Tha Pom (full name in Thai is Pa Phru Tha Pom Khlong Song Nam) is a peat swamp and forest running mostly from a pool called Chong Phra Kaew along a natural waterway.

Local people call this waterway Khlong Song Nam or 鈥榯wo types of water canal'; because clear freshwater meets and merges with seawater at high tide; resulting in a natural environment where Lumphi palms (Eleiodoxa conferta) meet and mingle with mangrove forest.

Krabi Province is made up of more than 5;000 sq km of jungle-covered hills and sharp; jagged karst outcrops; as well as more than 100km of luxuriant; pristine coastline and around 200 islands in the neighbouring Andaman Sea.

About 40 per cent of the provincial population is Muslim; the remainder being predominantly Buddhist. This is a clear indication that Krabi sits astride the invisible dividing line between Buddhist Thailand and the four southern provinces鈥擲atun; Narathiwat; Yala and Pattani鈥攚hich are predominantly Muslim. Far from causing any sort of problem; this adds immensely to the cultural width and diversity of the province; blending mosques with temples; Malay cooking traditions with Thai cuisine; and giving the province a pleasantly relaxed multi-cultural feel. Pictures From Asia David Henley