Hi Everyone,
I'm playing catch up so let me tell you about our trip to Thailand at the beginning of December. Bangkok is about a 3 hour plan ride away. There is one nonstop daily on Thai Air and that is a very nice airline to fly - one that still feeds you!
First we went to Phuket (Poo-ket) which is an island on the southwest coast, on the Andaman Sea. Duane insists on calling it the Indian Ocean but you don't hear people call the Gulf of Mexico - the Atlantic, so I prefer to be more specific. Anyway the water is so beautiful and Duane really needed the break. He was just exhausted from working so hard. We stayed at the Renaissance Resort which was away from the very touristy areas and that was perfect.
Next we went to Bangkok and stayed with a Chevron friend who used to work in New Orleans. It was so helpful to have someone who really knew the area. We rode the elevated train to the big weekend market call the Chatuchak Market. Wow that was cool. Sooooo much shopping. Duane would have been happy to sit with a beer on a bench but he was a trooper. I ended up buying a large bag purse to carry all my finds. We also visited the palace grounds which is very cool. I can't help but think of the King and I while I was in Thailand as the story is very loosely based on a true story. We also went to Wat Pho. Wat means Temple. The temple name is much longer but everyone calls it Wat Pho. This temple has one of the largest reclining Buddhas and it was really impressive. Wat Pho is also famous for its Massage School. A Thai massage is all about stretching and range of motion. Duane and I indulged in a 30 minute foot massage and a 1 hour body massage. During a Thai massage you wear very loose fitting pants with a dropped crotch and a t-shirt. The Thai people are very modest and they are moving your arms and legs all around so this isn't like a western massage where you lay quietly under a sheet.
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The Palace grounds (above), the reclining Budda at Wat Pho (below)
We also spent one day out of the city visiting the site of the "Bridge on the River Kwai" and the Tiger Temple. During WWII the Japanese used POWs to build a railway from Burma into Thailand called the Death Railway because of the thousands who lost their lives. The Town of Kanchanaburi (Catch-a-nop-oly) north of Bangkok is where Khwae Noi and Khwae Yai rivers converge into the Mae Klong river (now called Mae Nam Kwae in Thai) where the original wooden bridge was built. The bridge there now is steel and was built after the war. Two Allied cemeteries honor the POWs. The graves were originally in small plots all along the railway. Now they are interned in the two cemeteries. Each grave has a plaque identifying the person, their military unit and a quote from their family. It was a very moving experience.
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The bridge, the cemetery, and a modified truck used to carry
supplies as the railroad was built during WWII.
The Tiger Temple (Wat Pha Luangta Bua Yannasampanno Forest Monastery) is about 45 minute drive from Kanchanaburi. The story goes that years ago, the Monks were asked to take care of several tiger cubs who were orphaned when their mother fell to poachers. Now the Temple which is very remote, has 112 tigers and other animals. Some of the tigers are used to people - which is not the same as being tame - and some have been rescued and will never be near people. There are also several bears, a lot of water buffalo and deer on the property. The ages of the tigers when you visit, determines what opportunities are available for interaction. We hit the jackpot and came away with a once in a life time experience. The good instruction of our hosts, Tim and Jam in Bangkok, meant we knew when to arrive and the right questions to ask. We signed up for the Exercise the Teenagers program and the Feed the Babies program. If I had known what I was info on the exercise program I probably wouldn't have signed up but then I would have miss a really thrilling experience. We washed the tigers, we fed them boiled chicken, and then we got into a big "cement pond" for the exercise session which lasted about 30 minutes. As you can see from the photos below, the idea was to wave around the bags and noise makers on sticks to get the 6 tigers to jump in the air. I used to do this with my cat,Pretzel, when she was younger - on a much smaller scale. As you can also see, these are big animals! The volunteers where there to push the tigers away when they got too close but they were frolicking all around us and on top of each other so they were close enough to touch. I felt something on my foot, kicked it away, and then realized I had just kicked a tiger's tail. By the end, we were soaking wet!
Next we went to the feed the baby program. They had 6 tiger cubs from three litters, ranging in age from 5 to 10 weeks. They were already significantly bigger than house cats. Their paws were so big! They were really clumsy looking, and oh so cute. Even Duane had a big smile on his face. We stayed with the babies for 45 minutes. Both programs had volunteers to take pictures of you while you interacted with the tigers so we have wonderful pictures.
Thailand is an interesting mix of Asian and western. They drive on the "British" side of the road and they have many western style shopping centers. On the other side there are still many people who speak little or no English even though it is taught in school as a second language. Thai's also have their own alphabet which is nothing like ours, or the Chinese. Fortunately all signage is in English and Thai so that helps greatly. Thai people are warm, friendly, and very proud of their King and culture. It is also a very Buddhist country which translates into a laid back, peaceful attitude, and less drivers honking their horns (than in China.) I can't want to visit again.
