Bangkok and Beyond (Part 4): Thailand's Caves, Mountains, Beaches

- November 18, 2025, Tuesday.

- Thailand's royal history and culture is not confined to the heart of Bangkok. I had a greater fascination for Thailand's royalty after my visit to Phetchaburi Province!

- I signed up for yet another day trip out of the city, and this time it was a combination of Phetchaburi and Hua Hin. Our first agenda after leaving our meetup point at Central World was the Tham Khao Luang or Khao Luang Cave. The temple is a little bit over a hundred years old, and was used by King Mongkut (King Rama IV) as a place of meditation during his time as a monk. His son, King Chulalongkorn (King Rama V) eventually turned the cave temple into a more proper one. 

Cave entrance. By the way, as the cave temple is built in a mountain, there are plenty of monkeys around the area. Be careful!

This entrance reminds me of Vietnam's Perfume Pagoda.

The entrance alone is a stunner!

King Mongkut also admired the cave's dramatic stalactites.

There are many Buddhas around the cave temple. Most of them are on the ground, but a few others like this one can be found in elevated areas!

- Beyond its historical and religious significance, the cave is also known for its natural lighting, with one of the openings bearing the shape of a heart. I think that's a nice additional touch! The cave temple has a few chambers, so it is larger than most cave temples I have so-far visited.

Reclining Buddha.

The stalactites at the back are natural and they look like waterfalls.

Many many stairs!

Mountain god.

See the heart-shaped opening?

- Our next stop was the Phra Nakhon Kiri Historical Park. This palace in the sky, at least I'd like to think of it that way, was built by King Mongkut in the late 1800s as a summer palace. To go up, visitors must take the funicular as the path is quite steep. The main parts of the palace now serve as a provincial branch of Thailand's National Museum.    

At the palace/museum entrance.

Behind the main palace/museum is the Phra Thinang Wechayan Wichien Prasat. This is a pavilion rather than a temple. It bears a combination of Thai, Khmer, and European architectural styles. Inside the pavilion is a statue of King Rama IV, though photography inside the small shrine wasn't allowed.

This is the main palace, which looks like a European building.

Outside Phra Thinang Wechayan Wichien Prasat.

- Photography is not allowed inside the main palace, although I must say it was well-preserved! Ventilation was superb, so I think it would have been a great summer palace (especially before climate change!) Fortunately, we were given a lot of opportunities to take photos on the palace grounds! However, being in a tour means that we didn't have time to explore the entirety of the palace grounds, since some areas are at another side of the mountain. At least, we were still able to take photos with them from our side of the mountain!

A watchtower.

View of the Phra Kaew Noi (Little Phra Kaew Temple) from our side of the mountain. This temple was made to resemble the Wat Phra Kaew (Emerald Buddha Temple) in the Royal Palace in Bangkok.

Phra That Chom Phet.

With the half-mast Thai flag (the queen just passed away) and Phra That Chom Phet. It was difficult to get a view of Phra Kaew Noi because of the flag, and also because part of the temple was being renovated (see earlier photo of the temple above, with scaffolding.)

Our Thai tourmate took this nice photo of me with Phra Thinang Wechayan Wichien Prasat. 

Another photo with Phra That Chom Phet.

- Lunch is often an overlooked part of the tour, since it usually just serves as a time to refresh and unwind before the next part of the tour. However, our lunch at Paeyuan was an attraction in its own right! Not only does it serve amazing Thai food, but it also provides a feast for the eyes for people who love vintage things. I'm not talking about little vintage items here and there, but the restaurant looks like a mini-museum!

I love this place so much.

Vintage things, big and small.

And when I say big....I mean THIS big!!

As I was going around, I would sometimes forget that I was in Thailand.

Kamen Rider!!

Nice car!!

- That afternoon, we went to the neighboring province of Prachuap Khiri Khan to visit the district of Hua Hin. Hua Hin is a popular beach destination because of its proximity to Bangkok. Before going to the beach, we had a brief photo stop at the Hua Hin Railway Station. Its red hue and its mix of European and Thai architectural styles make it one of the prettiest railway stations in Thailand. Because of its appearance, and its historical importance (built in 1910), our tour guide said that "you haven't been to Hua Hin if you didn't visit the railway station!" 

Hua Hin Railway Station.

Phra Mongkut Klao Pavilion, formerly part of the Sanam Chandra Palace in Nakhon Pathom, was turned into a royal waiting room in the Hua Hin station in 1967.

Nice roof.

Old train!

So happy to be here!

- The last part of the tour was a time for relaxing at Hua Hin beach. Now the part of the beach I was at might not have been the best, and perhaps it didn't help that the sky was cloudy and gloomy, so I didn't feel it was anything special. Maybe there are nicer parts of the beach further away (??). However, I made the most of my short time at the beach by riding a horse. I've ridden horses before, but it's my first time to ride one on the beach!

Really had to do the "sawasdee" pose to let you know - and remind me - that this was taken in Thailand, not some place else.

Same thing here.

I was told I looked like Thai royalty.

- A little bonus after my trip to Phetchaburi and Hua Hin was a dinner at McDonald's just for the Happy Meal. I saw that one of the Happy Meals they had at that time was a bunch of animals, one of which was a peacock. I was glad that I was allowed to choose the animal I wanted, so I went ahead and had my Happy Meal!

Yes, I am happy.

- Thailand has become more interesting as the days went by, and I was happy that I finally decided to go out of my Bangkok comfort zone and explore more places. Although I did things the easy way as I booked my past day trips through Klook, these just inspired me to take more time outside Bangkok in the future. That is, if an opportunity arises that I'd get to stay in Thailand longer and purely for leisure!