The Kapong Loop from Khao Lak

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The Poh Ta Khao Lak is a shrine on the mountain heading south out of Khao Lak.
The so called "Shrine of the Khaolak God" is situated opposite the police station. Every car driver who knows about the existence of this shrine, honks his horn three times to honor the shrine and to ask for a good trip.
Many local people come here to make offerings in various forms: incense, fruit, firecrackers, paper money, garlands, ceramic statues. They are placed in front of the various statues that are honored here.

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In Phang Nga Province rubber cultivation has a long tradition. For many families rubber is the main income. In the night between 2 and 4 am the bark is cut with a special knife so that the sap can flow. After sunrise the sap collector walks from tree to tree to pour the contents of the coconut shell container into his bucket. The white sap is taken to the processing station in a shed on the rubber property where in several steps the sap is converted into white sheets. This process can be seen at a few sheds near the road. The sheets are dried until they look brown. Then the sheets are sold to the government agent at a fixed price. The price of rubber depends on the world market price for crude oil. In the last few years it was in the range between 100 and 140 Baht per kg.

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The local grass that grows in Kapong area is very suitable for making brooms. You can watch the women making brooms by the roadside.

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Hin Lat Waterfall is not a natural waterfall, it is created by three canals merging together to form a river. The water is lovely and clear, the river is deep in some areas. A great place to swim and relax. Hin Lat Waterfall is located 8 kilometers to the east of Kapong. Local families and children come here for a refreshing bath and for tubing on the river.

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Saeng Thong Waterfall is a medium-sized waterfall with 11 levels.

Saeng Thong Waterfall is opposite Ka Pong Hospital and the access road to the waterfall is 6 kilometers farther on.

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Lamru waterfall is a 5-tiered waterfall and is located within the area of the National Park.

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The bungalow village Kapong Garden Resort is situated in the middle of beautiful rice fields not far from Kapong. From the restaurant there is a nice view over the rice fields. The resort offers free parking and free internet in public areas.

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Yaowawit Lodge is integrated in Yaowawit School which is supported by the Children's World Academy Foundation. Yaowawit Lodge is situated in the outskirts of Kapong, a tiny town in the center of Phang Nga Province, surrounded by agricultural fields in the valley and pristine jungle on the slopes and in the hills. This is a rural area completely unspoilt by civilization.
The six bungalows are situated at the lower end of a slope, the upper end being occupied by the school buildings, the offices, the restaurant, and the communal rooms. The bungalows are very spacious and well equipped with a beautiful bamboo bed and ample sitting facilities. The interior is sparsely but tastefully decorated. The rooms have airconditioning and a ceiling fan as well as warm water shower. For all rooms there is one large living room. The value for money of the bungalows alone is very high. In addition the children and the teachers create a very welcoming atmosphere so that all guests feel part of the community.
From Yaowawit Lodge a lot of excursions are possible in the surrounding area, whether by foot or by bicycle. They lead to waterfalls in the jungle, to natural hot springs, to Buddhist temples, to the town and to small villages in the flat valley.
For tourists in Khao Lak it is highly recommended to spend here two or three nights away as to get a glimpse of the way of life of the rural Thai people.

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The Kapong Hot springs are situated in an undeveloped riverside area to the northeast of Kapong.
The mineral water bubbles out of some pools with about 67 degrees centigrade.
Then it flows for 100 meters before joining the cold water of the river. There you might go for a paddle in the warm water.
The hot water is said to relieve pain in the joints. Locals come here in the early morning when the water is a few degrees less hot in order to soak their limbs for 20 to 30 minutes.

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In the village of Pak Le the local temple contains not only the normal temple buildings but also a local museum and 1800 year old statues deriving from India.
Narai Nikayaram Temple (also Wat Narainikaram), known locally as Wat Khong, has stone sculpture images of Narayana (also Naraya), Laksana (Phra Lak), and Sida (Nang Sidha). They relate to "TaKoh La" town (the former name of Takua Pa) and the expansion of Indian culture into this region.
The personages of these stone carvings originate in the Ramayana Epic. The statues show the influence of Hindu culture over Takola and the Malayan Peninsula and indicate the origins of Takua Pa District around 200 AD. The Sida engraved image, carved with "Tab Hlam" stone or slate stone, is 125 cm high and 77 cm in width.
The village museum also exhibits old articles and antiques, and includes stone inscriptions 1,300-1,400 years old; these were discovered on Khao Liang.
Some archaeological "experts" believe that Kaling Kharat tribal people who once lived along the Indian Ocean Coast carved these statues. This is a very far-fetched assumption because these people had no tradition whatsoever in stone carving and no connection to the religious tradition that is necessary to carve statues in the correct way.
The most plausible and widely accepted theory is that the statues were made in India and sailed to Thailand together with Hindu merchants and their goods. Due to the monsoon and the inability in those days to sail against the wind, the merchants had to wait several months in TaKoh La for the wind to change. Here pious merchants built temples and placed in them statues that they had brought from India together with priests who could perform the correct rites with these statues.

In addition the same modern building houses an interesting large local museum with exhibits from the last century: household goods, pottery, electric equipment, cutlery and tools and many more.

Latitude 8.77412708749647, Longitude 98.44181240351566
Narai Nikayaram Temple is situated at Moo 3, Tambon Le, 14 kilometers from Amphoe Kapong office.

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Die Internatsschule Yaowawit liegt am Ortsrand von Kapong, einer winzigen Kreisstadt im Zentrum der Provinz Phang Nga. Yaowawit liegt 90 km noerdlich von Phuket und 45 km oestlich von Khao Lak.
Im Jahre 2006 hat die Yaowawit School als "Public Welfare School" den Schulbetrieb aufgenommen. Nach dem Tsunami war sie von Graf Philipp von Hardenberg gegruendet worden, um die Not von betroffenen Kindern zu lindern. Heute betreut die Schule insbesondere Kinder und Waisen aus armen und sozial schwierigen Verhaeltnissen. Sie sollen eine erstklassige Schulbildung erhalten, um sie zu befaehigen, mit zukunftsorientierter und praktischer Ausbildung den Kreislauf der Armut sozial schwacher Familien durchbrechen zu koennen.
Zurzeit leben in Yaowawit etwa 120 Kinder im Alter von vier bis achtzehn Jahren sowie 30 Lehrer und weiteres Schulpersonal. Neben dem vom thailaendischen Curriculum vorgeschriebenen Ausbildungsplan erhalten die Kinder auch Englischunterricht durch Lehrer aus anderen Laendern und unterschiedliche praktisch orientierte Ausbildung. Dazu gehoeren der Anbau von Obst, Gemuese und Kraeutern sowie die Zucht von Fischen.

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Yaowawit Lodge is integrated in Yaowawit School which is supported by the Children's World Academy Foundation. Yaowawit Lodge is situated in the outskirts of Kapong, a tiny town in the center of Phang Nga Province, surrounded by agricultural fields in the valley and pristine jungle on the slopes and in the hills. This is a rural area completely unspoilt by civilization.
The six bungalows are situated at the lower end of a slope, the upper end being occupied by the school buildings, the offices, the restaurant, and the communal rooms. The bungalows are very spacious and well equipped with a beautiful bamboo bed and ample sitting facilities. The interior is sparsely but tastefully decorated. The rooms have airconditioning and a ceiling fan as well as warm water shower. For all rooms there is one large living room. The value for money of the bungalows alone is very high. In addition the children and the teachers create a very welcoming atmosphere so that all guests feel part of the community.
From Yaowawit Lodge a lot of excursions are possible in the surrounding area, whether by foot or by bicycle. They lead to waterfalls in the jungle, to natural hot springs, to Buddhist temples, to the town and to small villages in the flat valley.
For tourists in Khao Lak it is highly recommended to spend here two or three nights away as to get a glimpse of the way of life of the rural Thai people.

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South of Bang Sai along the road to Kapong a large white gate on the left forms the entrance to Wat Khuan Niyom. This large temple is built on a hillock that affords a nice view over the Takua Pa River. The temple compound houses all necessary buildings of a complete Buddhist temple. As a special attraction there is a shrine with elephants on their knees.

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