Khao Luang Cave
August 11, 2014
This morning, it was off on a tour to Phetchaburi. Phetchaburi has a very long history which is why I wanted to go there. Limestone caves, temples that were built over 800 years ago and the Summer Palace of King Rama the IV – known by many as the King in “Anna and the King”.
The first stop was Wat Mahathat Worawihan. The temple was a bit difficult to photograph because it is right in the middle of the town. it stands out and is a very white bright.
The tour guide indicated that the temple dates back 800 years when the Khmer were present. Phetchabuir is known for the use of stucco (made with lime, sand and sugar).
Today, it is a Buddhist temple but it was clearly built by the Khmer with Hindu gods.
Tham Khao Luang Cave was the next stop. Out front were a lot of monkeys, some swimming, others eating. There was at one point some sort of ruckus going on where one group of monkeys didn’t like another group moving in to their territory. At any rate, up the hill was a large cave with a vaulted ceiling with part of it collapsed allowing the sun to shine in. There were several rooms with various Buddhas.
Phetchaburi Summer Palace – the last top before lunch and then back to the hotel. In 1860, King Rama the IV established his summer residence in Phetchaburi. As I mentioned before King Rama IV is the king that Anna wrote about in “Anna and the King”. Having grown up with Yul Brenner movie followed by the Jodie Foster Film, I found the real palace very simple and elegant as opposed to Hollywood’s version. The views were definitely worth seeing.
OMG, those cave photos are amazing and the summer palace is magnificent! I, too, grew up with “The King and I” with Yul Brenner (both the movie and the Broadway play) and then saw the movie “Anna and the King” in the early 2000’s, so seeing these photos is very interesting.