Ratchaburi: The Land of Kings

There were 13 of us exploring Ratchaburi: a retired Aussie couple (with whom I had traveled before), two South Africans (we got to chat a bit about my time in Stellenbosch), one Kiwi, one Spaniard, two Americans (myself included), an Indian couple, and our guide, Noi. We were a friendly, lively group! Honestly, these walking tours have been attended by some of the kindest and most wholesome people I've met. Everyone is genuinely happy to be exploring this beautiful adopted country of ours together.

Khaobin Cave

Our next stop after leaving Wat Kanon was the Khaobin Cave.

Khaobin Cave

Ratchaburi is a mountainous province, and the cave was formed by natural erosion in the tall limestone cliffs.

heading down into the cave

The cave isn't super deep like Carlsbad, but the entrance was steep and a little bit slippery. It was slow going. Inside, the cave was hot and damp. Water dripped from the stalactites and on to the slick stone floor. It's a living cave, and a marked path led the way that visitors could walk without disturbing the cave ecosystem.

inside Khaobin Cave

The limestone cavern is especially famous for its numerous stalactites and stalagmites. It was an impressive sight! As it is the rainy season, our tour group couldn't stop joking about maybe needing to get Elon Musk to come rescue us. It's maybe not the funniest joke, but it is an example of expat humor.

stalactites

The deepest part of the cave led to a small pool with a naga statue in front of it. The pool is supposed to be full of holy water. Thai visitors would stop at the pool, scoop some water with a silver bowl that was provided at the small shrine, and wash their face with it.

lucky spring

By the time we left the cave, the sun was beating down, and it was HOT! Our next stop took us to the Khao Ngu (Snake Mountain) Stone Park, where we continued to bake in the sweltering tropical sun.

our group on the bridge

The Stone Park is a sort of wetland surrounded by jutting limestone karsts. It was once a limestone quarry, but has since been abandoned, flooded, and turned into a recreational area.

Khao Ngu Stone Park

A trail forms a loop through the park, and visitors can walk through the wetlands and along the lake. Some locals had rented paddle boats, but we just wanted to explore (and, more importantly, find somewhere shady).

view of the mountains at the park

The air was clean and fresh out in Ratchaburi. It's not the most popular or well-known province in Thailand, especially among foreigners. It's very much overshadowed by neighboring province, Kanchanaburi.

walking through the stone park

It's too bad that it's overlooked though! It's a really beautiful province, and even its name has a special meaning.

Ratchaburi means "The Land of the King". It's derived from the sanskrit word for king, raja (as in "Maharaja" or "The British Raj"). The province got its illustrious name because it is the birth place of Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok - King Rama I - the founder of the current Chakri Dynasty.

Ratchaburi Province is known for its towering limestone cliffs

Before leaving Khao Ngu, our driver turned off on a side road and took us to a small temple carved into the side of one of the limestone cliffs.

a cave temple

The inside was a tiny shrine built into a cave. A collection of Buddha images of various sizes sat in serene meditation around the walls of the cave.

shrine inside the cave

The most impressive Buddha at Khao Ngu, however, was standing outside. As we drove away from the park, a large golden Buddha built into the hill watched us leave. I know the posture has significance in Buddhist iconography, but I would like to think that he was waving to us.

Big Buddha on the cliff side

Maybe he was giving us a blessing for safe travels.