Tag 36: Cave Temples, Spectacled Langurs, and Deepest Black

Visiting two caves in the Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park was an experience of contrasts. We rode our motorbike from our bungalow twelve kilometers to the Phraya Nakhon Cave. To reach the cave, we had to take a strenuous yet beautiful path that led along cliffs high above the sea. We already had a feeling that the effort would be worth it. However, when we arrived in the cave, we were overwhelmed by the atmosphere and the beauty of this place. In the middle of the huge cave, there was a temple built, which stood slightly elevated on a hill. The sunlight that fell through an opening at the top of the cave made the temple shine. It was completely quiet in the cave, visitors spoke in subdued voices, and water drops could be heard falling on the ground.

On our way back, we quickly jumped into the sea and then headed to the next cave, which was completely different. Arriving at the Kaeo Cave, we climbed steeply uphill towards the entrance of the cave. With a ladder, we descended into the pitch-black cave, which spread out in a tunnel-like system into the mountain. There were no safety measures at the fissures in the rocks that opened downwards. That's why sometimes we crawled on our knees through narrow passages and crawled under small rock openings from room to room. The darkness of the cave, the lack of mobile phone reception, the silence, and the thinning air eventually made us turn back. It was a great experience that pushed us to our limits.

Back in daylight, a few funny-looking monkeys, called Spectacled Langurs, swung through the trees. We sat down quietly and waited because they were just as curious about us as we were about them.