Bat cave in Ratchaburi

For a change this time a site which was also among the official Unseen Thailand campaign - the bats in Ratchaburi. The most famous place to see them is the Tham Khang Khao (ถ้ำค้างคาว) simply meaning bat cave, located about 20 km north of the town Ratchaburi. Every evening at around sunset the bats stream out of the cave where they have spent the day, and fly to collect their food. And the impressive thing is that they fly in one stream which looks like a column of smoke emerging from the hill.

When we went there we arrived quite early, so had some time to kill before the spectacle started. Right at the parking lot was a market, but that only really started later on when more visitors arrived. At the base of the hill is a temple named Wat Khao Chong Phran (วัดเขาช่องพราน), though it is not really an impressive one. The only thing really special is a Buddha statue within the cave, not because of the statue but because of the bats flying around there. But even more impressive is the floor there - covered with the excrements of the bats and with millions of cockroaches running around. Walking inside is really nothing for people with a weak stomach or scared of these big critters, but actually I haven't stepped on any nor has any walked on my feet.

Much more enjoyable (but of course a bit tiring) is walking up on the hill, passing some monkeys much less naughty than those in Lopburi but still not really scared by humans. From the viewing platform on top one has a nice view over the scenery.

Khao Bin cave

Khao Bin (ถ้ำเขาบิน) is a cave in Ratchaburi Province. It is reached on highway 3087, which branches off from Phetkasem highway to the west near the town Ratchaburi.

The name Khao Bin means "Flying dove", which refers to the rock formation depicted to the right which with some fantasy resembles a flying dove. The cave has many stalactites, though some broken by stupid tourists, and also some parts of the cave roof darkened from the times before electric lights. But overall it is definitely a very beautiful cave.

In the centre of the cave is a small pond revered by the people, but sadly my camera lens was fogged over due to the high humidity in there, so I could not take a photo there.

Khu Bua

Khu Bua (คูบัว) is an ancient town dating back to the Dvaravati times of the 6th to 10th century. It was abandoned in the 10th century, and 4 centuries later the town Ratchaburi was founded nearby.

I used this town as an example in my main blog for the fact that the historical towns (Mueang) were relocated rather easily, with only the few stone-built structures left to decay more slowly. While actually Khu Bua and Ratchaburi were not a simple relocation, the main temple Wat Khlong illustrates beautifully what does remain of such a town after 1000 years.

The main ruins are along Thai highway 3338, the large parking lot cannot be missed. The easiest way to go is to follow highway 3339, which starts near the railway station in the center of Ratchaburi town. Right at the parking lot is also a small museum, which sadly was closed for renovations when I visited. From what I found on the web the artifacts found at Khu Bua are on display in that museum and the National Museum in Ratchaburi. I don't know if any other ruins are as clearly visible as this Wat Khlong, but actually there are a total of 44 sites within the area.