Thailand Trip (Day 13)

Day 13:

Today (Thursday) class was canceled since the teachers had something to do in Krabi (not entirely sure what they were doing). Mike and I decided to go kayaking at a National Park called Bor Thur. Our guide Mann picked us up in his truck at 10 and drove us to his village located on a nearby river. The village is the launch spot for several Kayaking adventures on the river and in the nearby caves. Several large operations charge over 1,000 Baht for kayaking, but since we used Mann we paid just 300 and the group was just the three of us. We first ventured downstream through the mangrove forest and chatted with Mann. His English was great and I asked him if he had enrolled in GVI. He told me that he had learned through watching movies! Soon we took a turn to the side of the river and down a small water way though the mangroves. We soon entered a cave at the edge of a mountain. It was an incredible cave covered with stalagmites and stalactites. In the distance through the darkness we could see the other side. After a short 3 minute paddle through the cave we emerged into a small bay surrounded entirely by cliffs and mountains. The vegetation was such that it looked like a scene from Jurassic Park. After we left that cave we headed upstream battling the relatively strong current to arrive at a bigger cave with more impressive rock structures. The final cave that we trekked to was accessible by way of kayak and land. We tethered the kayaks together and headed up a short hill. Inside the cave were paintings from over 3,000 years ago. They were basic, but quite the sight. One odd painting showed a pair of hands one with fingers and one with 6. One of the explanations was of course aliens. After returning to the town we ate a a local sea food restaurant and I had wonderful shrimp cakes with two varieties of dipping sauce. In the afternoon we relaxed and in the evening I once again enjoyed conversations with the other volunteers.