Pete and I arrived to Krabi yesterday, a small fishing village in the south of Thailand. It is surrounded by jungle and beaches, and is considered one of the most beautiful parts of the country. Since yesterday was a travel day, we decided to have an easy night and found an Italian restaurant in town that is owned by Italians. The pasta was fresh made, and they import cheese! I had an amazing feta salad, and for Pete, caprese. Then we each had wonderful pastas.
We woke up early to go on a “Jungle Tour”. The van picked us up at 9am and took us to Tiger Temple. It is a Temple built on a mountain, that monks are still living at. To get to the shrine at the top, you have to climb 1,521 stairs. It is almost a completely vertical climb. The mountain is home to TONS of wild monkeys, who slide down the stair railings and jump from tree to tree above you. Pete and I proudly made it to stair 459, decided that the stunning view was good enough, and that before getting heat stroke we should probably head down. The view was nothing short of breathless. Krabi is known for large limestone rocks that jut out of the land. They are surrounded by palm trees, and there are scattered lakes, lagoons, and waterfalls.
On our way down, we were amused by the unbelievable amount of monkey activity that was surrounding us. They were sliding down the stair railing, tackling each other, playing, mating, and screaming. Once to the bottom, we spotted a pack of monkeys trailing a monk in orange cloth who was feeding them. I ventured to a cave near the monks living quarters, which was quiet and covered in shade. There were clothing lines with monk robes hanging from them, and a path that led to an old cave with water drips from the same stalagmites it has been sliding down for centuries.
We then went to ride elephants. I know this sounds awfully touristy of us, but this ranks as one of the best experiences on this trip so far (right up there with the baths in Hakone, Japan). We climb onto a 45 year old male elephant named Tong, and are taken through a muddy jungle path. The man leading us is young, can’t be more than 21, and sits right on the elephants neck with a leg behind each ear. The area they walked us through was so lush and isolated and simply paradise. The ride is bumpy and Pete and I marveled at the muscle of the elephants back. Once we got to an opening, the “driver” jumped off and told me to climb onto his neck. He took our camera and gave the elephant verbal instructions so he could take photos. The elephant would walk towards him, turn left, walk backwards. It was unbelievable! Pete took a turn on front too, before our guide came back and led us to the camp. Here, we paid an extra dollar to feed Tong some bananas. It was such a cool experience feeding bananas directly to his trunk. We could feel the air squeeze out of his trunk before he moved the food into his mouth.
The tour then went to natural hot springs. For those of you who don’t know, these are caused by runoff from volcanic mountains, and the water is hot. They are strongly believed to have healing powers, and I cannot argue that the hot water must be good for the muscles and joints. We climbed in right under a small waterfall, and sat in naturally carved out rock hot tubs. The water ran over our backs until we worked our way from rock cove to rock cove.
After a short lunch of Thai food (green curry chicken, cashew chicken, and mixed vegetables) and a watermelon shake (Pete’s favorite discovery on this trip), we went to Emerald Lake and Crystal Pond. These are cool water and come from a different mountain. Because the water comes down so much limestone and calcium carbonate, by the time it reaches us, it is crystal clear. Pete and I wandered to Crystal Pond while the rest of the group went swimming, and were stunned by the clarity of the water. It almost looked like glass. We walked along a very unsteady wooden path, surrounded by the sounds of crickets, cicadas, birds, frogs, and trickling water. It was paradise.
As we had worked up a sweat, we decided to check out the Emerald Lake, which has the same clear water but appears emerald because the stone it formed in is green. Pete made a grand entrance by attempting a front flip that he couldn’t quite finish. It felt great to take a dip after our long day of activity. It truly seems that Thailand just keeps outdoing herself. We are planning an excursion to Koh Phi Phi, which is the setting for the movie the Beach. We will see if she can wow us again.
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