Susan Hoi, literally meaning ‘shell graveyard’ is an archaic petrified shell cemetery also known as the Fossil Shell Beach located about seventeen kilometres from Ban Laem Pho in Krabi, Thailand. A subject of curiosity for many, the shell cemetery is best explored while lodging in a Trang resort such as Anantara Si Kao Thailand ranked among the top Krabi resorts located in the area. The ground is made up of layers and layers of fossilised shells which had over the period of approximately 40 million years had solidified to form several metres thick slabs. It is said that the site was once a freshwater swamp which was home to millions of snails. But over time as the swamp disappeared and snails died leaving behind their shells, along with the limestone deposits, the layers of shell had been compressed into a huge mass, thus producing what it has become today. There are three main sites to observe the shells and yet, most of the fossils are found underwater. There are only two other such sites found in the world – one in Japan and the other one in the US.
Jayani Senanayake is a writer who dabbles in travel and all things exotic. Under the pseudonym of Calliope Sage, she writes of the allures that must simply be discovered. Google+
