When I think of a cave , it’s dark and gloomy , there’s wet rock overhead and my claustrophobia kicks in , heart starts beating a little faster , and my breathing is almost a pant. So when a visit to a cave in Thailand was mentioned , I immediately went there and further , thinking of the poor Thai soccer team of young boys being drugged and pulled to safety underwater after spending over a week stuck in a very small cave.
Phraya Nakhon Cave in the Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park is not this. It is easily accessible to an able bodied person , not myself at present , but J and the 3 kids managed the 430m hike up to it. There were two sets of fairly steep steps and some rocks to climb over , but once there , the main cave is as big as a football field with the most glorious shaft of light that shines on a Royal pavilion from an opening in the cave roof. Best viewed between 10 and 11am.
The pavilion was built at the end of the 19th century for the visit of King Chulalongkorn the Great (Rama V). Later, King Prajadhipok (Rama VII) and the former King of Thailand, King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) also visited the cave.
Dad and I were not in the best of health and so chose to stay at one of the cafes at the base of the hill and partake of some freshly made pineapple pancakes and lattes. Chatting away for the best part of the two hour trip the others were taking. There were little souvenir shops to see and a small, but unfortunately a very trash laden , beach to walk along. It was a windy day and the waves were crashing which may have made some of the trash mess. Either way the Trash Heroes could do with a visit here one day.
There was a large poster of the inside of the cave and I took photos of Dad to try to fool the kids that we took a different way up and beat them there , we saw a cage where your pets are allowed to be left whilst you do the climb up to the cave and heard a poor wee monkey being attacked by dogs on the beach. A fairly rare occurrence as the monkeys are usually smarter than coming down onto the beach. Thailand is the land of the stray dog.
Justin and the kids came back within the 2 hour predicted time and we sat by the beach for lunch of chicken and rice , chatting about what they saw etc. Reports of monkeys , stalactites and stalagmites, steep stairs and the pavilion came flowing out of the kids.
We took some more photos and made our way home. This cave is about 50kms from the house so easily reached.
It is well worth a visit if ever in the Hua Hin area. Bring sturdy shoes , no plastic bottles or bags are allowed , so a refillable water container and your camera. There is an option of getting a boat to the first stage but it’s weather dependent. Guides are generally available at a small cost should you like the full tour experience.
School for us isn’t just in books and on iPads , it’s in these adventures and field trips. How the kids will ever sit still in a classroom setting ever again is beyond me!
I still don’t like the idea of caves…but this one is special.
~Arlene
Seven Months in Siam 