Buddhist disney land?
After climbing the mountain in the morning (before it got too hot) we went onto Kan Ka Thawng Cave which is about seven miles from Hpa-An. It is a stunning area with a big cave full of buddhas overlooking beautiful rice paddy fields that are framed by hazy mountains in the distance.
The cave itself is like a kitsch explosion of all things buddha. An overwhelming sea of colour and pattern encompassing every little bit of surface area from floor to ceiling. There are rows and rows of moulded/carved buddhas attached to the ceiling and painted some of which are very old but it is hard to tell due to the level of coloured painting.
As you move through the cave to the back there is a small passage way to squeeze through which opens up into a tiny cave with a small shrine at one end. Only room enough for one person!
Outside the cave the kitsch continues…
From here there is an incredible line of buddhas that stretches for some distance down the road. Again it is a case that the first few have been restored within an inch of their life and are now bright and gaudy. I much prefer these that have character and signs of age they definitely tell a story and each one is different.
Following these statues along the road from the cave you end up at a swimming pool carved out of the rock that is fed by a natural spring. There are a selection of simple bars and eateries that have established themselves around the poole. Each of these faces out over the amazing views of lakes, paddy fields and mountains.
So we ended our day swimming in the pool and then relaxed watching the sunset whilst eating some great Thai food. A great way to end a very exhausting, energetic and hot full on kind of a day.
