Visit Wat Tham Khao Laem (Kanchanaburi)

Like almost all temples that have the word tham in their name, Wat Tham Khao Laem has a cave. Located halfway up the mountain behind the ordination hall, I could only see the first room after an adventurous climb through the scaffolding of the construction site of the big Buddha guided by one of the workers. Once the first 2 floors of the Buddha image's base will be finished, the climb will be much easier but I don't know when it will be finished (my last visit was in February 2020). I was only able to visit the first room at the entrance to the cave and not venture down to see the main room because the electrical system was eaten by the monkeys. And again, the workers do not know exactly when it will be repaired, but it will be after the end of the work on the first 2 floors of the Buddha. In the meantime, it remains interesting to make a stop at Wat Tham Khao Laem for its very nicely decorated ordination hall.

Free admission

Wat Tham Khao Laem is a temple and when you visit a temple in Thailand there are some rules to know and follow:

• Dress properly (knees and shoulders should be covered)
• Take off your shoes when entering the buildings
• Be quiet
• Don't hug or kiss
• Don't point your feet to Buddha's image
• Don't smoke