Tiger Cave Temple Krabi: Difficult but worth it

My last article was about how you can obtain a bunch of food in Thailand for cheap. Now I will focus on how you can work up quite an appetite, for free!

they've been building this chedi ever since i moved here and i think they still have a lot left to do

The Tiger Cave Temple is located in Krabi Thailand. It is one of the largest temple complexes in the entire country and they always seem to be adding something to it. The main feature of the temple is the climb up to the tippy-top to the shrine that is meant to contain the footprint of Buddha. It is believed that tigers once lived in the caves here, hence the name. However, if they ever were there is a question of belief, there aren't any now.

This isn't a terribly old temple. Just a bit over 40 years. It is however one of the most famous in the country. This has a lot to do with the magnificent amount of work one must undertake to see the truly famous part of the complex. At the base of the hill there is a sign instructing that there are 1237 steps to the top.

these are the easy ones

These numbers are actually a little bit off because about 7 years ago one of the more deadly portions of the climb was marked off and now there is a much easier set of stairs that goes around the side. Unfortunately I couldn't locate my picture of these now inaccessible steps, but we used to refer to it as the "chimney" as it was almost completely vertical. It was very dangerous and too many people got hurt from falling so they finally did something about it.

Anyway, the steps are not uniform in size and some of them are actually very steep. Trust me, it is very hard work

Right about stair 150, which is also about the time you are thinking about turning around and just using google images to get the sites these fellas start to kick in

I hate these guys

People who have never been exposed to monkeys think they are wonderful and cute but I can assure you, they will rip your face off in order to get your bag of Cheetos. PRO TIP: don't bring a bag of Cheetos with you. I now affectionately refer to this type of monkey as "tree rats" and would very much prefer to not be around them. They bite many people who get too close and will steal your food and drinks and even smartphones / cameras - which they immediately throw off the side because they can't eat it.

They might be small and you can definitely clean their clocks in a fight, but not before they scratch and bite you necessitating a visit to the hospital for rabies shots. PRO TIP number 2: Just stay away from the monkeys.

If you do have what it takes to get to the top you will be treated to panoramic views of all of Krabi. You can see all the way to the islands on a clear day and it is truly breathtaking.

you will probably feel a great sense of accomplishment upon reaching the top and you deserve it. The fact that you are climbing over 1000 uneven steps in tropical heat is a very difficult task. Sit down, chug some water, and take in the view. Free drinking water is provided at the top, I wouldn't want to be the guy in charge of that.)

Then have your legs turn into rubber on the way down because most people start to lose control of their leg muscles during the journey down.

I have a personal attachment to this temple because many years ago while visiting a big group of monks were mixing cement and standing in a line moving cement up the hill. They asked me to help so I did. I spent about an hour mixing cement for them (which was the hardest part,) for a couple hours. I used to use the temple for cardio exercise so might as well get some strength training and blisters on my hands.

The fastest I ever did the climb was in just over 15 minutes. These days it takes me 45 or infinity minutes because I never go there anymore.

It's definintely worth the entrance fee of nothing so I would say this is a must-see in Krabi. You will likely burn a thousand calories and be in terrible need of a shower afterwards. So take of that, then hit the streets for some good cheap food.

I hope you enjoyed this article and as always, thanks for reading. I welcome your comments.