Dave Barrett SMCC, Expedition Leader & Underground Photographer

Stuart Byatt Guest

Paul Dummer SMCC, Tackle Officer & Cinematographer

Martin Ellis SMCC, Survey Officer, Cartographer & Lepidopterist

Steve King SMCC, Science Officer & Medical Officer

Claire Richardson SMCC, Assistant Science Officer & Model

Fred Weekes YSS, Safety Officer

Dates

The expedition departed the UK on Tuesday 26 December 2000, arriving in Bangkok on Thursday 28 December. It departed Thailand on Wednesday 10 January 2001, arriving back in the UK on the same day.

Expedition Location

The study area for the expedition was the district (Amphoe) of Umphang (sometimes written Umpang) in the province (Changwat) of Tak in Northwest Thailand. Umphang is approximately located at Latitude 16° 01' North, Longitude 98° 52' East, about 12 km from the Thai border with Burma.

"Umphang was first inhabited by Karen hill-tribe people. Thai people latter came from the North and settled here permanently. It has also traditionally been an area where people from Burma came to sell their products in Thailand. In the past, people carried the papers issued by the border authorities in a bamboo container. The container protected the papers from rain while travelling through the forest. These papers, which allow people to cross the border, are known as 'umpha' in the Karen language. The name has changed to 'umphang' over time." (Transcribed from a plaque in the Tee Lor Su Wildlife Sanctuary).

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/middle_east_and_asia/Thailand.jpg

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/middle_east_and_asia/Thailand.jpg

Map from Microsoft World Atlas

Rainfall: 140 - 160 cm/year

Max temperature: 30 - 31 °C

Min temperature: 17 - 18 °C

Relative humidity: 76 - 78 %

For comparison, the UK Meteorological Office gives the mean yearly rainfall in the English Lake District as 200+ cm/year. Whilst the mean UK temperature is just 8.5 - 11 °C.

During the period of the expedition daytime cloud cover rarely, if ever, exceeded 50% and there was no precipitation in the study area. Indeed we were told that 1999/2000 had been unusually dry years. Daytime air temperatures in the field, away from caves, were around 30 °C, but an early morning (circa 07:45) air temperature of 16.5 °C was measured inside our accommodation. Our experience would therefore seem to bear out the long-term climatic data. We did not measure relative humidity, but on the basis that some mornings were quite misty it is reasonable to conclude that the water content of the atmosphere was quite high.

With the exception of the Southern isthmus, Thailand has three "seasons"; the cool-dry season (November to February), the hot-dry season (March to May), and the wet season (June to October). Thus the yearly rainfall figure, which is almost comparable to that of NW England, is really compressed into a 4 or 5 month period. Flash floods in seasonal streambeds are the inevitable result, and the team found plenty of examples of massive flood debris at stream sinks. Local information also indicated that some cave passage we had regarded as fossil was in fact liable to be a metre or more deep in water at certain times of the year. Given the size of some of these passages, one is talking about a vast quantity of water. This would not be an area to attempt to cave in during the wet season.

Looking West from the valley near Tham Takobi

Higher ground is a mixture of deciduous and evergreen forest, with bamboo, pampas grass, creepers and vines thrown in for good measure. It can be thorny and impossible to penetrate without paths or machetes.

Below the 17^th parallel the igneous intrusions become less prominent and sedimentary strata are more widespread. These are principally shales, sandstones, siltstones, mudstones, conglomerates, and of course limestones. Geologic boundaries in the area around Umphang (approximately 16° N) are rather complex but aligned approximately North-South or Northwest-Southeast. Thus from East to West over a distance of just 20 km the date of the rocks changes from Silurian-Devonian (approximately 417 Million years ago), to Carboniferous-Permian (290 Myears ago), to Triassic-Jurassic (206 Million years ago), to Permian (248 - 290 Myears ago). There is a large expanse of Ordovician (443 - 495 Myears ago) rocks between 14° - 15° N centred about the same longitude. For comparison, most UK caving areas lie in Carboniferous limestones with an age of 290 - 354 Myears ago (though caves in South Devon and Northwest Scotland lie in rather older rocks).

The general topography of the study area was one of thickly wooded hills 600 - 1000 m high (Umphang has an altitude of about 500 m) interspersed by broad, gently rolling, plains. Small (circa 2 m wide) streams and the occasional meander of the larger (circa 6 m wide) Mae Nam Mae Klong cut across the lower ground. The hillsides were liberally dotted with heavily weathered limestone outcrops. In some areas, notably 10 - 20 km North of Umphang, limestone cliffs were evident though in some cases these were a long way from the nearest river. Cave entrances could be seen in these but none were investigated. The area occupied by the Sanctuary to the West is somewhat more mountainous.

Though the high ground to the East of Umphang drains to the Ping, most of the drainage in the study area flowed South into tributaries of the Mae Klong (or Khlong). This also enters the Gulf of Thailand about 100 km Southwest of Bangkok near Phet Buri. Principal tributaries of the Mae Klong include the Mae Kasart, Khwae (or Kwae) Noi, and the Kwai Yai (of "Bridge Over…" fame).

We investigated karst areas in two river catchments, that of the Mae Nam Mae Klong and that of the Huai Nong Luang. The latter joins the former Southwest of Umphang (UTM Grid Square 47Q 79 67, Indo-Thai Datum) and the combined waters flow South as the Nam Mae Klong which eventually becomes the Mae Klong. A number of other tributaries (Huai) feed the Mae Nam Mae Klong prior to its confluence with the Huai Nong Luang.

We eventually secured return flights with Qatar Airways. This carrier does not fly to Australia, and only serves Manila and Bangkok in Southeast Asia. The disadvantage however was that both the outbound and inbound journeys involved a long layover in Doha, Qatar. Each flight leg was about 7 hours (3000 nautical miles). The hold baggage allowance was 20 kg/person, but we were allowed to pool our individual allowances.

At Bangkok two 4WD vehicles were collected from Budget Car & Truck Rental (http:/www.budget.co.th). To drive the vehicles it was necessary to present a full UK driving licence at the time of hire. Neither vehicle was particularly fuel efficient (we estimate a mpg figure in the mid-20's) but unleaded petrol is cheap in Thailand, about 12 Baht/litre (roughly 20 p/litre). Finding petrol stations was never a problem, even around Umphang.

Some comments on the vehicles are in order:

It has to be said that the two vehicles only just coped with the luggage of the seven team members. Another particularly irritating feature of the vehicles was that neither cigarette lighter socket (required by at least one team member for the charging of caving and mobile phone batteries) could be energised without a key in the vehicle ignition!

Despite what some guidebooks and road maps may depict, the only road route into Umphang is via Mae Sot. It is therefore necessary to drive North from Bangkok on Highway 1, via Nakhon Sawan, towards the provincial capital of Tak. Just before Tak, Highway 105 can be followed East to Mae Sot. The Bangkok-Mae Sot leg is approximately 530 km on metalled roads of a good standard and takes about 9 hours with stops. The Mae Sot-Umphang leg is along Highway 1090, the "Death Highway" (a reference to the many Burmese border incursions that plagued its construction). This is approximately 170 km of part metalled-part unmade gravel road that is both breath-taking and tedious! It would be dangerous to attempt to travel this road at night. At its highest point the road gains over 1000 m of altitude. This leg of the journey takes about 2.5 hours. Though it is possible to take an internal flight from Bangkok to Tak or Mae Sot, we were unable to establish what, if any, provision there was for vehicle hire in these locations.

This offered basic rooms with electric, a fan, and mattresses on the floor. Bathroom facilities were shared but featured Western-style toilets and hot showers. Though the windows were provided with fly screens, mosquitoes were a problem in Mae Sot and we elected to erect our own nets in the rooms. A limited Western-style menu was available in the restaurant.

Finding accommodation in Umphang initially proved a little tricky due to the Thai New Year holiday (most places were fully booked until January 2^nd). Asking around we became aware of a "resort" just out of the South end of town on the road to Ban Palatha:

Here we spent one night in bamboo camping huts (provided with mattresses and electric) and two nights in tents provided by the resort. Toilets were Thai-style and there were only cold showers. However, the resort had its own restaurant that was of a good standard.

With the New Year holiday over, and seeking hot showers, we then moved into town, renting three guest rooms at:

Each room came with raised mattresses, pillows, fans, electric, en-suite toilet (Thai-style), hand basin (cold water only) and hot shower. The tariff was 100 Baht/person/night (about £1-67/person/night). This facility also operated a trekking and white-water rafting business.

In addition to the restaurant facilities at some of the bigger resorts, there were several restaurants in the town of Umphang itself. We tried a number but mostly frequented the Phu Doi Restaurant (run, we believe, by the same outfit as that operating our guesthouses). A typical evening meal of rice, perhaps a dozen Thai dishes and beer, typically worked out at less than 200 Baht/person (i.e. about £3/person). We tended to eat breakfast (usually tea/coffee and a pork-mince omelette with rice) here too.

The town also had several general stores at which we purchased fruit, crisps, biscuits, confectionery, and soft drinks for snacks/lunches.

Thailand has two principal mobile phone networks; TH AIS GSM on the GSM900 frequency, and TAC/WP1800 on the PCN1800 frequency. Both were operative in Bangkok but only the GSM network (which supported text messaging) was reliable outside of the capital. However there was almost continual coverage travelling between Bangkok and Mae Sot. Between Mae Sot and Umphang there was no coverage, but in Umphang coverage was restored. A roaming-enabled UK GSM (i.e. Vodaphone / BTCellnet) mobile phone or a dual-band PCN (Orange / One-2-One) mobile phone (as one team member had) could therefore be used to keep UK-based contacts updated. Had this been known before departure, it would have been possible to send emails from the laptop computer we were using for the cave survey software, and possibly to even upload to a web site!

Obtaining detailed maps of Thailand, even for road navigation, is very difficult. The largest scale easily available on the open market is 1:250,000 (i.e. comparable to the OS Travelmaster series in the UK). These are prepared by the Royal Thai Survey Department and have a revision date of 1983. We obtained those sheets covering our study area from Omni Resources, Burlington, North Carolina, USA at $15/sheet. For further details see http://www.omnimap.com.

A series at 1:50,000 (i.e. comparable to the OS Landranger series in the UK) do exist but those sheets covering Thailand's international borders are restricted by the Thai military. We were fortunate to obtain some xeroxed copies of 1:50,000 maps covering our study area from a friend. These had however been compiled by the US Army Topographic Command and had a revision date of 1969 (i.e. contemporaneous with the Vietnam War). Needless to say, the reproduction quality resulted in significant loss of detail. Our research did turn up 1:100,000 maps of Russian military origin, but these could only be purchased as a set and were beyond our financial means.

Omni Resources also stocked geologic and hydro-geologic maps of Thailand compiled by the Thai Department of Mineral Resources. We obtained a 1:2,500,000 scale geological map of the whole of Thailand for $15. Larger scale maps were available.

Personal Equipment

Whilst not intended as a comprehensive checklist, the following gives some idea of the sort of personal equipment that each team member took (naturally there were individual preferences):

Semi-rigid walking boots - for bushwhacking and caving; note that since the terrain was quite dry there was no particular advantage of synthetic over leather boots other than that of keeping feet cooler!

Trekking shoes or training shoes - for general travelling, use about camp, etc

Beach shoes, sandals or flip-flops - for general use; though one team member elected to cave in beach shoes rather than get his walking boots wet!

Hiking socks (wool-based) - 3 pairs (one pair in use, one pair in the wash & one spare pair)

Wetsocks - for wet caving!

Trekking trousers - 2 pairs; needed to be lightweight, breathable, quick-drying, with lots of pockets (preferably zipped), and offering protection against rough vegetation; Crag Hoppers Kiwi Trousers (polyester/cotton with water-repellent and UV protection treatments) are highly recommended by one team member.

Shorts or leisure trousers - for comfort whilst travelling and about camp

Swimming trunks/costume - for when the going gets wet!

Polo or rugby shirt - a collar looks more respectable when travelling and dealing with officials

T-shirts - may be needed for caving in addition to general wear but bear in mind that long-sleeves provide protection against insects; whilst cotton is acceptable, some of the "high performance" garments now available are worth considering, one team member used long-sleeved Daleswear Underfell tops in Polartec PowerDry (100% polyester) fabric and was very happy with them; need to beware of sunburn to the neck however if not using a hat with polo neck T-shirts!

Sweatshirt - needed because the UK at Christmastime is much lightweight fleece jacket colder than Thailand; also night-time temperatures in Umphang were 10°-12° colder than the daytime.

Boiler suit - for caving in a predominantly dry, warm, or expedition oversuit environment.

Suede or leather gloves - for bushwhacking!

Caving helmet

Caving lights & batteries - electric (since carbide can't be taken on an aircraft), but we tried to opt for redundancy in case mains electricity was not available for charging; new LED bulbs saved a considerable amount of battery life whilst surveying, etc

SRT sit harness - more versatile than a belay belt (unless you need the latter for your battery!)

Some alloy screwgate krabs

Some assorted slings

Sleeping bag liner - a sleeping bag is not required unless camping

Mosquito net - should be treated with an insecticide (e.g. Permethrin), and make sure it has a hanging kit!

Insect repellent - e.g. DEET (100% strength is recommended)

Camera & film - and don't forget batteries for the camera!

Guidebook

Torch & batteries

Reel of insulation/duct tape - many, many uses!

Nylon cable ties

Washbag - including "wet wipes", anti-fungal foot powder and the anti-malarials!

First aid kit - including anti-diarrhoea tablets

Sunglasses

Penknife or camping knife

Passport - don't leave home without it!

Driving licence

Rucksacks & flight case - we took at least two pieces of baggage (one for the hold and one to carry-on) each, keeping essential items in the carry-on (particularly since we had a lay-over), and tried to cater for the non-arrival of the hold luggage! A smaller capacity backpack or fanny-pack for field use was useful.

The cave survey data management software selected for this expedition was WALLS, written by David McKenzie (davidmck@texas.net). This is a very comprehensive Windows-based program that has been field-tested on a number of major North American cave mapping projects. Further details are available at: http://davidmck.home.texas.net/walls/

In addition we purchased a licence for the GIS package FUGAWI. This allowed us to overlay cave survey's on scanned topographical maps, or to augment the map images with waypoint or track data from our GPS receivers.

The Expedition surveyed three caves and noted several other sites of speleological interest. One cave has since been confirmed as the 5^th longest cave in Thailand at the time of writing (May 2001).

Cave descriptions, surveys and location data can be found in the Expedition Report (details of how to obtain this can be found at the start of this document).

Measuring equipment was either kindly loaned by some of our employers, or purchased with the help of a grant from the Ghar Parau Foundation, to whom we extend our gratitude.

Scientific data can be found in the Expedition Report (details of how to obtain this can be found at the start of this document).

UK medical advice was that all team members should be immunised against Polio and Tetanus (these are of course normally given in early childhood anyway) and more specifically against Typhoid and Hepatitis A. Immunisation against Rabies was also strongly recommended (because of the risk presented by insectivorous bats). A Hepatitis B vaccination was also advised as a practical precaution in case of a blood loss injury.

Since the Umphang area is not one where rice growing and/or pig farming is prevalent, immunisation against Japanese B Encephalitis was deemed unnecessary and there is no Yellow Fever in Thailand. Cholera has been reported in the region but there is no effective vaccination against it and the disease is best treated by drugs if contracted.

Team members found that there were wide variations in the attitude of their local health authorities towards these immunisations. Several people had to pay for some of the required vaccinations, others declined recommended vaccinations because they would have incurred a charge (£60 or thereabouts was mentioned), whereas one team member got Typhoid, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B and Rabies vaccinations completely free!

Maleria

Maleria is endemic in most rural areas of Thailand and drug-resistance is high with a strong regional dependence. The Thai-Burma border area is widely regarded as the worst place in the world for drug-resistant maleria. All team members were prescribed a daily 100 mg dose of the tetracycline antibiotic Doxycycline (Vibramycin) as an anti-malerial prophylactic, taken a week before travel, during the expedition, and for four weeks after travel. Rather usefully, this antibiotic is also a recognised prophylactic against the contraction of leptospirosis (the organism responsible for Weil's Disease).

Additional countermeasures included Permethrin-treated mosquito nets at night (if windows were not fitted with screens), electric insecticide vapourisers and insect repellent treatments (e.g. those containing DEET; N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide).

Our experience was that mosquitoes were far more prevalent in Bangkok and Mae Sot than they were in Umphang. This might have been related to the local sanitation, but may also have been influenced by the fact that our expedition took place during the dry season. The risk should certainly not be under-estimated; our local police contact revealed that he had only recently been discharged from hospital after contracting maleria.

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/th.html

http://www.fco.gov.uk/text_only/travel/

http://md2.md.chula.ac.th/kp7/current/assiskr.html

http://www.pharmacology.unimelb.edu.au/pharmwww/avruweb/pi.htm

http://www.redcross.or.th/science/science/venomous_snakes_of_thailand.html

http://www.tourismthailand.org/visitor/

http://www.wcmc.org.uk/protected_areas/data/wh/thungyai.html

http://www.glen.org/no4/

http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Lagoon/4490/

http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Lagoon/4490/road_to_umpang.htm

http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Lagoon/4490/accomodation_in_umpang.htm

Encyclopaedia Britannica

Caves & Caving, Autumn 2000