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Published: August 4th 2008
Tiger Temple
First tiger I was walked to at the Tiger Temple. Notice the lack of a chain on the tiger and the attempted hiding of unmitigated fear in me. Well I'm in Bangkok now getting things together to go back home tomorrow. You might think that after everything I've seen, all the people I've met and all the adventures I've had that I wouldn't be longing, even a little bit, to get back to my life back at home...and you'd be right. I really don't want to go back. Yes I do miss all you friends and family but it's not like we couldn't go a couple more weeks apart, right? How about some of you guys just head over here? Problem solved.
Ok, the night after I sent my last blog I did end up walking to a Muay Thai arena/bar. It was during the second to the last fight so they didn't even make me pay. That last fight ended with a flurry of crushing knees and elbows, only lasting two rounds. The rest of the night I spent walking around the city, briefly getting sprinkled with off and on rain.
My flight left Chiang Mai in the morning and landed in Bangkok around noon. Immediately after arriving I grabbed a taxi to the southern bus station to head off to Kanchanaburi. It was only a
Erawan Falls
Freak'n beautiful. hour and a half ride to the city, which most of I slept through. Most of the backpacker set head to an area along the river loaded with guesthouses and I followed suit. The guesthouse I stayed at, The Lonely Frog, had a sharp contrast between absolutely beautiful grounds overlooking the river yet rather plain, dirty rooms. Once I was situated I ate then got an idea of what to do around the area through various travel agencies. My plan had always been to head to Erawan waterfalls so later that night I booked a ticket for a day tour that included the waterfalls, and elephant trek, a floating bamboo raft ride and some parts of the Bridge on the River Kwai stuff.
The next morning the minibus picked me and a few French girls and a couple English travellers up at the Lonely Frog. The waterfalls were first and are one of the most incredible things I've seen in my life. It's seven tiers of waterfalls with green pools that people only figure are possible in paintings. Unfortunately we only had two hours to stay there and it takes a forty five minute hike to get to the
Erawan Falls
Another one of the seven tiers. top waterfall. The hike to the top was slowed also by the impossibility to not stop at every tier along the way for pictures. Once at the top tier waterfall I stripped down to my bathing suit and swam in the pools there for about twenty minutes. The clear water was invigorating after the humid walk up. On the way down I stopped at the second tier as well for another twenty minute swim. This one had a large pool which the falls dropped into with a cave of sorts under the falling water. I swam my way to the cave and let the waterfall shower me while I took in the scene. You could accurately describe my feeling sitting under the waterfall as having a "moment" while I was looking around this idyllic setting but then I guess you'd be getting a little too mushy, huh? Lets just say it was a stirring, yet totally manly, moment.
We all ate at a restaurant at the park after the waterfalls then drove out a half-hour to a site for an elephant trek. I sat on the elephant with one of the French girls and we gave our camaras to
Erawan Falls
Second Tier. Went swimming here right after the picture. the other French girls so we could get pictures of us on the elephants before we took off. Right after we gave the camaras over the driver started moving the elephant so we didn't get our camaras back for the ride. Fortunately the girls who had my camara took pictures along their trek but I now only have one picture of me on the elephant. Our driver was great too. Once we started he began singing and didn't stop for most of the trek. We rode the elephant through a lightly forested area then down to a river where it cooled itself, and us, off by shooting water up through its trunk.
Once everybody were off the elephants we were loaded on a truck and driven up river from where our elephant went through. When off the truck we were given lifejackets then walked onto flat bamboo rafts. Once we disembarked the Thai man occasionally paddling it told us we could swim along it if we wished. Three of us then ditched our lifevests and jumped in the warm river. It began raining too while on the raft ride but it didn't matter since we were swimming anyway. I
found I enjoyed the raft trip even more than the elephants. The ride was scenic and the swimming fun.
The next stop was to a hill that had railroad tracks built by the Allied POW's for the Japanese, a section of the "Death Railway". After walking along the track for about a half hour the train came and we loaded on. We took it for a half hour before unloading and being driven back to Kanchanaburi. We were then dropped off at the bridge on the river Kwai, made famous by the movie, you guessed it, "The Bridge On The River Kwai". I nervously walked up and down the length of the bridge. Trains still ride over it so it's not like there are safety catches or walkways for travellers to walk but there were still hundreds of people on it making their way around each other.
The next day was the third of August and I knew I had to get back to Bangkok. However, I also knew that I wanted to go to the Tiger Temple, a Buddhist monastary where the head monk has been caring for tigers and you can get your picture with them.
Bamboo Raft Ride
We floated on these bamboo rafts right after the elephant rides. As you can see many of us chose to swim along. Let me clarify here for a second here. It's not getting your picture next to the tiger in a cage. It's getting your picture next to a tiger. Only in Thailand. I bought a ticket for the thirty-five minute ride out to the temple and also a minibus ticket to Khao San Raod in Bangkok for later that night so I could do both. When buying the ticket to the Tiger Temple from my guesthouse, the woman warned me not to wear any bright colors or cologne since it will "excite" the tigers. This admittingly did bring some concern to my decision to go but hey, the tickets were non-refundable so it's like I had to go now. I couldn't let a little worry like being mauled by a ferocious tiger keep me from losing ten dollars.
The temple area was large and filled with travellers. Before you walk in you have to fill out a ticket where you sign and date the agreement you understand tigers could attack you at anytime and you won't hold the temple liable. The monastary grounds are large and the section to get your pictures with the tigers is an area that looks
Bridge On The River Kwai
This is the actual bridge the Allied POW's were forced to build. like a gravel pit. About twelve full grown tigers were laying and sleeping around the area and forty to fifty workers and volunteers were leading people for pictures. You'd line up to get a worker who would take your camara and bring you around to the different tigers, a few who had chains around them for safety. Before you actually would get led around a volunteer would ask you to remove your hats, sunglasses and any bags since that could excite the tigers. When I was up I gave my camara to the worker and he grabbed my hand and walked me over to the first tiger. Each tiger would have a few workers close around it got "excited", so don't worry mom. I'm sure those 140 pound workers would have stopped any upset tiger in its tracks. Ok, I go up for my first picture, which was actually three tigers sleeping on a rock. They told me where to sit and encouraged me to pet one as my leader guy would take pictures with my camara. I think I fake petted one of the tigers for the first picture but touched his back lightly before I was moved to
Grounds at Guesthouse
This was the area to relax at my guesthouse, The Jolly Frog. the next tiger. While walking I was extra careful to not accidently step on any tiger tails or to trip and fall on any of the animals. I was led to, I believe, four tiger stops in total. With each stop I gradually became more comfortable petting each tiger. After that I walked up the path to the baby tiger area and got some pictures playing with a few of the little tigers. You could accurately describe the baby tigers as "unbelievablely adorable" but that would be too mushy, huh? Lets just say they were non-fearful little beasts. Later on I walked to the temple and was asked by a monk to bow and pray with him. He then gave me a tiger tooth necklace (with a 100 baht donation of course) that I later found out is fake. Before I left I walked back down to the tiger picture area and watched them get ready to walk the tigers back to wherever they stay most of the day. They had all of us who were there line up single file to get a final picture with the largest tiger as it was being led by the head monk.
Three Tigers
By this point I gained enough courage to start petting the tigers. The one on the left is without a chain. When I got back from the Tiger Temple I swam at a pool in another hotel near by. At seven o'clock I got picked up outside the Lonely Frog by the minibus to get back to Bangkok. I went back to the guesthouse I like around the monastary a block away from Khoa San and got a room for two days. Khao San was hectic as always and I eventually went back to a food stand near my guesthouse for a late dinner. When I got my dinner, the Aussie guy I met in Chiang Mai was getting food at the same stand. We ate together than had a few drinks at a nearby restaurant while swapping travel stories till the place closed.
Well today is my last day and I've still got to set up a ride to the airport in the morning. It's a good thirty to forty minute drive to the airport so I now have to set up a minibus ride for tomorrow so I don't pay ten times the costs by getting my own taxi. I'll likely do some shopping next since I've literally not bought anything for anybody back home this entire trip.
Two Hands Now!
No chain, no problem. This one kind of worried me since I would've been cornered by the rocks if the tiger got upset. Notice though I'm using BOTH hands now to pet him. I'm like the Beastmaster. Sorry friends and family but I just didn't have the space. Please don't expect much. Actually, if you expect nothing you'll probably be closer to what you'll actually get. But really, isn't this blog, the intimate details of my six week journey, a present enough for all of you? I think so...
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Jeff
non-member comment
my present
I'll settle for your fake tiger-tooth necklace.