Tiger Temple Cave

On Saturday the 26th of July 2008, GVI Thailand Expedition Members paid a visit to the Tiger Temple Cave in Krabi. This is a famous temple and forest monastery where monks and nuns choose to live a life in quiet medition and where hundreds of visitors, both Thai and foreign come everyday to witness the beauty of the spot.

Highlights are the Buddha image on top of the steep karst mountain, and old growth hidden forest, numerous caves, the Kuan Yin Image (Chinese Buddhist goddess of compassion) and the temple itself.

Some EMs made the trek to the Buddha image on top of the mountain. It is a strenuous climb of 1,237 steep steps to the top but is totally worth the amazing 360 degree view of the province below. Along the trail their are monkeys playing in the trees, reminding you of the wildness of this place. For those of us that have grown out of shape from days of lesson planning and teaching Thai students will feel the pain for a week after!

Others opted (and some did both!) to take a stroll throught the old growth forest located in a hidden valley created by the karst rock formations. The forest is scattered with caves, small little huts where Buddhist monks and nuns reside, and gigantic 1,000 year old dipterocarp trees. The trees have large plank buttresses that give the trees aweinspiring girth. The stroll through the jungle takes about an hour and is a great way to unwind after a week of teaching.

Following the trip to the Tiger Temple Cave, EMs stopped in Krabi for lunch and a couple of hours of shopping before returning to the GVI base.

Tiger Temple Cave