Mai Kaew Cave, Koh Lanta Thailand

Koh Lanta is one of many islands off the the Andaman coast of Krabi Thailand. Not as popular or famous as islands like Koh Phi Phi and the like, it is exactly this point that brings out its charm. Oozing loads of laidback chill-out atmosphere and less busy with tourists, it still has its beaches to draw attention - in fact, no less than nine of them.

Formally known as Koh Lanta Yai, it is a longish island with its nine beaches spread over its western coast. I certainly did not go to all of them, and just based myself somewhere in the middle of the island. Not all the beaches are the sandy type though, with a number of them being the rocky kind. What I did find on the beaches though, are an amazing array of different sea-shells - much more variety than the beaches in Ao Nang and elsewhere.

My most interesting visit on Koh Lanta though, is a visit to Mai Kaew cave. While I had several cave visits around the world before, this was somewhat unique. The visit had to be accompanied by a guide, and you would be supplied with a headlamp. After half an hour of an uphill hike, you would be brought to the cave entrance. What follows would be a totally raw experience - the cave is visited as is. There are no lights installed, no planks/boardwalks, no handrails, and well, no safety. You have to clamor through holes, and on occasion, crawl on all fours. Any "sightseeing" is done based purely on the light of the headlamps in your group (I only had two others in my group). In the limited light, you can see the usual stalactites and stalagmites, big caverns, cave spiders and bats. All in all, it was still an interesting experience!

Start of the adventure!

Interesting formations on the cave walls

Going down down down....

Bats clinging to the cave walls

Of course, like the other islands, Koh Lanta also has the usual activities such as diving, longboat rides etc. As the ferry pier is situated at the town of Ban Saladan at the northern tip of the island, the beaches get quieter the further south you go!

Koh Lanta can be reached by ferries or car/minivans. The ferries ply the Ao Nang, Koh Phi Phi, Phuket, Koh Lanta route and the minivan shuttles between Krabi town and Koh Lanta. And of course, there's the private cars/taxis. I flew in to Krabi airport in the afternoon, and there is only one ferry in the morning from Ao Nang to Koh Lanta, so I took the minivan shuttle to Koh Lanta and took the ferry back to Ao Nang. One advantage of this route is that the minivans bring you direct to your accommodation while the ferry lands you at Ban Saladan port and you would have to negotiate your way to your accommodation.

With budget carriers flying into Krabi, check out Koh Lanta one of these days!

Sunsets are good in Krabi!

Cueva Galaxia Cristal, Bolivia

Salar de Uyuni is arguably Bolivia's top tourist attraction, and many people go on a muti-day circuit tour of the salt flats, taking in the spectacular Altiplano landscapes, the surreal lagoons, and the beautiful flamingoes.  But one of the lesser visited attraction in the circuit is Cristal Galaxy Cave, and I feel it would be a shame to miss it!

Strange petrified stone formations overlooking the salt desert

Visiting it would typically add an additional day to your standard circuit itinerary, but on the same site is Cementerio de los Chullpas, a sacred burial cave cemetery. Skulls and simple artifacts are still visible, but unless your guide fills you in on the stories and myths surrounding the place, there is little other information on it. However, it is the cave next door, the Cueva Galaxia Cristal that we were more impressed over!

Entrance to the burial cave

Formed some 225 million years ago when a volcano came into contact with the sea (Salar de Uyuni was a sea then), bizarre formations were created. The cave was rather small, and when me and my friends entered, we were all immediately amazed. The sight was unlike any I've seen. Shapes aside, the strutures and formations were riddled with holes and fibrous lines and some were so thin, in fact they looked like a membrane of a leaf! I was actually worried that I would accidentally crack or crumple the formations! At some points, somehow I would imagine the scene would have easily passed off as some alien hatchery or hive of some kind! Or maybe I have too much imagination...

The cave was discovered only in 2003, so it's relatively "new" but I hope the authorities would properly manage the place. The "path" in the cave is relatively narrow, and an overly enthusiastic tourist would have easily cause mishap. We were the only tourist then.

Having seen caves ranging from limestone caves,  salt cave, glacier cave, and also another lava cave (this would have been considered a lava cave I believe), this still impresses. And really, the scenery in the Altiplano is so wonderful, adding a day to your tour wouldn't hurt!

Manjanggul Cave, South Korea

Jeju Island is one of South Korea's main tourist hotspots, and the volcanic island is also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Classified under the Natural section, its Lava Tubes are highly regarded and valued around the world.

Walking in the lava tube in Manjanggul

The Geomunoreum Lava Tube System is a series of lava tube caves formed when the Geomunoreum volcano erupted 100 to 300 thousand years ago. The biggest of these lava tube caves is Manjanggul Cave, and the tunnels through the cave runs for 7416 metres! However, only one section of about 1km is open to the public.

Formed by volcanic lava flows, the tunnels and caves are literally "carved" out by lava flows. You can actually see the flow lines on the tunnel walls! So it was quite surreal to think that molten rock created this huge passageway that you are now walking on. There are also many formations within the cave as a result of hardened lava, and many of these provide excellent geological value for scientific studies. There are even lava stalactites formed! Many parts have signs with explanations of the various features, so it's very educational. There are also many species of cave creatures that inhabit the cave, which again provide rich academic value. Luckily, the tourist section of the cave were spared visitations by these creatures :)

Manjanggul Cave is accessible by public bus from Jeju city as well as Seogwipo. However, from the bus-stop on the main road, it's another 30+minutes of walking to the entrance of the cave. Luckily, it's a nice scenic walk. Of course, with a hired car, things get more convenient (and most would agree that Jeju is best visited with a car). Visitors should bring some warm clothings as the temperature inside the cave range between 11-18 deg Celsius. A torchlight may be useful too although the cave and tunnels have some lights, they are unfortunately gawdily coloured (I feel).

Highly recommended visit!

The 30+ minute walk to the entrance is a scenic walk :)

Sümela Monastery, Turkey

For those who had ventured to the eastern part of Turkey, or specifically, for those who found themselves in Trabzon on the Black Sea coast of northeastern Turkey, Sümela Monastery is simply one of the must-visit attractions there!

Also known as The Monastery of Virgin Mary, it was a Greek Orthodox monastery built into the face of a steep cliff. Founded by 2 hermit priests who discovered a miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary in a cave in the mountain, the monastery had gone through various restorations in its long history. However, in recent times, it looks like the monastery could do with some preservation, especially the amazing frescoes found in the monastery!!

Indeed, the frescoes on the walls and ceilings of the various buildings in the monastery are one of the best I've seen! Unfortunately, poor protection of the site had resulted in most of the frescoes being damaged by wandering shepherds and ignorant tourists. However, there are reports that in 2012, the Turkish government would be funding some restoration works, and it would bode well for the local tourism.  Sümela Monastery is currently in the tentative list of UNESCO sites for Turkey.

There are many agencies and hotels in Trabzon arranging day tours to the monastery, which is basically just shared van transport to the monastery. You can, of course, pay for private tours and guides. You'll be deposited near the entrance of the monastery, and after approximately 1.5 hrs, you can take a short walk down a path back to the carpark where the van would bring you back to Trabzon.

Hopefully, the restoration works would enable the site to revert back to its full glory!! Check it out once you have the chance!

City in a Cave

Situated near Akhaltsikhe in southern Georgia, Vardzia ranks as one of the country's most interesting sights. Dug out of solid rock, comprising 13 stories of apartments (some say 6000!), complete with a throne room, a church and even a bell tower, the cave city of Vardzia is making a definite claim into UNESCO's list.

Built as early as the 12th century during the reign of their beloved ruler Queen Tamar, it was a bastion against the Mongol horde. However, it was not the Mongols, but an earthquake that destroyed part of the city years after the invasion. Today, it is a major tourist attraction in Georgia, though only part of the complex is open for sightseeing. In fact, a portion of the place are occupied by monks and it is a fully working monastery. There are some really awesome frescoes in there (but then, there're many awesome frescoes all around Georgia!), and there are also some mazy tunnels which you could wander in. No worries though as you would eventually come out into the open! (though not really advisable for those who are claustrophobic) The scenery around are also quite spectacular!

There are only a few marshrutkas a day plying the beautiful route from Akhaltsikhe to Vardzia and I believe I took the last one at close to 4pm. It's 2+hours of journey, and there a few guesthouses around the area where you could spend the night (the Lonely Planet guide lists a few). For those in a group, there will be many taxi drivers in Akhaltsikhe which you could hire for the trip and may be a better alternative. There are also many marshrutkas between Akhaltsikhe and Tbilisi, and Akhaltsikhe is also the start/end point of the Posof border crossing into Turkey.


For visitors to Georgia who have a bit of time, Vardzia can be an excellent option besides the popular Kazbegi/Svaneti and/or Kalkheti regions. Check it out!