CHILLI CAVE, Lymoh, 1st

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A roughly 2 m wide hole between dislocated boulders at the base of a north-west facing cliff gives access to a descent which intersects 9 m down an estimated 240 m of cave passages (198 m surveyed and mapped), dog-leg shaped in ground plan. The downstream branch leads initially north-east but later north to breakdown and is choked (Anonymous et al. 2010.03.29 Mss: Diary (current) 2010.doc: 15th February) whilst the upstream branch leads south-west to the 2nd cave entrance (Chilli Cave, Lymoh, 2nd) in the north-western (orographically left) flank of the Phud Lymoh (Lymoh Gorge) or Lymmoh Canyon (ARBENZ, T 2012: 31, 212, 213) and Lymoh Canyon (ARBENZ, T 2012: 222, 221, 225). Either here or there, Anonymous et al. 2010.03.29 Mss: Diary (current) 2010.doc: 15th February) discovered that this is a place where [an unidentified] the canyon goes underground to resurface in a likewise unidentified other canyon parallel to the first or, who knows, vice versa. An anonymous cave watcher was said o have noticed the presence of unspecified speleothems that were identified as calcite formations along the whole cave passage (Arbenz, T 2011.10.09 Mss Annie Audsley Krem Chili 16.2.2010). EVALUATION: Not only a natural relict tunnel cave but also a dry relic cave with not traces of water flow. Possibly a former contributuary to the Lymoh canyon (Arbenz, T 2011.10.09 Mss Annie Audsley Krem Chili 16.2.2010). ETYMOLOGY: No autochthonous, indigenous or locally known cave name has been identified for what foreigners christened Krem Chilli (Audsley, A U 2010.02.16 Mss: Krem Chilli 16/2/10) to nickname rather a hot Chilli Cave than a cold or chilly cave (note 1). SITUATION: Near what had been in February 2010 a chilli plantation (note 2) above the orographically left (locally south-west) bank of the Kopili River, and at linear distances of about 3 km east of the village of Pala (N25°24'40”: E092°34'10” WGS84) or about 2 km approximately SSE of the village of Kseh (St. Joseph church nea 25°25’24.0”N: 92°35’32.9”E: circa 880 m). SITUATION 2010a: Anonymous et al. (2010.03.29 Mss: Diary (current) 2010.doc: 16th February) locate not a bizarre Soh Myngken Cave (instead Krem Soh Myngken)) but a likewise bizarre Krem Chilli (instead Chilli Cave) in a dry ravine parallel with Krem Lymmoh Canyon (recce’d yesterday) where the so-called Lymmoh Canyon is an attempt to refer to the Phud Lymoh as such (note 3), which is objectively 1.2 km long while the caving -surveyors- had the impression of noticing more than approx. 2.5 km without reaching the end (Anonymous et al. 2010.03.29 Mss: Diary (current) 2010.doc: 14th February). SITUATION 2010c: Arbenz, T. (2010.03.15 map: Pala_Ridge_4-10.pdf) indicates Krem Chili above the north (orographically left) bank of the Lymmoh Canyon (Phud Lymoh). APPROACH 2010: Audsley, A U (2010.02.16 Mss: Krem Chilli) falls back unto retarded drill-ground speak and commands Take road heading SW [sic! qua: due south] from Kseh church [note 4]. At N 25,2505.7, E92,35,31,7 leave the road [in February 2010 a 4WD track] & take track [in February 2010 a footpath] on left [sic! qua: south-west]. Fork right at N25,24,59.6 E92,35,44.5 [sic! qua: near N25°24'59.6”: E092°35'44.5”]. On reaching paddy fields, cross them heading south. Pass farmhouse at N25,24,50.0, E92,35,48.6 [sic! qua: near N25°24'50.0”: E092°35'44.6”] and continue on path heading south. At N25,24,43.7 E92,35,49.7 [sic! qua: near N25°24'43.7”: E092°35'49.7”] join a track and turn left [sic! qua: east] downhill [and] almost immediately take path on right [sic! qua: south] through woods. At N25,24,36.7 E92,35,51.2 [sic! qua: near N25°24'36.7”: E092°35'51.2” WGS84], the path enters [the mouth? of] a ravine [unidentified name: NOT the Lymoh gorge]. Continue to the cliff at the end of [the allegedly nameless] ravine (note 5) where one can find the cave Entrance between boulders at base of [a kind of an unspecified] cliff. APPROACH 2011: Take the road heading SW fromKseh Church. At N25°25’05.7’’ // E92°35’31.7’’ leave the road and take the track on the left. Fork right at N25°25’05.4’’ // E92°35’32.3’’.Take the footpath on the right at N25°24’59.6’’// E92°35’44.5’’. On reaching the paddy fields, cross them heading South. Pass the farmhouse at N25°24’50’’// E92°35’48.6’’. continue on the path heading South. At N25°24’43.7’’// E92°35’49.7’’ join a track and turn left (downhill). Then almost immediately take the path on the right (through woods). At N25°24’36.7’’// E92°35’51.2’’ the path enters the ravine. Continue to the cliff at the end of the ravine. The entrance is between boulders at the base of the cliff (Arbenz, T 2011.10.09 Mss Annie Audsley Krem Chili 16.2.2010). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2010: Entrance in valley floor between boulders, roughly 2 m wide [note 6] gives onto a chamber sloping steeply down at [unidentified inclinations between -15° and -30° at a bearing of] 135° [south-east]. [The cave] passage continues in this direction as a draughtig bedding plane [note 7], emerging in another chamber with an [unspecified second cave] entrance [with unidentified shape, unspecified dimensions, and unidentified orientation] in the parallel Krem Lymmoh Canyon [note 8]. From the initial chamber another [cave] passage heads off at [a bearing of] 45° [north-east, which] after around 30 m, [is] turning towards 0° [north]. This passage continues into [as?] a series of decreasingly sized chambers and finally runs into breakdown and is choked (Audsley, A U 2010.02.16 Mss: Krem Chilli). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2011: One or the other The entrance … at the base of a cliff facing NNW, between boulders and roughly circular and 2 m wide … gives access to a large chamber sloping steeply down in a direction of 135°. The passage continues in this direction as a draughting bedding plane passage. This emerges in a nicely decorated chamber with an entrance in the parallel Krem Lymoh Canyon. From the initial chamber another passage heads off at 45°, after arund 30 m, turning towards 0°. This passage continues into a series of decreasingly sized chambers and finally runs into breakdown and is chocked (Arbenz, T 2011.10.09 Mss Annie Audsley Krem Chili 16.2.2010). PROSPECTS: Both Audsley (2010.02.16 Mss: Krem Chilli) and Anonymous et al. (2010.03.29 Mss: Diary (current) 2010.doc) fully ignore pointing out that the side passage … continued at [what the surveyors declared to be] the end of the series for around 40 m … (Audsley, A U 2010.02.16 survey data file: Krem Chilli.Text: Series 2 comment). CAVE LIFE: It remains unknowable if the spiders, harvestmen, bat, millipede, white beetle. Tiny white fungus (photographed by F.Simpson). Claw marks throughout (Arbenz, T 2011.10.09 Mss Annie Audsley Krem Chili 16.2.2010) were seen in this cave or had been inadvertendly copied from another file.g bedding plane [note 7], emerging in another chamber with an [unspecified second cave] entrance [with unidentified shape, unspecified dimensions, and unidentified orientation] in the parallel Krem Lymmoh Canyon [note 8]. From the initial chamber another [cave] passage heads off at [a bearing of] 45° [north-east, which] after around 30 m, [is] turning towards 0° [north]. This passage continues into [as?] a series of decreasingly sized chambers and finally runs into breakdown and is choked (Audsley, A U 2010.02.16 Mss: Krem Chilli). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2011: One or the other The entrance … at the base of a cliff facing NNW, between boulders and roughly circular and 2 m wide … gives access to a large chamber sloping steeply down in a direction of 135°. The passage continues in this direction as a draughting bedding plane passage. This emerges in a nicely decorated chamber with an entrance in the parallel Krem Lymoh Canyon. From the initial chamber another passage heads off at 45°, after arg bedding plane [note 7], emerging in another chamber with an [unspecified second cave] entrance [with unidentified shape, unspecified dimensions, and unidentified orientation] in the parallel Krem Lymmoh Canyon [note 8]. From the initial chamber another [cave] passage heads off at [a bearing of] 45° [north-east, which] after around 30 m, [is] turning towards 0° [north]. This passage continues into [as?] a series of decreasingly sized chambers and finally runs into breakdown and is choked (Audsley, A U 2010.02.16 Mss: Krem Chilli). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2011: One or the other The entrance … at the base of a cliff facing NNW, between boulders and roughly circular and 2 m wide … gives access to a large chamber sloping steeply down in a direction of 135°. The passage continues in this direction as a draughting bedding plane passage. This emerges in a nicely decorated chamber with an entrance in the parallel Krem Lymoh Canyon. From the initial chamber another passage heads off at 45°, after arund 30 m, turning towards 0°. This passage continues into a series of decreasingly sized chambers and finally runs into breakdown and is chocked (Arbenz, T 2011.10.09 Mss Annie Audsley Krem Chili 16.2.2010). PROSPECTS: Both Audsley (2010.02.16 Mss: Krem Chilli) and Anonymous et al. (2010.03.29 Mss: Diary (current) 2010.doc) fully ignore pointing out that the side passage … continued at [what the surveyors declared to be] the end of the series for around 40 m … (Audsley, A U 2010.02.16 survey data file: Krem Chilli.Text: Series 2 comment). CAVE LIFE: It remains unknowable if the spiders, harvestmen, bat, millipede, white beetle. Tiny white fungus (photographed by F.Simpson). Claw marks throughout (Arbenz, T 2011.10.09 Mss Annie Audsley Krem Chili 16.2.2010) were seen in this cave or had been inadvertendly copied from another file.