Friday, February 8, 2008

Visiting Another World

I’m sitting on the beach, still amazed at what I saw today. I took a boat out to Phang Nga Bay, about 1 ½ hours outside of Phuket. There are these enormous limestone rock cliffs jutting from the water that create more than 100 small islands. Within these cliffs there are caves and chambers to explore. It’s truly a stunning site. I can’t even begin to describe the magnificence of what I saw today.

I hop in a Kayak and we begin exploring the islands and sea caves up close. The caves are so narrow and shallow in some places you actually have to lay down in the kayak to be able to get through. A couple of times, the Traveling Hillbilly got a little claustrophobic. It was almost like being in an MRI machine, but much cooler. It was so dark in some of the sea caves; you couldn’t see a thing without the flashlight. As we shined the light on the cave above, we could see hundreds of bats napping. I must admit, they are a little creepy. But it’s worth it, bats and all.

After passing through the caves, you come out into these amazing lagoons. I mean right in the middle of these huge rock cliffs are these serene, beautiful lagoons. You come out and are completely surrounded by the rocks. There are trees and all kinds of plant and wildlife. It’s like this whole other world inside. You can’t help but feel insignificant. It truly is breathtaking.

Aside from the bats, we saw these totally cool walking fish. They actually have little gill legs and they walk along the trees that are jutting up from the lagoon. They’re kind of lizard like, but they’re still fish. They glide through the top of the water. They were very interesting little critters. Luckily we didn’t see any sea snakes.

Who would have thought that one day the Traveling Hillbilly would be exploring bat infested sea caves, in a kayak, in Thailand? It does give one a new appreciation for nature and all the beauty that’s been created in this world. This was one memorable adventure for the Traveling Hillbilly. I can’t wait to share the photos with you.

This has been quite an adventure, but it's time to head home. One more day and then it’s back to LA.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

You are probably in the air right now! I just worked out to your playlist. Running on the treadmill, I was motivated by imagining you running through the streets of Bangkok or the beaches of Phuket. Can't wait to see you and hear about your trip firsthand!

Anonymous said...

Welcome Back to LALALand - 80 & Sunny, can't beat that