One of the main cities in the far south-ern tip of Thailand is a place called Hat Yai. In the hills just southwest of Hat Yai, there is a mountain called Tham Khao Rup Chang, or "dragon elephant mountain." In the mountain there are three caves, known as the Dragon Elephant Grottoes. The grottoes of Tham Khao Rup Chang are one of the most famous Buddhist sites in Thailand, for they house some terrific Buddhist images. The mountain derives its name from the fact that, as you stand at the foot of the hills and look toward the peaks, the mountain ridge appears to be shaped like an animal with the head of an elephant and the body of a dragon.
Feeling curious about this mysterious place, my mother, sister, and I drove north from our home in Penang, Malaysia to see it for ourselves. We first headed for Hat Yai, and from there got onto the mountain road leading to Tham Khao Rup Chang.
We had originally thought we would be able to reach our destination in time to spend the night at the grottoes, but at 6 p.m. we were still over 20 kilometers away on the winding mountain road, with rain and heavy fog making for very treacherous driving conditions. We started getting really nervous.
We stopped at a little shack and asked where we could go to spend the night. Greeting us at the door was a young Thai-Chinese woman. Speaking in Hokkien dialect, she said, "There aren't any hotels around here. Our little shack isn't very nice, but you're welcome to spend the night here if you'd like."
It turned out that she and her husband lived in Betong, a city right on the border with Malaysia, but they had an interest in entomology and were renting this little place so they could come to the area to photograph insects and their environment. Two days later they would be heading back home. Mrs. Wu showed us to a room where she planned to have everyone sleep on the floor.
Nighttime is especially cold in the mountains, so Mrs. Wu gave us lots of their own blankets and piled them up deep. We wanted to pay something for all they had done for us, but they wouldn't hear of it: "Forget it! We're visitors here too, just like you," said Mrs. Wu. "Since it was in the cards for us to meet like this, this is the least I could do. And I consider it a great honor!" Her generosity really put us at ease.
At 6 a.m., as we were getting ready to leave, we thanked them again and Mr. Wu said, "Here's our address in Betong. The next time you're in Thailand, be sure to look us up!" Moved by their hospitality, I grasped his hand and said, "Okay, count on it! You two are a very nice couple, and we'll always remember you. I'm sure we'll see each other again."
Mr. Wu also assured us that we would feel very much at home in Betong because about 40% of the people there are ethnic Chinese, at least half of whose ancestors came from Fujian. In the Chinese community there, pretty much everybody can speak both Hokkien (i.e., the Southern Fujianese dialect spoken in Taiwan) and Mandarin. After saying our goodbyes, we continued on our way to the grottoes. It would be hard to say just how thankful we felt for the unexpected kindness that we found that night with Mr. and Mrs. Wu. It's something we'll never forget.
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(facing page) Dragon Elephant Grottoes, at Tham Khao Rup Chang in Thailand. We visited there in December 1999. The dragon over the entranceway seems to be smiling, as if to welcome us.
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After meeting Mr. Wu (left) on our way to Tham Khao Rup Chang, we accepted his invitation and visited him last year in Betong. Pictured here is a roadside vegetable market near the Thai-Malaysian border, a haven for bargain hunters!
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