Yesterday we caught a morning train to Kanchanaburi, about 3 hours west of Bangkok. The ride was a bit bumpy, at one point Isaac's seat even collapsed (he wasn't hurt, so it was absolutely hilarious!) but all in all, third class travel wasn't bad. We each had a big wooden benchseat to ourselves, and the open windows brought in a nice breeze. A few little Thai kids were in the seat next to us, and they enjoyed spying on us over the seat backs and flirting up a storm... very cute!
Before we arrived in Kanchanaburi, a women stopped us and gave us brochures for her guest house. It was right on the river and the same price as all the others in our guidebook, so we decided to give it a whirl. We got a room, in a floating building, right on the water, with stunning riparian views (hehe, like the Hyacinth reference, mom?). The room itself is VERY basic... vinyl laminate from floor to ceiling, a toilet that requires you to pour water down it to make it flush, and our shower is a nozzle in the corner of the bathroom. Very basic, but that's half the adventure!
Yesterday afternoon we went to Tiger Temple. Woo hoo! I'd been waiting to do this for months and months. As we made our way into the Tiger Canyon we could see a mass of people and about a dozen tigers spread out. We decided to purchase the "special" picture package, so that I could hold a tigers head in my lap. I got that and a lot more! Apparently the abbot (head monk) likes to do special poses for certain people, and he must have sensed my extreme love for animals (right?), so next thing I know, the trainers are telling me to lay down next to one of the tigers. He was on his side, snoozing away, and so once I was on the ground he was actually spooning me! Next thing I know, they're bringing his big paws around my head. I was certainly thrilled and frazzled at that moment, and was making sure that I stood very very still as they snapped pictures. When I was back up and reviewing the shots, I was so happy to see that the abbot had joined Isaac behind the tiger for the pictures. Those will definitely be some treasured images. Later, the abbot instructed me to lay my head right on the belly of another sleeping tiger... more thrills! Isaac and I were both surprised by how coarse the tigers were... somehow, we had imagined them being soft and fuzzy, like stuffed animals =). We began talking with some of the long term trainers and found out about an opportunity to join in a training session with all of the cubs, so we were up bright and early this morning, making the trek back to the temple!
The first item on the agenda was breakfast. The monks eat only what is donated to the temple, so we brought some food to add. All of the tiger cubs are brought to the temple, and are present during breakfast. First, four very large 5-month old cubs arrived, and were teathered to columns on one side of the temple. Then, two 3-month old cubs followed, and stayed on the other side of the temple. Then came a basket of four 3-week old cubs! TOO CUTE!!! The first hour of the day was spent playing with the cubs, and having breakfast. Isaac bottle fed Lucky, one of the 3-month old cubs. I was supposed to feed Happy, his brother, but he was not interested in food in the least.
Next, we walked the 5-month old cubs to an open area for their exercise and enrichment activities. Basically, we formed a loose wall with 4 or 5 other volunteers, to ensure the cubs wouldn't wander too far. They were thrilled to be free and play. They were crashing through the bushes, and a few made a couple of charges at Isaac... frisky little cubs! The highlight of their playtime was when all 4 squeezed themselves into a clay watering trough... it was too funny! They had a ball splashing around, and once they were done, proceeded to race to a giant sand pile for wrestling. After their playtime, Isaac and I got the messy, but entertaining job of hosing the cubs down. One was giving my hands kisses as I bathed her.
Afterwards, the trainers had us crawl into a small cage with one of the 3-month cubs. When they first instructed us to do so, we weren't sure what was up. A creative hazing method, perhaps? Happy joined us in the cage for some wonderful snuggling and wrestling! It was amazing how strong he was already, and we had to be on our guard as his attention quickly changed from his chew toys to our boots, calves, hands, etc. Our time spent with Happy was absolutely precious!
The last portion of our day was the exercise the 1 year old cubs... they were BIG! The largest male was the size of a small horse. We assisted in walking them to the canyon, and then stood about 6 feet away as they were taken offleash for playtime. Our protection? Well, two guides with bamboo sticks... that sounds impressive, right? Well, they did their jobs, and the tigers paid us no mind. They dove right into the water and splashed around. They had a ball stalking and pouncing one another, and it made for great entertainment. The immense size and power of these animals is absolutely unreal when they are up close. We spent about an hour watching them swim before returning them to their cages.
The training session at Tiger Temple was an absolutely INCREDIBLE experience that we will carry with us the rest of our lives!!!
On our return from the temple, we had our taxi driver drop us off at the Bridge over the River Kwai. It was heartbreaking to look at the structure, with the background knowledge of how it came to be. It was hard to comprehend that a bridge of that magnitude had been constructed in just over a year.
Catering to the tourists, a little park was developed around the end of the bridge, and was filled with vendors. We walked along the bridge (no guard rails- eek!), and then found a floating restaurant for lunch. The 1.5 km walk back to the guest house was long, hot, and sticky! A shower has never felt better=).
We're heading in the direction of Cambodia tomorrow. Not sure exactly how long the journey will take. It has been a very good few days=).
Before we arrived in Kanchanaburi, a women stopped us and gave us brochures for her guest house. It was right on the river and the same price as all the others in our guidebook, so we decided to give it a whirl. We got a room, in a floating building, right on the water, with stunning riparian views (hehe, like the Hyacinth reference, mom?). The room itself is VERY basic... vinyl laminate from floor to ceiling, a toilet that requires you to pour water down it to make it flush, and our shower is a nozzle in the corner of the bathroom. Very basic, but that's half the adventure!
Yesterday afternoon we went to Tiger Temple. Woo hoo! I'd been waiting to do this for months and months. As we made our way into the Tiger Canyon we could see a mass of people and about a dozen tigers spread out. We decided to purchase the "special" picture package, so that I could hold a tigers head in my lap. I got that and a lot more! Apparently the abbot (head monk) likes to do special poses for certain people, and he must have sensed my extreme love for animals (right?), so next thing I know, the trainers are telling me to lay down next to one of the tigers. He was on his side, snoozing away, and so once I was on the ground he was actually spooning me! Next thing I know, they're bringing his big paws around my head. I was certainly thrilled and frazzled at that moment, and was making sure that I stood very very still as they snapped pictures. When I was back up and reviewing the shots, I was so happy to see that the abbot had joined Isaac behind the tiger for the pictures. Those will definitely be some treasured images. Later, the abbot instructed me to lay my head right on the belly of another sleeping tiger... more thrills! Isaac and I were both surprised by how coarse the tigers were... somehow, we had imagined them being soft and fuzzy, like stuffed animals =). We began talking with some of the long term trainers and found out about an opportunity to join in a training session with all of the cubs, so we were up bright and early this morning, making the trek back to the temple!
The first item on the agenda was breakfast. The monks eat only what is donated to the temple, so we brought some food to add. All of the tiger cubs are brought to the temple, and are present during breakfast. First, four very large 5-month old cubs arrived, and were teathered to columns on one side of the temple. Then, two 3-month old cubs followed, and stayed on the other side of the temple. Then came a basket of four 3-week old cubs! TOO CUTE!!! The first hour of the day was spent playing with the cubs, and having breakfast. Isaac bottle fed Lucky, one of the 3-month old cubs. I was supposed to feed Happy, his brother, but he was not interested in food in the least.
Next, we walked the 5-month old cubs to an open area for their exercise and enrichment activities. Basically, we formed a loose wall with 4 or 5 other volunteers, to ensure the cubs wouldn't wander too far. They were thrilled to be free and play. They were crashing through the bushes, and a few made a couple of charges at Isaac... frisky little cubs! The highlight of their playtime was when all 4 squeezed themselves into a clay watering trough... it was too funny! They had a ball splashing around, and once they were done, proceeded to race to a giant sand pile for wrestling. After their playtime, Isaac and I got the messy, but entertaining job of hosing the cubs down. One was giving my hands kisses as I bathed her.
Afterwards, the trainers had us crawl into a small cage with one of the 3-month cubs. When they first instructed us to do so, we weren't sure what was up. A creative hazing method, perhaps? Happy joined us in the cage for some wonderful snuggling and wrestling! It was amazing how strong he was already, and we had to be on our guard as his attention quickly changed from his chew toys to our boots, calves, hands, etc. Our time spent with Happy was absolutely precious!
The last portion of our day was the exercise the 1 year old cubs... they were BIG! The largest male was the size of a small horse. We assisted in walking them to the canyon, and then stood about 6 feet away as they were taken offleash for playtime. Our protection? Well, two guides with bamboo sticks... that sounds impressive, right? Well, they did their jobs, and the tigers paid us no mind. They dove right into the water and splashed around. They had a ball stalking and pouncing one another, and it made for great entertainment. The immense size and power of these animals is absolutely unreal when they are up close. We spent about an hour watching them swim before returning them to their cages.
The training session at Tiger Temple was an absolutely INCREDIBLE experience that we will carry with us the rest of our lives!!!
On our return from the temple, we had our taxi driver drop us off at the Bridge over the River Kwai. It was heartbreaking to look at the structure, with the background knowledge of how it came to be. It was hard to comprehend that a bridge of that magnitude had been constructed in just over a year.
Catering to the tourists, a little park was developed around the end of the bridge, and was filled with vendors. We walked along the bridge (no guard rails- eek!), and then found a floating restaurant for lunch. The 1.5 km walk back to the guest house was long, hot, and sticky! A shower has never felt better=).
We're heading in the direction of Cambodia tomorrow. Not sure exactly how long the journey will take. It has been a very good few days=).
Our apologies for the lack of photos. We tried to upload more, but kept having problems, and we've already spent a loooong time in this internet cafe. Looks like you'll have to wait to see the really fabulous shots when we come home! ;)
2 comments:
Wow! Safa is getting bigger! ;-)
Absolutly amazing- I don't even know what else to say. Incredible.
Post a Comment