If you take a boat from Ao Nang and head south, after having rounded a couple of promontories you catch sight of the suggestive Railay peninsula and its high mountains that enclose it like a treasure chest, denying any other access to it than from the sea. Railay’s tribute to the world are two of the most beautiful bays on the coast of Krabi: Railay West and Phra Nang, whose main characteristics are their beaches, their sea and their rock formations, panoramic pride of this province so coveted by climbers from all corner of the world. Disembarking at Phra Nang Beach, the first thing you notice, especially if it’s hit by the sun’s rays, is the reddish color of a mountain at the extreme right of the bay, sculpted by nature as a work of art of Baroque architecture. In the central part of its base you immediately notice a cave. It is Phra Nang cave, also known as the Cave of the Princess, characterised not only by the usual stalactites and stalagmites, but also by the presence of a small altar and numerous offerings. These comprise food, incense and all the usual suspects used in this part of the world to grace a spirit, but what stands out the most is a large quantity of wooden phalluses of every shape and size. The cave with all its ‘comforts’ is the home of a legendary princess or, better said, of her spirit. A spirit that local fishermen try to propitiate by handing the rich gifts we have just mentioned. But who is really this princess? What is the legend that makes her still alive and worshipped today? Talking to some of the slightly elderly fishermen, repositories of memory and traditions, one actually discovers more than a legend. LEGEND 1- Tayomdeung’s Daughter In a village in present-day Krabi province lived a man named Tayomdeung, who longed for a son that he could not have. One day, in a last desperate attempt to make his dream come true, he went to pray to the Dragon King, who granted him a child, in exchange for the promise that if a girl was born she would then have to marry his son. Eventually, a little girl was born into the world; she was named Nang and she grew up to be of extraordinary beauty over the years. Over time, Nang grew up and fell in love with the son of Tawaprab, another villager. Tayomdeung, forgetting the promise made, arranged the wedding with the groom’s family. Inevitable was the fury of the Dragon King who, disguised as a guest, wreaked havoc during the ceremony, destroying everything to avenge the shame suffered. A hermit who was passing by tried to appease the fury of the Dragon King and, failing to restore calm, he decided to transform everything into rock with a spell. Thus it was that the house of the couple was transformed into the cave of Phra Nang, the wedding dinner became Susahn Hoy – the fossil shells cemetery -, other objects of the house were transformed into the nearby islands of Mor and Tub and in other surrounding ones, and the Dragon King was transformed into the ‘Dragon Crest Mountain’, the mountain range bordering Klong Muang. LEGEND 2- The fisherman’s wife Phra Nang was the devoted wife of a local fisherman who one day never returned from the sea. Overwhelmed by pain, she spent the rest of her life waiting for him inside the cave that will take her name, and when she died, her spirit remained in constant expectation. To propitiate her protection, the local fishermen pay homage to her with all those objects that we still find in the cave. LEGEND 3- Indian Princess Srikul Dhevi Perhaps the best known myth tells us about an Indian princess named Srikul Dhevi, who sailed in those waters to go and meet her betrothed. In an adverse fate, her vessel sunk and wrecked, and with it her dreams. The princess lost her life while still young and without having known the joys of marriage. As always happens in these circumstances, the spirit of the princess could not find peace and began to wander around those places so unfamiliar to her. She kept frightening the local fishermen, who had nothing left to do but try to win her favours. The cave became her home and the fishermen set up a spirit house for her, providing for all her needs with offerings of food, drink, flowers, candles, incense and a large quantity of wooden phalluses. They were certain that the princess, as a sign of gratitude, would have them protected from the dangers of the sea and would have guaranteed them abundant catches. 2004 Tsunami During tsunami the coast of Krabi did not suffer serious damage and the victims were very few. An elderly boatman, who was ferrying me to Phang Nga beach a few days after the terrible event, said to me: “You know, it was the hand of the princess that stopped the wave and saved Krabi”. Who knows… maybe it’s true and maybe not, the legend certainly continues. Images by yGuglielmo Zanchi (Pluto)

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Mount Santubong is one of the most famous tourist attraction places in Sarawak. Located 35 kilometer from Kuching City, and reachable in a 45 minutes drive, facing the South China Sea and with its height of 2,658 feet above sea level Mount Santubong is a great deal for those who love hiking and jungle trekking. According to history, Mount Santubong was discovered by British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace in 1855 while he was collecting specimen in Sarawak. Mount Santubong has been gazetted as one of Sarawak’s National Parks, and its nearby beach is recognized as one of the biggest wetland areas in the whole of Borneo. I find it worth telling you of the legend behind Mount Santubong. When people pass by Mount Santubong, they usually comment that it has the shape of a woman’s profile; whether this is true or not we leave to you to discover. What we can do is relate the legend behind it. Once upon a time, two beautiful sister princesses from heaven came down to earth to bring peace to a dispute between two local villages. Santubong and Sejinjang were their names, and they were both very talented: Santubong had amazing weaving skills while her sister Sejinjang was known for her talent in pounding rice. These two princess had many admires but would accept nobody’s charm for some time until one day they met Prince Serapi. Prince Serapi fell in love with both of them and wanted both to become his wives. Santubong and Sejinjang in turn both loved Prince Serapi, and a frightful fight ensued since each of them wished to become Prince Serapi’s only wife. The quarrel turned increasing violent, with Sejinjang hitting Santubong in the cheek with her rice pounder and Santubong fighting back and hitting Sejinjang with her belidak, a tool used to weave cloths. When their father the King realized what was happening, he was extremely angry and came down to earth to curse the three of them. Both sisters were transformed into mountains, namely Mount Santubong and Mount Sejinjang, while the broken pieces of Sejinjang’s head scattered into the sea and became islands: Pulau Kerak, Pulau Satang, Pulau Talang-Talang, Pulau Lakir and many more. Myth and history mix in the traditional folkloric tales of the legend behind Mount Santubong. If you plan to visit Santubong, don’t miss a visit to the surrounding attractions such as Sarawak Cultural Village (SCV), Damai beach, Kampung Buntal and the waterfalls. Check out on our trek to Santubong Waterfall HERE !

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Langkawi is an island located in the Kedah province of West Malaysia, an island surrounded by other small islands and rich in natural beauties and lovely viewpoints. Most of Langkawi’s attractions are attached to fables, as the Malay style requires. One of these, and probably the most famous one, is the legend of Mahsuri, a young princess who lived in Langkawi during the 17th century. A tale that has existed since ancient times, a story passed from generation to generation about a curse that was written even before this wonderful island was part of Malaysia. With this in mind, one of the first thing I did after arriving on Langkawi was to organize a visit to Makam Mahsuri, or Mahsuri Tomb, a tourist attraction on the island. We made our way to Kampung Mawat, the area where the museum is located, paid the 10 Ringgit entry fee and where soon inside the complex where her crypt is, and where we were told the story of Mahsuri with great gamelan music played by the local people in the background. According to the legend, Mahsuri was the third daughter of Pandak Mayah, a pretty maiden who lived during the Reign of Sultan Abdullah Mukarram Shah II who ruled what is now Kedah province between 1762 and 1800. She was one of the most beautiful women in all of Langkawi and married a warrior who soon had to depart to fight in the war with Siam. During her husband’s absence, Mahsuri befriended a young man, giving her mother-in-law, jealous of Mahsuri beauty and fame, the chance to conspire against her. She spread the rumour that Mahsuri was unfaithful to her warrior husband and this lead to her being openly accused by all the villagers of adultery and sentenced to death. Mahsuri strongly pleaded her innocence, but no one believed her and was tried and sentenced to death by the village elders. When she was finally executed with the ceremonial dagger, white blood flowed from the wound and birds flew in to cover her whole body, signifying her innocence. The folklore believes that since she was going to die for a crime she did not commit, with her dying breath Mahsuri cursed Langkawi with seven generations of bad luck: “For this act of injustice, Langkawi shall not prosper for seven generations to come.” Many locals of Langkawi believe the legend to be true, citing occurrences and tragedies during the decades that followed Mahsuri’s death: the Siamese conquered Kedah and invaded Langkawi, with the villagers setting fire to their crops to halt the advance of the invaders. Still to this day, legend has it that after torrential rains, traces of burned rice can be seen in nearby Padang Matsirat (which means ‘the field of burnt rice’) It was only after the seven generations passed, at the end of the 20th century, that Langkawi prospered as a tourist destination, and this newfound success was attributed to the end of Mahsuri’s curse. In the year 2000, the Malaysian government managed to trace Mahsuri’s descendants in the Thai island of Phuket – apparently Mahsuri was the daughter of a couple who moved from their native Phuket to Langkawi in search of a better life. Mahsuri latest descendant, Wan Aishah, still occasionally returns to Langkawi to visit Mahsuri tomb. It is popularly believed that the discovery of Wan Aishah officially ended the seven generations curse. Makam Mahsuri’s historical site includes Mahsuri’s shrine (a white slab of marble that stands in a shady garden), a reconstruction of a traditional Malay house, a theatre and a ‘diorama museum’ which houses some of Mahsuri’s jewellery and the weapon that killed her. The legend of Mahsuri and of her execution was indeed a tragedy of dramatic proportions and her curse, whether it is myth, real story or fantasy, has had significant importance and consequences in the course of Langkawi’s history.   Makam Mahsuri Opening Hours: 08:00 – 18:00 Location: Makam Mahsuri is located at Kampung Mawat (Kampung means village) 12km from Kuah. Tel: +60 3 955 6055 Getting there: To reach Makam Mahsuri, follow the Padang Matsirat Road until you pass the Tok Senik Resort on your left, where you will cross the junction to Makam Mahsuri Road. There, turn right and follow the road until you reach the mausoleum. The signposts are in both Malay and English. Facilities: there are food outlets outside the complex.  

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