cooking class, ww2 bridges and itty bitty kitties

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hello. im sitting on the side of the River Kwai rigth now. I was in Chiang Mai for a few nights, where i spent my evenings checking out the night bazaar, a market that has existed for hundreds of years as a trading post between Myanmar and China. I also did a traditional Thai cooking class, where we made spring rolls, pad thai, stir fry chicken and the greatest dessert Ive ever had. I took a bus that night to Bangkok. Except this time I took a private "VIP" bus that was half as cheap as the government buses. Ive heard bad things about these buses; robberies happen more than they should, and the bus drivers sometimes leave you in the middle of nowhere because they are bored of driving and they want to go home. But I took my chances, and hopped on. What a mistake that was....
It was a nice bus, with a TV and comfy seats. However, about a third of our way to Bangkok, our brakes failed and we had to gently roll to a stop on the side of the highway. That was fun. So we (me and two completly random hippies who were also on the bus) hopped into some random Thai dude's pickup truck, and hauled ass to Bangkok. I made it to Bangkok, and found the same hostel I stayed in the last time i was there. My friend Aom was there. She is from Nan, a small city in the northeast of Thailand. She travels to Bangkok to work, and I think she send alot of her money back home to her sister and parents.
I caught a bus this morning from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi, where I am now. It is a few hours west of BKK, and it is home to the Bridge over the River Kwai, made famous in the film of the same name, starring none other than Obi-wan Kenobi (atleast i think Alec Guiness was in BotRK...). The bridge was part of a railway that the Japanese forced Allied POWs to construct during the Second World War. Known as the Death Railway, it was meant to supply the Japanese conquest in Burma. It was partially destroyed by Allied bombing in 1945. Many POWs died here in Kanchanaburi, and there are 2 cemetaries. I saw some veterans visiting one of them today.
After I walked the bridge, I did the single coolest thing ive done so far this trip; I pet a friggin tiger! It was a little dangerous, as they were not tamed tigers at all. It was at a Buddhist temple in the middle of nowhere, where this monk has set up a sanctuary for tigers and other wildlife. Many of the tigers were bred at this temple, but many others were saved from poachers by the monk or other people such as conservation officers. The tigers were lying in this canyon, and with the guidance of a tiger-master, i sat next to the tigers and pet them behind their ears. They were not chained down, or drugged, or anything to make them any safer. But they were friendly to me, althought one tiger kinda freaked out and started growling while I was standing near him, so they sent him off for some quiet time in the pond.
Anywho I hope you enjoy the pics. Tomorrow im off to ride the Death Railway and swim in some ponds underneath nice waterfalls. Talk soon, Fraz.

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Photos

3 lil kitties
the one in the front was the one that had to spend some quiet time in the pond.

The Bridge over the River Kwai
Notice the squared segments of bridge? they were the ones that replaced where the Allies bombed.