We often don't fully embrace the amazing moments in life when we're surrounded by beautiful landscape and beautiful locals. In one of the most Southern provinces in Thailand lies a town with that kind of breath-taking landscapes and the hospitable kind of people. The province of Trang has some of the most priceless landscapes known to cameras and smartphones.
The priceless landscape is partly due to being part of the Andaman Sea where the water looks heavenly and most of the aquatic ecosystems are still intact. A great reminder of that is the Trang Andaman Gateway's history which now acts as a recreational park and rest stop.
Trang is home to 46 islands that attract visitors from every corner of the Earth grid and the mainland's naturalistic attractions often times gets overlooked. Legendary islands like Koh Ngai and Koh Lipe are some of the most gorgeous in the world and tourists usually spend most of their time on islands until departing for the next region. Very few get to enjoy the treasures of the mainland of Trang.
The province has a population of 630k and the 100k or so in the main town is a very close & personal community. The commercial hangout for most teenagers is the Robinson Lifestyle Center (shopping mall) but there's always a local crowd at the natural attractions of the province.
In Trang, there are countless adventure activities such as treks through dense jungles and river adventures like white water rafting. Adventures that the people of Trang enjoy daily and some that only a few visitors experience.
Nature in Abundance
Trying to relive happy memories a second time at the same place is like waiting for lightning to strike the same place twice. With that being said, I must say Ton Pliw Waterfalls comes very close to lightning striking the same place, every time. The 2nd tier of Ton Pliw really gets me every time because of the natural slide of the waterfall's rocks.
The first trip was an amazing one that I got to experience with my eldest grandson and that was because we had discovered the slider. We can't take the credit for it though and actually wrote it off entirely due to a really huge boulder at the slide's end. We enjoyed the normalcy of the waterfalls until a group of local children showed up laughing and full of smiles.
At first, they played in the waters as if cooling off from the day's heat until one of them got into a position as if to slide. Without hesitation, the boy thrusts his body into the raging waterfall current and started sliding down with force. As I watched this from the 3rd tier, my heart dropped and the grandpa in me instinctively jumped down the rocks to the 2nd tier. Then I heard laughter and as he rushed through the current, he hit the corners leaning on time until he slid down the main waterfall, laughing the whole way down.
His friends shortly joined and that was the exact moment I realized it was possible to slide down and followed them. From that point on, Ton Pliw Waterfalls is one of the first places we visit when we arrive in Trang. Sliding down a waterfall definitely makes you feel like a kid again, and at my age, I need that feeling as much as possible, LOL.
Raging Down the Waters
Water rafting down the Trang river gives you that primitive feeling of "survival in nature" because you can feel the power of the river as you descend down it. There are many levels to explore and there are family friendly drop off points for 5 year olds and above. Rafting guides are mandatory for triyaks with children and they are only allowed in the low-class rapids. For more experienced rafting, a guide will either be present or following behind in a kayak.
My last trip down the Trang river was a mid-class rapids trip with my niece. I always prepare a waterproof case for my phone so we have music as we fight through the power of the rapids. We're both a little bit above beginner level but we do well as a team. There are only a few white water areas that can still topple us even though we speak about them every trip. She's quite strong for her age and can stay in control with her power alone if she can outthink the rapids. Which in any case, is at mastery level when one can flow with nature instead of going against the grain.
The absolute standout of the Trang river is as you get 2/3rds of the way down, there's a small wooden hut that sells beer in shallow water. That was the last thing I was expecting the very first time so naturally, I had to grab a beer (or a few). Every time I go rafting with my kids now, I prepare the money for those beers because I know that elderly man who owns the hut works hard to give me paradise.
Saving Paradise
We've mentioned some of the islands that are a part of Trang Province and one of my favorites is called Koh Ngai. One standout experience was sharing the beaches of the island with monitor lizards. If you've never seen a monitor lizard, they're the size (and cousins) of Komodo dragons but a lot less poisonous. The resorts have managed to make the accommodations there commercially comfortable but you get that "Tom Hanks on a deserted island" feeling instantly. I'm talking about that adventurous, adrenaline pumping feeling that you get when nature is empowering you.
There are numerous hermit crabs hiding and running along the beach which lets us know that the natural ecosystem is still somewhat intact. While snorkeling, I notice countless dead coral reefs that are close to shore. They looked like they were trampled upon by human feet and from an observer's standpoint, it looked like a ghost town for aquatic life. Quite sad when we have all this knowledge with technology and the basic awareness, knowledge, and comprehension of nature (in this case sea life) has either been erased or programmed out of all of us.
I feel I have to bring up the last point above because in my experiences of falling in love, Trang is up there with my favorites. I get lost in love with Trang every visit. A planned 5-day visit turns into 2 weeks every time and if you're traveling correctly, it will for you too.
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