You can't visit an island paradise like Krabi without doing a little snorkeling, so the other day we booked a trip, set out on the high seas and enjoyed the scenery...
Our first stop was the Phra Nang Cave. No snorkeling here, just some sight-seeing. As we approached our destination the guide on the boat started to explain a bit about the Cave to me:"Mister, inside the Cave you will see a lot of ________" (he used some Thai word that I can't remember). "Do you know what that is Mister?"
"No I don't," I replied.
"It is something that everyone wants and prays for. You too Mister. When you see it you will understand. If you don't understand, I will explain it to you. OK Mister?"
"OK," I answered confused yet curious.
As we approached the cave, there was indeed a large throng of people there. My kids had no interest in it, they just wanted to swim and play on the beach, but I had to check the place out.
When I got there, I found men and women praying to...
A huge shrine of wooden phalluses!
Upon further research, I have learned that Phra Nang means princess and this cave is believed by local fisherman to be the home of some mythical sea princess. People come here to pray for fertility and make offerings to the gods (apparently a can of Fanta will suffice).
There were piles and piles of these - er - objects - everywhere!
I guess people really want to be fertile in this part of the world.
After I had enough, I made my way back to the beach and was confronted with tons of these washed up sea creatures that resembled large, gooey contact lenses. I had never seen anything like this before, but I assume they are some sort of jellyfish.
Back on the boat (I didn't bother to get the official explanation about the contents of the cave), we made a pass at the famous Chicken Island - so named because it kind of resembles a chicken. (My daughter Julia asked "If it's supposed to be a chicken, then why doesn't it have that red thing on it head?")
Our next stop was Tup Island, where we hung out at the beach some more (still no snorkeling yet)...
And mingled with some of the locals...
Like all wild monkeys I've encountered here in Thailand, these guys appeared mean and aggressive and we kept our distance.
We ended the day on Poda Island and did manage to finally snorkel. That part of the trip was a bit of a disappointment - the coral reefs weren't too colorful and we didn't see as many fish as we have in the past.
Still, a day out on the water beats a day on land just about any day in my book...
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