Ok, so, today was a really big day for us. It was our first big excursion and it was to a place we were desperate to see, a place on a list of things to see before you die Phraya Nakhon Cave in Sam Roi Yod national park.
We were picked up from our hotel and driven (through more real life Thailand) to a pineapple plantation to see them grow... There was only one left on the pineapple tree in the whole plantation!! The rest had been harvested. The guide was telling us that there is also a coconut farm (we had already heard about this) where they use monkeys to pick the coconuts from the tree. The coconut farmers send their monkeys to a monkey school(!) in Koh Samui for six weeks where they are trained to climb the trees, twist off the coconuts and bring them down. How cool is that?!
Next we were driven to a little fishing village called Bang Pu!! Yes!! We have been giggling over that name for ages before we came here. It was stunning. Typically Thai in a beautifully ramshackle way, surrounded by jungle covered mountains.
Each bit of this trip was a massive challenge for me and had me facing my fears...
Our transport from Bang Pu was a little Thai fishing boat which involved walking in sinky, muddy sand (fear 1: getting stuck in the mud), into the cloudy tropical sea (fear 2: being in the tropical sea/can't see what's in the tropical sea/might stand on something tropical/might get stung by a jelly fish as it's monsoon season!), climbing into a fishing boat (fear 3: I can't get my leg high enough/I pull the boat over and fall in the cloudy, tropical, monster filled sea), boating around the coast line to the next bay, Hat Laem Sala, the home of Phraya Nakhon Cave. It was breathtaking. Then it was time to get out of the boat (see fear 3), and take the short walk onto the beautiful, beautiful beach. Then it was time to wash our feet and get hiking.
Now, I had watched a video on YouTube for this walk and had decided that it was straight forward enough for me to do on our leisurely holiday... I now fully understand the power of editing!!
The walk to the cave was an incredibly steep (75% we reckon) climb up a cliff, massive, uneven, rocky steps through Thai jungle, in at least 32•c heat. Our guide said that there's a warning at the bottom, not to climb if you have high blood pressure etc. Health and safety isn't really a thing in Thailand, so the fact that there is a sign telling you to be careful says a lot. (Fear 4: I've come all this way and I'm not going to make it/my knees will give up).
I tackled it one step at a time sometimes having to pause after only a few as my legs were wobbly. The guide stayed with us the whole way and kept saying to me 'you stiwl hab cowwer in you faaaace, stiwl red, that werry good, you be ok! You make halp way point, you can do it!' (Fear 5: I'm not going to be able to breathe properly ever again... Ok less of a fear, more of a general concern.)
I wasn't the only one having to rest though, there were lots of skinny Asian people having to stop lots too!
We made it to the peak (f*** yeah!) and then had a steep walk down for a bit into the cave. (Fear 5 2.0: my legs have turned a bit jellified, I'm going to fall down all the steps... Oh, no there's a handrail! Woohoo!)
The first cavern housed a sinkhole full of greenery and a dry waterfall!! The second cavern contained what we'd been waiting for... The temple built for King Rama V in 1890! Wow! There are no other words. I don't think we'll ever see anything like it again. Just thinking about how they managed to get all the materials and equipment up there was mind blowing enough!
Then came the walk down. Once the handrail was gone Simon's strong arm was all I had. Just before we reached the half way point my legs started to really go crazy and I had the mega shakes (Fear 6: f***! I'm going to fall, I'm going to f***ing fall and ruin the holiday because I'll be broken or dead, f***itty f*** my legs aren't really doing the proper thing! I'm going to fall!) with every step my legs got more and more jellificated, but with Simon's help I bloody made it! I felt so incredibly proud of myself once it was over and I've never been happier to see flat sand in all my days! And, in celebration of us completing the crazy walk, a family of wild dusky langhur monkeys came to sit in the trees over head! So lush.
We had AMAZING thai food in a big hut style restaurant on the beach and then Simon and I shared a fresh coconut... They literally hacked the top off of a green coconut and stuck a straw in. I'm pleased we tried it but I'm not sure I'd do it again.
Finally, we repeated the trip back. It was all easier the second time around! Haha!

Words from the boy: I woke up this morning feeling very tired but excited for the day ahead. I didn't know what to expect but nothing prepared me for just how beautiful and wonderful the day would be. We got into our van and started our hour trip to Bang Pu, after about 20 mins we stopped off at a pineapple plantation which was nothing like I had envisioned, field after field of what could only be described as small sharp bushes, I never knew pineapples grew on the ground. By this time the sun was blistering so it was nice to get back into our air conditioned van. Another 20 mins and we pulled into the small fishing village of Bang Pu, this place was beautiful and so untouched by time. We got out here and walked over the bridge to look down the river, the view was stunning. Small fishing boats tied to the small wooden hut houses in the river with the mountains behind. After a few photos we drove the last couple of minutes to where the boat was picking us up. We walked to the beach and this is where we saw the boats that were to take us, small fishing boats in the sea which we had to walk in the sea to get to, it was so cool. As we came around the cove this is where I had my The Beach movie moment, mountains with blue sea and white beaches with Palm trees it was so magical, the image will stay we me forever. After another dip in the sea and some drinking water, as it was even hotter now, we started our ascent. Well, I have to say it was pretty ridiculous! Very steep and rocky. I'm so proud that Serena made it up and back as it was very far and extremely hot. The cave was so spectacular and totally worth the climb, it was one of the most stunning things I have ever seen. Once we got back down we had lunch which was amazing Thai food cooked in a run down shed restaurant but the best food we have had so far (apart from the food we cooked ourselves). After a short while on the stunning beach it was time to leave, which I didn't want to do as it was so breathtaking.
Me again! Time for bed now as another big day and an even earlier start tomorrow!! Lots of love to you all!