A little over a year ago, my sister and I traveled to Thailand. The overall trip was an amazing experience. We spent 4 days in Bangkok and 4 days in Phuket. While in Bangkok, we visited a hidden gem that I will never forget. I tell everyone who says that they are traveling to Thailand to not miss this spot. I talk about this spot so much that it’s only right that I share about it on my blog. And I’m ashamed that it has taken me this long to do so!
Two and half hours south of Bangkok is a town called Phetchaburi. The town itself is not worth visiting. However there is a religious wonder called Khao Luang Cave that is very much worth visiting. The most efficient, but more costly way of traveling there is by taxi. Fortunately, I was staying at a hotel where the concierge helped retrieve our cab and we paid a flat fee to have a cab for the entire day. From what I recall, a round trip was roughly $50. However, we got to load the car to its full capacity, so splitting the bill among 5 individuals makes it quite affordable. Your other option is to travel there by bus, which can take around 3 hours, or by train.
Once you arrive to the drop off location, you’ll instantly notice that there is A LOT OF MONKEYS. One of the biggest tourist attractions in Thailand are monkeys and a lot of Thai vendors make their money off selling bananas that you can feed to the monkeys. The monkeys that are near food vendors are friendly (because they know you’ll give them food), but never let your guard down.
The drop off location for buses and taxis is located at the bottom of the hill. From there, a truck picks a group of passengers up to the entrance of the cave for a fee of $5. Once you are dropped off, take the flight of stairs up the opening of the cave. While climbing the stairs, beware of the wild monkeys that are surrounding the cave. THEY ARE NOT FRIENDLY. I learned this the hard way. While trying to a take a photo of a monkey, the monkey leaped towards me in attempt to attack me. It was one of the most scariest experiences of my life. One of the workers warned me not to look at the monkeys in the eye. Doing so can prompt an attack.
Once you’re at the entrance of the cave, there will be a flight of stairs that leads into the cave. Walking into the cave is both eerie and serene. Eerie in the sense that the cave is silent. But serene because you’re greeted by hundreds of golden Buddha statues. Small buddha statues line the perimeter of the cave. As you’re surrounded by these shrines, a light beam shines through the ceiling of the cave, creating a peaceful atmosphere. The cave consists of 3 caverns. The main one houses the largest golden Buddha and a leaning Buddha. That cavern leads to second cavern that is more vacant, but receives natural light that illuminates the space. It’s magical. The third cavern is more narrow and is home to several bats. You can hear them sleeping as you walk through.
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