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All Thailand Ko Tarutao Ko Hin-Ngam

Ko Hin-Ngam

The cursed island of black pebbles.

Ko Tarutao, Thailand

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BradFlorescu
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Koh Hin Ngam   syeefa jay / CC BY-ND 2.0
Koh Hin Ngam   syeefa jay / CC BY-ND 2.0
Koh Hin Ngam   tehjs / CC BY-SA 3.0
Koh Hin Ngam   tehjs / CC BY-SA 3.0
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About

In Thailand stands Ko Hingham, a small uninhabited island that no one would ever bother to visit. Unless, of course, the gods had decided to adorn the entire island with precious stones. Which according to Thai mythology, they did.

Precious, indeed, because the Gods—precisely the god of Tarutao, a Thai deity—is said to have placed a curse onto the island. Any visitor who would dare to take even a pebble off the island would be cursed forever. Each year the the National Park office that manages the island receives dozens of stones returned via mail, sent back by people who want to lift the curse. The stones of Koh Hingham must stay on Koh Hingham or you risk the wrath of Tarutao.

Even though you cannot take the stones home, you can play with them within the boundaries of the island for as long as your inner child wishes to do so. Thai people, for example, use them to build miniaturized cheddis and kneeling in front of them, they lay their most ardent wishes and prayers. Less mystically, tourists write short messages in black and white such as flower-powers and I-love-yous. Come and do the same, just leave the stones behind.

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Islands Cursed Objects Geological Oddities Geology

Know Before You Go

Koh Lipe typically offers two tour options; inner islands and outer islands. This spot will be on every inner island tour, and is an occasional stop on the outer tour. It's also officially a national park, so entry fees and additional laws may apply.

Community Contributors

Added By

BradFlorescu

Edited By

CouplesTravelStories, Michelle Cassidy

  • CouplesTravelStories
  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

March 16, 2012

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Sources
  • https://couplestravelstories.ca/koh-lipe/
  • www.thailander.eu
Ko Hin-Ngam
Koh Hingham
Ko Tarutao, 91000
Thailand
6.514998, 99.262437
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