Just Another R-Rated Buddhist Hell Post

After a good deal of time in Phuket Town, it was time to change home base. Being as far South as I’d get in Thailand, I headed North to Phang Nga Town. Phang Nga hosts a nice variety of attractions, the most famous being Khao Ping Kan, often referred to as “James Bond Island”. Again, access to the island through the beautiful Phang Nga Bay/National Park, is far more practical through a local tour booking in town. After being solicited by several friendly tour operators, many whose personalities and helpfulness earned them name drops in highly regarded guide books, I booked a day-tour for the next morning. I’d see the bay by traditional longtail boat, those colorful wooden vessels I’ve been photographing, with only 2 other travelers (an American couple).

That left the rest of the day at my disposal in Phang Nga. First order of business is always ditching the backpack at a guest house. Back to my budget for now, I chose my usual cheapest place in town, in this case Thawisuk Hotel. After a quick lunch of traditional Thai food and pineapple shake, I walked the 1.5 kms to Tapan Cave. The photocopied map of town I had added the parenthetical Heaven and Hell Cave under its name. As I walked I thought that stumbling upon another of these wacky places would be too strange, that I shouldn’t take heaven/hell cave literally. Then I saw the figures looming out of the trees, more bloody and gruesome then any of the previous Hells. Was someone trying to tell me something?

This Hell was all about genital mutilation. Let’s look at this from the back for full effect. My goodness.
Women don’t get off any easier.

These places are pretty sick. I find it so strange that before coming here I spent a good deal of time on the computer figuring out how to locate the first one I visited in Bang Saen and now they just rear their gory heads in my paths.