After 7 months in Australia we had two months to kill before we had to be in England for my sisters Law School graduation. We wanted to go somewhere that was relatively cheap and I was craving a bit of a culture shock, so we picked Thailand. My husband and I are huge fans of anywhere that's hot and has pretty beaches so we were happy with our choice!
Phra Nang Beach, Krabi
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Not kidding, the water was almost as warm as a hot tub!
Krabi was by far one of our favourite spots! Ao Nang, Railay Beach, Phra Nang Cave - they all look like a screensaver! While we were in that area, it was recommended to us to check out Tiger Cave Temple. We ended up booking a tour that took us not only to the temple, but to Hot Spring Waterfalls and the Emerald Pool at Khao Phra Bang Khram Nature Reserve. This was one of our favourite excursions that we did, and it really just opened our eyes to what Thailand has to offer!
Hot Spring Waterfall
Crystal (Emerald) Pool
Our final stop was at Tiger Cave Temple. It is one of the most sacred Buddhist Temples in the province and is just northeast from Krabi. There are different stories on how the temple got its name, one being that a monk went to meditate in the cave and saw tigers roaming around the outside of it. Another one says that a large tiger used to live in the cave and that there are tiger paw prints on the inside of the cave to prove it, and the last one I heard was that the cave is shaped like a giant tiger paw. It's totally up to you which one you choose to believe.
There are also monkeys everywhere! They are used to human and for the most part seem friendly, but trust me when I say DO NOT TOUCH THE MONKEYS!!! People get bit all the time and end up going to the hospital to make sure that they don't have rabies. I stupidly forgot this piece of advice and touched the back of a monkey who had just taken food from me, and he swung around, swatted, and hissed at me. No bite, but it was an error in judgement that I definitely won't make again!
One of the most popular things to do at the Tiger Cave Temple is to climb the 1237 (I think it's more though!) to the golden Buddha temple at the top of the mountain. Now hear me when I say - this is not a walk in the park! It's so effing hot, and 1200 steps might not sound like a lot, but when you're in the Thailand heat it's a lot to take on. My first piece of advice? Take water! And not just one bottle, take two. You'll have a chance to refill them at the top, but trust me you'll go through both of those bottles on the way up. Next? Take your time. Don't rush up. There are some pretty amazing views from different levels on the way up so stop and enjoy them.
Once you're at the top, relax! Take some time to enjoy what you climbed all the way up there to see. It's pretty spectacular! The golden Buddha, the view, the temple - it's all sitting on the top of a mountain peak! Pretty crazy.
In case you didn't notice, I'm completely covered in sweat!
Wait until your legs are shaking anymore before you head down, and don't forget to refill your water! Both my hubby and I had shaky legs all the way back down and that in itself was draining!
As I mentioned, this excursion was one of the best that we did. Definitely look into it if you find yourself in Thailand!