Cave Exploration Day!

Hi there! 

Today, I was fortunate enough to be able to go on a hike to a cave off the Gulf of Thailand, which is on the southern coast. (For those of you who might be concerned, we weren't anywhere near the caves associated with the missing boys this past summer.) This cave was part of a national park and on a mountain, so we had to hike up to see it. In the past, I have explored caves in the US such as the Mammoth Caves in Kentucky, which are also part of a national park, but the experience was completely different. The national parks in the US are definitely visited more frequently and have become somewhat exploited. Dozens of people are shuttled inside the caves, given a tour, able to walk around following a guide, and then asked to leave. Additionally, these caves are underground and tend to be a lot colder. We had quite the opposite experience today. We were able to hike leisurely to the cave, explore around, and leave whenever we desired. It was also more a spiritual experience because there was a temple inside the cave and quieter, which left more time for self reflection. Structurally, the caves were also vastly different because the ones in Thailand had a lot of greenery and sunlight, whereas the ones in the US are darker without any sort of sunlight and no opportunity for plants to grow. 

Overall, I would recommend for people to visit the caves in both countries because I thoroughly enjoyed them both! However, they are extremely different and this is one of many countless opportunities we've had on this trip to embrace the differences between countries and to learn from them. And for that reason, I consider this trip to be such a blessing and I am grateful for these opportunities! 

Talk to you soon!

Maddie