant source of frustration to me as I continued to exhaust myself with each successive step. To my credit though, I was the first to finish amongst the 40 or so other Thai trekkers. We finished out the hike in a large field, where I was given a tent, some gruesome looking and overflowing toilets, and a plate of plain rice with spicy pork and fish which I devoured like a ravenous animal.
At 7:30 am the next day we started the last 1 kilometer hike to the waterfall. The falls were a stunning sight. Multiple tiers of crisp blue water raging through the middle of the green jungle. There was even a large central pool between tiers of the falls to swim in. Struggling against the current on the opposite side of the pool, I was able to climb behind one of the tiers, jump off the rocks, and into the raging water. After about five seconds of a washing machine tumble at the bottom of the falls, I was tossed out the other side and back into the calmer portion of the pool. Good wholesome fun that never got old.
Was it worth all the trouble in the end? Well, to be one of the fewer than 1,500 farang or western trekkers to see the waterfall each year was an amazing test of endurance and patience, as well as a humbling experience. All told, from the closest city of Ayutthaya, it was 12 hours on buses, 9.5 hours on the back of a pick-up truck, 7 hours on a raft, 6.5 hours hiking, and 3 hours on a minibus. It took 6 days and 5 nights to see the waterfall. I loved it, but I don’t really see myself doing it twice.