A great stop off on my road trip in December 2021, when the waters were quite low.

In Thailand, however, every little trickling stream seems to be advertised as this or that “waterfall”, and more than once I’ve hiked several kilometres only to find something less impressive than a fountain you might find in front a three-star hotel. At Manora waterfall just north of Phang Nga town, however, you’ll be rewarded by something justly worthwhile.

The multiple layers and refreshing natural pools of Manora are just a short motorbike ride away from Phang Nga town. Upon entering the trail visitors are greeted by a pristine swimming hole with cool, clear water that flows straight from nearby mountain tops. This is where Phang Nga comes to cool off, and if you’ve had it with Thailand’s tropical heat, it’s a welcome sight indeed. Just beyond the swimming hole visitors will find a wide and relatively deep stream bridged by a fallen tree. If it weren’t for the hundreds of small fish that thrive here, this stream would also be a good spot for swimming. At least it makes for a nice photo. A little further up the path from the fish stream the first of Manora’s waterfalls comes into view. With less of a roar than those further up, this is a tranquil little spot to enjoy the entrancing sound of water gushing over rocks.

After passing another shallow swimming hole along the path, where you can swing like Tarzan on a vine over the water, Manora’s larger and more dramatic falls are found. Okay, so they’re not Niagara or Angel falls, but Manora is impressive, especially considering that six different sets of falls of different shapes and sizes thunder alongside a winding path of several hundred metres draped in lush jungle canopy.

music free under creative commons licence from YouTube music library Titile:Vitality by Benjamin Martins

During the summer break and trying to dodge tropical storms, On my way home from Krabi we stopped at this much missed, but beautiful calm place . A real gem and worth the visit. We had the place to ourselves and felt like explorers! Lovely being able to take your time and look at all the paintings without feeling rushed or watched. So here is a record of what I saw, I hope you like it?

It’s in Tambon Tham Nam Phut, Muang District, Phang Nga province
This cave is the lime stone cave.

The paintings are all at the front of Tham Sam cave, a wide open space that’s essentially a large overhang. From this, a long, but not very large shaft cut by flowing water leads back into the limestone outcrop.

According to the sign at the entrance of the cave, it is mentioned that this cave has presented the art in early Rattanakosin era during B.E 2394 – 2453.
(Buddhist calendar).
It is said that the painting of birds and flowers are represented as the heaven. Next is the Earth where man lives, lastly, is a guess it is hell, with monsters and ghouls.

Made with natural pigments – probably derived from tree sap. These consist entirely of red, white, and black and the lively results from the limited palate are a testament to the great skill of the artist or artists.

Music free under creative commons licence from You tube music library
Title ;Night Snow by Asher Fulero

There are a lot of Buddhist temples in Thailand and there are a few unique and interesting ones – the Wat Bang Kung วัดบางกุ้ง is one of them. It is actually a temple built within a huge banyan tree! Wat Bang Kung is located in Amphawa district, Samut Songkhram.

Within the Wat entwined tree, there is a large Buddha statue pasted with gold leaves by devout visitors who will walk around the Buddha It appears that a concrete structure had been built within the tree to house the temple.

Within the grounds from Wat Bang Kung lies the memorial to Bang Kung Camp, once a strategic naval outpost. Back in 1767, after the defeat of old Siam capital of Ayutthaya by Burmese forces, general Taksin took his navy down to this area after Burmese ships blocked the route to the gulf. It was from here that Taksin led his troops to take back Ayutthaya from the Burmese and eventually becoming King of Siam.

Besides statues of soldiers dressed in 18th century military wear, there are dozens of life-size statues of Muay Thai kick-boxers displaying different Muay Thai moves, which were added in the late 20th century.