Jodi News
Tigers, temples and tuk-tuks
| Well it is my fourth full day in Thailand and it already feels like I have been here far longer. The days seem to draw out when you are traveling, mainly because there are just so many sights and sounds to absorb. When you think back over the day it contains about as many new things as a week or two would in usual circumstances... On the afternoon of my last entry I headed to the Tiger Temple as planned. We traveled there by an open air truck of sorts, which was interesting- although by the time we arrived I was covered in a fine dust. The temple itself was not as good as I had hoped, mainly due to the hordes of tourists. That's the biggest down-point about traveling- the tourists- which is an irony since I am one. I think we all come here searching for a pristine slice of Asian culture, and what we get are busloads of foreigners taking photos and making calls on their cell phones. Slightly frustrating. When we arrived at the temple we were led down to a pit of sorts, surrounded by high rock faces. There were about five tigers there- two of which were unchained. All that separated us and them was a thin piece of rope delineating where we were meant to stand. We had to wait in a line and were taken out to have our photo take with two of the tigers. While slightly contrived, I can still tell you that I felt pretty nervous. One of the tigers was a bit restless and kept snarling at the monks overseeing them. It didn't take much to imagine them taking a swipe at someone. Nevertheless, I let myself be led out like a lamb to the lions... When I was knelt down next to the tiger he decided he didn't want to be there any more and got up and started walking away. They motioned for me to follow it taking photos all the time... A bizarre experience. Not what I expected, but certainly worthwhile. While on the tour I hit it off with two of the guys with my group, and we decided to meet up for dinner that night. We went down to The Floating Restaurant, which was beautiful rafthouse on the River Kwai. It was worth going simply to marvel at the menu, which included such tempting offerings as wild boar, cat fish, eel, and ruby fish. I opted for pad Thai and prawn curry (wimpy I know- but safe!) One of the guys, James, had been on the road for four months, and was able to regale us with tales from his trip, which made for quite an amusing evening. The next morning I headed up to Sangkhlaburi by coach. I opted for the VIP air-conditioned bus hoping for a smoother trip. As is quite often the case in Asia however, the term VIP has markedly different connotations, and air-conditioning should not be viewed as a bonus. I was absolutely freezing cold and had myself pressed up against the window trying to use the sunlight to warm me up. I managed to fall asleep at one point, but because there was no headrest I kept whacking my head on the window. So while arriving safe and sound I can confirm that VIP is not a term to be taken literally! When I arrived in Sangkhlaburi I hailed two motorbikes to take me down to Didi's school (Didi being the woman who is overseeing the orphanage here). They strapped my big red bag to one and I got on the other. I found the ride down quite amusing, partially because I knew there is no way in hell I'd repeat it at home. No helmet to speak off, dogs running all over the place, insane motorists and dubious roads combined to make the short trip like a mini adrenalin sport- and thus I enjoyed it thoroughly! Once there my "auntie" Noon came to meet me and I dragged my stupid red bag over the dirt roads up to the place her and my uncle are renting. I then headed straight back out to Didi's and then down to the river where I went swimming with some of the children. I don't want to even think what was in that river, but I swallowed enough water to ensure that I had every chance of picking up some interesting waterborne disease! It was quite fun though- especially since I was forced to jump in fully clothed (well sans skirt) in a valiant effort to coax the children in for a swim. Not that they were convinced! They did however find the sight of a half naked white girl quite entertaining! After drying up I sat with my cousin Ananda and watched the sun set over the lake, while sipping a banana smoothie. Dare I say blissful? And now I am off to see a Mon temple on the Myanmar side of the river so I shall conclude this entry at another point... |
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Nov 30, 1999