December 3, 2006 Bangkok, Thailand

December 3, 2006
Bangkok, Thailand

Jackie and I woke up this morning at 6:00. After preparing myself for the day I ran around through the hostel to wake up B and Spizzle. At 7:00 we all met up and split a cab over to Ben’s apartment. Incredibly, there was no traffic and the journey only took about 15-minutes.

When we arrived at Bens (very early) everyone was still asleep. We hung out on the couch until my dad, Ben, and Ju were ready to go. At 8:30 we all boarded a minibus (rented out by ben for the day) and started the three-hour drive to the Tiger Temple.

I spent most of the drive asking Ben and Ju questions I had gathered about Thailand since my arrival. During the drive I learned a lot about the countries history, customs, and king (a super, super cool dude!). After two hours of driving we stopped at the Bridge over the River Kwai. The number of large tour busses visiting the bridge surprised me. It wasn’t until lunch that I learned that the bridge is a very well known historical site.


For lunch we had a great meal on a floating restaurant. As usual, Ju did all of the ordering and everyone loved the food. Thai food is probably the best food on earth. It has such an amazing blend of sweet, sour, spicy, and tangy that every meal is an adventure. The restaurant was especially cool because fish were swimming around and under the restaurant. NOTE: on the way from the minibus to the restaurant Spizz spotted the hats that we have wanted to purchase since arriving in Thailand. They were so cool that B and my dad decided they needed one too…

After lunch we decided to cross the famous bridge and take some photos. Walking along the bridge was more difficult than anticipated because of the large crowds and oncoming train (moving very, very slowly). When we finally reached the other side we spotted two elephants (mother and baby). For the next 20-30 minutes everyone in our group took turns feeding them and posing for pictures.

Once we ran out of elephant food we crossed back over the bridge and made our way back to the minibus. As we walked through the shops Spizz, Jackie, and I purchased yellow shirts to honor the king of Thailand (a very common custom here).

At around 1:00 we got everyone back in the minibus and continue our journey to the Tiger Temple (about another hour).

When we finally arrived everyone was super excited. We quickly purchased our tickets and walked into the sanctuary. Our first stop was a spot known as Tiger Canyon. It was a super cool canyon with a pool, waterfall, and lots of tigers (chained to their water dishes). After waiting in a short line we were permitted to pet the majestic cats. Spizz, B, my dad, and I each paid an extra 1000 baht (around $30) to get the opportunity to hold the tiger’s head in our lap. NOTE: all of the tigers at the temple were rescues from the wild after surviving attacks by poachers.

It was a surreal experience. Petting the tigers was incredibly exciting. They are exceedingly large and beautiful! When the head monk (who started the tiger project) placed the tiger’s head in my lap my heart was pounding as hard as it ever has. I could not believe that I was holding the head of such a fierce beast (and one of my favorite animals). NOTE: a sign at the park states that there are only about 330 tigers in captivity. Between my visits to the San Diego Zoo, Wild Animal Par, and Tiger Temple I have seen a large percentage of these creatures.

Eventually we pulled ourselves from the canyon and visited the rest of the refuge. We spent a long time looking at some of the caged tigers. One of the females had just given birth and had several kittens (20 days old) that were super cute.

Next, we visited the actual temple. It was not at all what I imagined. In fact, it was a very simple Wat with a small Buddha and elegant decorations. After paying our respects we walked back to our minibus and left the temple.

We rode for another 30 minutes to a very scenic location on the river. Apparently it was another historic area that attracts tourists. There were many shops leading up to the water. Still, after walking along the train tracks for a while it was possible to take in the magnificent view without any venders in sight.

By the time we left the rivers edge (after some shopping) it was 17:00. On the way back to Bangkok we decided to stop for a traditional dinner. It was a very local restaurant with very cheap and very good food. We were lucky to have Ju with us. She ordered the house specialties (jumbo prawns, fried morning glory, and yellow crab curry). It was a delicious meal and everyone left feeling stuffed.

Once we reached Bangkok, Spizz, Jackie and I had the driver drop us off at Ko San Road (B continue to Bens to pick up the things he had been storing there) because it was much closer to our hostel. Ko San is an exciting street that is packed with bars, restaurants, shops, and street performers. We walked through the craziness and decided to try a shortcut.

The shortcut turned out to be the sketchiest walk of all time. We wandered down a dark, narrow alley. The only other people we ran into were washing cloths and hanging them to dry. Eventually we came to a small door next to an outdoor shower. Not ready to head back I decided to walk in and see what was going on. At first we thought it might be someone’s house. Still, we continued on and discovered that it was a hotel. We left out the front door and found ourselves across the street from our hostel (21:30)!

Once we got back Jackie and I said our goodbyes to Spizz (we are separating from B and Spizz for a few days) and ran some errands. We spent a long time searching for a place that Jackie could get Visa photos taken. Just as we were about to give up she spotted a sign for such a service. We also made a couple phone calls and packed up our stuff.

It was a long process and we did not get to sleep until almost 1:00 am.