#tigercavetemple

These photos reflect the mood of visiting the Tiger Cave Temple in Krabi which has a mountainous climb of 1, 260 steps so no for the faint hearted but the reward is incredible views of the Golden Buddha and the surrounding mountains and even of the elephants below. There was a temple like a wedding cake and a temple to Quan Yin the avalokitseshvara, androgynous Buddha of compassion, and a Blood Buddha replete with silver belt, and Shiva statues, Ganesha, old man Buddha and dancing Buddha, and man Nagas (elemental serpent spirits) and Yakshas ( guardian giants) but the slog to get up there has to be done to be able to appreciate this wonder of reverence, not just for Buddha and as a place of meditation but to feel yourself close to nature, to the mountain peaks, the sky and to be part of all that. No shoes allowed at the top and to be quiet but of course that is difficult for noisy influencers who shout into their go pros cams to all and sundry and forget to contemplate the beauty of where they actually are, in a peak moment to be savoured.

We were supposed to go to Khao Sok for the long weekend, but we didn't have the energy for it after Railay. We decided to reschedule in favor of some lounging time in Krabi Town. Being back on the mainland feels a bit like coming home from summer camp. Look at all these stores! Vehicles! So many restaurants! No sand anywhere!

I think this tent is supposed to be for children. I'm totally napping in it.

We did still manage one small excursion today, to Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Than Suea).

Bit of a misnomer in that there were no tigers - just tons more monkeys. Tourists must tend to feed the monkeys here because unlike the ones at Railay, these ones were completely unafraid of humans.

On our first attempt up the staircase, the monkeys scared us off with their aggression. Getting rabies shots at a Thai hospital is not my idea of a fun Sunday afternoon. But after finding some sticks for protection, we decided to give it another try. Sorry for my swears again.

In other news, the nachos at this restaurant have this delicious sweet and spicy pork topping and the chips appear to be homemade? REALLY good nachos.