Thailand is full of surprises. Living here and travelling around the country it’s easy for the unusual to become normal, but even I remember being perplexed when I first saw these traffic lights in Krabi Town some years ago. At first sight they can easily be mistaken for monkeys or apes, but they are in fact depictions of cavemen or Neanderthal man. I don’t know who it was that thought up the idea, but I would like to have been a fly on the wall at the town council meeting. It was a decision inspired by genius or Thai whiskey, but either way I think these statues are fantastic. I’m sure I’m not the only person who found themselves taking photographs of traffic lights for the first (and presumably last) time in their life. And if the cavemen don’t do it for you, take a closer look at the beautiful elephant street lights.
Krabi lays claim to having the longest history of continuous settlement anywhere in Thailand. Apparently, the limestone caves that abound in the Krabi region were perfect dwellings for cavemen and Neanderthals and remains found here date back to around 30,000 B.C. What better way to immortalise this link with the past than on a very modern-day traffic light? These unique and distinctive lights can be found in the centre of Krabi Town on Thanon Maharat at the intersection with Thanon Sukhon (Maharat Soi 10).
