22/2/25
It was an oddly broken sleep for both of us. We had no idea why. Perhaps the food. The new place. The odd lighting that penetrated the bamboo walls. Maybe the uncomfortable bed. Still we woke up at 6am to get ready to meet Jerónimo and Anaelle to explore ‘Tiger cave’. We’d met them at Yim Med on our first night in Koh Lanta and though we’d made light plans to hang out we hadn’t cemented anything until the night before.
We had our customary coffee with coconut milk, eventually managed to lock the door, then started our trek to the start of the walk about 20 minutes away. The morning was always the most enjoyable time. Cool(er) with the sound of nature coming alive. Only Thai people were driving around. Tourists mostly slept at this hour.
It was a nice walk with the company of monkeys. We passed more trees being tapped. They were definitely rubber trees. They’re not native though. Introduced and highly vulnerable to disease. We hung about waiting for Jero and Ana trying not to get bitten by walking around. We were a bit too enthusiastic and had arrived quite early. They arrived just before 8am, and we began the hike into the jungle in earnest. It wasn’t long till we all realised that it was our first proper jungle hike. Not a well laid trail. Tiger cave was ‘closed’, according to google anyway. So it wasn’t well frequented.
It was a fair way on an obvious but slightly overgrown trail that occasionally took us into a riverbed. There was running water here. The first we’d seen. Also a few plastic pipes that led to the reservoir where the hike began. It was up and down and on slippy rocks and over dusty roots. It surprised us how long it took but we came to the cave eventually. A large rocky limestone outcrop in the middle of the jungle. It was a beautiful place just to be.
We’d realised 10 minutes after we left the bungalow that we hadn’t got head torches. Pretty daft when you’re heading to a cave. As we were pretty cautious people we decided that we wouldn’t be going deep into a cave anyway. More of a little scout around. Jero and Ana had brought their torches and consider themselves budding cavers. Far more confident than us. Perhaps all the media stories about caving accidents had given it an unduly bad reputation. Or we just weren’t into tight constricting spaces.
There was a nailed together ladder that led down a little gully. Then another two ladders that led up and under an arch of rock. Then it got a little dark, and there was a horizontal ladder to cross a gap. We wouldn’t have gone much further without the enthusiasm of our guides. They didn’t seem to have much fear. But the infrastructure was also somewhat reassuring.
Jero led the way, then Jonathan, then Ana with another light and then Frankie. We saw a couple of bats. There were lots of dead ends and the way through wasn’t always clear. We had to go through some tight gaps on our hands and knees. And once on our bellies. It was tight at times but nothing really claustrophobic. We aren’t sure exactly how long we were in there, but we eventually came to an opening back to the light.
Back outside, not sure exactly where, we climbed a rope then followed round the edge of the rocky cliff. Jero was keen to climb up higher. He’s also an avid climber, planning to climb some karsts in Krabi. Jonathan started following him up the angry limestone, put his foot on a jutting out piece of rock which gave way under his weight, and his shin smashed into the jagged rock. It was bleeding and was more than just a graze.
It wasn’t clear that it was a particularly safe route and Jonathan discouraged any further exploration of what would not only be a tricky climb up, but also an unknown descent. We took the ‘path’ back round to the front of the cave. A few minor explorations later and we set off back into the jungle the way we’d come. We mostly followed the river bed on our return. Jero and Ana suggested getting some food. We didn’t normally eat out at half 10 in the morning but went with it.
We went back to the nice little restaurant we’d found the previous night. It was close by and Jero and Anna walked their scooter with us. We ate some ‘three flavours’, like sweet and sour, and some mango sticky rice. The woman remembered our dietary asks. After our meal we went briefly back to our hut, then headed to the nearby Nui Beach. Not to be confused with the possibly nicer, but further away down the coast, Nui bay. Nor the Nui bay we’d visited on Phi Phi Don of course. Nui means big in Māori. But we have no idea of the meaning in Thailand.
The beach was down a steep, rocky and root covered path. It was fairly popular and we found a shaded spot at one end. We took a few dips in the ocean, did some light snorkelling with Jero’s and Ana’s goggles and talked about future plans for travelling and life. They were going to head to Indonesia fairly soon to enjoy the post rainy season weather. It sounded like a nice idea. When they returned home they wanted to try #vanlife and find a piece of land. It was a familiar, modern pursuit of happiness.
After the beach time we parted ways. We thoroughly enjoyed their company. They spoke several languages, English one of them of course. This probably makes it easier to find others to converse with. Not that people don’t speak English, but that it’s rare to find truly fluent speakers. They scooted off in the opposite direction, after Jonathan had realised he’d left his T-shirt at the beach and ran past them to retrieve it. The wound hurt but if he could run it couldn’t be that bad. Hopefully.
On the way back we popped into a shop, it was a good one. Fruit was properly weighed and we weren’t ripped off. Perhaps it was because we made sure we were covered up and took our shoes off. A little respect goes a long way. We went to hide in the comfort of our fan room for a bit. We nipped across the road to see the sea. Fishing boats dotted across the water. This is when Thai people go out on the water. When the Sun has no power.
Afterwards we went to the restaurant to play some checkers, which was crap, then some chess which was far more enthralling. Back in the room we ate our cashews, raisins and dried mango. A dragonfruit too. We were still watching the amusing White Lotus. It was set in Hawaii with tropical beaches too.
Surly They Won't Make It 