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Published: January 22nd 2008
'Sleepy' Tiger
Tiger Temple, KanchanaburiWe spent our final day in Bangkok relaxing and then, yesterday morning, caught the bus to Kanchanaburi, site of the famous Bridge over the River Kwai. There are many guesthouses and bars here, many with suspiciously English sounding names and serving things like cheddar cheese sandwiches. It's a nice place though.
Yesterday afternoon we went on a trip to the Tiger Temple in the hope of stroking tigers which have been given sanctuary by monks. We have mixed feelings about the place. It's the only opportunity we'll have to pet tigers (I even sat with one's head on my knee which was very heavy) and if the tigers were roaming an Asian forest they would probably have been killed by now. On the downside the larger tigers were suspiciously tired, not even waking when their heads were picked up and moved. This leads to the assumption that they were drugged. The younger tigers were more lively but were pulled around by their tails and seemed afraid of the keepers. Allee saw one get hit on the head. One problem may be that the handlers were not monks but volunteers.
On arriving back in Kanchanaburi we had a walk to
More lively tiger
Tiger Temple, Kanchanaburi the bridge over the River Kwai. It should actually be called the bridge over the Mae Khlong River as this is what it originally was. The writer of the book knew that the Thailand-Burma railway ran alongside the River Kwai and assumed that this was what the bridge crossed. Some years after the film was made the Thai authorities, presumably fearful of missing out on tourist cash, decided that it would be easier all round to just change the name of this stretch of the Mae Khlong to Kwai Yai. Problem solved. We hope to take a train over the bridge and along the Death Railway to Nam Tok tomorrow.
Today we went on a cooking course that we booked onto after eating last night. Also on the course were a British couple from Birmingham and two Australian girls. After deciding on the menu we would learn to cook we headed for the market with Noi, our guide and teacher. At the market we got to try a few of the things that Thai people have as desserts. Some were quite nice but most were very sweet and we would not be able to eat a lot of
Playful Tiger Cub
Tiger Temple, Kanchanaburi them. Next we walked past trays of fish, still breathing, to the vegetable section where we were introduced to the many ingredients we would be using and how to spot them. This was done through smelling and tasting.
Thai cuisine is based on mixing four flavours: sweet;sour;spicy and salty. Not every dish has all four flavours but the balance between them must be done precisely.
Our journey through the meat section was thankfully a short one. Even so, we got to see delights such as a live frog being prepared for a beheading.
After the market we climbed into the back of the pick-up to be taken to the cookery school. This was in a very scenic, peaceful setting on the other side of the river. There we looked at the different condiments we would use and tasted the difference between them, such as dark or light soy sauce. Then it was cooking time as we watched Noi cook a dish, tried some, cooked it ourselves and then ate it. Five dishes later we were very, very full. The menu we cooked was:-
- Pad Thai (Noodle based dish)
- Nam Tok (Pappaya salad)
- Penang
curry
- Stir-fried chicken in garlic and pepper
- A spicy & sour soup with coconut milk and chicken whose name escapes me.
Each meal was delicious and we're looking forward to testing them on people when we get home.
That brings us to tonight as we sit in an internet cafe. Tomorrow we are planning on travelling the Death Railway followed by a trip to the 7-tiered Erawan falls on Thursday.
A&A
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