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Published: January 9th 2009
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Vision of the Kings
Just before this pic was taken the whole cave was full of light - probably a once in a lifetime viewing of the pavillion for me in full brilliant light - no words or photo can adequately describe how amazing it looked Hua Hin - Paradise City - Clean and Tidy
Hua Hin is 2.5 hours by mini-van south of Bangkok. Just catch the BTS Sky train to Victory Monument station and walk down the stairway towards the Century Cinemas and you will find the minivan depot where you can purchase a ticket for 200 baht.
The King of Thailand has a Palace in Hua Hin which probably has something to do with why it is one of the cleanest and tidiest cities in the country. There are many foreigners living here with numerous golf clubs and residential estates. The highlight of the visit was a trip to the Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park and the Phraya Nakhon Cave a 45 minute drive south of Hua Hin. I booked a taxi for 1500 baht for the day which also included a trip to Khao Takiab or Monkey Mountain with its famous standing Buddha.
I thought it would be a private tour and was pleasantly surprised to find a German tourist Claudia inside the minivan when it arrived which meant that I had some company for the day. The national park is very impressive and I will return again with
a guide sometime on a future visit to see all the caves and more of the wildlife in the park which adjoins the coastline and sea. Our driver dropped us at the beach and pointed us in the direction of the cave.
It would be easy to get lost and luckily we ran into an Austrian tourist and his Thai bride with their driver/guide Mr Bang who drives a Tuk Tuk in Hua Hin. Mr Bang gave us cold water and was happy to show us the way to the cave. He is a really nice guy and only charges 1000 baht for his tour. Next time I am in Hua Hin I will use him for any tours and if you want his number send me a message. He speaks little English but your hotel reception could call him and organise everything.
To get to the cave you can take a boat which wasn’t available today so we had to walk over the first mountain rewarded with great views of the coastline, then walk through the beach side forest with its monkeys and then up another mountain 430 metres to the cave. Be careful the steps are
Mini Vans to Hua Hin
Adjacent to the Century Cinema and Victory Monument BTS Skytrain shiny and sometimes very slippery.
The Phraya Nakhon cave is huge and has openings in the ceiling to let in the sun. I thought the entrance was impressive with some stalactites and stalagmites, not as numerous as other caves but the jewel in this cave is when you get close to the pavilion built as a centrepiece by King Rama v in the 1890’s. As we neared the pavilion the whole cave was alight with the late morning sun and we stood silently with our jaws dropped at the incredible sight of the whole cave and golden pavilion in the clearest light that you could ever see. Were we in a fairy tale or dream, have we gone to Heaven, is this real? I have been to Thailand six times and thought that nothing could amaze me anymore but this is one of the most striking sights that I have come across in my life, only for a few minutes but something that I will never forget.
You could visit here many times and not see the cave in this type of light which no Hollywood movie or special effect could create compared with what we saw with
Hua Hin
The King sometimes lives here and it is the cleanest city I have seen in Thailand the naked eye, a vision truly designed for a King. Mr Bang made sure that we saw everything in the cave of interest and then organised a boat to take us back to our driver to save another long walk in the afternoon sun.
Our taxi driver had been sleeping and we were soon on our way to Khao Takiab at the southern end of Hua Hin beach and although the temple on top of the mountain is nothing special the view over the city is quite spectacular. The many monkeys are not exactly cute but did not bother us and at the base of the mountain you can walk on the beach and take photos of the standing Buddha who seems to be holding back the sea with outstretched arms and hands.
I was very tired but still managed to walk the streets filled with mainly European tourists and visit some of the many bars till 1am before I felt the need for sleep in my quiet hotel. Next time I will visit Hua Hin near rainy season and view the local waterfalls at their best and maybe have another look at the national park with a
professional local guide as there is much to explore.
I am back in Bangkok and still have the cold or the “fever” as the Thais call it that started on New Year’s eve. It will not spoil my holiday but after 2 days travelling alone in Hua Hin I was happy to return to my Silom hotel to rest. I am missing everyone in the village where I stayed recently and I think I will go back as soon as this cold subsides, hopefully in the next few days.
In the meantime I will be spending time with my friends in Bangkok and maybe sing a few more songs at the karaoke bar and visit a disco, there is no reason to be bored in this big, vibrant city. In the day time I go for long walks in the park away from the smog and have found great street side restaurants in Covent Road and Silom Soi 20 where a quality meal of my favourite noodles, soup and meat pieces or a large fish and rice can be purchased for a few dollars.
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