If anyone's after something a bit different then perhaps a visit to the "Tiger Temple" in Kanchanaburi might be of interest. My boyfriend and I went by taxi from Bangkok a few years ago and had intended to repeat the trip earlier this month but circumstances prevented it. We always use the same driver, the reliable and friendly "Khun Kai", who seems to enjoy our expeditions as much as we do and is always reasonable when it comes to agreeing a price.
The temple is situated near the Thai/Myanmar border so it is a bit of a journey from Bangkok but I think it was worth it. The tiger sanctuary is run by monks who have a rather unorthodox way of dealing with the animals in their care.
My initial impression was not very encouraging as we stood about in suffocating heat at the entrance to a compound having been told that something was going to happen at 2.30. It's part of the fun with these expeditions that my boyfriend is often more aware of what we are going to see as he takes pride in trying to organise something that he thinks I will like and if he can surprise me then all the better. All he'd said to me was "You like tiger?" "OK we go..." In this case he had no idea what was about to happen either.
Eventually some monks opened the gate and we walked through a thinly wooded area towards some cages and some open grassland. It was at this point that I noticed, to my considerable surprise, that a totally unrestrained tiger was also approaching.
The more I looked the more tigers I saw. All ages and sizes, some on chains being led by keepers but many wandering free with just a collar that was given the occasional tug if they went off in the wrong direction. Some of the tigers had no collars at all.
There weren't many visitors and we all assembled in an open area where we mingled with the animals. One cub was playing in a tub of water and when I approached he climbed out and took a liking to one of my trainers. He gripped the laces with his teeth and refused to let go. I lifted up the soggy cub and tried to get him to release my shoe but he wouldn't. So I put him down and limped about with a wet tiger attached to my foot until he eventually gave up the game.
The cub's mother was nearby and seemed happy to pose for photos. Getting my, normally animal loving boyfriend, near enough to take a photo wasn't easy. He can be a bit timid and the tiger's terrified him. I never expected to stroke the head of tiger and, in hindsight, it's probably not the wisest thing I've ever done but here I am.
If there was ever a case when I might have expected some camera shake this was it but my boyfriend managed a clear shot and one of the few photos of myself that I don't mind looking at.
I wanted one of the two of us together with the tiger, but there was no way that he was coming that close. He's similarly timid at snakes shows, which he loves, but leaves me to sit at the front while he retreats to the back row.
After the close encounter the monks then moved off with some of the largest tigers that were still being walked on the end of chains. We followed and came to a small creek were even these larger animals were released and we watched as they played in the water. This was the only time when the monks instructed us on how to behave with the tigers and kept us back from what I assume were the least tame of the group. The tigers would still have had no problem if they had wanted to attack us though and I thought that my boyfriend would have been hardly more than a mouthful for them.
To be so close to such magnificent animals was an amazing experience and to be able to touch, stroke and play with them was extraordinary. At one point one of the largest of the tigers opened its mouth and roared. The sound was awesome and feeling it resonate through my body was unforgettable.
My boyfriend loves zoos and we've visited some fairly poor examples in Thailand over the years. The treatment of some animals has worried me and I was very glad to read not long ago that some orang-utans we'd seen being treated appallingly had been rescued. However for all my reservations about tigers in captivity The Tiger Temple did seem to be a genuine sanctuary with most of the animals having been rescued as orphaned cubs. They were mainly from over the border in Myanmar where hunting is more common. Some tigers are reintroduced to the wild and the love and attention that they get is obvious. There has been some negative publicity though claiming it's just a money making scheme as there is a compulsory "donation" to get in.
There have been cases in Thailand of accidents at animal reserves and shows and I can't help thinking that this unrestrained mingling with tigers is asking for trouble but once you're there the happy, smiling monks create a peaceful atmosphere that's impossible to resist. The fact that there were also deer wandering about, and apparently quite unconcerned, also added to the feeling of unreality.
My boyfriend has a small menagerie of his own with numerous cats, dogs, birds, fish, hedgehogs, rabbits (always increasing) etc etc. He recently made me laugh when he described a scheme to buy an ostrich and keep it on the land behind his house. The thought of my small boyfriend trying to control a large ostrich, which would certainly be much taller than him, was irresistibly funny. Luckily for both my boyfriend and the ostrich it proved too expensive though they are available, apparently, for around 20,000 Baht.
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Originally Posted by Chao Na
