wonders of Trang, Thailand

*Ko Muk and Tham Morakot (เกาะมุก-ถ้ำมรกต) are the most prominent points in the Trang Sea. Ko Muk is mostly occupied by sea-facing towering cliffs to the west. Located on the eastern side of the island is a village of fishermen who have still maintained their ways of life as islanders. On the island to the west is Tham Morakot, a unique sea cave. With light from the outside, emerald water can be seen inside the cave; it is unusual and beautifully nature.

*Ko Kradan (เกาะกระดาน) is arguably the most beautiful island in the Trang. It has an area of 600 acres (2.4 km2). Most of the island (5/6) is under the responsibility of Hat Chao Mai National Park. The rest are privately owned. The most striking feature of Ko Kradan is its powdery white beach and crystal-clear water that permits a decent view of the coral reef underneath that stretches from the beach’s northern end to the coast. A variety of colourful fish inhabit the shallow water corals. Ko Kradan is to the west of Ko Muk and Ko Libong.

*Tam Lay Kao Kob is 8 kilometers away from Huay Yod District, Trang Province. It is a limestone cave with a stream running underneath the mountain. Inside the cave you will find many stalactites and stalagmites. Entering into the cave is not difficult. You will be less tired than expected. In fact you will enjoy the most exciting time of your life. Lay Kao Kob is water cave and never dry. You need to take a flat boat to go inside the cave. Each boat will be accompanied by a navigator at the front and a steersman at the back to help each other in rowing the small boat. You will be visiting the different chambers inside the cave. There are 23 of them but only 3 are open. Each chamber will be lit in a different color to create a different ambience. The cave is so damp that drops of water are created on the walls, reflecting the lights like glitters. After a tour of the three caves, it is time to duck underneath the “Dragon’s Belly” — a 250-meter pathway and definitely the climax of the trip. Your flat boat will travel under a very low cave ceiling and you will need to lie down flat, stretching yourself along the length of the boat. The ceiling will reveal stalactites one after another — a thrilling adventure making every traveler scream on and on.

Bohol Part1: the island of many wonders

Philippines, my home country has 7,107 islands and I’ve only been to few of them. One particular island is inhabited by the smallest monkeys in the world.  Tarsiers are small animals with enormous eyes; each eyeball is approximately 16 mm in diameter and is as large as its entire brain.

These nocturnal creatures are shy and timid. Unfortunately their numbers have greatly fluctuated due to the destruction of their habitat. Needless to say, I am lucky to have seen them in person and glad to know that the local government are making efforts in preserving their species.

However, Bohol is not only known for its tarsiers. The Chocolate Hills have been the landmark of this alluring island for years, and i had the circumstance to see most of the wonders. During the heat of the summer, the grass wilt turning the hundreds of hills across the towns of Carmen, Batuan, and Sagbayan brown hence the name.

It is also in this island that the peace pact signified by a blood compact between the Spanish explorer Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and the native chieftain Datu Sikatuna took place.

Statue commemorating the “Blood Compact” in Tagbilaran City

Another interesting historical artifact is the long standing Baclayon Church founded in 1596; that’s exactly 418 years old! Unfortunately the bell tower and the front facade of the church collapsed during 7.2 magnitude earthquake of October 15, 2013. Hopefully, the church will be restored soon.

The Bilar Man-made Forest is never to be missed. Stretching up to two kilometers, the dense forest made up of red and white mahogany trees is located along the border of Loboc and Bilar towns.

They also have the well known ship house and the loboc river, where you can experience a cruise while having lunch or in my case a romantic dinner ambiance on the boat.

The next day adventure was the dolphin watching and island hopping…which will be in Bohol Part 2.

The Unspoilt Beauty of Trang

After 9 years of living in Thailand, Trang which is about 3 hours away has never rang a bell in my ears. Located on the Southwest coast of the country, this province is peaceful and fascinating. I could not believe how much I have neglected to visit its glorious islands and white sand beaches until now.

 On a beautiful morning of April, I had the opportunity to explore some parts of Trang with some local friends on a private vehicle. We started our travel from Songkhla at the break of dawn and reached our destination at the pier near Pak Meng Beach for our Island tour(THB900.00/person including lunch).

First stop of the tour was the infamous Morakot Cave a.k.a Emerald Cave on the west of Koh Muk (Mook Island). It was a long weekend holiday thus hundreds of local tourists flocked, nonetheless I was ecstatic.

I made my research beforehand and found out that in order to access this cave one must swim into the 80 meter long channel which gets really creepy midway as it gets pitch black. After passing the entrance to the other side, one will stand at the large hall roofed by the sky looking like standing inside the very large funnel.

The reflection of the  midday sunlight beaming straight through the mouth of the funnel creates the emerald color thus the name “Morakot Cave” which means”Emerald Cave.”

Our next stop was a snorkeling in the nearby water and feeding some tiger fish. It wasn’t my first, but I always rely on life jackets as I do not trust myself swimming in deep waters.

The tour of course will not be complete without stopping by the exotic Koh Kradan (Kradan Island). The beach was just pristine and the turquoise waters was to die for! It’s always my little piece of heaven!

 

Could you resist this?

The Majestic Kingdom of Cambodia

Angkor Wat is Cambodia’s most priced possessions. It claimed its fame in the world through Angelina Jolie’s Tomb Raider movie and listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site in the early 90’s.  Since then, Cambodia gets millions of tourists from around the globe every year.

With so much intrigue, I backpacked with a good friend (Debra) and just went to Siem Reap to see it for myself. It was a beautiful place! I just stopped in awe and disbelief of how huge the temple was. I was actually stepping on the grounds of a 12th century historic site. It’s unbelievable!

The friendly and accommodating people, the ambience, the savoury food, and the very cheap shopping made it all hard for me to leave! I did promise myself to go visit this place again someday and it’s one of my bucket lists!

the break of dawn

roots intertwined with the bricks

big tree

the “photobucket”

I have been a benefactor of blogs from all over the world for as long as i can remember. I have tried writing in the past but i just could not stick to my guns. I am turning 30 this month and i have been thinking of putting myself into something meaningful to my life.

I always have so much ideas of doing this craft and that DIY project or travel here and there but i always end up forgetting about it because i’m scared to try or I create alibis that forbids me from actually doing one.

So I put up a bucket list (my partner calls it “our photobucket”) for me to do and this time, i really have to achieve it, no excuses….TIME TO TAKE THAT RISK!

I have nothing to lose anyway. Instead, I will gain more fun and learning experience.

Here’s a collage of the things i need to achieve for the next ten years.

they don’t come in order. The goal is to achieve them in those years. And I will be posting blogs on the progress of achieving them. Therefore, this blog will not only be about me, but I will be posting projects, tips, ideas and what-not for your inspiration(s).

This challenge, by the way shall commence on the day of my 30th year (that’s on the 25th of October 2012).

BRING IT ON! ^^,