Secret Island tour in Trang : Floating inside the low cave at Tham lay khao kob.

Inside "Tham lay kha kob" cave, there is big area of water everywhere. It is not possible to go inside this cave by walking. Therefore, boat is the only way to get inside this cave to see many beautiful stalagmites. You can see many kinds of soda straw which indicates the early stalagmites.

The highlight of this cave is to go under the "Dragon stomach" inside the cave. "Dragon stomach" is the ceiling part inside the cave which has the figure like the stomach of the dragon. Because of the extraordinary low level ceiling, everyone who enters the Dragon stomach is advisable to lie down. The cave 's ceiling can be very low for just about 1 or 2 cm. above your nose when you lie down. The rowers have to be very skillful and know the direction very well because of its darkness.

We would recommend this tour to every visitors if you visit Trang. This is one of the very exotic and exciting cave tour you will never forget!

We have to lie down on the boat in order to penetrate the Dragon stomach cave.

This is the level of the cave that we have just come out. You can see that it is very very low ceiling.

If you are interested to take the "Secret Island tour" in Trang, please feel free to contact us by email at info@thailandsecrettour.com or visiting our facebook https://www.facebook.com/ThailandSecretTour or website www.thailandsecrettour.com

Secret Island tour in Trang: This is what people in Trang have for their breakfast.

We arrived to one of the local restaurant and was surprised to be served by this set of different kinds of Dimsum and Patongko (A separated dish on the left hand side ,made of  deep fried wheat flour, Thai accompany Patongko with coffee, hot chocolate or green custard)

Khanom Khuen - one of the famous dessert snack for Trang people.

Also some can have roasted pork for their breakfast. This is one of the place that is popular for their roasted pork recipe.

Wat Phraphutthachaay, Buddha's shadow and the discovery of his Right footprint, monkey mountain

Not so far from Wat Phraphutthabaat, situated the Wat Phraphutthachaay temple. This temple was known for the shadow of the Buddha's body.It was told that long time ago, when Buddha visited this area and gave the teaching to one hunter. Before he left, the hunter asked him to leave something as the respected memorial. Then the Buddha gave the miracle by showing his shadow shine on the mountain's wall.

The miracle Buddha's shadow was found about 400 years ago. Due to the storms and wars, the Wat Phraputthachaay temple was left abandoned for a long long time. Recently, it has been decided to renovate this temple once again.

One great discovery about this temple is that recently, about 20 years ago, when the fine art institution was trying to renovate the sanctuary, shrines and temple. They moved the mock Buddha footprint altar away from the original spot. After the move and cracked the cements, they discovered the original shape of Buddha's right footprint under the crack. 

Around the Wat Phraphutthachaay, located Khao Lom or Lom mountain. Around Lom mountain, there are lots of living creature such as monkey walking and running everywhere. They are wild monkey.

There was one corn seller. So we bought corn and fed these monkeys.

The monkeys are everywhere around the temple area and the stair.

On top of the hill, one layer down, there was a small pond where monkeys usually 

come here to play and bath.

Wat Phraputthachaay and Wat phraputthabaat are located in the same province. The trip lasts for a day. It is a great combination trip for anyone who is interested in Thai-Chinese way of living, Thai-Chinese temple, Buddhism history, miracle and enjoy the monkey feeding. If you are interested in this tour, contact info@thailandsecrettour.com or www.thailandsecrettour.com

Famous temple among the Chinese on Chinese New Year : Wat Phraphutthabaaat

During the Chinese new year, we visited one of the most popular temple among Thai-Chinese people in Thailand. This temple is called " Wat Phraputthabaat". Every year during the Chinese new year, my family and I always visit this temple. When we arrived, the first thing we did was to eat!

Around the Wat Phraputthabaat temple, there are several vegeterian cafeterias which offer vegetarian foods to the visitors for free. Of course, you can have them for free but usually, people rather donate some money for rice and other foods after the meal. The cafeteria in the picture below was called " Lao-je-tuo" which refers to old vegetarian cafeteria. 

The vegetarian meal we had once we arrived to Wat Phraputthabaat temple. On the table, it consisted of fried morning glory, prickles, fried eggplant, fried cabbage, and soup and steam rice and congee.

After finishing the meal, then we continued to pray to each shrines. Thai Chinese people believed that if you come to visit Wat Phraputthabaat every year, you and your whole family will be blessed for the whole year. 

After you finished praying at one shrine, then it is important to hit the temple drum 3 times. We believe that hitting the drum 3 times will bring us luck.

Outside the shrines, there are also the area where you can make merits and donations. From the picture, it is the day of birth oil lamp donation. For example, if you born on Monday, you donate some money in exchange with bottle of oil and then you pour the oil around the lamp of your day which defined by the position of the Buddha statue. During the pour, you can pray, wish or ask to be blessed. Usually people ask and wish for the happiness, luck, health, wealth.

 During the Chinese new year, lots of golden paper were fold and stacked up like piles of gold. They were ready to be burnt! Chinese people believe that burning the golden paper gold is a way to send the money to their dead ancestors to spend in the heaven.

After we finished praying at one side of the temple, we crossed the street, to pray at another side of the temple. This temple situated, the new vegetarian cafeteria. In Thai-Chinese, eating vegetarian is called "Kin-Jee" , Kin means to eat and Jee means vegetarian.

In the old days, the road transportation was not that convenient like nowadays. Therefore, it took nearly a day from Bangkok to Wat Phraputthabaat. If you left from Bangkok in the morning, you then arrived in the late evening. That's why, there are many free dormitory available for the visitors. The picture below showed the old dormitory. Nowadays, it is still functioning.

Then we crossed to another side of the road to visit the main sanctuary where , according to the belief of Thai people, the Buddha footprint was situated here. According to the history during Ayutthaya, one Thai monk who that time traveled to India, learnt from the Indian monk that there were 5 places where the Buddha footprints were situated and one of the 5 places was in Thailand. Once the Thai monk knew about this. He hurried to tell to the king. According to the old map, the Buddha footprint was located in the 

"Suwan banphot" mountain. 

After searching for a long time, they found the big Buddha footprint situated on this mountain. Since then, the king ordered to built the temple and the sanctuary to protect the Buddha footprint.

From the picture, at the entrance to the Buddha footprint sanctuary.

The big Buddha footprint, has been covered by gold leaves for many hundred years.

 Around the Wat Phraputthabaat, there are rows of hanging bells. People usually use the wooden stick to hit on every bell for their luck and blessing.

 Around the temple, there is a local market which usually sell grains, rice, deep fried banana, deep fried taro, garlics, red onions. If you are looking to buy herbs, grains, rice. This is one of the source and cheapest place to buy.

A day visit to Wat phraputthabaat temple is very interesting for culture, history and Buddhism. You see a way of living of Thai-Chinese people. If you are interested in this tour, book the tour with us. Contact info@thailandsecrettour.com , www.thailandsecrettour.com

The Eastern Venice tour, Khlong Sansap canal

Khlong San Sap canal

Today, off the beaten paths traveling in Bangkok. We got on the boat and float along the Khlong San sap canal.

There are 3 stories behind the name of this canal,

1. According to the British explorer, this canal was full of mosquitoes, whenever the locals went they had to always use one hand to wave and push away the mosquitoes. San sap means painful. That was why this canal is called the painful canal.
2. San-sap is the borrowed words from Khmer language.In the old days Thai people call sea as “See or Saee”, and fresh water is called “ Saab”. So canal is similar to fresh water sea to the local in those days so they called is See-Saab, and by times passed, it turned out to be "San sap"
3. or Another story, San-sap, may be distorted from the Malaya language called “San-Yap”. It is the calling name by the Muslim community means peaceful due to the slow water stream.

Khlong san-sap was a man made dug canal built in 1837. The purpose was to have its canal joint with the chao phraya river and the Bang pakong river. Before, it was used as the strategic military supply waterway route to Vietnam.

Because San-sap is one of the main canal for the transportation between Chaoprayaa and Baangpakong. Therefore, there are many khlong sois that were dug as well.

Pictures below show the life along the Khlong San sap canal.

Gin or trawl, Thai folk wisdom fishing equipment. Seen along the Khlong San sap canal.

Old style wooden bridge since 200 years ago.

We stopped by at Khuu market. Khuu means bended and not straight. This market was called according to the shape of the canal. In the old days, Khuu market was very crowded. People pull the trolley along this market. Rice, fruits, vegetables were traded here. The market ran whole night long. Nowadays, there are only Traditional Thai pharmacy shop that is still running, couple of grocery stores. Others are closing down or stopping the business as the business owners get older.

A traditional Thai pharmacy shop. The owner of this pharmacy is the father of the lady in the picture. he is currently hold the age of 104 years old.

On the Khuu market, we met a group of the muslim kids dressing in the colorful traditional long pants style.

Usually, Sansap canal is very well known for poor water quality. However, the community in this area was awarded as the best community who take good care of Khlong Sansap.  You may not believe but here is the proof. A practicing pool for the school kids. The water in the pool is from the Khlong Sansap canal.

Now the boat was turning to small Khlong soi. We were riding toward the villager's plantation and goat farm.

 The Muslims in this area are doing the agriculture and practice the concept of self sufficient economy. The plantation in this area is organic. There are Banana, mango, organic vegetables etc...Also there is the goat farm as well.

At the end of the canal, situated Baan koh mosque, it is the biggest dome mosque in Thailand.

Baan koh mosque bridge to the organic plantation.

A Muslim plantation owner, showed us how to use phaa khaw maa in many different ways and purposes. You can use this cloth to protect your head from the sun, for the waist belt and over the shoulder to carry the meal or any items.

If you are interested in this tour, please visit www.thailandsecrettour.com or 

email us info@thailandsecrettour.com