The good thing about staying in Krabi (probably the only good thing) is its proximity to other desirable little nooks along the Andaman Coast. They have these boats called "longtails", which are basically traditional Thai fishing boats refitted with obnoxious motors, and for a reasonable fee (100 baht, about three bucks) they'll take you across the high seas to nearby island destinations. Our dreams of island hopping were washed away by the rain (all day every day, unfortunately) but we DID get to check out the coastal town of Rai Leh, which is isolated by giant limestone karst formations and accessible only by boat.
Once there, (and after waiting out a flash of monsoon weather) we found beaches, swathes of green jungle, and amazing limestone cliffs ascending from the bluest waters. There was a cave tucked into one end of the eastern shore called "phranang cave", after the princess who (according to local lore) was killed by jealous fishermen. Inside the cave, a shrine had been built in her honor, and now fishermen come from all over to ask for luck, good fortune and fertility. For this supposed reason, there are hundreds ad hundreds of hand-carved, red-tipped wooden phalluses strewn all over the whole cave-- I guess as gifts for the princess? Big ones, little ones, some carved into the stumps of wood on the beach... After all the statues of the Buddha around these parts, it was nice to see a little variety!
We also did a little rock climbing, down to a deep, hidden lagoon in the jungle. What a dangerous and totally awesome time this was! It was wet and slippery and muddy, and the mud was bright red and clay-like in consistency. It was so steep in some places that we had to lower ourselves down (and climb back up!) on a series of slimy, knotted ropes that someone had set up there. It was a little scary, since I've never done that sort of thing before and the conditions were so extreme. By the time we got to the bottom, both of us were streaked all over with red clay, like war paint, feeling very badass and accomplished. The lagoon was so still and silent, light blue (too murky to take a dip, I thought) with walls of stalagmites and green foliage looming up and around a circle of daylight above us. No ripples in the water, and only the sounds of our voices echoing around the walls. It felt so prehistoric and awesome being down there, like we had fallen into the land of the lost and were suddenly the only people on an ancient and wild planet.
Other than our awesome adventure at Rai Leh (the only sun we've had all week) things in Krabi have been pretty quiet. We rented a moped and scooted all over the place, to different corners of the providence and back to the sea. We climbed up to the Temple of the Tiger, which sits atop of a 1,237 step flight of stairs up the side of a big mountain. Those stairs were pretty rough, but after Yosemite I feel like we can handle anything. On top of the mountain there was an enormous statue of the Buddha, which looked across the landscape and out to sea-- very windswept and romantic.
Up there, I said a little prayer that we would have better weather this week. Rather than tempt the fates, however, we've decided this morning to hightail it out of Krabi in search of a little sunshine-- on the eastern gulf coast island of Koh Tao, to where we are currently en route. At the very least, it'll be a change of scenery... Krabi-town is all played out.
5:27PM
Surat Thani, Thailand
Once there, (and after waiting out a flash of monsoon weather) we found beaches, swathes of green jungle, and amazing limestone cliffs ascending from the bluest waters. There was a cave tucked into one end of the eastern shore called "phranang cave", after the princess who (according to local lore) was killed by jealous fishermen. Inside the cave, a shrine had been built in her honor, and now fishermen come from all over to ask for luck, good fortune and fertility. For this supposed reason, there are hundreds ad hundreds of hand-carved, red-tipped wooden phalluses strewn all over the whole cave-- I guess as gifts for the princess? Big ones, little ones, some carved into the stumps of wood on the beach... After all the statues of the Buddha around these parts, it was nice to see a little variety!
We also did a little rock climbing, down to a deep, hidden lagoon in the jungle. What a dangerous and totally awesome time this was! It was wet and slippery and muddy, and the mud was bright red and clay-like in consistency. It was so steep in some places that we had to lower ourselves down (and climb back up!) on a series of slimy, knotted ropes that someone had set up there. It was a little scary, since I've never done that sort of thing before and the conditions were so extreme. By the time we got to the bottom, both of us were streaked all over with red clay, like war paint, feeling very badass and accomplished. The lagoon was so still and silent, light blue (too murky to take a dip, I thought) with walls of stalagmites and green foliage looming up and around a circle of daylight above us. No ripples in the water, and only the sounds of our voices echoing around the walls. It felt so prehistoric and awesome being down there, like we had fallen into the land of the lost and were suddenly the only people on an ancient and wild planet.
Other than our awesome adventure at Rai Leh (the only sun we've had all week) things in Krabi have been pretty quiet. We rented a moped and scooted all over the place, to different corners of the providence and back to the sea. We climbed up to the Temple of the Tiger, which sits atop of a 1,237 step flight of stairs up the side of a big mountain. Those stairs were pretty rough, but after Yosemite I feel like we can handle anything. On top of the mountain there was an enormous statue of the Buddha, which looked across the landscape and out to sea-- very windswept and romantic.
Up there, I said a little prayer that we would have better weather this week. Rather than tempt the fates, however, we've decided this morning to hightail it out of Krabi in search of a little sunshine-- on the eastern gulf coast island of Koh Tao, to where we are currently en route. At the very least, it'll be a change of scenery... Krabi-town is all played out.
5:27PM
Surat Thani, Thailand
How did they get it all the way up there?
J
Phranang Cave
...and Penis Shrine
A Secret Lagoon
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